Brand watch: Bates Hats
Bates Hats inhabits that true, and probably only, bastion of masculinity in London, St James’s, where Edward Bates set up shop in Jermyn Street in 1898. Today it’s still a family business and still supplying a huge range of trilbies, flat caps and its “one of a kind” pork pie hats. These are for the gentleman rather than your East End barrow boy (although history tells us there’s a thin sartorial line between them), with pieces such as the Montecristi 28 Panama, left, costing £450 and the Veneto trilby, above, setting you back £125. Not surprising, then, that wearers of Bates hats include the likes of David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Nicolas Cage and Guy Ritchie, whose pub, the Punchbowl, is just down the road (bates-hats.co.uk).
Kick start
Saucony Originals is teaming up with Boston label Bodega to create three limited-edition running shoes in retro styles. Originally released in 1991, the Master Control runner, £90, has been revamped with a perforated toe, bright blue midfoot and tan heel panel. Available from hanon-shop.com, footpatrol.co.uk, crookedtongues.co.uk and endclothing.co.uk only in the UK.
5 reasons why we love... Bayan 7 Speaker Dock
1 OK, it looks mad, but it has a “world first” amplifier knocking out 120W of power.
2 It has a five-way 2.1 channel speaker configuration with an eight-inch subwoofer…
3. …and a near-flat frequency range gives it a sound that’s unusually good for the price.
4. Although it looks futuristic, the speaker housings are solid wood, so there’s a warmth to the music.
5. Two charge and play ports allow continuous charging of two units (£299; bayanaudio.com).
Back on track
Chapman’s latest rucksack, the Ziptop, £199, caters for the cyclist who wants a more stylish design than the classic sports bag. It has a zip top and a large netted section for chucking your gloves into, and inside is a slip pocket designed for laptops and a D ring for keys (chapmanbags.com).
Mantalk
“For me to be a lady’s man at this point requires a great deal of humour” Leonard Cohen