David Gandy

LC:M And Other Adventures

4 July 2013

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Maria Scard

"*When a man is tired of London,

he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can

afford*" - Samuel Johnson

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I like to reflect on events before writing about them, maybe to let everything sink in and to get over the initial excitement (or disappointment, sometimes!) before putting pen to paper, or finger tips to keyboard in this instance.

So after much thought, evaluation and contemplation about London Collections:Men spring/summer 2013, I have to say (like I did after the very last show) it really was rather outstanding!! If I said it once during the shows, I said it a million times - it was noticeably bigger, better and more eye catching than ever before. When I say bigger and better, I mean in that we had more brands and fashion houses showing - major inclusions being Dolce and Gabbana and Burberry - The Old Sorting Office venue didn't change but was restructured into a brilliant runway to showcase many of the designers, and the new inclusion of Victoria House added prestige - as well as the chance to see some interesting brands showcasing their products from cufflinks to shoes.

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And what stood out and caught my eye over the three days? I thought that it was brilliant that Lou Dalton, one of the many rising stars in British menswear design, opened LC:M on the Sunday morning - a great honour for her and the modern, contemporary classic designers to set a precedent for everyone to follow. Oliver Spencer and James Long stood out for me not just showing brilliant collections, but also getting to know what respectful, brilliant advocates they both are for British fashion.

Mr Start produced some brilliant and innovative ideas, fabrics and designs, while Gieves and Hawks and Hardy Amies (two of the oldest and most distinguished Savile Row tailors) were also flourishing. I always like a show that feels like a true show, not just in terms of the wonderful clothes that are being worn (which is hugely important) but also incorporating something which gives it additional stand out. Dolce & Gabbana (who were opening their new, astonishing menswear shop on Bond Street) and Hackett are, for me, the masters of this. Both shows involved live music - opera singers for one and the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the other. Both wowed the audience with traditional tailoring, stunning collections and classically handsome models but in addition to that, the detail in the sound tracks, interesting guests and the phenomenal locations (which were spectacular) meant that you could feel the excitement in the audience who were sold even before the first look stepped on the catwalk.

This year, Dylan Jones invited me, along with Dermot O'Leary and Tinie Tempah, to become an official ambassador for LC:M. I felt very proud and excited after the announcement, and to celebrate this honour Morgan offered to drive me to the first shows in their three-wheeler, in tandem with another Morgan, driven and designed by Timothy Everest. Anyone who knows my equal love of cars and fashion can imagine how I felt about driving in central London courtesy of one of the last true British car manufacturers who along with our menswear also stands for history and eccentricity, with the fusion of modern technology and classical design. Charles Morgan and I talked a few months ago about the idea of working together but didn't quite expect the excitement it caused arriving and leaving The Old Sorting Office - so much so that we were actually late for the next show, weaving our way through the wall of photographers.

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I'm keen not to alienate men from fashion and always try to make it tangible for everyone so, dressed in my high street Reiss, three-piece suit I was proud to hop out of the Morgan, support Britain and the tradition of tailoring while also taking in the brilliance of our young fashion-forward designers over the duration of the three days. I tried to show my support to as many designers and brands as I could, attending almost 50 shows, presentations, parties and dinners. My driver for the rest of the shows - who worked tirelessly for Mercedes to ensure we were looked after so well - will no doubt have shared the feeling of being a little bit broken on the Wednesday (especially as I had only arrived from NYC on the morning of the Dolce and Gabbana show). But saying that, I truly can't wait for next season!

I also need to give a mention to Alice Walsh. Alice had her collection Alice Made This at Victoria House during LC:M, and it caught not only mine, but I think everyone else's eyes as we all seemed to be talking about it. She also saved the day for me as when I was heading to the GQ dinner and Tom Ford party on the last evening, I realised that I had forgotten to bring cufflinks. Alice kindly gifted me a pair of her Precision Turned metal cufflinks that I had been admiring so much the day before. British designed, British manufactured and I can't tell you how unique and beautiful her work is. Thank you Alice!

But why end there? On a high from the British brilliance (yes, I just made that up), fashion and clothes are not only where I spotted innovation, craftsmanship and quality recently, so I thought I would give you a run down of other British discoveries I have made:

Thomas Lyte:

The store sits behind where I get my shoes shined in one of my favourite parts of London, the Burlington Arcade in Mayfair. Time after time, I have admired the gorgeous leather bags from the window and now I am the proud owner of the Woodvale Weekender. Thomas Lyte is a modern English luxury brand specialising in exquisite leather and bespoke objects and they really do stand for British craftsmanship, heritage, luxury and modernity.

The New Forest:

OK, I can't claim to have discovered the New Forest in Hampshire (!), but so many people ask me where I would spend a long weekend in the UK and I can't think of anywhere better than this. William the Conqueror set aside the forest for hunting more than 900 years ago as his nova forestra and centuries of grazing deer, ponies and cattle have shaped the beautiful landscape. From redwoods to wild horses, the new forest is a haven for walkers, cyclists, well, for pretty much everyone, and it also hosts in my opinion two of the best and unique hotels in the country:

Chewton Glen is an original, luxury English hotel and spa set in 130 acres of beautiful countryside. This may not sound unique, but their newly-opened tree houses certainly are. Built high among the trees of a secluded valley, each tree house is an unforgettable experience. It really is the ultimate seclusion from everyday life. Sitting in your hot tub overlooking the valley, you would think that you were in the plains of Africa, not an hour and half from London. The detail in the design makes this an astonishing experience, even down to the breakfast buffet that they delivered through a hatch in the mornings, so as not to disturb you.

LimeWood. England can sometimes suffer, as opposed to say America and other parts of the world, when it comes to customer service. Not at Limewood! The service and attention to detail is breathtaking. As you may know by now, there are a few things that make me happy - food and interior design are two of those things and it doesn't get much better than at LimeWood. You can chose from the cosy rooms in the main house, the forest hideaway suites with open fires, and the luxury lodges. The decor is just sublime, it really is understated opulence. And then there is the food. From the Hartnett Holder and Co Italian inspired restaurant, to the Kitchen Table and the afternoon teas and raw and cured food. All is from local British producers and suppliers - I cannot tell you how much choice there is and how good the food is. On top of this, there is a beautiful spa, you can have picnics, go cycling and more. After LC:M this year, this was such a welcome break.

Finlay & Co:

You may remember I wore a pair of Finlay & Co handmade wooden sunglasses at the last LC:M. Well they have gone from strength to strength! More choice of frames, substantially stronger and with sublime packaging and glasses cases, they are a very unique and individual product.

Whey Hey:

Now for something completely different, but at the same time probably the most exciting and innovative idea I have seen in a while. One of the most important dietary and nutritional requirements is protein. People often think that you should only eat protein when you are weight training or that if you eat too much protein you will gain size and muscle. How wrong you could be. In my opinion, you cannot eat enough! Not just when training or exercising, but on normal rest days this helps your body and muscles to repair. Proteins can also help break down unwanted fat. Actually, I cannot tell you enough of how essential proteins are. Let me put it this whey (see what I did?): second to water, protein is the most abundant component of the human body, and we all know how important it is that we drink water.

So where does Whey Hey come into this? Well getting enough protein in our diets can be difficult and also many people do not want to give up certain treats in life (for example ice cream). When it comes to changing our lifestyle in order to be healthier or lose weight, Whey Hey is the answer. The ice cream is all natural, contains no sugar, is gluten free and of course is packed with the all-important Whey protein isolate. In a world that seems to be getting even more obese, with endless supplies of fatty, processed foods, Greg Duggan (the founder of Whey Hey) may just have come up with one of the best ideas I've seen in a long long time and I hope everyone goes out of their way to support this brilliant British (of course) food. It's available in Holland & Barrett and from Ocado.