Looking Good, Billy Ray
Long before I actually quit my corporate job, I hated wearing suits/ formal attire. As much to do with resentment about being herded by convention into wearing the required uniform I suppose, as it was about how it overtly represented me being trapped in a job that no longer interested me.
Ironic then that I now have to wear an actual uniform everyday in the NHS! But I digress ... M likes her clothes - fuelled I suspect not only by her 10yr career in Women's mags, but also by her general all round 'Lady-ness'. So anyway, I thought I'd push the boat out, make an effort and decided that this one off special occasion warrants going the extra mile, in the sartorial stakes. So I decided to get a suit made - bespoke, the personal fitting, the personal tailor ... the works!
Mark J, founder and owner of Hugo Morris, here in Brighton called me this week for my 'first fitting'. The suit, a couple of shirts and the tie are all handmade right here in the UK. Although this is likely to be a one off, as I do not work in the the right industry to be able to fill my wardrobe with tailor made clothes, I have to say ... I could get used to this. Freed from the psychological shackles that intrinsically linked my clothing to my miserable life, I really enjoyed wearing smart clothes ... that fit. Mark is larger than life; a pleasure to spend time with. He was aware of my discomfort - and managed it; he was aware of my frustration that for some reason any tops I have ever worn, the arms are always too long - and fixed it. You can see why the wealthy have such 'in your face' confidence. Looking good is the obvious primary goal that springs to mind, but so much more importantly I discovered ... You feel incredible! Even 'pudgy late 30s me' felt like I wasn't really wearing formal clothing at all. I can honestly say, that I have never felt that way, that relaxed in any clothing, including casual wear.
So well done to Mr Mark, who comes with my highest recommendation. The cost of the suit depends on fabrics etc but mine came in at £645. The shirt was £130 I think. So not a habit I can afford to get used to, until I win the lottery. But on the other hand, if you owned a small but considered wardrobe of items that made you feel incredible, and look ok too - perhaps it's a much more credible 'investment' in oneself in the long run, than it frivolously first appears ...?
The logical next step is bespoke shoes!! And I actually looked into it (yup, the wedding has officially removed any sense of fiscal proportion, with all the numbers and costs flying around these recent months!). However, with starting prices around the £2,000 mark and requiring 8 months for completion, I have neither the cash or the time to make this particular dream happen (I first looked into this in the late 90s believe it or not, such is my love of my own feet!).
Final fitting in a week to tweak a bit around the shoulders and those blessed munchin short arms of mine and another item can be crossed off the 'To do' list ... M has decided to splurge too, for all the same reasons above and has gone with a dress made by local Brighton designer, Sarah Arnett. The pics look amazing but with her first fitting scheduled for a week before the big day, they are - quite literally - cutting it a little fine!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
'Shag-tastic!'
Little Brother, Tom, bringing some early winter cheer for the Ladies
'Don Tom-asino' rocking the mic at the end of the night's SHAG (that's joint Stag & Hen do to you!). A great meal out at Levant in the West End (London), followed by Karaoke at Lucky Voice in Islington and some old-school bar hopping to finish off the night. Some pix of the evening to follow, when I can find them. Thank you so much to everyone who made the effort x
Little Brother, Tom, bringing some early winter cheer for the Ladies 'Don Tom-asino' rocking the mic at the end of the night's SHAG (that's joint Stag & Hen do to you!). A great meal out at Levant in the West End (London), followed by Karaoke at Lucky Voice in Islington and some old-school bar hopping to finish off the night. Some pix of the evening to follow, when I can find them. Thank you so much to everyone who made the effort x
So, I say, Thank you for the Music
Since confirming our wedding plans back in early October '09, I have been meticulously trying to put together tunes to play at our Wedding next month. Working with Ms M and big brother M, the brief has been to select a list of music that reflects both our desire that the day comes across as an informal party, but is also representative of the broad mix of music we love and think will interest the average demographic of guests planning to attend.
It is proving a beast of a task. Probably because of my meticulous approach. Thanks to my new found clarity of mind (helped in great part by the abstinence accompanying my new found pre-wedding exercise regime) the upside is that I am finding myself able to 'dig deep' cerebrally and remember tracks from across the span of both our lives from early teenhood through to the present. In this respect, it's immensely enjoyable, if time-consuming.
We are now at a point that when we head up to the venue this weekend, we will have purchased, and burned to disc a few key playlists to test on Drayton's PA system.
Music is currently organised into the following sections:
1. Arrivals
2. Aisle Music
3. Signing Register
4. Leaving Ceremony Room
5. Canapes
6. Dinner Music
7. First Dance
8. Lounge Music
9. Disco
The Disco is being provided by a separate entertainer but we are hoping to avoid 'cheese out', by providing a list of 'must plays' for our discerning guests! M is adamant she doesn't want a first dance .. and I have to say I agree with her. We are trying our best to avoid any sense of formality and this doesn't really sit well with us. So we are contemplating some kind of 'intro to the disco' that will be fun and mostly involve F and other dancing children.
To assist with the music search and organisation, the online music service Spotify, has been incredibly useful, and I'd strongly recommend it for anyone wishing or planning to build their own database of tracks. Unfortunate though (in many ways since the use I got out of their service really warranted some kind of fee) that the tracks you were allowed to buy via Spotify were 50% and sometimes double the cost of the same tracks on Apple's iTunes. So after creating my playlists I then revert back to iTunes to add purchased tracks to our music library.
I am pleased to say that the whole process has been completely 'legit'. I am purchasing, not ripping, bit-torrenting (never did figure out quite how to do the latter), not downloading or stealing any of this music. As the task approaches completion, I estimate having purchased over £100 of music, mostly individual tracks. It's been a journey, an aural rollercoaster of a trip down memory lane - sound must come a close second, surely, to smell in evoking nostalgia, non?
I will post the finished playlists, when they are finished in the coming weeks. For now, though, Yes Sir, I can boogie, all night looooooooooong. Remember that gem?!
Since confirming our wedding plans back in early October '09, I have been meticulously trying to put together tunes to play at our Wedding next month. Working with Ms M and big brother M, the brief has been to select a list of music that reflects both our desire that the day comes across as an informal party, but is also representative of the broad mix of music we love and think will interest the average demographic of guests planning to attend.
It is proving a beast of a task. Probably because of my meticulous approach. Thanks to my new found clarity of mind (helped in great part by the abstinence accompanying my new found pre-wedding exercise regime) the upside is that I am finding myself able to 'dig deep' cerebrally and remember tracks from across the span of both our lives from early teenhood through to the present. In this respect, it's immensely enjoyable, if time-consuming.
We are now at a point that when we head up to the venue this weekend, we will have purchased, and burned to disc a few key playlists to test on Drayton's PA system.
Music is currently organised into the following sections:
1. Arrivals
2. Aisle Music
3. Signing Register
4. Leaving Ceremony Room
5. Canapes
6. Dinner Music
7. First Dance
8. Lounge Music
9. Disco
The Disco is being provided by a separate entertainer but we are hoping to avoid 'cheese out', by providing a list of 'must plays' for our discerning guests! M is adamant she doesn't want a first dance .. and I have to say I agree with her. We are trying our best to avoid any sense of formality and this doesn't really sit well with us. So we are contemplating some kind of 'intro to the disco' that will be fun and mostly involve F and other dancing children.
To assist with the music search and organisation, the online music service Spotify, has been incredibly useful, and I'd strongly recommend it for anyone wishing or planning to build their own database of tracks. Unfortunate though (in many ways since the use I got out of their service really warranted some kind of fee) that the tracks you were allowed to buy via Spotify were 50% and sometimes double the cost of the same tracks on Apple's iTunes. So after creating my playlists I then revert back to iTunes to add purchased tracks to our music library.
I am pleased to say that the whole process has been completely 'legit'. I am purchasing, not ripping, bit-torrenting (never did figure out quite how to do the latter), not downloading or stealing any of this music. As the task approaches completion, I estimate having purchased over £100 of music, mostly individual tracks. It's been a journey, an aural rollercoaster of a trip down memory lane - sound must come a close second, surely, to smell in evoking nostalgia, non?
I will post the finished playlists, when they are finished in the coming weeks. For now, though, Yes Sir, I can boogie, all night looooooooooong. Remember that gem?!
Friday, January 08, 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
Happy New Year!
Big Year coming up. Feb 2010 - Getting married. properly this time. anticipate a hectic, hectic few months. To offset this, have posted some 'summer hols' pix to Flickr, of a very very relaxing and welcome break last summer: an overland trip in new wheels to Martha's folks place in South of France. Only 6 miles from Spanish/ Catalan border, so took in a weekend of camping on Costa Bravas with old friends Carlos and Carolina from Uruguay (but living in Barca). Enjoy!
Big Year coming up. Feb 2010 - Getting married. properly this time. anticipate a hectic, hectic few months. To offset this, have posted some 'summer hols' pix to Flickr, of a very very relaxing and welcome break last summer: an overland trip in new wheels to Martha's folks place in South of France. Only 6 miles from Spanish/ Catalan border, so took in a weekend of camping on Costa Bravas with old friends Carlos and Carolina from Uruguay (but living in Barca). Enjoy!
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