Any book that includes a picture of Steve McQueen in The Great Escape or Get Carter-era Michael Caine or Connery model Bond gets short shrift in these parts. Nothing against the blessed trinity of cool of course, just that other publications have that area well covered.
The new Icons of Men's Style includes all three. What saves it from the not-on-your-nellie pile is the fact that it is authored by long-time friend of Wallpaper* and one of the UK's most respected and measured men's fashion journalists, Josh Sims. And that Sims takes apart the staples of the male wardrobe in forensic detail and with real vim and vigour.
We learn, for instance, that the modern brogue is the descendant of a shoe first worn by Irish and Scottish agricultural workers. And the holes in the upper were originally intended to allow the shoes to dry after a hard day in the bogs. That the storm flap on the shoulder of a trench coat was originally designed to cushion the kick of a rifle and that Crombie supplied the Confederate Army with over coats during the American Civil War.
The biker jacket, as worn by the original juvenile delinquent - Johnny Strabler played by Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953), and discussed in Chapter 1: Outerwear
A spread from Chapter 1: Outerwear, examining The Mac
Chapter 1: Outerwear, also examines The Pea Coat
Steve McQueen fronts Chapter 2: Trousers
Bermuda shorts, as seen in New York City in the late 1950s, and examined in Chapter 2: Trousers
James Stewart, fronting Chapter 3: Shoes
The correct way of wearing the polo shirt - buttoned to the neck and collar turned down. As discussed in the sub-section 'The Polo Shirt' in Chapter 6: Shirts & Sweaters
The dinner suit is arguably the most glamorous item in a man's wardrobe, as ilustrated by Sean Connery as James Bond, perhaps the most famous wearer of the classic garment
The Breton top, as examined in Chapter 6: Shirts & Sweaters
The Moon Watch, chosen by Sims in Chapter 7, as one of the iconic accessories of men's style.
Ray-Ban's iconic Aviator style of sunglasses, discussed in the final chapter on Accessories
Warren Beatty, photographed in 1962, illustrating the appeal of the cardigan, in Chapter 6
Rock Hudson sporting a lumberjack shirt, discussed in Chapter 6
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Milan Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2025 highlights: Dolce & Gabbana to Emporio ArmaniDespite a reduced schedule, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives this weekend with plenty of intrigue, beginning with high-wattage shows from Dolce & Gabbana and Emporio Armani. Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss reports from Milan
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Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
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New York restaurant Locanda Verde’s second outpost will transport you to a different time and placeLocanda Verde’s expansive new Hudson Yards osteria exudes a sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere overflowing with art treasures
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‘If someone says no, you’re talking to the wrong person’: how make-up artist Marcelo Gutierrez created his own universe in New YorkFresh from publishing his first book ‘Nothing Precious’, Marcelo Gutierrez speaks with Mary Cleary about his friends, collaborators and making it as a young creative in New York City
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Fashion’s favourite bookstore, Climax, opens a ‘sexy, angry’ New York outpostWallpaper* catches up with Isabella Burley, founder of Climax, as she inaugurates a New York outpost of the cult bookstore and showcases a playful new collaboration with fashion label Chopova Lowena
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Inside Karl Lagerfeld’s extraordinary Paris library and bookshop, a haven for the bibliophileWe take an exclusive tour of Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris bookshop and library 7L, which is keeping the legendary fashion designer’s vision alive with a scintillating programme of cultural events
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Jouissance: the perfume brand turning erotic French literature into subversive scentsJouissance has interpreted the literature of Anaïs Nin, Anne Desclos and Catherine Millet into perfume, brand founder Cherry Cheng tells Wallpaper*
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Remembering Liquid Sky, the cult 1990s New York fashion store that was ‘also a scene’As a new book is released, Liquid Sky founders Claudia Rey and Carlos Slinger tell Wallpaper’s Mary Cleary about the downtown fashion store that attracted New York’s underground and had Chloë Sevigny as a sales clerk
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Guido Palau completely transforms Kaia Gerber’s hair in new book ‘Hidden Identities’Guido Palau and Kaia Gerber have collaborated on a book project, Hidden Identities, which sees the model sport a plethora of different wigs in technicolour shades
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’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a definitive guide to the pioneering Japanese designer’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a new Taschen book that provides a comprehensive overview of the pioneering Japanese designer’s ’poetic but pragmatic’ work
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Thom Browne on his 20th-anniversary book, curated by Andrew Bolton‘Thom Browne’ the book, a collaboration with partner Andrew Bolton, charts the American designer’s career. Here, Browne tells Wallpaper* the story behind his first monograph
