Flower's.... Good or Bad ? .....by Shaun Dangerfield

Who care's I love the old floral garment's, and that's all that matter's.
So where we gonna go with this ? an arrangement on the dinner table ? "Sorry" flowers because I went out for 48 hours and didn't call home ? or how about we slam a large rose design on a scarf and see what happens.
This is what happen's.

The Hill Side.
Don't worry I won't be wearing it with the Engineered Garments floral ground jacket I picked up the start of last year, I'd be like a human bouquet, petal heaven.
But I will enjoy getting some wear out of this.
And seeing as I've literally hammered all my white canvas trab's I picked up some fresh looking Jack Purcell's for the more chilled time I spend out.

Simple cut's.... by Shaun Dangerfield

Straight out the parcel and onto the Sinister Delicious slab for inspection.
While my Sinister compadre hang's his head in shame today over his own recklessness I find myself unfortunately straight headed and on the level, which is good because I got to take in a few parcels and enjoy the whole opening ceremony but also bad because to be quite honest I would have loved to be in the pickle he was (and still is).
Saul Wilks.... The only person I know who goes out for a haircut and a new pair of Persol sunglasses and turn's up 21 hours later £150 down. He's such a playboy.

Snap my fingers aaaaaaaannnnd back to me.
A few fresh pieces en'route but turning up today was the racing green Baracuta G9 that I intend to live in this summer along with my other harrington's.
Nice to still buy pieces now that look as good as they did when I first bought into them 14 years ago and I would imagine that I'll still have one or 2 Baracuta's knocking about in my wardrobe in another 15 years.

Next up are a little denim project that I thought I would start/share on Sinister, a pair of Albam sample selvedge loose denim.
They were labelled as loose denim but I'm pretty sure these are samples of the workwear jean that they had for a season or two a couple of years back as I had a pair and loved them.
Seeing as my day work is very hand's on and I usually use my heavily worn denim for my work at the end of their beautiful lives I thought I'd start with a pair and finish with them and see how we go, I'll do a 6 monthly check in August/September time and show the wear and tear.

Last but not least last summer I trotted around for a while in Common People's Crosby ginger suede shoe

with red brick sole which I loved but unfortunately didn't fair well in the raving establishment's I frequented.

Luckily I managed to pick up a fresh pair still in the sale's sitting there like a lost puppy wanting me to take it home and give it the love they deserve, I'm an old softy like that and took them in to give them the care they so crave for.

Sunrise...By Saul Wilks

You know when everything just looks better when you've not slept for 24 hours?

Coincidentally I got pulled by a patrol car at 7.00am this morning for taking photos of the sunrise....

Consider me a sun pervert or something.

Engineered Garments Interview...By Saul Wilks

I do some work for an independent creative studio that offers a number of services within the fashion sector and through this I get to do some pretty cool stuff. As well as writing editorial pieces and carrying out blog work, I also get the chance to fire across questions at some of the most established names in contemporary style and menswear on behalf of the likes of Hip Leeds - which is sound.

As you can probably imagine, It was ace to be given the opportunity to do just that with Angelo from Engineered Garments.

I sometimes tend to find that online interviews can be very samey and you can read several that are pretty much the same with generic questions being asked and generic answers being given, so being wary of this I didn't want to come across as such and have tried to ask a few things that I've not really seen around before.

All told for a quick Q/A session there are definitely some good answers and insights to be read and is probably worth five minutes browsing time while you're on you're daily surf - but I'll leave that up to you to decide.

The full interview will be live on the Hip Store in the next couple of days, but for now, here's an insight into one of the most modest yet masterful names in modern menswear... Engineered Garments.

This S/S sees another fine selection offered up from Engineered Garments. Along with the obvious elements of classic outdoor and military references what other inspirations have found their way into this season’s collection?


Its usually things that are in the “American Sportswear” world but this time around there was a strong feel for Preppy - (Ivy League Style) and classic resort fashion from the 50’s.


Apart from the references made to the aesthetics of outdoor and military clothing, what other elements do you factor into the thought process when creating an Engineered Garments collection?


Functionality is a big thing for me but more importantly taking old ideas and making them function today. Really looking at older sportswear details and incorporating them in a subtle way without making it feel dated or vintage.


In your opinion, do you feel that the clothing you produce appeals to a specific type of customer base and if so, could you perhaps describe it for us?


I don’t feel that it really appeals to one type of person, especially now, having the shop here in NY, you really see so many different types of guys, its really amazing.


Last S/S we saw garments such as the much loved floral ground jacket make an appearance, which was a nice touch for the summer months. When designing a collection how much attention is paid to seasonal trends?


There are no trends I follow, if anything I try not to follow trends, for instance this coming fall winter I did the same type of florals for outerwear.


Being New York based, do you think your immediate surroundings and environment have an impact on the way you create an Engineered Garments collection?


Yes they do in direct and indirect ways, you never know what it will be from an apron you see on a worker to a graphic you see on the street, NY just has a real accidental creative energy.


One of our favourite pieces from the S/S collection is the shooting jacket; that classic rustic outdoor country detailing will no doubt hold great appeal to many here in the UK. Being based in New York, what is your take on British style and why do you think your clothing holds such appeal here?


American Classic style is rooted in British style, I personally love it. Americans just twist it around and make it there own.


Do you think there are noticeable differences between American and British style, or do you feel that there’s a universal look that’s predominant in relation to the type of clothing that you produce


I cant really comment to much on British style now because I don’t see it too often but in general it seems like there is more of a desire to be an individual.


If you were to pick a single garment from the S/S collection that exemplifies the ethos of Engineered Garments best, what would you chose and why?


Its too hard for me too choose, I like them all but in general there is always a sport blazer of sorts a parka, outerwear is always our strong suit but there is always different elements that are just jumbled from familiar elements of American Sportswear, or America’s take on sportswear.


From a personal point of view, what does Engineered Garments mean to you and how does it communicate this through its collections?


EG is just my take on modern sportswear, nothing like other imaginative conceptual fashion but something more grounded and referential to my experiences with clothing.




A big thank you to Angelo from EG for taking the time out to answer when I'm sure he's busy working on future collections.

Such an Anorak...By Saul Wilks

The internet is full of anoraks isn't it? You only have to take a trip around the blogsphere to find them, ranging from obsessive trainer heads to grown blokes who collect action figures and the like - they're all there but each to their own and all that jazz.

If truth be told, we're a bit anorak ourselves, though we like to express it through the love of the aforementioned garment. Windbreaker, anorak, waterproof, pull over, whatever you want to call it, if you've got a decent one to hand in the summer or drizzle then it definitely sets you apart.

I've had this in my cross-hares from day one. Band Of Outsiders are a Hollywood based label that create some pretty amazing outwear. I'd be lying if I said I'd bought anything from them before, but the past few seasons collections have been consistently ace.

End upped some proper tasty bits of kit on their website that are available this season and although the prices are pretty steep I can't get away from how extraordinarily beautiful they look. It Just so happens I've got a handsome bonus coming this month as well which comes in handy when you want to drop some wedge.

I've chosen what I reckon is the pick of the bunch - the overhead windbreaker - constructed from waxed cotton and canvas in this glorious red. It's rather beautiful isn't it? roll on pay day... pretty perfect summer outwear straight from the sunshine state.

Easter Goodness... by Shaun Dangerfield

If your sick of filling up on chocolate at Easter time why don't you fill up on some filthy Boogie, Disco & House with us lot The Boogie Cartel who are hosting the upstairs in the Horse & Groom April 8th Easter Sunday.
You can come and indulge yourself rotten (don't worry we won't tell anyone) and bonus part of it you won't put any weight on but instead you'll shift a few pounds getting your sweat on. Which is ace.

The House prince Mark E headlining will be holding it down below us so expect it to be action packed.

2 tracks I've remixed and I'll be playing on the night are below in their original form, so if you want to hear the final cut's you will have to turn up sorry that's just the way it is, beep beep.

Weekend Waxing & Update.... by Shaun Dangerfield

Wednesday evening I set up camp with some hot water and a tin of wax and got stuck into my Oliver Spencer pole jacket that was filthier than Sinister founder Saul..... and he's extremely filthy.
Cleaned it down and waxed it up and it's gleaming again.
Much better looking than when I bought it as I love the wear and tear that sizzle's through.
All those crease mark's and line's that have been appearing the past 2 years are now fade line's but with the wax coating it's all showing up beautifully, all the indigo marks on the inner from my denim and grazes from night's out are highlighting the character of the jacket and it just make's it all that bit tastier up close.

Few photo's now from last week's jaunt which I ended up finishing on Sunday with some beach time and some evening sunset.

When in Amsterdam - A Photographic Diary...By Saul Wilks

Yes, I do love a good pose (something my girlfriend points out on more than a regular occurrence) but there's method in my madness... I've just returned from an ace trip away with her to the beautiful and mind blowing city of Amsterdam.

The only other time I've been to Amsterdam prior to this was when I was an 18 year old scally-wag who unfortunately probably brought to life the lyrics of a Mike Skinner Streets record.

Having matured both in mind and spirit it's fair to say that I fell madly in love with Amsterdam and it's mesmerizing features - It's no Hastings, we can be sure of that.

My girlfriend, in all her wisdom, decided to take charge of accommodation arrangements and came up trumps with the perfect apartment smack bang on the Singel canal, which is pretty much central to all that the city has to offer. Apart from this, the nearest district to us was that of the Jordaan, a winding mass of canals, ivy leaves, cafe bars, antique shops and some really ace boutiques.

To be honest though, shopping was far from my mind in what is one of the most liberal and eloquent (two things sometimes hard to balance) cities I have ever had the pleasure of pacing around.

The usual vices aside, this was the perfect setting to stroll lazily around with my girl, getting lost in a labyrinth of side streets and scenarios, each more gorgeous than the last. Amsterdam is relaxation personified, with a leisurely outlook on life that is rarely seen in this country. To summarize, I could see myself living there one day in the future.

Anyhow, before I get lost in my thoughts and with a thousand ace memories fresh in my head, here's Amsterdam through my trusty and well loved lens complete with all its flaws, brash, bold but above all beautiful...