Jack Wills

As I mentioned in a previous post, it definitely seems that old English clothing brands are coming back into fashion. Jack Wills 'the university outfitters', is an English brand for the younger generation that brings these old English styles with a modern twist. I regularly get the Jack Wills Handbook through the post, which is a high quality catalogue for the brand containing a lot of arty lifestyle imagery. The brand has a lot of critics, mainly due to the price of their clothing and the typical 'rah' that would be seen in them, however it has become a lot more commonplace in the past few years and brings with it a quintessential English lifestyle with Polo and manor houses.

I have to admit as a brand I really enjoy Jack Wills. Not just because of the clothing, it's incredibly overpriced, but in the way that it has created such a brand identity for itself and has managed to convert many critics into lovers. English is back in a big way and Jack Wills is making sure that the public know about it. The website is updated regularly and has a lifestyle section which currently holds dates of a university tour. Targeting the market perfectly I think.

English Revival

Old English clothing brands are definitely being revived in todays fashion. I lost count of the number of Hunter wellington boots that I saw at Bestival over the summer, and everyone around campus is wearing Barbour jackets. I like that such brands that are the backbone of English clothing are now coming into fashion.

A year ago many people wouldn't have been seen dead in most of this clothing, mainly because it's main target market are farmers, a not so glamorous profession, however it just shows the influence that the media has on today's fashion. If it wasn't for Kate Moss wearing her Hunter wellington boots to the first festival of the summer, then I very much doubt that so many would have been sold over the past few months. Style icons influence us every day, even when we don't realise it.

The Barbour jacket - how it's meant to be worn

In fashion today

Kate Moss in her Hunter boots - practical, and now thanks to her also fashionable.

Leeds City Museum

I have to admit that having been away from Leeds for a year has made me appreciate the city a lot more. I feel that I have become a lot more involved within university, as well as taking advantage of some of the local sites around the city. That's why during a visit into town this weekend I chose to stop by the Leeds City Museum. I particularly likes the Leeds Story gallery as I rarely think of Leeds having much history aside from being an industrial city.

The museum in Millennium Square, originally opened in 1819, but re-opened in 2008 and used to be the Mechanic's Institute. Millenium Square has recently been renovated and contains many modern bars and restaurants, so I really like the contrast between the old and new buildings within the square. When researching into it I came across a story concerning the 'Leeds Tiger', a stuffed animal within the museum. It was so loved by the locals that when the museum planned to remove it the Yorkshire Post newspaper held a campaign to keep it. What I found to be quite interesting was that it originally came to the museum as a tiger skin rug which was then combined with a number of other tiger skins to create the overall tiger effect. The museum had wanted to get rid of it as it had been stuffed with straw and had for over a century had a permanent sagginess to it, as well as the possibility of it being dangerous due to the Victorians who may have preserved it with arsenic soap.

This is England

I've just got round to catching up on the 'This is England 86' television series on Channel 4, and I have to admit that I'm quite disappointed with it. The original film was brilliant, portraying the times and problems facing skinheads at the time perfectly (or so I assume having not actually been born then). It was shocking, whilst also being incredibly realistic and the actors worked well within the script. I particularly liked the way that it was filmed quite 'messily' and made everything at that time look dark and dingy. It was also like a history lesson, bringing into light the wars on at the time and issues within politics.

Of course sequels are never going to be as good as the first film, however the hype that was set up around the series was a bit too much. I was almost upset that I wouldn't be in the country for the first show. It takes four hours of watching it, not only to depress you but also for you to realise that actually the actor's aren't very good at all. The best parts had been covered in the film, and by creating a new series it seems like they were just attempting to cash in on the success of the film rather than having new ideas to cover. I still like the way it's filmed, however maybe a bit too much of it is a bit too depressing in my opinion.

I did like the line 'we're not growing up, we're growing sideways'.

Seven Days

Seven Days is Channel 4's new programme focusing on a wide, diverse group of people who all live in Notting Hill. As I mentioned in a previous post (Notting Hill Carnival) about this part of London, Notting Hill is incredibly diverse in the kinds of people that live there and this show focuses on this. From aspiring actresses, to gay hairdressers to unemployed soon-to-be teenage parents.

What stands out most about the show however, is that it's filmed the week it's broadcast, and along with a ChatNav facility on the Channel 4 website, viewers can comment on the characters and give opinions and advice on what they should do next. It makes for good watching when you see some of the characters react to bad comments, and even people coming up to talk to two of them in a cafe and ask 'is this all that you really talk about?'. 

I thought this was a really innovative way to create a show. So much of it is based on the viewer. The subject may not be to many people's tastes as to be honest the character's don't really do much but the interaction between them and the viewers comments makes the show stand out against other documentaries.

I wouldn't be a Leeds Uni student...

...if I didn't show the Parkinson Building to any 'lucky' person who chooses to visit me for the weekend. It's a standard phrase for most Leeds students to say 'meet outside the Parky steps', usually meaning at peak hours it incredibly hard to single out your friend who you've arranged to meet.

However, whenever I've been away from Leeds for a while it's always a reassuring feeling when the clock tower comes into view. Right beside what could be considered as the main entrance to the university it's the main thing I remember about my first trip to Leeds. Those steps. I passed them about 5 times whilst lost on the ring road.

The Parkinson Building was named after Frank Parkinson, a Yorkshire electrical engineer and millionaire, who helped to partly fund the building, and opened in November 1951. It hold the Brotherton Library...something similar to that of Harry Potter's Hogwarts library.

A Leeds landmark, through and through.

Notting Hill Carnival

For most Londoners, August bank holiday means one thing - Notting Hill Carnival. People come from all over the world to experience this 2 day street festival so it always shocks me when someone who actually lives in, or around London, admits they haven't been there.

Europe's largest street festival with over one million people coming to experience the sounds and tastes of the Caribbean, it's the kind of event that you just can't imagine unless you've been there. Trucks with hundreds of speakers drive along the roads, followed by processions of brightly costumed dancers of all ages. Having never been to the actual Caribbean, this carnival makes you almost feel like you're there.

The one thing that stands out for me the most are the costumes. Some of them are so intricately designed that they must have taken months to create, whilst some are so large that they get caught up in the trees as they walk along the road. Colours that normally would clash work together in this setting and watching the procession is definitely the highlight of the carnival in my opinion.

Peter Saville's New England Shirt Design

Peter Saville has designed a new England shirt that will be worn on the teams home match against Bulgaria on September 3rd. The shirt will be available to the public for £49.99. The makers, Umbro, state that the design is inspired by the more formal classic shirts of England's footballing past.

Not being a great fan of football I have noticed little difference in the new design. Saville has had very little input by only adding a number of different coloured crosses on the shoulders of the shirt, which is meant to be 'evocative of stitches synonymous with bespoke tailoring'. They also aim to represent the diverse nature of modern English society.

Coming from a design aspect I have no clue how this is meant to represent our society in anyway. Possibly the colours to replicate the different ethnic groups? I do however know that England fans will not be impressed with having to pay such a large amount of money for a shirt that has very little difference to it's predecessors.