The II Earl

In this realm we call ‘Earth’, the glorious diversity of God’s creation has led to the development of some eccentric traditions.  Many of these revolve around the peculiar relationship between mankind and the animal kingdom. For instance, the Spanish have developed a habit of dancing around bulls, the native Americans like wrestling alligators and the Chinese enjoy eating bats. Whilst these actions seem bizarre from afar, they represent an essential, irreplaceable part of the cultures from which they were born. The Spanish are flamboyant risk-takers who possess the capacity for lethal violence. The native Americans lived a more ‘hands-on’ natural life than almost any other people. And the Chinese, well, the Chinese are just weirdos.  They’ll eat anything. Literally… anything. Cats, dogs, bats, you name it, the Chinese will boil it alive and serve it as soup. As British people, we should not ...

Take Ivy is a fashion photography book which documents the attire of Ivy League students. The New York Times described it as “a treasure of fashion insiders”. Take Ivy has been the Ivy League bible for Japanese baby boomers, among whom the Ivy League look is very popular, though original copies are very rare in the West, garnering auction prices as high as $2000. Take Ivy was authored by four Japanese sartorial style enthusiasts and is a collection of candid photographs shot on the campuses of America’s elite Ivy League universities. The series focuses on college-aged men and their clothes, capturing the unique fashion of the student population of that time. Whether getting a meal on campus, lounging in the quad, riding bikes, studying in the library, in class, or at the boathouse, the subjects of this photographic compendium are impeccably and distinctively dressed in some of the finest American-made garments of the time. Shosuke Ishizu, the director...

And there's a hand my trusty friend! And give me a hand o' thine! And we'll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.

Sean Connery left us bereaved today October 31 at the age of 90. For every 007 fans, it’s a sad day. He is descended from Gaelic speaking Scots, and best friends with Michael Caine. The first Bond to appear on screen, and all with that seductive vocal burr, Sean Connery the recognition he deserves as a style icon. We cannot talk about the art of gentlemanly power dressing without visiting Sean Connery as the uber-spy himself. The way Connery was suited and booted as 007 made James Bond a smooth character in style as well as persona. Clearly, he wasn’t the man to mince words and that’s why we will miss Sean Connery the man along with a wonderful actor! ✠

If we’re talking about wellies, then we’re talking about Hunters. If we’re talking about music players, we’re talking about iPods, but if we’re talking about off-roaders, then there’s only one machine that springs to mind; the Land Rover Defender. A true automotive icon, dreamt up on the sands of Anglesey by Maurice and Spencer Wilks, its body was cobbled together from aluminium because steel was in short supply following World War II, and its sea-green shade came from surplus military aircraft paint. It may have appeared a botch-job, but 68 years later its straight lines and ability to trample any terrain still put a smile on all those who sit behind the heavy wheel. The love affair started back in 1948 when the British army was looking for a British equivalent to the USA’s Willies Jeep. Scraping together what they could after the war, Land Rover conjured up the Defender from Aluminium and leftover army surplus paint used on Spitfires. It is a machine that defines our pluck – as...

"If you want to have order in the commonwealth, you first have to have order in the individual soul." - Russell Kirk

For a long time, the car was the ideal way to communicate wealth to the outside world. There is no doubt that this phenomenon has always existed, throughout the ages and in every countries: the car has a long history of use as a means of self-projection, a completely public and symbolic object with which we become one as we drive. That as a child I always thought to be a car of choice for the distinguished man. The German-American art historian Erwin Panofsky once examined the famous Rolls-Royce radiator grille and noted its similarities to antique temples. Even John Lennon fell victim to its aura and bought a Rolls-Royce Phantom V Touring in 1966 – only to have it painted almost immediately to look like a circus wagon in bright yellow with flowers and scrolls. An ironic gesture with which Lennon humorously took the classic status symbol to absurdity. Representatives of a younger affluent generation in particular are increasingly to excellent racing or invest on the cars expensive i...

Terrible fun, aren’t they, birthdays? The cake, the cards, the gifts – and how we do love being the centre of attention. There’s just one problem, though. Spend too long in the limelight and it starts to eat away at you, exposing your soul and the egotistical monster that lies within. Today, I’m turning 28. I admit, but one that belies my experience when it comes to the matter of growing old gracefully. So what, then, is the appropriate way for a grown man to behave on his birthday? That’s why I’ve decided to draw on the collective wisdom – to compile a handy gentleman’s guide to not screwing up your birthday. 01. It’s not all about you: The point is this: while it’s perfectly normal to attach a certain personal significance to your birthday, it’s worth keeping in mind that to everyone but you, it’s just another day. Hence our first rule of birthday etiquette: develop a sense of humility. 02. Peter Pan Syndrome Sure, a temporary relapse into infantilism can be...

John Bulmer The Punch Tavern, Fleet Street, 1969 When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.

THE DELICATE DYNAMICS OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS *** The photo that inspired “A Word Outside,” taken by Bruce Weber as part of the Fall 1987. Let us now praise famous men: And some there be, which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them. But these were merciful men, whose righteousness hath not been forgotten. With their seed shall continually remain a good inheritance, and their children are within the covenant. Ecclesiasticus 44 KJB

It all comes from the classics. I succumb to classical music’s energy and mood-altering potential in the same way that one might from a line of cocaine or a glass of cold water on a sweltering day. Of all the things I can guarantee, this current state of affairs will take us slaloming through the gamut of feelings, all are important, all should be processed and sat with. If you want to be constructive, music is one way of doing this and to help with this, here is a selection of classical music pieces that cover every mood. ✠