London 2012 Olympics: Adam Gemili confirms he will compete in 100m trials - Daily Telegraph
It is understood the exemption was extended to the whole weekend in Bedford but Gemili has decided to compete against his under-20 age group in the 200m on Sunday.
The decision on whether he doubles up at the senior trials and competes in the 200m on the Sunday will depend on how he recover from Sunday’s exertions.
UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee will be relieved that Gemili has chosen not to follow the path of Mark Lewis-Francis, who opted out of the 2000 Sydney Olympics to concentrate on the World Junior Championships in Chile that year.
After a lacklustre start to the season for British sprinting, Gemili’s breakthrough has been a welcome breath of fresh air. He heads the UK 100m rankings by a full 10th of a second from his nearest challenger, James Dasoulu, and the pair are the only athletes who have achieved the Olympic ‘A’ qualifying standard of 10.18sec this summer.
Gemili’s presence at the Olympic trials will heap further pressure on Dwain Chambers, who had been considered a shoo-in for selection in the individual 100m after he was cleared to compete at London 2012.
But, having led the UK rankings since 2008, Chambers is currently languishing in eighth place on this year’s UK list with a best time of 10.28sec.
Under UK Athletics rules, the first two athletes across the finish line will be guaranteed Olympic selection as long as they have run the ‘A’ standard since April 1 this year. A third place is available at the discretion of selectors.
After his stunning progress over 100m, all eyes will be on whether Gemili can reproduce the same kind of form over 200m today.
Earlier this season he set a lifetime best of 22.70sec in Florida but needs to find some extra speed if he is to reach the Olympic ‘A’ standard of 20.55sec.
London 2012: LaShawn Merritt aiming to bury tarnished gold at Olympics - The Guardian
LaShawn Merritt could not have known when he bought penis enhancement pills over the counter from a local convenience store in Bradenton, Florida, that his embarrassment would go global. "It was more energy-wise," the American Olympic 400 metres champion says, suppressing a guilty smile when explaining his purchase of a product that contained the banned substance Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and which led to his suspension for 21 months.
"[There] was a condom and right beside it was [ExtenZe]. It was a 'boom boom', went-home-type deal. It was a poor judgment call from me. If I'd looked on the back and saw that the label [said] DHEA, I definitely wouldn't have taken it. I'd never think in a million years that I could buy something from a 7/11 and test positive for track and field."
Nor be asked to explain why he bought it in the first place. "Embarrassment was an initial reaction for a minute," he said, "but, when I thought about it, I'm pretty sure there's more than a couple of men here who've taken it. But I'm a pro athlete so I just forgot that part. When I was picking it up, I wasn't thinking about anything. It was just 'boom boom', to the house."
And now it's "boom boom" to the Olympics and Merritt is back in the big time. He is the first banned gold medallist to defend his title, a dubious distinction that does not sit well with Dai Greene, who says he will make his displeasure known if they meet in London. "If I'm in the relay team and we reach the final then there's every chance we'll be lining up against Merritt," the Welsh hurdler says. "I'll tell you now, I'll happily go and find him at the start and tell him to his face, 'You're a cheat and you shouldn't be here'."
Merritt is cool about that. "I have read [what Greene said] and I put it down and kept on about my business," he says. "I just looked at it as somebody else's opinion – it was, honestly, just nothing."
Was he interested in replying to Greene? "You know what, not really but, if we line up, we'll go at it like anyone else. If we get together in the four by four, I'm gonna do my job and he's going to do his job and USA are gonna bring the gold home. It is a little motivating but I've always been motivated without saying anything to anyone. This is what I love to do. If I didn't say a word all year I'd still be as confident."
You tend to believe him. Merritt has a quiet aura, one derived from natural talent and an admirable work ethic – although there are plenty of people in his sport who side with Greene. "There may be people here who think the same thing," he said at the US Olympic team media summit in Dallas. "People think what they think, but I have nothing to do with it. I have to continue to do what I do and that's work hard and show up."
He certainly showed up at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, two weeks ago when he ran 44.91 seconds to beat a field that included the rising Grenadian Kirani James. The teenager, who beat Merritt on his return to international athletics at the world championships in Daegu last year in 44.60, false-started in the Prefontaine race but ran it anyway – and finished just a stride behind Merritt. Merritt also beat his fellow American Jeremy Wariner, the 2004 Olympic champion, as well as the twice Olympic 400m hurdling gold medallist Angelo Taylor and the Jamaican Chris Brown.
Wariner and Merritt will meet in the final US trials, starting on Friday. "He's a threat every time he steps on the track," Merritt says. "You respect your co-workers because you know how hard it is. But we're fighting for the same position."
It would, nonetheless, be a major shock if Merritt does not make it to London – although he wishes there was one other member of his family there to see him run. His older brother, Antwan, died in mysterious circumstances at college 13 years ago, and LaShawn to this day is not satisfied that justice has been done. "He never got the chance to see me run track," he says. "I'm here and able to do something and I have to maximise my potential. He was a musician who wanted to be an architect and he passed away at his first semester at college. He never even got a chance to start his dream.
"He went to Shaw University in North Carolina. Evidently he got into an altercation with a guy on a basketball court and the guy was part of this off-campus fraternity. That same night, the guy's frat brothers ended up coming to his dorm room, which was on the ninth floor, and he ended up out of the window. It was three big guys. He'd just turned 18 and was smaller than what I am now.
"He died a little bit later but the guys shouldn't even have got through security. There was a camera pointing right [at] the window but it wasn't working. Whoever thought that could happen? They were charged [with manslaughter] but there was some law which meant they couldn't prove that they [were responsible for his death]. One got a little bit of time and others got community service, so I don't think justice was served.
"It gave my life perspective. I learned when terrible things like that happen you just have to keep moving forward, because nothing else is going to stop. The more you sit there in your misery, it's not going to help. If I sit here and do nothing, then I'm only hurting myself. So I kept training. That's what I did during the drug stuff. I went back to school. I didn't finish my degree but I'm majoring in business management. I talked to a couple of local schools on how things in life may happen."
When Merritt failed his drugs test, he became a non-athlete. He always thought he would be reinstated but says it was tough to stay focused on a sport that had rejected him. "For two years I didn't get any money. With the help of some friends, I could pay my bills but not much more than that."
And, if his accountant had something to do with looking after his finances, it was his dead brother who provided the underlying motivation to return to athletics. "I think about my brother before every race because he never got the chance to see me run. He saw me play baseball, basketball and football when I was young but never at track. So I'm doing this for the both of us.
"Me and my brother were really close. He was five years older than me, and I was hanging with him and his friends some time. When I was a youngster he would tell all his friends that I was fast and I would race older guys in the street. He would come to all of my sports events and be the big brother, supporting me. He would give me money; he'd say if I hit two home runs, he'd give me 20 dollars, or whatever. He definitely played a big part when I was growing up.
"He was always a hard worker and I can remember him being in the house at high school, writing music for the whole band. He was a guy who had this talent for music. Even before I step on the track, I say a prayer which he's in and it just gives me strength. I know he's watching over me. I kiss my two fingers, I raise them as high as I can and then, after that, it's time to do what I was blessed to do. If he was here he would have loved to see me do it."
If Merritt does not keep his title, if James rediscovers that extra stride to beat him again – he maintains: "I really feel I beat myself in that race" – he might turn to American football as a second sporting career, having flirted with the option during his enforced exile, as a wide receiver. "It's still a possibility," he says. "It was serious in my mind. I was thinking I have to do something and I think I may still try out. I think am I going to regret it if I never tried it."
Americans love their goals and dreams. Merritt's fulfilment of his talent in Beijing four years ago has been tarnished but he is hanging on to it, regardless. And London, he says, will neither prove him guilty nor innocent.
"Gold wouldn't be redemption for me. I continue to train, to work hard, just as I've done ever since I was 18. If I win – when I do win – I won't think about what went on. It will just be a case of all the hard work I've done paying off. I don't feel I've got anything to prove. No pressure. I'll take it round for round. Now I'm here I'm just going to get the job done.
"I feel the drug testing itself was nothing. Something happened, I didn't read a label. To some people, it may be a cloud but, to me, I just made a mistake and I'm moving forward from it. I feel my case was unique."
Drug-taking in sport has long been an art and a science. It is wrong and it is widespread, but those who are good at it often profit. They risk their health and their credibility because they think it is a price worth paying, a delusion that is sadder even than their fall from grace. Merritt's is yet another case of an athlete claiming ignorance as a defence. It is pretty much the default position of anyone careless enough to get caught – and this one had the added piquancy of embarrassment.
"I was laying in bed, my agent told me, 'We got the letter and they're not letting you compete.' At first it was like when the police pull up behind you on the road and your heart just drops … oh, no. My agent thought it was funny … "
True. But how could an athlete be stupid enough to risk universal derision by using a product such as Merritt did in the pursuit of a possibly marginal advantage? Perhaps he is telling the truth, after all.
London 2012: IOC begins Olympics tickets investigation - BBC News
The International Olympic Committee has begun an investigation into claims that Olympics officials and agents breached rules on London 2012 ticket sales.
The IOC has held an emergency meeting of its ruling executive board via conference call after claims by the Sunday Times.
The IOC has referred the allegations to its independent ethics commission.
The organisation could also review how Olympic tickets are distributed among member countries.
Combat toutsThe Sunday Times submitted a dossier of evidence detailing claims that Olympic officials and agents had been caught selling thousands of tickets on the black market for up to 10 times their face value, says BBC Sports News correspondent James Pearce.
The newspaper alleges that its two-month investigation found corruption involving people representing 54 separate countries.
More than one million London 2012 tickets were distributed abroad among all the nations taking part in the Games, but the IOC has strict rules to try to combat touts.
National Olympic committees must ensure that their allocation is only sold within their own region.
Undercover reporters from the Sunday Times posed as Middle Eastern ticket touts, and were offered deals from various countries.
Last month a senior Ukrainian Olympic official resigned after being filmed by the BBC offering tickets for cash.
'Strongest sanctions'The IOC said in a statement: "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has moved quickly to deal with allegations that some National Olympic Committees (NOC) and Authorised Ticket Resellers (ATR) have broken rules relating to the sale of Olympic tickets.
"The IOC takes these allegations very seriously and has immediately taken the first steps to investigate.
"Should any irregularities be proven, the organisation will deal with those involved in an appropriate manner.
"The NOCs are autonomous organisations, but if any of the cases are confirmed the IOC will not hesitate to impose the strongest sanctions.
"The IOC has also determined that it will take on board any recommendations coming out of the inquiry to improve the way that tickets are allocated and sold internationally in the future."
London 2012 organising committee Locog said it would support the IOC in its investigation "in any way we can".
"Rules and regulations for selling London 2012 tickets to international fans are clear and unambiguous," it said.
No tickets intended for the British market were involved, it added.
Waving all the flags! London's Regents Street bedecked in national colours ahead of Olympics after ditching the Jubilee Union Flags - Daily Mail
Flying the flag: (Front row, left to right) Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, North Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, (second row) Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, (third row) Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, (fourth row) Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, (fifth row) Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, (sixth row) Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, (seventh row) Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macau, Madagascar, (eighth row) Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania
Two boys, 9, suffer serious head injuries after tree falls on them at cricket ground as 56mph winds batter Britain - Daily Mail
- Three boys injured, two seriously, after falling tree crushes them in London
- Wind and rain lash the country - and more is coming tomorrow night
- Elton John cuts short concert due to strong winds
- Charity 10km run is cancelled as sand blows across course
By Jane Bunce
|
Two nine-year-old boys suffered serious head injuries after a tree fell on them at a cricket ground in south west London, as winds of up to 56mph swept across the country.
A third boy, also aged nine, suffered a leg injury and has been described as 'walking wounded'.
The accidents came as blustery gales and other unseasonable weather swept up the country from the south coast.
Shock: The tree fell on the three boys at at Spencer Cricket Club in Earlsfield, south west London
The boys had been waiting for a turn in the practice nets at Spencer Cricket Ground, Earlsfield, in high winds when the tree fell.
An ambulance helicopter attended, along with three road ambulances and four other duty officer and rapid response cars, after receiving an emergency call around 3.45pm Saturday.
All three boys were taken to nearby St George's Hospital in Tooting.
Unseasonal: Strong winds and rain batter are battering Britain. With only five days until midsummers day, the weather on this stretch of the Welsh coastline seems more appropriate to October
The boys with head injuries remain in a serious condition, while the third boy is understood to be stable.
Monique Wilkinson, 33, was staging a birthday party for her three-year-old daughter at her home when she heard the tree fall.
Reliving the horror, she said: 'We could see the kids stuck under the tree and there were a lot of people around. It's terrible.
'These kids play on the field every weekend.
'The air ambulance landed in the field across the road from us and there were four or five ambulances in total.
'The emergency services seemed to have everything under control.
'Another tree came down on this road earlier in the day which shows how bad the winds were.'
A spokesman from Wandsworth Borough Council said the boys were among a line of children queuing at the nets, when 'all of a sudden this tree came down on them'.
'It has been pretty windy in town today and you can have a really healthy tree, but if the wind catches in a particular way a healthy tree can be blown over,' Charlie Masson-Smith from Wandsworth Council said.
'It is a terrible accident.'
The strongest winds today were in Southampton, where they reached as high as 56mph.
'That is a strong gust for the time of year,' MeteoGroup senior forecaster Brendan Jones said.
'Across most of southern England and south Wales there have been gusts of 45 to 50mph which is pretty blustery.'
In Blackpool, the inaugural concert by Sir Elton John at a new venue was cut short tonight by strong winds.
Unsafe: Police advised Sir Elton to stop playing due to the high winds
Nearly two hours into his set at the Blackpool Tower Headland outdoor arena, Elton told a disappointed crowd of almost 11,000 that on police advice he had been told to stop playing.
In Bournemouth, a charity 10k run due to take place tomorrow has also been hit after a thick layer of sand was blown off the beach on to the seafront course.
The seafront road was covered with up to a foot of sand, leaving Bournemouth Borough Council with insufficient time to clear it before the Cancer Research UK Race for Life events in the morning.
Cancelled: Cancer Research UK's 10km Race for Life has been scrapped due to the thick layer of sand blown onto the seafront road in Bournemouth, but the 5km is still scheduled
Hazel Bedford, spokeswoman for Cancer Research UK, said: 'The sand drifts mean you cannot see where the road ends and the beach starts in some areas.
KAYAKER DIES IN WALES
A male kayaker has died in 'challenging' river conditions.
Police were called to the River Conwy in Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, North Wales, at about 3.30pm today.
The body was recovered from the water near the Fairy Glen Hotel.
A spokesman for North Wales Police said: 'The investigation is still ongoing and the next of kin have yet to be informed.
'Emergency services would like to advise all watersports people visiting the area that the rivers in the vicinity are very full and conditions are challenging.Caution should be exercised
'We don't want to risk twisted ankles or people falling, so for safety's sake, we are going to restrict the course to the 5k that the council is kindly able to clear for us.'
Nearly 5,680 women are due to take part in the Bournemouth events, 700 of them in the 10k.
Emergency services have reported that a number of other trees and power lines have come down today, elsewhere in the country.
In Plymouth, Devon, a tree was uprooted and sent crashing down into a family home by heavy winds around 8am Saturday.
A window was smashed and railings damaged, but miraculously no one was hurt.
Heavy rain fell today in the country's west, along with Wales and Northern Ireland.
Forecaster Brendan Jones said Sunday would be calmer but the bad weather would return by the evening.
'It will be a better day tomorrow, winds will be a lot lighter before going downhill tomorrow night when there is a going to be heavy rain and the chance of some flooding in the south east corner,' Mr Jones said.'There could be 20-30mm of rain in just a few hours tomorrow night.'
London Collections: Men live blog - fashion.telegraph.co.uk
Follow The Telegraph fashion team live from the first London Collections: Men shows. Today: Sherlock Holmes in pyjamas, men in Birkenstocks and more...
BY Belinda White | 16 June 2012
LIVE STREAMING TODAY:
09:00 Sibling 13:00 Mr Start 17:00 Matthew Miller
-----------------------------------------
SATURDAY JUNE 16
19:00 THE FERDINANDS DO FASHION
When Rio and Anton Ferdinand turned up at the Rake show tonight we had to ask: did you watch the match last night?
"Yeah," said Rio: "but I'm not talking football."
Damn right! Who wants to talk football in the middle of London Collections: Men? The Rake show - reviewed elsewhere by my colleague Phong Luu - made a valiant tilt at making formal-wear wearable informally, mixing baggy, streety trousers with razor-sharp double breasted. There was also lots of beautiful detail applied with the sly aplomb of Danny Wellbeck using his instep to deliver a cushioned ball... oh, sorry.
Anyhow, sticking with fashion, Rio said: "I loved it. I like the cut of the blazers and the little details here and there were really nice."
Anton added: "for me the salmon blazer with the shorts and tie, I liked it." But - even for a man who wears shorts to work (sorry) - does he think they are acceptable teamed with a jacket as part of a tailored look? "After seeing that, yeah. I would wear it."
For the record Anton was in a Vivienne Westwood jacket, waistcoat and shirt, with Topman jeans and Louboutin brogues. And Rio sported an Ozwald Boateng knit blazer with red Superdry trousers. "I'm not sure where the shirt is from. You don't want to be too aware of these things." True. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
18:40 A VERY BOOZY BILMESY
Also outside Jonathan Saunders earlier today was hungover Alex Bilmes, the editor of Esquire magazine. His jaded state was the whirlwind reaped from playing host at Friday night's biggest London Collections: Men party (which we skipped due to the football). So how did it go?
"Well we had a great turn-out. Jon Hamm [aka Don Draper] came, Florence Welch came, Alexa Chung DJ'd, David Gandy came, Sherlock Holmes came. It was fun, it was boozy and it went on til God-knows-when." Was there bad behaviour?" No, none. But there was dancing. We had Graham Norton and David Furnish on the dancefloor which was a very Esquire moment, as you can imagine."
Did Bilmes boogie? "No actually I didn't..". Probably because it's always a bit awkward to dance in a tailored jacket - that dad at a wedding feeling? "Yeah! You end up with that white man's overbite or whatever they call it. The soft shoe shuffle. There was a bit of that. But it wasn't very expressive, my dancing. No jazz fusion."
He added: "Another great thing about the party is that it was a meeting of the mens magazines. Dylan [Jones, GQ editor] came and Jo Levin came. And I managed to wrestle Dylan in front of a step and repeat board with our logo on it, which I was pleased about. He tried to block the Esquire logo, but it didn't work." - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
Alex Bilmes is wearing a Piombo jacket and the expression of a man who's digesting a major hangover and a bacon-burger from Byron:
Alex Bilmes PHOTO: Luke Leitch
18:30 THE GAP YAH YOOF GOES UPMARKET AT RAKE
Not often the Gap Yah Yoof plays muse in fashion, but apparently he's everyone's favourite inspirational figure today (see Christopher Shannon, below), including at Rake. Banish thoughts of said yoof bunking in the Chungking Mansions, though: Rake's traveller is decidedly more the private-riad-in-Marrakech sort, and the clothes, modelled by a global cast who looked like they had rocked up from Calcutta to Cancun, mirrored that.
PHOTOS: Philip Hollis
There were sand-dusted safari jackets that looked fit for a jaunt in the Sahara, dhoti-ish chinos and flowing djellaba-like shirts, accessorised with beads (picked up from India?) which dangled nonchalantly from wrists. The loose silhouettes were carried over to evening wear, where baggy trousers where paired with sharp blazers; any man's wardrobe would be all the better for one of its gorgeously crumpled double-breasted pea coats.
These were the easier sells: most, however, would probably need a shot of baiju before attempting the pink shorts suit - or 10… Phong Luu, fashion features coordinator, The Daily Telegraph.
16:30 HEDONISTIC ABANDON AT CHRISTOPHER SHANNON
Citing "hedonistic gap-year backpackers in south-east Asia" as inspiration behind his spring/summer 2013 collection was somewhat of a bold statement to brandish in the faces of editors and the fashion-pack, alike. And so with images of full-moon parties firmly ingrained, Christopher Shannon's show began.
Fringing was the texture du jour. From mop hair dos that put a hippy spin on the traditional curling rags of days gone by, to striped ensembles with threads literally bursting out from garments, thanks to an overzealous seamstress. This tribal tourist look crept onto everything from shirts to shorts paneling, embellishing an otherwise very wearable, sober colour palette.
Shannon's collaboration with The Cambridge Satchel Company also looked promising with the stylised satchels also receiving a tassle or two.
This mop haired, backpack boy chic was only dented slightly by the designer's devotion to the Kickers brand. The dreaded boxy school boy shoes for a trip to Asia: really Christopher Shannon? - Alice Newbold, fashion.telegraph.co.uk.
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
16:00 PLACE YOUR ORDERS FOR JONATHAN SAUNDERS
It wasn't just the one-up, one-down staircase at the Elms Lesters Painting Rooms that contributed to the queues at Jonathan Saunders today - this is one of the most anticipated shows of London Collections: Men so far. And justly so: the womenswear crowd swoon for Saunders' colour, focus and wit and soon the fashiony menswear crowd will too, thanks to this first, full, Saunders men mega-collection.
PHOTOS: Philip Hollis
As so often with Saunders it's the prints that make you squint. Here there were polka dots suffused with graphic, geometric fades of colour on short-sleeve shirts, twinsets, T-shirts and casual jackets. There was also a rather fetching green bomber jacket (in a fabric produced by the company that does Mercedes Benz's upholstery). Plus a hefty dose of intricately wrought knitwear - jumpers are the gateway garment for the colour curious man - and even (something completely new) some Jonathan Saunders suits.
As Saunders said as he took a breather outside: "Yes, there's a lot going on in there. The ingredients are the same as the ones I use in womenswear, really. It's about textiles and colour-balance, and also about a very 'dressed' person: formal in a way. What's important in balancing those things is that there is an element of sophistication: that's what I try and do in women's and it is important in menswear as well."
Saunders takes a 'fashion' breather backstage at his LCM show. PHOTO: Luke Leitch
"I love doing it. It's the whole think of dressing yourself. I don't know if other menswear designers have that but for me it is exciting."
He added: "I've only just started with menswear, but it's so category-driven. And guys, no matter how wealthy they are, they're price sensitive as well. And that's something we've had to look at in great detail. How much is our guy going to wear on a sweater?"
By the sounds of the amount of ordering going on upstairs, the answer is probably quite a bit. Tim Blanks of Style.com's staple garment is the colourful short-sleeve shirt. And going by his assessment - "It's the third summer of love!" - that's one bulk-buying customer confirmed right there. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
15:00 NEOPRENE DREAM
Fashion writer Dal Chodha knows how to rock a smock fashioned from neoprene, and no mistake!
PHOTO: David Nicholls
14:30 THE ONE TO WATCH
Just looking back over the London Collections: Men pictures so far, and just want to share how much I love new boy Shaun Samson. I first came across the Central Saint Martins graduate at ITS (International Talent Support) 2011 in Trieste where he collected the prestigious Collection of the Year Award, and he was just about the nicest chap you could hope to meet. Originally from San Diego, with parents hailing from the Phillipines, Samson is going places fast after being picked up and promoted by that most trendy of spotters, Lulu Kennedy and now showing as part of Topman's MAN collective at LCM. Expect to see him striking out with his very own catwalk show soon, which will no doubt be the hottest ticket in town. Remember the name. - BW
A model on the catwalk at Shaun Samson's presentation as part of MAN, and the designer himself. PHOTO: Chris Pledger.
14:05 LESS IS MORE AT LEE ROACH
The setting for Lee Roach's spring summer show was the palatial Carlton Gardens, a stone's throw from the mall. The venue was ostentatious and provided an interesting contrast to Roach's minimalist lab-coat chic collection. The garb was monochromatic; sleeveless tunics and coats in grainy charcoal were teamed with tapered trousers. The detailing was devastatingly simplistic; singular black rucksack straps were employed to tie together the garments and neatly capped-off Roach's pared back pieces. The forensically reductive aesthetic was cleverly offset by black gladiatorial Nike trainers and flip flops. Whilst the pomp of The Queen's official birthday procession was visible through the windows, Roach's show provided a welcome reminder that sometimes less is more. - George Dennis, The Daily Telegraph.
PHOTO: Telegraph Fashion Instagram
14:00 FALSE START
Mr Start spoilt Team Telegraph to a third row seat at it's spring/summer 2013 show, and from this vantage point that I can exclusively reveal that the collection included suits in brown and blue and pink. At least, I think it did. There were certainly suit jackets - which is all I could really see over the heads of the students and bloggers in front of me. Genuine hoorahs though for the hair - the only other thing I could see. It was styled by the very excellent Alex Glover, head barber at Murdock London. - David Nicholls, Design Editor, Telegraph Magazine.
13:50 IT'S NEVER DREARY KATY EARY!
PHOTOS: Philip Hollis
Versace-esque turquoise and gold baroque-print skater T-shirts worn with matching long basketball shorts? Welcome to the weird-but-kind-of-wonderful world of Katy Eary. She may have been showing her collection one street back from Savile Row, but her look is as far removed as it's possible to get from what it has traditionally stood for. Suffice to say, she doesn't exactly embrace minimalism, our Katy. As if the shimmering T-shirts and shorts weren't enough of a statement, she sometimes layered them over white PVC drainpipe trousers and accessorised with a Mr T-style heavy gold necklace, high-tops and a kingsize white patent-leather backpack. More for the club kids, I think, rather than the beachfront at Southwold. So hip-hop it hurt. A lot. - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
13:30 ALEXA PERPLEXER...
Alexa at TPIWIT striking a pose with giddy gal pal Pixi Geldof (top); and striking her SO last season pose (below). PHOTOS: REX
13:00 COCKTAIL CAUTION
More from the Esquire/MrPorter/Jimmy Choo party (hereafter simply referred to as The Party I Wasn't Invited To) where WAG model Abbey Clancy and her giraffe-like husband Peter Crouch were snapped soaking up the complimentary Belvedere Unfiltered Vodka Martini's. Here's a before and after shot of Abbey...
Woo-hoo, bring on the pole! PHOTO: REX
PS Am i the only one who thought Crouch was in Poland??!! #justsaying.
12:50 OH MAN
For the 15th season, Topman and Fashion East showed their support for emerging menswear talent by staging MAN - a three-in-one fashion show featuring the work of up and coming names in the business.
First up was Astrid Anderson, known for playing around with sportswear archetypes. Lace printed chiffon tops were layered over nylon gym kit, oversized basketball jerseys featured panels of faux fur and Kagools were cropped to just above the nipple. Oh, and we'll all be wearing toe rings and faux fur bum bags next spring.
Astrid Anderson. PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
Next up was the excellent Agi & Sam, whose collection channeled 1970s kitsch and cool in equal measure. Prints - from the pixelated to the painterly - were reminiscent of retro wallpaper and at other times vintage tapestry. A Cath Kidston-esque bird print shell suit was approximately one million times lovelier than it sounds. Socks with matching patterns were a delightful touch.
Agi & Sam. PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
The final designer of the threesome was Shaun Samson who presented an upbeat collection where kitten print T-shirts were adorned with metal spikes and lace softened up the streetwear vibe. A section of layered, oversized, checked pieces styled with woolly hats hinted at a return to grunge - with a modern lurex twist. This is, after all, the season for mixing discordant fabrics. - David Nicholls, Design Editor, The Telegraph Magazine.
Shaun Samson. PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
12:40 HAMM SANDWICH
This just in from last night's Esquire/MrPorter/Jimmy Choo party to which I WAS NOT INVITED . Anyway here's JON HAMM , yes, that's right, DON DRAPER sandwiched between Esquire editor Alex Bilmes and ex-Esquire editor, now Mr Porter's editor-in-chief, Jeremy Langmead. Jon is clearly thinking about me in this picture. Well, at least someone was eh? Sniff sniff... - BW
12:35 TOVEY TIME
Spotted on way to Katy Eary's show: the actor Russell Tovey...
PHOTO: Telegraph Fashion Instagram
12:20 ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVAL
"Queen's official birthday procession outside Lee Roach, bet she's gutted about missing #lcm"
PHOTO: Telegraph Fashion Instagram
12:10 HOWDY PARTNER
Now here's a street style look we can all learn from this season. Fashion isn't just about the way you dress, it's about fancy dress. Love the way this fellow has clashed his prints, textures and references. 10 points!
PHOTO: Telegraph Fashion Instagram
11:45 TO BIRK OR NOT TO BIRK? THE DEBATE ROLLS ON...
Help me out here. I stand pretty much alone within the Telegraph Fashion team in thinking that there's nothing wrong with a man in Birkenstocks. When i uttered this out loud recently, i was shot down by the group of wide-eyed, open-mouthed fashionistas (male and female) in my vicinity. So, to prove me right, here i present the Birkenstock clad feet of one stylish model at the Agi & Sam presentation at the MAN show today. Yes, he is wearing them with flowery socks, but that's merely a styling flourish. A styling flourish too far, some might say, but not I. I say go forth and celebrate the strappy splendour of these majestic plates! ...Just me then...? - BW
PHOTO: Telegraph Fashion Instagram
11:30 DAPPER MEN AT MAN:
PHOTO: David Nicholls
11:20 THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF E TAUTZ
The heart does sink rather when you pick up the show notes to see the designer banging on about their inspiration. But I should have known better than to doubt Patrick Grant at E Tautz, who showed his spring/summer 2013 collection in a converted wharf in Wapping. In Grant's hands the inspiration - here the explorer and travel writer Sir Wilfred Thesiger - becomes seductively beautiful and Savile Row tradition is suddenly rendered relevant and wearably modern. Modernist even. The show opened with a pair of midnight blue flat-front trousers, a single-breasted three-button jacket, a crisp white cotton shirt and a heavy, flowing fuchsia cape (Grant calls it a duster coat, but I beg to differ). From then on in it just got better and better. Of course, this being E Tautz it was all about exquisite cut, but it was also about fabulous bursts of eye-popping colour - the aforementioned fuchsia, cobalt blue, bright, bright yellow - set against navy. If anyone's going to presuade me to wear a cape or a djellaba-like overshirt next summer it's Patrick Grant. This show was wonderful, all of it. - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
PHOTOS: Philip Hollis
10:35 Think the fashion posse may have arrived at E Tautz show...
PHOTO: Telegraph Fashion Instagram
10:30 INTERGALACTIC FANTASTIC AT SIBLING
The heinous 9 o'clock start didn't prevent the 'urban' crowds from flocking to the Sibling show at the hospital club. For those nursing Mr-Porter-party-induced hangovers the event pulled no punches; the soundtrack being a blaring raucous barrage of 70's punk. The anarchic ethos of Sibling was effectively realised by this collection.
Behind you! BFC Chairman Harold Tillman backstage before the Sibling presentation. PHOTO: Reuters
The show was a faceless one, the models wore a variety of fully formed headpieces and looked as if their heads had been replaced by large white or black glittering snowflakes. The knitwear ensembles were either delicately striped with sparkling foil or sporting gold star based prints. The show's intergalactic theme was confirmed by the final model to walk. It might have been due to the early hour but I was convinced I had just seen C3PO. Under the blitz of flash bulbs the headpieces shone but in doing so unfortunately upstaged some carefully crafted ensembles. - George Dennis, The Daily Telegraph
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
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Just catching up on last night's action. Here's what you missed...
SAVILE ROW OPEN DOORS
The focus of this weekend's activities may be the shows and parties but Savile Row reminded the fashion industry of its long-established contribution to men's style with yesterday evening's Open Doors event. For two hours tailoring houses along the street led press into cutting rooms and fitting rooms, with staff on hand to explain the intricacies and complexities of creating clothing to the Row's standards.
We enjoyed rifling through original patterns for customers such as Gregory Peck and Sir Laurence Olivier (above) in Huntsman and chatting to a busy-at-work tailor stationed mannequin-like in the window of Maurice Sedwell but where was everyone else? In contrast to the popular shows the event was noticeably undersubscribed - was there any competition between Savile Row tailors and others in the men's fashion industry I asked.
More than once workers there gave me the same slightly barbed reply: Savile Row isn't really about fashion - that comes and goes - it's about style - that endures. The masses may have been missing but money was still in evidence, with Maseratis and Bentleys lining the Row and plenty of immaculately attired men in beautiful bespoke suits walking past - presumably looking the business because they do business rather than because they wanted to be snapped for some youngster's fashion blog. - John O'Ceallaigh, London editor, Telegraph.co.uk.
DIB DIB DIB IT'S XANDER ZHOU
A collection titled "Fleurdelism" generates high, 'herbaceous' expectations. Derived from 'fleur-de-lis', a stylised lily that often appears as a symbol on heraldic coats of arms and also prominently features in the World Scout emblem, Xander Zhou did not pick the collection's name on a whim. Blossoming down the catwalk were natty bomber jackets of quilt and silk, while their longer companions offered a drawstring waist. Silhouettes generally embraced movement, with Zhou clearly channeling his outdoor inspiration into the 'stylised' cuts.
But if the blurb and chirpy woodland notes played upon entrance suggested Cub Scout chic, these cubs were of the most genteel clan on the block. Crisp whites flowed into lilac and earthy colour palettes, while a couple of tattooed dungarees wearers were thrown in the mix for the ultimate scout-gone-bad image. With platform, attitude-ridden shoes juxtaposed with crisply ironed neckerchiefs ripe for the picking, this was every Girl Guide's dream. - Alice Newbold, fashion.telegraph.co.uk
I'M NOT A MODEL, I'M A FREE MAN!
PHOTO: Luke Leitch
SUPERFLY AT SUPERDRY + TIMOTHY EVEREST?
Question: when is it OK to ask a mean-looking model to stand without refreshment for two hours, all in front of a fashion crowd glugging lovely Asahi beer (I didn't check if it was Superdry) - and give him a shotgun? Answer, from, company co-founder James Holder: "When the guns are all decommissioned, and they are, so it's fine."
The shotgun was one of the props at Superdry's launch of its Timothy Everest collaboration last night. This label, as nobody can not have noticed, has been one of British fashion's biggest recent success stories. So naturally, in typical British fashion, it has taken a bit of a too-big-for-its-boots knocking recently and the once ker-ching arc of its share price has dipped considerably.
PHOTOS: Philip Hollis
Personally, I'm superwry about Superdry - who isn't sick of those pseudo-Japanese graphics and the inescapable ubiquity of its shoulder branded jackets? I wasn't really expecting to think much of this collection at all.
But... it's great. Tweedy, country-style jackets with buttoned pockets, satin lapelled black suits and 1970's cop woollen dogtooth's are the order of the day here... with no graphics. Holder, who has something slightly Simon Pegg-ish about him, conceded cheerily enough that all has not been entirely superfly at Superdry of late, then said: "What is incredible, remember, is that less than 10 years ago this company was just me and another bloke sharing a computer. We've learned a lot and made some mistakes, of course, but we've had 20 years growth in ten years. We really haven't scratched womenswear at all, we're just now getting good at denim - that's going to go major league for autumn/winter '12 - so there are all these areas we haven't scratched the surface of yet. We've been fantastic at graphics, brilliant at jackets: now it's time to do all these other areas properly. For spring/summer 13 the collection coming is so mind-blowing its going to change everyone's perception of the brand."- Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
SPENCER HART AND THE CASE OF THE TOP TELLY STAR
PHOTO: Chris Pledger
Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor best known for his BBC portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, was last night reinvented as a cigar-chomping playboy on the catwalk of London fashion week. Cumberbatch and the former England Rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio closed the collection at Spencer Hart wearing black dressing gowns and pyjamas. The show - which refreshingly featured not only male models but women too, plus a troupe of dancers - was one of the highlights of the first of this three days men's fashion jamboree. Backstage Cumberbatch, a first-time model, said: "I've never done anything like that before - it was nerve-wracking. You have to think of a character and I went for Hugh Hefner, with the cigar and whisky." The pinstripe-besuited blonde model on Cumberbatch's arm contributed to that Hefner-esque air too.- Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
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FRIDAY JUNE 15
17:00 The sun comes out at YMC
Watercolour post card images of tropical islands are projected onto screens along the catwalk and there is exotic birdsong from the speakers. Spring / summer 2013 has a distinctly holiday feel at YMC with a continuation of those island prints we've come to love from this excellent British brand. They appear on polo shirts, tailored jackets and jumpers in a subdued colour palette. There were also collegiate elements - wide striped jersey Jackets that hinted towards the Ivy League. While the opening section of the show was dominated by a soft shade of lemon - in light cotton trousers, shorts and raincoats, the finale was a series of more challenging leopard print pieces - from polos and parkas to T-shirts and baseball caps. These aside, this is a hugely wearable collection, one of the strongest of the day, and one that I suspect will appeal most to men who have an interest in clothes but are happy to leave the fashion behind. - David Nicholls, Design Editor, The Telegraph Magazine.
PHOTO: @mrporterlive / Twitter
16:50 AN OMG OUTSIDE YMC
Check out the bad-boys on this chap's feet...
PHOTO: David Nicholls
16:35 OLIVER SENCER HAS A RUSSIAN MODERNIST MOMENT
Beards (and mankles) were much in evidence on the catwalk today at Oliver Spencer, a designer who likes his models a bit menacing looking. The clothes were altogether less rugged than we've maybe come to expect of him, however, the silhouette being cleaner than of late. Ditto the palette, which majored on navies and neutrals punctuated by great blocks of vibrant colour such as Majorelle blue, emerald green, berry red and mustard (the whole lot inspired, apparently, by the work of the Russian modernists and the abstract painter Ben Nicholson). Speaking backstage, Spencer said he was particularly proud of his reworked parka, a more fitted affair with a high waisted back and single deep vent. Me, I really, really loved the jodhpur-style trousers in a thick canvassy cream cotton buttoned at the ankles, but then I wouldn't say no to any of it.
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
PS. As for Spencer's "star" model, Gordon Richardson, the design director at Topman (see below): he made a very good job of modelling a natty navy suit, comprising a jacket with a broadish shoulder and side-adjusters. But Gordon, you've really got to work on looking mean and moody if you're going to make it... - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
16:30 ALEXA GOES POSTAL
Alexa Chung is so everywhere at London Collections: Men. Martine Rose, Oliver Spencer, Topman Design - and even on top of the pillar box on the corner of Savile Row and Burlington Gardens. She was there to add a bit of YSL-shod Chungy-lustre to a shoot of the street's sharpest tailoring talent. Because she's doing some gig with the British Fashion Council she can't talk about the shows, she said - sigh - but did confirm that she's booked in between 10pm and 11pm to DJ at the Mr Porter/Jimmy Choo/Esquire party at the Corinthia Hotel. "I've got to go home and burn some CD's," she said. Now the Savile Row Open House event has just started. Most of the houses on "The Row" have thrown open their doors and workrooms to all-comers. The street is packed. For the first time in years there appears to be more people on Savile Row than there are adolescent tourists queueing outside Abercrombie and Fitch around the corner.
PHOTO: @lizmathewspr/ Twitter
16:15 SKORT SHRIFT
Could this be the first sighting on our streets of a pair of "skorts", aka the shorts-skirt hybrid for men, aka a coming trend (allegedly) in men's fashion? Spotted on Shan Temuri, a stylist, after Oliver Spencer's show. He assures me they're actually shorts "but flared". I'm not so sure. Anyway, the whole get up is by Comme des Garcons, with the exception of his chiffony cape thing at the back, which you can't see. And check out the peroxide eyebrows! - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
15:25 HUNKS IN TRUNKS A-GO-GO AT ORLEBAR BROWN
Providing the dishiest model of the day so far, men's swimwear brand Orlebar Brown hosted a presentation in their swanky new store just of Regent Street. Season after season the label provides chic trucks - as favoured by James Bond - which sit somewhere in between budgie-smugglers and board shorts. The new collection saw wicker prints in various colour ways and geometrics courtesy of the David Hicks archives. Continuing to see a rise in sales of the shorter swimming trunks, the label is hoping to banish badly dressed Brits from beaches worldwide. This season Orlebar Brown is pursuing a natural progression into sportswear, with natty shorts that fold away into the smallest of bags, sweatshirts in every colour under the sun and all-weather kagools. Unfortunately during Team Telegraph's appointment, the eye-catching model had donned pieces from the sportswear collection. Orlebar Brown, next time please may we have more hunks in trunks? - Sophie Warburton, stylist coordinator, The Daily Telegraph.
PHOTO: Phillip Hollis
15:20 WE SPY A LOVELY NECK TIE
By Labour & Wait if you must know. 10 style points.
15:10 IN THE MOOD FOR ABBOUD
Citing London as the best fashion city for men, Bernardo Rojo, the creative director of American brand, Joseph Abboud very much felt like he was coming home. 'I took my first design job in London' explained Rojo but although presenting here he stayed true to the US based brand's roots. Hosting a salon-style show in the Bar Américain, Abboud presented a collection of slick sportswear in a colour palette of red, white and blue (with a little black thrown in for good measure). Post-show, the designer referenced pretty much every man's idol, James Dean, along with a modern twist courtesy of Ryan Gosling's character in 'Drive'. Models strutted in the runway in polonecks, styled under fitted blazers and shorts, while others wore macs with nipped in waists and slim cut chinos. With a nod to both the 1950's and the 80's the collection covered all bases for the modern man - wearable pieces, in innovative fabrics that can be styled up or down accordingly. Sleek and chic, even the snappiest of dressers could learn a thing or two from Abboud. - Sophie Warburton, stylist coordinator, The Daily Telegraph.
14:50 MIX IT LIKE MARTINE ROSE
Mix three parts bleached denim (oversized, Dexy's Midnight Runners proportions) with one part fake snakeskin, and one part scuba-style neoprene. Scatter in some handprint motifs, get your models to hold old band T-shirts (Pil, Screamadelica). Then top the whole thing with white, bankrobber-style facemasks. Finally bottom it with practical Velcro-strapped action-sandals of a type hitherto seen on any catwalk. Martine Rose was loopy and very niche - but fun. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
PHOTOS: Phillip Hollis
14:40 FIX UP, LOOK SHARP
While you're waiting for the next show to drop, take a look at London editor, John O'Ceallaigh's guide to the emerging stars of Savile Row.
14:15 GOR-BLIMEY!
Backstage at rehearsals for Oliver Spencer show and catch Gordon Richardson, design director at Topman, with his trousers round his ankles, revealing striped jersey trunk knickers. The reason? He begged Oliver for a cameo on the catwalk. This is a picture of him preparing (with trousers on)... - Gareth Wyn Davies, Stella Magazine.
13:40 TOPMAN'S ARTY SPORTY SHOW
When the American graffiti cum neo Expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is mentioned in the pre-show blurb you have a pretty good idea what to expect. And so Topman Design presented a collection which was heavy on painterly prints which ranged from refined brush strokes, to those of the 'dab and splodge' variety.
Fuchsia, orange, red and various fluoro shades were the mainstay of a collection that included such delights as a Prince of Wales check shorts jumpsuit, and a section of Amercian football aertex crop tops. One genuine highlight was a series of lightweight tailored jackets that had been heavily lasercut. When worn with an underlayer of a different colour, it created a striking polka dot effect through the surface of the jacket. This was by no means a collection designed for an Everyman - the shapes (much of them oversized) were just as challenging as the prints and palette, but Topman Design's core clientele of urban street style youff fashionistas will not be disappointed.- David Nicholls, Design Editor, The Telegrpah Magazine.
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
13:30 TINIE PROBLEM
13:00 ANOTHER GREEN BEAN HITS THE SCENE
Sir Philip Green and his daughter Chloe we hear from quite regularly, but today the lesser spotted Green - Brandon - put in an appearance at the Topman Design show. Our first question - naturally - was what is he wearing: head-to-toe Topman? "All Topman. Except for the jacket, it's Neil Barrett. I was told to wear Topman but I couldn't find it this morning when I was rumagging." Apparently Brandon rolled out of bed "four minutes" before the Green limo was due to depart. So, as he can put together a look like that in four minutes, does Brandon plan to do a Chloe and design his own line?
"Personally I have no intention of designing. I stick with my dad, I started working with him about a year ago [in the business side of Arcadia]. But obviously as dad says product is the key part of any business, and in fashion, no matter how good you are at the business part you have to be involved in the product too. Topman I think is performing as well as any brand in the high street. Globally across the world Topman is the business in the Arcadia group which is performing hands-down, the best..".
And does he ever get his dad to try and different look? "No - I wouldn't even try!" - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
12:45 WAKE UP CALL
12:30 POCKET ROCKETS
It's all about a pocket square at the moment don't you know? Check out these dapper dan's rocking the shows today. I say!
12:00 COOL MAN LUKE
Luke Day the Editor of GQ Style - and a stylist of some renown - has fully mastered the fashion Rock God look. For those who want to "Steal His Style" Luke's wearing a James Long shirt, various chains (Gucci, Jade Jagger, and a "God" medallion he bought in the church of Browns), plus some Topman Design jeans. Shows at the top of Luke's list are James Long and Martine Rose, plus MAN. He said: "we should all appreciate that without Topman there wouldn't be a London mens' fashion week at all." That suntan he added, not fake: he's just back from holiday. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
11:50 HACKETT GET INTO GREAT GATSBY MODE
PHOTOS: Phillip Hollis
Hackett harked back to a lost, glorious, halcyon age this morning - the time when bankers wore bowlers, carried brollies, and could be trusted. An 18-strong phalanx of models carrying the traditional City accessories and wearing dapper double and single breasted suits - some a bit too loud to be convincingly vintager banker - closed the label's show at the Royal Opera House. Elsewhere, there was a noble and determined push for paisley-printed trousers - a big womenswear trend - to translate into menswear. But I'm not sure about it will succeed. Spanish-owned Hackett usually riffs on Englishness but much of today's collection - the seersucker jackets, baker boy caps, cream lined peaked lapel suits and white brogues - had something a little Great Gatsby-ish about them. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
The finale of city gents at Hackett. PJHOTO: Phillip Hollis
11:40 SOMETHING FOR THE LADIES
You know when a model's really big, because they sit front row instead of pounding the catwalk: David Gandy front row at Hackett.
PHOTO: mrporterlive / Instagram
11:06 SPENCER SOULBOY
Spencer Hart is a show to watch out for this afternoon - Benedict Cumberbatch and womenswear are set for catwalk cameos. Nick Hart said last night his collection this time round is going to be heavily music-influenced, then started reminiscing about competing in Soulboy dance-offs at a nightclub called Crackers. "I was a terrible dancer, though." - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
10:55 LOU DALTON
For spring/summer 2013 Lou Dalton has shifted her focus from the battle fields of WW1 to the playing fields of a very modern age. It was more 'sport luxe' than sportswear however, with a major focus on combining discordant fabrics. Panels of suede were added to cotton shirts. Velvet and jersey are combined on sweat tops. Airtex panels added a pleasing texture to sharply tailored jackets. Tailoring in general was very strong - and heavily structured thanks to a generous use of panelling. Alexa Chung arrived with British Fashion Council chairman Harold Tilman giving us the first front row pap frenzy of London Collections: Men; while swimmer Mark Foster and Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer Hollie Johnson were also in attendance. - David Nicholls, Design Editor, The Telegrpah Magazine.
PHOTOS: Chris Pledger
10:45 Is Liam Gallagher the new Paul Smith?
The Oasis... sorry, Beady Eye singer's Beatles/Mod influence brand, Pretty Green, is to open a standalone store in Tokyo next month. He's already got 11 shops in Britain. - Luke Leitch, deputy fashion editor, The Daily Telegraph.
10:30 BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN WEBSTER
Stephen Webster kicked off the inaugural London Collections: Men shows with a busy-for-9-in-morning breakfast at Hix for his new mens jewellery collection. Called 'Highwayman', it was inspired by his yearly cross-America roadtrips (in his wheels of choice, a rather cool vintage Thunderbird). Hence, necklaces and bracelets centred on roadsigns and rings came as "rotating wheels". A chirpy Webster told Team Telegraph that he was planning on doing another sojourn from Colorado to the Napa Valley this year - "It's the only time I can get away from my family!". His road buddy of choice? "My mechanic!" Sensible man.
Mmmmmmushroom's with creme fraiche at Stephen Webster.
The Red Snapper cocktails (gin and tomato juice and fancy fry-ups served were top notch, but Webster had another trick up his sleeve. Taking to the bar-cum-catwalk, he annouced there was going to be a show. What he didnt tell us was that Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp and Nicky Clarke would be among the models. They goodnaturedly did their best Zoolanders and everyone cheered - although Kemp got rather bashful when we asked for a picture of his best Blue Steel. Clarke and Webster had no such reservations, though - check out their pouts. Early contenders for best BS of the week? - Phong Luu, Fashion Features Co-ordinator, The Daily Telegraph
Stephen Webster and Nicky Clarke pull their best Blue Steels for our camera.
Nicky Clarke, Stephen Webster, Martin Kemp and Gary Kemp strut their stuff. PHOTO: Phillip Hollis
10:00 ALEXA ARRIVES
No London fashion event would be complete without the British Fashion Council's Young Style ambassador, Miss Alexa Chung...
9:50 AND WE"RE OFF!
The first London Collections: Men kicks off proper this morning with... a breakfast. Why is it men can't do anything on an empty stomach? Jeweller Stephen Webster is playing host - more of this later. While we're waiting for the first show to begin (Lou Dalton 10am live streamed above), news has reached our inbox of the first bit of celebrity catwalk action. Sherlock Holmes AKA benedict Cumberbatch, will 'walk' in Spencer Hart's show today at 5pm. Spencer Hart dressed Benedict Cumberbatch for the BAFTA TV awards and the Golden Globes this year. If you're in Benedict's fan club - affectionately known as 'The Cumberbitches', get thee to the Old Selfridges Hotel where you might catch a glimpse of the man himself. Just don't tell him i sent you...
THURSDAY JUNE 14
PRINCE CHARLES: FASHION ICON? ME?
At a reception at St James Palace to officially launch London Collections: Men, Prince Charles batted off suggestions he was a sartorial icon. Luke Leitch went along to meet His Royal Highness and ask the all important question: what are you wearing? Read all about his adventures here...
Prince Charles takes the mic. PHOTO: REX
And here are our favourite pics from the glamorous soiree:
David Walliams meets Charles: "I asked Charles what he wears. He said mostly Primark, but George at Asda too: he likes to mix it up." PHOTO: REX
Tom Ford meets Prince Charles: Who's your tailor? Call me, not that guy next to me... don't call him... don't even look at him... PHOTO: REX
Vauxhall's Ampera is a new kind of electric car that can also fill up with petrol at the pump. Confused? - Daily Mail
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Have you ever known someone for 20 years only to discover you didn’t really know them at all?
This happened to me the other night at a mate’s birthday party.
I won’t name him for fear of a backlash, but he’s middle-aged, drives a pick-up and has scars all over his hands from manual labour: the type of bloke I thought was happiest with a nail gun in one hand and a mug of builder’s in the other. Not dancing around the room to boy band pop.
The petrol engine chugs along at a steady rate, no matter what speed you're doing... The whole thing is brilliant
Now I’ve nothing against boy bands. I’m a bit of a Take That fan myself. But it’s a question of moderation. A bit of Gary Barlow, a bit of Springsteen, a bit of James Brown: that’s a balanced diet.
At my mate’s party, track after hi-energy male harmony disco track came tumbling out of his iPod: 5ive, One Direction, The Wanted, Bieber. Worse, not only did he know all the words but he had all the dance moves, like a five-year-old would.
Oh my God, I thought as I sat with a beer in my hand, what do I do? I’ve been his mate for more than 20 years and I’m watching him dismantle his butch persona before my eyes. Was he drunk? Was he ill? Was he having a midlife crisis?
I didn’t know. But if it progressed to the show tunes stage, I was going to have to stage an intervention. I don’t want to be at anyone’s 50th birthday and have to watch him act out the choreography of Starlight Express.
Still, each to his own. It would be a dull world if none of us was allowed to change his spots.
You might need kids to help you figure out the dashboard. Most of the knobs have been replaced with a touch-screen
And that brings me to Vauxhall. Close your eyes and think of the first Vauxhall you ever saw. Brown, wasn’t it? Probably a Chevette. Or in my case, a cut-and-shut Nova with brown velvet seats and no stereo: my first ever car.
Now look at this Ampera. You’re telling me the company that made my Nova made this? If so, they must have had the same sort of midlife transformation as my mate. But I’m all for it.
The Ampera is the simplest electric car I’ve ever seen. It fills up at a petrol pump like any normal car, but while normal cars (including hybrids) give you between 20 and 80 miles to the gallon, in the right conditions the Ampera can give you 235.
That’s all you really need to know. But I’ll tell you how they did it, because it’s interesting.
In hybrids the electric motor adds extra efficiency to a standard mechanical drivetrain.
In the Ampera, the wheels aren’t driven by a combustion engine at all.
They’re driven by electricity. The 1.4-litre petrol unit’s only job is to generate that electricity.
Add a full tank and you can go hundreds of miles, easily as far as any normal car
Sounds backwards? Actually it’s how we should have been building cars all along. There are fewer moving parts with electric propulsion, so less energy’s wasted.
And the petrol engine chugs along at a steady rate, no matter what speed you’re doing, so that’s more efficient too. The whole thing is brilliant.
So what’s it like to drive? Well, like an electric car. That means pick-up is instant and very smooth, with the force of a big-engined saloon but none of the noise and no gear-changing pauses. Ever been in an electric go-kart? It’s like that. It doesn’t handle like a go-kart, though.
Lithium batteries are very heavy. The weight’s low down, which is good for stability, but the laws of momentum mean it’s not much fun making it change direction.
The brakes take some getting used to: they’re used to regenerate charge and are over-eager to do it, causing jerks.
But the only real gripe I had was the low front spoiler. Aerodynamics save fuel, but I swear the Ampera’s front is lower than a Lamborghini’s. I dreaded every speed bump on a trip to London.
On the plus side, the aero kit looks good. With those mad boomerang light clusters, you won’t be mistaking the Ampera for anything else.
There’s decent luggage and leg room, but the back is two separate seats, so it’s not ideal for big families.
You might need kids to help you figure out the dashboard, though. Most of the knobs have been replaced with a touch-screen.
And instead of gauges there’s another screen, with context-specific readouts.
There’s more – Nasa has less info than the stuff on here – but I’ll gloss over it, as the great thing about the Ampera is it doesn’t matter.
What does matter is the price. Mine was 34,000 and that’s BMW 3 Series territory. Even though the Ampera is well specced with sat-nav, Bose sound, heated leather seats and parking camera, it can’t quite compete with the Germans on cabin quality and certainly not on handling. So it comes down to running costs.
Six hours plugged into a normal socket (1 on most tariffs) gives you about 35 miles of pure battery power.
Add a full tank and you can go hundreds of miles, easily as far as any normal car.
However, if you only drive to the shops, you might never have to put a single drop of petrol in it. That’s the ‘killer app’ of the Ampera.
Who’s going to buy it? Fleet buyers first, no question.
Apart from the fuel savings and the 100,000-mile warranty, it pays no excise duty, no congestion charge and hardly any company car tax. They’ll give it to the employees who thought they were getting a BMW. I promise you they won’t complain.
I wasn’t sure at first but having driven it for a week, never filling up once, I love this new phase in Vauxhall’s life.
Now I just need to adjust to my mate’s fabulous boy band phase. And I will. It’s the 21st century.
Get used to it.
33,995, vauxhall.co.uk
Power 148hp electric drive unit
Engine 1.4-litre petrol four-cylinder generator
Top speed 100mph (limited)
0-60mph in 8.7 seconds
Fuel consumption 235.4mpg
CO2 emissions 27g/km (excise duty exempt)
Standard features 17in alloys, regenerative brakes with ABS, ESP and traction control, climate control with park heating, cruise control, auto lights and wipers, heated leather seats, leather steering wheel, 7in sat-nav with DAB/FM radio and USB/Aux input, DVD player, Bose 6 Speakers plus subwoofer, voice control, front and rear parking sensors with rearview camera, portable charging cord, pedestrian alert system: warns pedestrians of the approaching vehicle by emitting a ‘chirping’ sound
Optional extras Seven colours, spice red trim, ceramic white trim
What's hot on the road this week
FACE IN THE PACK
Today is the last chance to have your face on Sebastian Vettel’s and Mark Webber’s F1 cars at next month’s Silverstone Grand Prix. Go to facesforcharity.com, upload your face, donate €15 and Red Bull Racing will first match your donation, then add your face to the extraordinary 25,000-face collage being wrapped around Vettel and Webber’s RB8s in the race. The money goes to help find a cure for spinal cord injury and you also stand a chance of winning a VIP ticket to the race.
MERC TO SMIRK ABOUT
What do you look for in an SUV? Seven seats? Air suspension? Intelligent 4WD? Mercedes’ GL 63 AMG has it all, plus 557hp. If that sounds reasonable, you may be a Premier League footballer. You’ll need to be. Although prices are yet to be announced, the GL 63 AMG has new Active Curve System roll-prevention, sports suspension, sports steering and performance brakes as standard; options include 360-degree cameras and Bang & Olufsen sound. It won’t be cheap.
WHOLE LOTTA FIAT
First the Fiat 500 was transformed into the race-worthy Abarth 500. Now it is being further souped up, into this Abarth 695 Edizione Maserati, of which just 499 will be sold at 32,000 each from the end of this year. For that you get 180hp, 17in alloys, a tuned exhaust, flappy paddle gearshift, Brembo brakes, Koni shocks, beige leather interior, Jaeger dials and a special three-layer Maserati paintjob called Pontevecchio Bordeaux. Oh, and a set of fitted Tramontano leather luggage. It almost seems a bargain.
By Simon Lewis
I hope these little children recover fast
- me, Maidstone uk, 16/6/2012 23:15
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