How good things last - 1970s Sterling Silver Parker 75

This has been with me for about 15 years or so. A circa 1970s Parker 75 fountain pen with a 14k gold nib, cover and body made out of Sterling Silver with a cross hatched square grid pattern (called the Cicelé) and can be used with the usual Parker cartridge for ink. 

A Useful Little Bag

This was a present from my better half. It was bought on one of our trips to Singapore. Marked 'Vera Pelle Made In Italy' on the outside. It is a generic Italian made leather bag that you could buy (read, affordable). But one that still allows me to carry my stuff whilst I run around doing my errands with a bit of style. I have another bag, a messenger bag but this has now become my favourite due to its looks and practicality. 

It has two zippered compartments that can fit A4 sized folders (a little snugly), two pouches - one that can fit a smartphone and another, that could fit larger stuff and leather straps that allow you to strap on today's newspaper or a collapsible/folding umbrella like in the photo above. The bag allows me to carry everything I need and keep my hands, and head free (hats come in handy on certain other occasion like at the beach, or watching some outdoor stuff when I don't need to carry documents and stuff with me). The good thing about a bag is that it keeps the brolly outside the bag away from any documents I am carrying unlike the messenger bag where I have to put the brolly inside it. Important when it stops raining after I use it as it stays outside the bag and I don't have to carry it

For the larger men in Malaysia - Largest Ready to Wear sizes out there - UPDATED 13TH JAN 2016

Someone wrote to me a while ago on where I usually shop for larger size jackets. This is necessary as I am not a skinny chap but one who is built like a tree trunk (I have a 48inch chest and a 41inch waist...not very tiny at all) Tailoring is the best for me AND for most larger size gentlemen out there. But it is possible to find decent ready to wear items off the rack. This was my reply.

Which jacket or blazer are you referring to? I have posted a few of my jackets in the blog. Suits I have to wear a 58IT with a drop 6 (Drop: eg, jacket size 58 a drop 6 means trousers size 52 - Italian sizes are 58IT equal to 48UK approximately) or 46 or 48uk depending on fit/cut. Drop 7 above would be a tight fit. 

The cycle of suit jacket styles - 1950s, the late 1980s, the early 1990s and today

The photo above is taken from voxsartoria's fabulous website about style. It is from 1955 and you can see musician Glenn Gould in a navy blue Double Breasted blazer/sports jacket and a pair of very loose fitting trousers. At first I thought this was from a Giorgio Armani advertisement from the late 1980s or early 1990s

Neckties that belonged to my dad

The other day my mum gave me all, or most of my dad's neck ties. This was a collection dating from the 1970s, to the 1990s at the very least. It was an amazing treasure trove of ties that were from 4cm wide (must have been from the 1960s) to a whopping 10cm wide of the 1990s. The majority are those between 8-9cm and can be used if one wants to fill out the chest area unlike the current 5-6cm ties of today. It is harder to find ties like this today and I find it nicer to wear with those neapolitan styling that I like today. Note that even Rubinacci sells 8 cm wide ties today unlike the slimmer ones. This wider ties would make peacocking (if there is such a word) a much nicer thing.

The shirt is usually outerwear here

Here in warm, humid Malaysia business wear is usually a long or short sleeved worn with or without a tie. The jacket or suit usually reserved for meetings and functions unless you're a director, CEO etc. Then suddenly you wear a suit. But outside the confines of the air conditioned offices, the jacket is removed. Unless you get those unlined, unconstructed ones in an open weave summer fabric.

So the shirt becomes outerwear. Have many. And since they are outerwear do not be afraid to try out some patterns and textures - stripes, checks etc. for the sake of variety. Within the confines of good taste and your office dress code of course. For all occasions and for work rotation. About thirty to sixty days worth would be good. Having many shirts also allows shirts to last longer as you do not wear them out prematurely.

Vintage Stratton Cufflinks and Tie Clip set

This is a late 1960s or early 1970s cufflinks and tie-clip set that belonged to my father. I have no idea whether he bought it locally or when we were over in the UK in the mid 1970s (I was a tiny tot at the time). The set was made by Stratton, a well known UK company (based in Birmingham) that made a lot of women's accessories as well as some men's accessories like this set. 

Those days Stratton made their cufflinks and tie-clips in their Birmingham factory. Everything was made in the UK and everything was a big deal in some ways. Stratton were not known to make high end stuff, but for the working man. These were not ST Dupont grade items. But you could see a bit of history in them.