Well good morning. It’s a bit of a grey morning, but pleased to report the sun (almost) shone down at Lord’s this weekend (well it didn’t rain) and there were some fabulous styles on show for Derek to spot.

Lord’s is a place where men of a certain age can really go for it. In so many other settings a grey suit is the only go to for them and it’s left for the women work the colour, but at the cricket, it’s ‘bright and bold’ all the way for the chaps, and ‘wear something neutral and get on with serving the cake’ for the women (hmph!).

So here are some colour moments from the third day:

Firstly, the trousers.

The red trouser has now become pretty ubiquitous – to the point where they’re now very much a regular trouser choice. Still a good option though, and a nice pair here:

Though it seems les pantalons rouge are now paving the way for even brighter coloured trousers, as demonstrated by these excellent yellow numbers:

And these rosy pink beauties as sported by a fellow member called Harry:

Note Derek was obsessed with these trousers – to the point where he stalked their owner around the grounds to get this pic. (Harry, if you’re reading, apols for disturbing your lunch. Though whilst we’re on the subject of these particular coloured trousers, Harry told us that he is getting married later this summer and the rather fabulous dress code for men is morning suit with coloured trousers – excellent idea).

For the man more cautious about his trouser colour, there was the chance to peacock via the sock. Several natty pairs were on display, which led to a sock off at lunch:

And finally, there were those for whom only the members’ colours in a big bold style would cut the mustard – sunglasses at the ready!

Classic colours:

Double the colours:

Colours a deux!

So there you have it – hope your morning is now a bit brighter!

You may remember a few weeks back that I commented that one of Derek’s rare fashion fails was ‘the time he bought an entire safari ranger outfit from a theme park’. To give you a bit more background, this was in reference to the time he bought safari related gear in preparation for an actual safari holiday in South Africa (note NOT a fancy dress party) from the Busch Gardens theme part in Tampa, Florida.

The outing of the Busch Garden outfit rankled Derek slightly, and he was been quick to defend his outfit integrity. E mail exchange below:

From: Stylederektor
To: Fille Stylederektor
Subject: Safari

Just one point from the last post. I didn’t buy a complete safari ranger’s outfit from a theme park, I purchased it from Singita Safari Lodge in The Kruger National Park , South Africa.  I must admit it has sat in the wardrobe for ten years

From: Fille Stylederektor
To: Stylederektor
Subject: Re: Safari

You liar! That outfit was from Busch Gardens and we have photographic evidence!

From: Stylederektor
To: Fille Stylederektor
Subject: Re: Re: Safari

Just to get the matter straight I bought a gillet in Busch Gardens, the Tilley hat in a sports shop on Sanibel, the shorts from Ralph Lauren in Fort Myers and the shirt from Singita.

From: Fille Stylederektor
To: Stylederektor
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Safari

So you admit it. I might just post our conversations on the matter

From: Stylederektor
To: Fille Stylederektor
Subject: Re: Re: Safari

Fine. It may bring a smile to someone’s lips!

So I am carrying out my threat, and here, to bring a smile to your lips, is the pic of Derek modelling his ‘Safari Ranger’ look:

The digging out of this photo has been a source of great mirth to us all. Even Derek admits he went a bit overboard. One can only imagine what the actual ranger thought when he waltzed out in the morning in this get up.

It’s basically like going on a day trip to Paris and wearing this:

Thankfully reports that Derek is currently sourcing a leather lederhosen and a hat with corks hanging off it for future trips to Germany and Australia remain unfounded.

I’ve been pestering Derek for a while now to post and write about a favourite family photo from 1959, so am delighted to share it here along with a little bit of insight from a time when ‘dressing well on a budget’ didn’t just mean nipping down to Primark.

“A few weeks ago I saw (and then forgot where I saw) a wonderful photograph of the Cup Final crowd at the 1957 final between Aston Villa and Manchester United. What was astounding was that the crowd were all wearing suits, collars and ties. This is the best alternative I could find. It looks like the 1966 World Cup at Wembley. Just see how many  men are in “Sunday Best”.

This social commentary started me thinking. The Generation who fought in the war and aspired to the new life styles of the 50s and 60s did not have a large wardrobe, but always wanted to look smart. Hence well pressed suits and polished shoes.

The children of that generation were always well turned out, albeit on a budget, so it’s not surprising that we became Mods.

So here’s the Stylederektor age 12 , with his father Fred and little brother Christopher. We’re at St Peter Port Guernsey circa August 1959.  And don’t ask, I’ve no idea what we’re pointing at.

My Mother, Marya, had spent the winter knitting us all white cable jumpers. Mother was a skilled dress maker but I don’t think she made our shorts. Love the canvas plimsolls and white socks. What a stylish trio. (Incidentally Mother took the photo – and had the same outfit)  

Can you imagine an entire family wearing identical clothes? I guess there were Shell suits in the 1980s and I’ve seen an entire family wearing football shirts, but nothing compares with the care and panache my Mother took for us to look so wonderfully smart in the hot summer of 1959.”

Ahh, some lovely memories there. Grandma Stylederektor was indeed a fabulous dress maker, and between her and Grandpa Stylederektor, it’s no wonder Derek has such a passion for a good outfit.

Cockfosters 1956 -where the style obsession began

So today The Apprentice is back on our screens, and no doubt with its return there’ll be the usual endless footage of people wheeling suitcases over the millennium bridge, bellowing into mobile phones on speaker and blonde women claiming how people don’t take them seriously because of their hair colour *sighs*.

Anyway, despite the array of bad suits on show, Derek is still a big fan (despite his protests to the contrary) and here shares his thoughts on the looks being worked this year:

“This week the reality show The Apprentice starts a new series. The good news is that I’ll be able to do something else. I find the concept is dated, and too many contestants ape Michael Douglas “ Greed is good” from the 1980s film “ Wall Street”.

Anyway enough about the show, I thought I’d look at the dress sense of the male contestants.

So what are the initial observations of The Stylederektor?

• The inability to make a proper tie knot. Several of the ties look very ‘first day at primary school’
• Too many shoes that don’t match the suit. Brown shoes can look good with a navy suit, but they must be the right colour and well polished
• Ditto multi coloured socks. Black or navy long socks are not expensive. It looks as if several of the contestants simply took out whatever matching pair of socks they found at home
•  I’m not totally wedded to ties, some business people can look good in a suit and open necked shirt, as long as it is a dark suit and white shirt. So that’s a good start for Myles

Finally gentlemen, look at Nick Hewer and see what true classic elegance is”:

Nick Hewer, you’re totes hired!

I originally was nagging Derek to write us up another Vintage Stylederektor piece for the second of this week’s posts (we’ve got a corker coming up btw). However, with the mercury staying stable and as a result, his wardrobe transition continuing at a steady pace, he suddenly got all het up about the return of the rolled chino instead, and so the offering below arrived in my in-box.

Read and learn people!

“With the onset of warmer weather, one look which seems to have continued from last year’s summer is the multi coloured drainpipe chino, turned up to show off a man’s ankle (or mankle). This look is really big in Hoxton and Shoreditch for the younger man, but would it work for the mature man?

Well firstly it’s not that new. Lots of movies of the 50s and 60s often featured the male lead walking through the surf in rolled up trousers. Do you remember Sean Connery in Doctor No?

For the older man, I’d advise not to go for too bright a colour – remember most of us last wore drainpipe trousers in the early 1960s. Wear with boat shoes or suede tasselled loafers from Tod’s or Russell and Bromley.

And finally don’t ape the younger man, no ironic trilby!”

Thank you Derek, v helpful, and for those looking for further chino instruction, check out this video for a handy roll-your-own tutorial

Finally I’d like to note I have no idea when Derek was last in Hoxton and Shoreditch, but apparently he was, noting what is ‘really big’ it seems. Look forward to seeing the next look from he adapts from the area and makes his own. Let’s just hope it’s not this:

Although granted, it would be a good look on him.

Apart from on trips to the US, Derek’s not generally a big fan of shopping abroad. Whilst the rest of us are guilty of the odd impulse purchase and subsequent justification overseas (‘of course I’ll wear this pair of Thai fisherman trousers / sari top  / leather gaucho hat when I get home! I’ll wear it all the time!’), Derek generally exercises a decent amount of restraint (apart from the time he bought an entire safari ranger outfit from a theme park, but that’s a another style story).

However he has returned from Thailand with a few new additions from his new favourite shop for silk – Jim Thompson*

“When you have spent several years honing your style you instinctively know where to buy your clothes.

So it’s always a rare treat when you discover a new menswear store. Recently in Bangkok I happened upon Jim Thompson silk products.

Briefly, in the 1940s Jim Thompson settled in Bangkok. He was both a spy and entrepreneur and reintroduced the silk industry to Thailand. He unexplainably disappeared in Malaysia in the 1960s, but the silk business remained.

The shops are beautiful, jam packed with all types of silk products.The ties are really sophisticated and are a great addition to any wardrobe.

Whilst, expensive at £60, they still certainly compare well with Hermes. Wonderful colours with various elephant motifs.

Jim Thompson also sell very smart linen handkerchiefs which make great pocket squares”.

*Note – not to be confused with Jim Henson. When Derek first mentioned these ties, my first thought was ‘why has he bought muppet ties’? Bad me.