HOTEL REVIEW: HOAR CROSS HALL
A world away from city life, this stately home retreat in Staffordshire has been restored and revived to unearth its historical foundations. Hoar Cross Hall has a delicate, creaking fragility. The unfurnished panelled walls have inimitable 16th-17th century period pigments with a romantic notion appealing to our fondness of the past and reverence for its aesthetics. Amongst the corridors hang portraits of aristocratic dynastic families. In the large, light-filled suites you can expect a canopied bed, high ceilings and private balconies. There is a charming juxtaposition between the masculine furniture – Georgian woodwork and sculptures are elegant features, and the heterogeneous assemblage of objects, which includes a mix and match tea set and patchwork-brocade curtains. The ballroom with William Morris wallpaper, Womley-Dunbar slipper chairs with chinoiserie prints embody decadent dining: you can expect quail stuffed into blue corn tortillas garnished with oysters on the menu. The Long Gallery bar has a comprehensive wine list. Amongst the crowd you will find men in houndstooth check wool suits by Berlutti and the women in silk-satin d’Orsay pumps from Manolo Blahnik. The hotel and its tranquil gardens have a poetic beauty, purity and a sense of secrecy. The backdrop is a gentle rolling landscape of woodland, where starry nights across the whole sky from east to west are composed like a painting. One cannot help but think of all the moon poetry: centuries of idle dreamers and parted lovers gazing at the moon, some in twos or alone, who can be found standing with their heads titled back, marvelling. Hoar Cross Hall has kept it’s magic.
www.hoarcross.co.uk. Doubles from about £338
The English Persuasion of Dress: Out of The Blue
American anthropologist Ted Polhemus wrote: 'At the heart of lifestyle is style - todays vital, indispensable language of identify. From an ever-growing supermarket of style…we choose those items which signify most precisely where we are at'. To understand why navy is the most important sartorial decision you can make one must understand how the presence of a man in navy can be felt. This understated hue was once revolutionary, today a man is able to subtly transfigure the overly familiar with his own added panache. When life is messy navy has self-discipline. Navy has a nonchalant elegance, it is the English persuasion of dress.
Navy stems from the cult of refined elegance which displaced London as the capital of dandyism when The Great Male Renunciation had begun in the early 1800's - the dandy's minimal but perfectionist approach to fashion touched all other aspects of his life, including elegance in discourse and manners. George "Beau" (handsome) Brummell is often dubbed as the first dandy, but being a dandy was about more than clothes. Beau Brummell did not work and he lived off his charm (and gambling). Brummell fled to escape creditors, he died penniless yet retained elegance and now a statue commemorates him on Jermyn Street. Note he opted for a few dark colours. George Brummell may have democratised elitism but my mother taught me a man cannot be well dressed without a sense of beauty, and either cash or credit.
Today, a mans suit ranks as the most articulate garment in the language of clothes and should guarantee sartorial eloquence. The emphasis is on cut, detail and the permanence of navy indicates as much status as a silk cloak had centuries before. The two general silhouettes evolved from, the English/Milanese custom-tailored look into a slightly more fitted version of itself, albeit still soft and lightweight on the body. The contemporary designer look of Giorgio Armani's fuller, languid, drapey swathings to an modernised depiction of the Pierre Cardin hourglass suit of the 1970's. Today, the new suit has a closer-to-the-body sensibility, it should embody a set of design relationships where the composition of navy never compromises its aesthetic integrity. There are some pieces of clothing a man should never be without: a navy single-breasted suit should be part of every gentleman's wardrobe. Navy has longevity beyond seasons. Bob Dylan with his navy-blue peacoat. Alfred Hitchcock with his untypical (for hollywood at the time) navy-blue suit. Andy Warhol in his navy-blue Yves Saint Laurent blazer, light blue Brooks Brothers shirt, and striped tie from Tipler's New Man Pants. On the runway at Bottega Veneta, Thomas Maier's claimed inspiration from the nonchalance of necessity with a navy double-breasted suit and a navy pied-de-poule jacket to add a sartorial edge evocative to the way men dressed before the 60's.
Men are less adaptable than women when it comes to clothes, menswear is often about following conventions, it is a story about perfection not revelation. It is women who feel compelled to dress like a box of Lucky Charms when winter climates strike. For men comfort is paramount. Such comfort should not sought in overly quaint cranberry-hued jackets with emerald-corduroys. You only have look at James Bond to see how his suits fitted him like a second skin which is why he could do so much in them. Like Bond pair your navy single-breasted suit with a white, pink pastel, or soft blue crisp Oxford shirt for simplicity and contrast.
This winter, for stylistic consistency in formalwear use lighter layers efficiently without looking fussy, team a navy suit with a cashmere gauge sweater or rollneck in wine or a duck egg blue. A navy suit should be worn with brown shoes to offer a man more stylish flexibility, after-all a hardback book on a mahogany coffee table acquires an expensive aura. Brown lace-ups bone-polished to a deep, dark patina, confer a richness in character against textured flannel trousers. A patterned silk-satin evening scarf tucked in around the back of your neck under the lapel is the final flourish to formal attire.
If unlike Bond you don't wear a suit, naturally, a navy blazer is the back-bone of your entire wardrobe, as it has the practicality of dressing down with denim. Navy most likely snuck in your wardrobe with the humble boat shoe which long left the confines of the dockyard. To acquire a fool-proof wardrobe this season a navy suede loafer will make a smart addition to any collector's arsenal - wear with formal trousers for business and chinos for weekend brunch. Oh, and just one more thing: like every classic rock band needs a guitar solo, no outerwear is as versatile as the navy topcoat, it will provide a backdrop for vibrant prints and contrast muted shades. A navy topcoat is a long-term investment and thus should be treated according, whether it is single-breasted, double-breasted, cashmere, herringbone wool or alpaca-blend it will hold it's value in years to come.
With navy, dressing well requires little experimentation and common sense. George Brummell has made it almost impossible to exaggerate his influence, partly because elegance resides in the individual. He also took three hours to dress, is it a coincidence most of the "best-dressed" men are almost 40 years of age?
American anthropologist Ted Polhemus wrote: 'At the heart of lifestyle is style - todays vital, indispensable language of identify. From an ever-growing supermarket of style…we choose those items which signify most precisely where we are at'. To understand why navy is the most important sartorial decision you can make one must understand how the presence of a man in navy can be felt. This understated hue was once revolutionary, today a man is able to subtly transfigure the overly familiar with his own added panache. When life is messy navy has self-discipline. Navy has a nonchalant elegance, it is the English persuasion of dress.
Navy stems from the cult of refined elegance which displaced London as the capital of dandyism when The Great Male Renunciation had begun in the early 1800's - the dandy's minimal but perfectionist approach to fashion touched all other aspects of his life, including elegance in discourse and manners. George "Beau" (handsome) Brummell is often dubbed as the first dandy, but being a dandy was about more than clothes. Beau Brummell did not work and he lived off his charm (and gambling). Brummell fled to escape creditors, he died penniless yet retained elegance and now a statue commemorates him on Jermyn Street. Note he opted for a few dark colours. George Brummell may have democratised elitism but my mother taught me a man cannot be well dressed without a sense of beauty, and either cash or credit.
Today, a mans suit ranks as the most articulate garment in the language of clothes and should guarantee sartorial eloquence. The emphasis is on cut, detail and the permanence of navy indicates as much status as a silk cloak had centuries before. The two general silhouettes evolved from, the English/Milanese custom-tailored look into a slightly more fitted version of itself, albeit still soft and lightweight on the body. The contemporary designer look of Giorgio Armani's fuller, languid, drapey swathings to an modernised depiction of the Pierre Cardin hourglass suit of the 1970's. Today, the new suit has a closer-to-the-body sensibility, it should embody a set of design relationships where the composition of navy never compromises its aesthetic integrity. There are some pieces of clothing a man should never be without: a navy single-breasted suit should be part of every gentleman's wardrobe. Navy has longevity beyond seasons. Bob Dylan with his navy-blue peacoat. Alfred Hitchcock with his untypical (for hollywood at the time) navy-blue suit. Andy Warhol in his navy-blue Yves Saint Laurent blazer, light blue Brooks Brothers shirt, and striped tie from Tipler's New Man Pants. On the runway at Bottega Veneta, Thomas Maier's claimed inspiration from the nonchalance of necessity with a navy double-breasted suit and a navy pied-de-poule jacket to add a sartorial edge evocative to the way men dressed before the 60's.
Men are less adaptable than women when it comes to clothes, menswear is often about following conventions, it is a story about perfection not revelation. It is women who feel compelled to dress like a box of Lucky Charms when winter climates strike. For men comfort is paramount. Such comfort should not sought in overly quaint cranberry-hued jackets with emerald-corduroys. You only have look at James Bond to see how his suits fitted him like a second skin which is why he could do so much in them. Like Bond pair your navy single-breasted suit with a white, pink pastel, or soft blue crisp Oxford shirt for simplicity and contrast.
This winter, for stylistic consistency in formalwear use lighter layers efficiently without looking fussy, team a navy suit with a cashmere gauge sweater or rollneck in wine or a duck egg blue. A navy suit should be worn with brown shoes to offer a man more stylish flexibility, after-all a hardback book on a mahogany coffee table acquires an expensive aura. Brown lace-ups bone-polished to a deep, dark patina, confer a richness in character against textured flannel trousers. A patterned silk-satin evening scarf tucked in around the back of your neck under the lapel is the final flourish to formal attire.
If unlike Bond you don't wear a suit, naturally, a navy blazer is the back-bone of your entire wardrobe, as it has the practicality of dressing down with denim. Navy most likely snuck in your wardrobe with the humble boat shoe which long left the confines of the dockyard. To acquire a fool-proof wardrobe this season a navy suede loafer will make a smart addition to any collector's arsenal - wear with formal trousers for business and chinos for weekend brunch. Oh, and just one more thing: like every classic rock band needs a guitar solo, no outerwear is as versatile as the navy topcoat, it will provide a backdrop for vibrant prints and contrast muted shades. A navy topcoat is a long-term investment and thus should be treated according, whether it is single-breasted, double-breasted, cashmere, herringbone wool or alpaca-blend it will hold it's value in years to come.
With navy, dressing well requires little experimentation and common sense. George Brummell has made it almost impossible to exaggerate his influence, partly because elegance resides in the individual. He also took three hours to dress, is it a coincidence most of the "best-dressed" men are almost 40 years of age?
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