Heritage & Style from PENFIELD USA

Winter time is personally my favorite time for dressing, however it can be (for some) a double edged sward of style choice nightmare. On the one side it can be months of unkind-to-clothes weather, endless trek's on public transport where your freezing one minute and hitting early male-menopause sweats the next, to having 20 pairs of shoes, boots and trainers which never seem to quite work in the style 'vs' weather saga!

On the less sharper side, its the season of a more muted colour palette, simple layering pieces, a good brogue or winter suede boot and of course the choice of winter jackets; this season seeing the return of the classic camel coat and for the weekend a more relaxed statement contained in the "Puffa" jacket.

For this we require a brand which not only has more than 5 wearable styles in its collection, but has the all important heritage back up needed to back up a style classic. Mr Gentry readers i welcome you meet the brand known simply as Penfield.

Established in Massachusetts in 1975, Penfield have built a reputation for making the highest quality down-filled jackets, clearly designed to stand up-to the demands of not only the founding hard weather lands of New England's climate but the ever increasing unpredictable climate demands of England itself! Made with premium 80/20 goose down (80% down, 20% feather) and naturally breathable Teflon, these jackets go a long way to help ease the winter months of uncomfortable dressing.

Available from:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/

http://www.selfridges.com/

The A-Z of fragrance

Luca Turin, has, with his wife and co-author Tina Sanchez, just published the paperback edition of his revered guide to perfume and aftershave. It’s not easy to explain why a book that basically just reviews hundreds of fragrances is so good, but believe me, it is.

Partly it’s because Turin and Sanchez have approached an apparently gruelling task in such a free-spirited and romantic way, and partly because it’s intriguing to look up their review of one’s own favorites.Needless to say the authors’ opinions aren’t ‘right’, anymore than a music critic’s opinion is ‘right’, but their extraordinary knowledge means that, at the very least, they explain a fragrance’s historical and olfactive context. Combined with the advice given in some essays at the front of the book about how to choose an aftershave this is both a practical guide and a charming flight of fancy.

Perfumes by Luca Turin and Tina Sanchez, £12.99 (www.perfumestheguide.com)

Y-3 Sporting Luxury

The Y-3 Sport Luxury line has just been launched in the UK as the perfect combination of luxury and sport. Exclusive for Men, the collection called 'Sport Luxury' develops elegant accessory silhouettes to go hand in hand with exclusive, sumptuous materials. The Sport Lux line consists of a variety of shapes, featuring men's handbags and a light new version of the Messenger. The range offers trims in firm and soft, smooth leather paired with slightly cracked leather or printed wool.

The collection will be stocked at Selfridges and the Y-3 Manchester store, as well as smaller stores across the UK.

Gucci Is App'in...

Gucci aren’t the most obvious brand to be launching an iphone app but that is what they have done, getting creative director Frida Giannini and Mark Ronson to collaborate on the content. Features include a virtual turntable which allows you to mix your existing tracks, a playlist picked out by Ronson, a digest of recommended bars and restaurants in 20 cities and updates on the limited-edition collection of the Gucci/Ronson trainer project. And it’s free as well.

Available at www.itunes.com/appstore

Danish Hide!

Despite all the inroads men’s fashion has made in recent years, a decent business-like day bag is still hard to come by. Danish bag makers Mismo recognised this fact, prompting co-founder Alexander Bach to create this canvas briefcase as an antidote to the ‘sexless and anonymous’ briefcases that permeate the workplace. Made with the same canvas used by Hermes and Louis Vuitton and full grain leather handles, there are separate compartments inside to handle your laptop, mobile and business cards.

Available from Tres Bien and Oki-Ni from mid-November

http://www.mismo.dk/

Knightsbridge Revamp!

Gentry followers, a moment of your time please to tell you that Harrods newly redesigned and refurbished menswear department opens tomorrow (that’s Saturday 31st October) and to mark the occasion, the first 300 people to spend over £50 will go home with a complimentary goody bag including ample bits of goody-ness from the likes of Acqua di Parma and Bond No.9. There’ll also be some in-store exclusives on the day.

http://www.harrods.com/harrodsstore/

BESPOKEN, Passion For The Details...

Gentry followers , only a few words are needed to introduce you to the wondrous world of British label Bespoken. By the name you would be forgiven to presume that the shirting they produce is bespoke, but in-fact it is ready to wear with a emphasis on high quality fabrics, classic British cuts and interesting detailing. The video below shows why its very much worth paying the £120 price tag for a crisp hand pressed shirt.

Available at Harrods http://www.harrods.com

Lee Jeans Celebrate a 120 Years Under Their Belt!

This year Lee celebrate their 120th anniversary in the denim business with a collection based on some of the original pieces that made their name. With 120 years under their belts, they have plenty to draw upon for inspiration. For starters there's the Union all jacket, created when Henry David Lee's chauffeur complained that his clothes were getting dirty when fixing his car. Mr Lee's response was to attach a denim jacket to dungarees, creating the Union all.

Lee have gone back through their archives, including old adverts (see the main image) and trawled denim markets in the American midwest (yes, they actually exist) looking for early examples of Lee jeans. The new collection is based on the cut and fit of the denim that they found and will include jeans with a commemorative button and leather patch featuring the year Lee was founded, 1889, denim jackets and check shirts, all pictured in the gallery below.

The 120 collection is available now at http://www.lee.com

All rise for the Snood!

Historically worn as a turban-cum-hood contraption by women in cold climates, the Snood has been enjoying something of a resurgence of late.

Fundamentally an all-in-one scarf, some of us will recall the popularity of the men’s snood back in the Eighties, but at least this is one Wham-era re-hash which doesn’t involve embarrassing body augmentations, sequins or neon embellishments. But with roots in the 7th century, the snood has been an (almost) viable accessory for an entire millennia, so who are we to scoff?

Highly practical, incredibly simple and surprisingly dapper, Burberry championed the trend in their Autumn/Winter 09 collection, producing chunky, thickset snoods in a range of understated shades including grey mélange, black, sand, Bordeaux and Burberry’s (once again acceptable) check.

If you’re ready to get involved, i recommend you try the super-soft cashmere/wool blend – once it’s on, it’s not coming off.

Available from £120 at http://www.burberry.com/

Shiseido's ZEN Fragrance

It’s a bold step to name a fragrance after a 12th Century school of enlightenment, but Shiseido has never shied from a challenge. As well as being the oldest skincare company in the world (imagine trying to explain the virtues of moisturiser back in 1872), the Japanese outfit can also take credit for introducing the humble ice cream to a nation reared on Manju.

Zen may be the brand’s first scent for men, but with a number of iconic fragrance houses already under its wing (from Issey Miyake to Serge Lutens), it has an enviable talent base to call upon. Consequently this woody aromatic - created by Françoise Caron and Francis Kurkdjian - is able to blend the orthodox (bergamot, violet, patchouli) with the unconventional (Nashi pear, rhododendron) with admirable results.

It’s too early to say whether Zen lives up to the press release’s claim of containing “stress-relieving aromachological ingredients to liberate the modern man from his worries,” but i think it smells just great.

From £42 at Harrods