Thrifty Beatnik Style Guide - Dunn & Co Fox Hunting Jacket -21/10/2009

The Jacket : This Jacket is a vintage Dunn & Co tailored hunting jacket. It  oozes upper class dandy-ish style. Obviously fox-hunting is for c*nts so please do not appreciate this if you think that the trapping and massacre of defenceless animals is a good thing.

You can appreciate, nay love, the countryside without believing in acrane sports and this coat is perfect for keeping you warm whilst giving off pure modern Mr Darcy vibes.

Dunn & Co should be a household
name. Nuff Said.

Thank you for reading
~Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Mens Style blog - Ian Brown TrackSuit Top - 20/10/2009

I think that really, much like his hairstyle, there is only one person who can pull off a tracksuit top. His name is Ian Brown. Whether it's a limited edition Adidas or a Manchester Palace knock off I really can't think of another person who can wear one unselfconciously .

Just packing things so instead of a long blog listen to this

Thrifty Beatnik Blog: The 3-Piece Mod Suit / Euroyéyé Festival 2010: 19/10/2009

In 2010 I'm considering heading over to check out the Euro Yé-yé Festival in Gijon. It's a celebration of Mod and Yé-yé clothing and culture and looks amazing for checking out the latest modern updates to a classic style.

But dress codes in foreign countries are always a nightmare for us Brits especially when compared to our sometimes amazing European counterparts often leaving one with no idea of what to wear or, worse, having to wear something hideous.

Therefore i'd probably go with a classic three piece pinstripe suit  which recently has taken quite alot of stick for being the uniform of those pesky bankers. It's not. And this suit is cool.

The only problem is that the legs are a tad short but isn't that cool nowadays? When does a halfmast become acceptable. I remember at school we would rinse the short-trousered. If anyone can confirm it that'd be a big help.....

Thank you for your help :)
~Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Men's Style Guide : Geek Chic Tank-Top

By the time you read this you will have missed the opportunity to win it for a penny but nevermind ay? This is a style blog. One thing that hasn't taken off fully is the tank-top. Here's why I like them

• Somehow, perhaps due to their not being arms, you can get away with crazier patterns. Is it as the tank-top has always had a degree of ironic detachment.
• Despite this a nice argyle or icelandic one tends to have more credibility whereas jumpers with these patterns seem to reverse this ironic trend.
• With the death of Michael Jackson you would have though that his most credible era with the Jackson 5 would have brought a resurgance in the small knitted one but it seems to have not.
• Lastly they are surprisingly warm despite the lack of bingo wing covers.....

Thank you for reading
~The Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Men's Style Blog : BBC Micro Men Style : 14/10/2009

Just watched Micro-Men on iplayer a fantastic histo-drama on 'The battle between Clive Sinclair and Chris Curry for the 1980s home computer market' After referencing the Sinclair spectrum 48k in a previous blog I got quite nostalgic and interested in the history of the company and this was a happy coincidence. Check it here

Anyway enough plugging for the good old beeb. What interested me was the styles depicted in the show. It was the borderline of the 70's / 80's fashion and they mixed together surprisingly well. Turtlenecks with double-breasted blazers? Tick! A Tank-top with a buttoned up shirt? Tick! A part of me kind of wished for a simpler time when men's fashion was so naive. Anyway, in tribute, here is a an 80's off-green checked Marks and Spencers suit that walks the line of 70's / 80's style. Do I like it? Tick!

Thank you for your time!
~Thrifty Beatnik

http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Men's Style Blog - Autumn=Fingerless Gloves / V-Neck - 15/10/2009

Sometimes you have some cornerstone items for a season. My personal ones are a v-neck jumper and fingerless gloves. Now for fingerless gloves you must but high quality ones. There are alot of £1 shop ones but they unravel quite quickly. I rarely do this but I recommend a thickly knitted Barbour.

The V-Neck is a extra-small Topman one. This has a fantastic fit which is quite rare. It's perfect with a tie or with a blazer / overcoat thrown over.

Thank you for your time

~Thrifty Beatnik

http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Style blog : The Grandma Knitted Animal Jumper : 13/09/2009

Now I realise we're in the business od selling vintage clothing but now and again a piece comes in that you can tell was genuinely made with that most elusive of materials. That thing people call 'love'.

The Jumper: Whether it exists or not I'm not going to get into here but this jumper is a lovely handknitted piece. At first I thought it was a unicorn but now I think that its a horse that escaped a carousel. Then again it's mane is a little mohican-esque so perhaps its a punk pony.

The problem with items such as this is that many people think that their are holes in them. If you look closer its actually just a dropped stitch. I wish people didn't think that clothes should always be entirely and impossibly mint. Even a brand new Ted Baker jumper has one or two has loose threads. But then that's the world at present i guess.

1p SALE NOW ON YOU CHEAP BAR-STADS

Thank you for reading

~Thrifty Beatnik

http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Men's Sttyle Guide - Stripy Waistcoat - 12/10/2009

'Magazines are so over-rated yeah And then try to tell you, try to to sell you What's new and what's now obsolete And they like their garage friends and yeah, they like those indie gems and yeah They like what ever cool new trends gonna take those copies off the shelf so Give me my hook I know it might sound lame Do you like my new look Waistcoats are so today So give me something special darling So I can flip around, and skip around, and call it by a name'
- Fight Like Apes - Something Global

This week was one of the busiest ever at Thrifty Beatnik but it is also the week that I can confidently say that, unless part of a lovely three piece suit , that the waistcoat is dead. Indeed the irony of the FLA song is evident. I love a waistcoat but since, like the trilby, it has been adopted by cretins I see no place for it until it can be reclaimed by a credible source. Obviously your Tom Waits and Nick Cave types get a pass but for high street casualwear in 09/10 sorry waistcoats your time is up.

1p SALE YOU HANDSOME DEVILS!

Thank you for your time!
~The Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Mens Style Blog - I AM ASTROBOY T-Shirt - 09/10/2009

The T-Shirt: Now alot of people haven't heard of Astroboy. He's a fantastic manga character, in fact, he's got such a cult following this t-shirt sold before I even decided to post on this. Therefore I will dedicate the rest of this email whinging and admiring in equal measure

There was a time when I thought The Pixes and Os Mutantes were my own special secret bands. I'm pretty sure lots of people feel this way about The Fall. Then I went to University and found I was wrong. Astroboy, (鉄腕アトム, Tetsuwan Atomu?, lit. "Mighty Atom") is one of those characters I've had since childhood that I'm sure will soon have a wider worldwide recognition thus ruining it for me and the followers of this ever-so-cute robot. Therefore I'm going to just hold up my hands and share a youtube video in the hope you'll get as hooked as me. There. Instead of taking away my ball I've given it to you.

Thank you for your time
~Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Men's Style Blog - Butlins Conductor Jacket / Why Music should Be Free - 08/09/2009

The Jacket: Today's suit is a lovely 50's Zoot Suit probably made at the tail end of the decade when the British holiday entertainment industry began its slow decline. Now I'm going to take a brief aside into why the I think music should be free and what effect that selling music ruined Butlins.

In the heyday of Butlins 30's-50's every dance had a live band. Almost every event had some form of  live music. From  wedding receptions to birthday parties actual musicianship took place from the bandstands to the musichalls. But then they started using records rather than employing actual musicians

People could afford to have records at home, so why go to Butlins to hear your favourite popular tunes spun by an ageing DJ? Indeed if one saved the pennies one could go further afield. As such we lost a once iconic part of British culture. I realise this only an element in the whole decline of the company but still look at this blazer! Pure british style now no longer available except at The Ritz.

Thank you for your time

~The Thrifty Beatnik

http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Mens Guide - The Kath's Cafe Eastenders Pringle Jumper - 07/10/2009

The Jumper: This item is a classic 1980's pringle jumper. For some reason I have a childhood memory of Kaff from Kaff's Kaff [sic] son in Eastenders wearing this jumper. She didn't take it on into The Bill though. It would probably be more frowned upon more than a full body tattoo for all its subtlety. But it is exactly it's 80's-ness or 'Nu-Rave' -ness (remember that?) that give it its charm. The 1980's for me are certainly the decade that fashion forgot but their are certain pieces such as this shine through. Indeed it looks like it was designed on a spectrum 128k. Sorry what am I saying. 48k.

By Alan Sugar ........

Oh good god what happened to Kaff's Kaff? Yet another vaguely popluar reference I'll have to tick of the list.

Thank you for reading
~Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Mens Style Blog - Geek Chic Peacock Suit / Why I Quit The I-Phone - 06/10/2009

I know some people will think me mad but today I downgraded my I-Phone to a £5 Sony Erriccson T-250i. I now have texting and phone calls. The phone is such a basic models that the wap settings don't actually work and the 'camera' seems more like an amateur aura detecting device. Why? Well you own an I-Phone please realise this. You did not invent the i-phone! Don't get me wrong it's a cool gadget but it really is a jumped up Tamagotchi; I use a notepad.  If i want to tweet I'll text it in thanks.....

Maybe I have spend a little too much time enjoying past articles: I did buy a vintage  telephone seat this week...

The Jacket : This Jacket is the often underated but highly cool a cotton / polyester blend. Though this can prove a little hot in summer its actually much better for fitting to your shape rather than and often stuffy wool jacket which also makes it incredible easy to clean. Again this fits into my own Jarvis Cocker / Graham Coxon obsession and the fact that it is so unique with its subtle green it also has a massive wing collar.

Indeed I call this the peacock suit as those lapels are HUGE much like a certain birds, well I guess, a certain birds 'pulling technique'. Obviously like evolution over religions, nature will always win over fashions but its good subconcious attempt at drawing the attention to oneself

Thanks for reading

The Thrifty Beatnik

http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

oh yeah and www.twitter.com/ThriftyBeatnik for my latest updates of belligerency x

Thrifty Beatnik Mens Style Blog - Stricly Come Dancing In A 50's Zoot Suit - 05/09/2009

Hi all: I'm a tad  busy at the moment with our 2009 / 2010 stock coming in at the moment and organising a massive 1p wholesale vintage clothing sale  so I apologise for spelling mistakes but I'm lost in a world of CSS and html to the point where the english language itself looks er ...greek  to me :)

The Jacket : This 50's Double Breasted Jacket is a fantastic hipster blazer . This is high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Italian Americans, and Filipino Americans during the late 1930s and 1940s.

Much like women who seem to have a wonderful 40's-50's style in the modern world, I would love to be able to be someone who was capable of moving from casual smart to just smart but unfortunately a thick hair is condusive to good styling and I have a habit of being a bit of a clutz. but imagine being zapped back to a time where co-ordinated dancing wasn't the preserve of badly timed BBC programmes or low-par boy-bands. Ah The Charleston if only I had the co-ordination and self-confidence.....

Thank you for reading

~The Thrifty Beatnik

http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Vintage Mens Style Blog - Grandma Knit Jumper / Fashion Clubs- 3/10/2009

Just discovered a rather depressing a website called lookbook that was invite only. Pfft I'll quote Groucho Marx ('I'd never belong to a club that would have someone like me') but when it comes down to it I'm not handsome, young enough or bothered enough for that kind of malarky. Besides I like having my lo-fi soapbox right here.

La Tricot: There's something lovely and twee about this jumper. It reminds me of those lovely indie-pop bands of the early 90's before bands got stylists and sponsors. I remember this seeping in in the late 90's when the terrible stupid band Northern Uproar got a sponsorship with Levis. Unlike many Vintage fans I don't necessarily think that music should be sold with an image of what to wear. You like Indie: Torn Denim / Slim Fit Leather. You like. You like Emo then here's Skinny Jeans and a ribcage hoody. You like N-Dubs then er......

Apologies for the short blog today. Just got a ridulous about of stock in along with new rails so I'm spending the entire weekend chained to either a camera, a coat hanger or puzzling html.

Thank you for reading
~ The Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Mens Style Guide - 70's Starsky and Hutch Leather Jacket -

Now I'm a vegetarian. I will admit that I became one for all the wrong reasons; lying to a girl so she though I was cool. But ever since that intital lie as an eightenn year old vegetarianism stuck with me and I with it.  In fact the only time I lapsed was inadvertantly in Canada. I love Poutine and unfortunately when I asked the waiter if the gravy had meat in it I think he assumed I meant 'Meat chunks' rather than 'meat stock' and hell was I ill as hell for 24 hours. But anyway... You may disagree but I justify leather only if it's secondhand. There's been enough jackets made in the world for everyone. You are not the Fonz.

The Jacket: This Jacket is a 1970's Starsky & Hutch style leather with your standard issue wing collar. It's not as extreme as some examples we've had in but it's quite rare in that the sides on a medium had been tailored for a slim fit, a cut that is woefully ignored in sizes over small. The lapel simply states ' Made In England' as all good vintage pieces do and it has that fantastic leather smell I rather guiltily enjoy.

Thank you for reading
~The Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/

Thrifty Beatnik Men's Vintage Style Guide - Tweed Crombie Jacket -

So anyother day another tweed... This time in a very Steptoe and Son vein. It's always been a tad confusing selling overcoats in the post-Crombie years as much like Hoovers the name became synonymous with the style of coat/

The Jacket: This Jacket is a Medium Tweed Overcoat by Monsoon. Though renound more for chintzy bridesmaids dresses rather than mens fashion I'm afraid to say that the company is very hit and miss when it comes to quality control. I've had and had reports of very poor workmanship such as t-shirt arms falling off and shirt buttons falling off as you button them. This, luckily, is a hit as it's heavy and durable especially when compared to other high street store attempts. I always think that brown tweed is quite an odd material really as in appearence you can go from hobo (just add fingless gloves) to Lord (Add a high-buttoned shirt) with relative ease. In fact given the state of some of the upper classes 'portfolios' [I hate this word] nowadays I very much believe it's probably happened.

Thank you for reading
~The Thrifty Beatnik
http://www.thriftybeatnik.co.uk/