Gentry style

For those us in London, there is so such thing as spring. In this city, it’s hard to live seasonally. The daffodils which promised so much only a few weeks ago have been cruelly levelled by gale force artic winds and rain. Still, we are made of strong stuff and hope, um, springs eternal? So, here some ideas for spring, both at home and abroad – things to buy, places to go, that kind of thing. If you’re lucky enough to be somewhere where there’s the promise of renewal, all the better. If not, pretend.

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The Exhibition: Vanity Fair Portraits (National Portrait Gallery)

This excellent collection has been around for a while so there’s no excuse to miss it. The NPG has been given access to the Vanity Fair archives and pulled 150 of the most iconic, revealing pictures. The exhibition features vintage prints from the magazine’s first period (1913-1936) – on display for the first time. These are combined with more popular and contemporary images from its second period (1983-present). Legendary photographers like Edward Steichen and Cecil Beaton took glamorous portraits of Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson in the period 1913-1936, and these are on display. Two unseen portraits of author Virginia Woolf taken in 1924 are an added treat in this part of the exhibition. Another highlight of the exhibition is 22 images by acclaimed portrait photographer, Annie Leibovitz. Leibovitz has become the dominant image-maker of Vanity Fair. Her portraits include that of Miles Davis, Kate Winslet, Lance Armstrong, and more recently, the Queen. With subjects as diverse as Claude Monet, Cary Grant and Madonna, if you’re looking for great photographers or great subjects, or both, don’t miss the Vanity Fair Portraits exhibition. In our view, this is the hottest photographic experience in town. Go and see it!

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Cinéma du look was a French film movement of the 1980s that had a slick, self-concious visual style. It focussed on young, alienated and almost invariably handsome characters. It was a thrilling blend of high and low (pop) culture and music, dealing with themes of urban loneliness and cosmetic attraction - very much taking its lead from the music videos of the day (breathing in both Punk and New Romanticism). Perhaps the most style conscious movement in the history of the medium, Cinéma du Look was a neon slap of a sub-genre, as sexy in form as maddening in content. Gentry Style pays tribute below to the best Films du Look, each one a slinky, vampirically vapid classic.

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The inherent nerdiness of the digital watch has been excorcised by the latest flush of stylish models available. There is a trend emerging amongst some of the most elegant watch designers to out-do one another on the digital front, pushing the form to new heights. The sharp lines and naturally austere contours of the digital watch offer a strict, precise kind of elegance that the antiquated analogues just can’t stretch to. Futuristic in an old fashioned kind of way, the models tend to be divided into two platforms: precocious retro and bold modern.

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We all like a world class ski resort.  Bonnie Tsui in the New York Times recently highlighted one of our favourite resorts ‘Zermatt’. 

“It’s a real challenge nowadays to find an exciting ski-town, but Zermatt is something of a revelation, boasting the highest verticals in Europe.

Horse-drawn carriages and brandy-bearing St. Bernards may still roam Zermatt, but this resort town of 5,500 people has lately schussed its way into a modern era of solar-electric ski buses and expansive, high-tech snowmaking. During a visit earlier this winter, I hit pretty much every color-coded highlight on the ski map, thanks to the new lifts and runs that have made possible easy connections between sprawling ski areas. Sleek glass buildings are beginning to alter the traditional chalet landscape of the village. And modern Swiss efficiency has done away with what was once Zermatt’s biggest disadvantage: the resort now uses an electronic ski pass system that allows skiers to zip through checkpoints at every on-mountain gondola, chairlift, train and underground funicular, making crowds virtually nil (except at the aforementioned après-ski spots).

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Josh Sims in the FT recently discussed what style trousers should be worn…

‘It’s a debate that reaches far back into sartorial history, as fierce and informing as any and the cause of just as many bloody noses in the playground as on the catwalk: how should trousers be worn - skinny or baggy? 

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Hand-made in Shropshire, these tasteful leather washbags offer a touch of period style whether you are continent hopping or having a break in the country. Matt Fothergill specialises in bespoke leather work and the attention to detail and respect for the craft is clear, having studied as a saddler at Cordwainers College London. All Fothergill’s products are of the finest quality, simple but striking. If you have been searching for the ultimate in leather travel accessories look no further. Vintage in essence but contemporary in style, the washbag is an essential part of any gentleman’s coterie of accessories. The washbag carries with it the caché of classic trans-european journeys: picture Marcello Mastrioanni smouldering in his night-train cabin, reaching into his washbag, splashing on some cologne, and where else would you expect Jean-Paul Belmondo keep his comb and cigarettes? Check out the Murdock range of Fothergill Washbags and begin to appreciate the particularly dynamic luxuries of this beguiling accessory.

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It’s only when we no longer need someone that we can have a real relationship with them, and so too, with hair and it’s disappearance. Only when a man loses his hair can he truly appreciate it: one of the true and few ironic tragedies of above-brow human geography and an explanation, to some degree, of the New Bald philosophy: a state of mind that urges the rest of the body to clean up its act. It’s a kind of infectious Zen-like observance of grooming and ritual. When today’s man loses his hair he doesn’t simply paste limp strands across his greasy head, he doesn’t spend his days downloading vampire porn, fiddling with his ringtone – rather, it’s his wake up call, his moment of absolute clarity, his rebirth.

New Bald can be traced as far back as the early 90s, with Andre Agassi and Bruce Willis blazing an imitable, stubbly trail through the unsuspecting and complacent world of the non-balds. These anti-Sampsons are examples to the rest of us – hairless heroes, warriors beyond the comb who have taken what life has given them, and polished it. (more…)

The foul weather can’t last forever, and soon enough shoes will seem party poopers on the festival of sunshine that will no doubt befall our shores.  As everyone knows, with trainers, it’s all about the toe. Shape is everything. Casual footwear has to be adaptable, has to live with whatever you throw at it outfit-wise - they’re a kind of cloaking device for the foot, invisible when you need them to be, eye-catching when they have to be.  It takes a keen eye to sort through the hot rash of sneakers that creep into the stores every season, and Gentry have selected some of the most attractive trainers currently around, suitable for a number of occassions.

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1.  Where to Stay

At the Floatel Diamond Princess (from £150), a fifties Norwegian mail boat moored near the edge of the Schipperskwartier (red-light district), you can party efficiently. The 42 refurbished cabins are wired, but you can meet the neighbors in the piano bar or the captain’s lounge turned library. Ask for a room toward the front of the ship; there’s a nightclub in the stern.

At the sixteenth-century Hotel Prinse (from £160) in the Stadswaag district, find a tranquil courtyard garden and a modern, light-filled lobby strewn with mod Fabiaan Van Severen furniture. In the Chris Mestdagh suite, find furniture, linens, and towels from one of Belgium’s leading designers.

The best views of Antwerp’s Gothic, UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Our Lady are from the upper floors of the Hotel ‘t Sandt (from £120) in the Oude Stad neighborhood. The Cathedral Penthouse Suite has a light-drenched room, an antique armoire, a Jacuzzi tub, a private terrace, and a giant distressed wooden cog leftover from the 30-suite hotel’s days as a soap factory.

2.  Where to Eat

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