Interview - Paul McGregor

I recently interviewed Paul McGregor, Editor in Chief at Mens Fashion Magazine, about his start with fashion and where it's going this season. Paul has been a fashion journalist for several years, writing for the likes of FashionBeans, Styloko and the Style King. He's also a lecturer at the London College of Fashion and owner of Brighterman.com.

 

How did you first become interested in fashion?

I guess I fell into fashion because of the business path I took. I established Brighterman.com back in 2009, and I guess I had to keep up to date with what was going on. From then, I took more of an interest and continued to develop my own personal style. I'm still learning every day...

What led you to launching Mens Fashion Magazine?

When I was running an online retailer selling clothing accessories, I was pretty surprised to find there wasn't a lot of online publications which offered accessible advice for men of all ages. Some of the fashion magazines focused specially on a few things, where as I wanted to create something more broad and available to the regular guy. I guess this discovery led me to launch MFM.

Who inspires your personal style?

I take inspiration from a lot of style icons, people I meet, and even from just browsing lookbooks online. I really like Lapo Elkann's style right now, along with Mr Gandy (I'm British, so of course I'll include David Gandy lol)

 

What are some fashionable pieces to pick up this spring?

Pastels we're huge last season and they've seemed to hold their weight too this season. A linen blazer is going to really transform any look this spring, and for me personally I'd invest in a few timeless pieces such as polo shirts, tailored shorts and light weight tees. These can be worn season after season.

From what trends should I stay away?

Don't get me wrong, I love prints but I've also seen a lot of guys get it totally wrong and end up looking like a rainbow. If you're going to rock any print whether its floral prints or animal prints, look to keep it subtle to start with. So pair it with a neutral colour to act as a neutraliser to the bright print. Some guys know how to pull off prints and create a statement, but others get it completely wrong.

 

What items make up a classic spring/summer wardrobe?

Keep things simple. Opt for chino shorts, tailored shorts, short sleeved shirts, polo shirts, light weight cardigans and linen blazers. Loafers too will complete any look, and again all of these pieces are timeless.

The Ivy Inspired Shop

I recently interviewed Tom, high school senior, trad/prep/ivy/WASP/whatever enthusiast and author of Ivy Inspired, who recently opened an online shop just the other day. The Ivy Inspired shop at Storenvy is currently offering gingham bow ties and pocket squares made by Tom, himself. Always one to support quality, handmade goods, I thought I'd find out more about Tom's venture.


Well, I started making bow ties about a year ago, just for fun since I had some ugly old ties laying around and I though I'd experiment. At the time I was doing everything by hand (a total pain in the ass). For months I dissected old bow ties to see their construction, and developed my own templates/design. The part that took the longest to develop was the adjustment system in which I uniquely use a button and button holes along the neckband. For Christmas my parents gave me a sewing machine because I enjoyed making the bows and I wanted to further improve my skills. At the time I had only been cranking out creations for my brother and I, but as popularity grew I decided to finally open a little online shop. 

In the shop I carry all of my handmade bow ties (mostly gingham as of the moment), hand-rolled pocket squares (also gingham), and later I hope to branch out to selling vintage ties and also small antiques. For this first run, I decided I would keep everything simple (fabrics, prices, etc.) just to see the response I get back. In the future I also hope to open a custom section in the shop where people can send me fabric/shirts/ties to make into a bow for them. Hopefully in this first run people will like my product and I will be able to keep up production with new collections for Fall and Winter.  

In the initial run everything will be gingham (red, navy, green, orange). For each color I have 4 bows (2 regular, 2 diamond point), and I'll have 3 or 4 pocket squares each for the colors. The bows will be $25 and the pocket squares will be $15, however for the grand opening I am offering a 20% off coupon code that will be posted along with the link to my store that day. I'm starting small, so I will have around 16 bows, and a couple pocket squares. The pocket squares are 13"x13". I can accommodate neck sizes 13 3/4" - 18", however the customer must give me their neck size at the time of their order. My custom adjustment system is different from anyone else's - I use a button and buttonhole. This adjustment not only insures a person's perfect fit, but allows for a 1/2" increase and decrease in size as needed.

Bow ties are fun - they're different. You see a guy walking down the street in a tie and it's whatever, but if he has a bow tie on, you'll notice him. An outfit is never complete without a pocket square. The pocket is there for a reason! It helps to connect everything your wearing. Even if it's just a simple white pocket square, it just adds a certain wholeness. 

 

 

Please support Tom's shop at http://ivyinspired.storenvy.com and visit his blog at http://ivyinspired.tumblr.com.