Marko John’s - guaranteed to blow your socks off

In which G.M. Norton gets heady about hosiery.

As a keen sock lover, I was overjoyed to be sent a rather splendid pair of socks for review by Marko John’s. If you’re not familiar with Marko John’s, they’ve been making socks in Blighty since 1895. A dashed long time, I’m sure you’ll agree!



Gift box

They make a fine selection of brightly coloured foot friends, for both ladies and gentlemen. Admittedly, the ladies range of knee-socks are limited to three colour options, but they are lovely nonetheless.



Knee-length ladies socks

Gentlemen, on the other hand (or should that be ‘foot’?) are treated to a whole array of options to suit different tastes. I counted 30 different striped pairs, which are my favourite, along with nine different ‘top and tailed’ pairs.

Review: BeauFort London moustache finishing wax and case

In which G.M. Norton makes the discovery of a lifetime – the finest moustache wax in all the land.

 

Recently, I was lucky enough to be given a new moustache wax to try from BeauFort London.

I first got wind of BeauFort London through the wonder that is the Twittering Device. Upon visiting their webular site, I was quite simply blown away by it. The imagery and language used is quite breath-taking and I hoped against hope that their flagship grooming product would live up to its promise.

Well, after testing it out in the varying weather conditions that is known as ‘the great British summer’, I am now in a position to share my opinion with you, dear readers.

Quite simply, and before I start to wax lyrical, I am astounded. There, I’ve said it.

Firstly, what sets BeauFort London’s finishing wax apart from the start is the exquisite case that the wax is enclosed in. Other makes of moustache wax either come in a disposable screw-top tin or tube, reminiscent of toothpaste. Tins and tubes just don’t cut the mustard with BeauFort London. Oh no!

What I wore on Wednesday

In which G.M. Norton wears some clothes.

I've been asked by one or two people to share a little more of the gentlemanly attire that I wear.

So, without further preamble, and to keep my promise (we Nortons never break a promise), here is the outfit I cobbled together on Wednesday.

I am happy, honestly. I'm simply trying to appear 'nonchalant'. The result is perhaps 'constipated', instead. As a slight aside, I think the Legends London hair gel looks rather marvellous, don't you think?

Now, did I do anything on Wednesday? Well, yes I did actually. After a day at the office, I visited a factory in the city of Salford. The factory is one of the last surviving clothing manufacturers in the country and home to the Private White V.C. menswear brand. I had a delightful tour for a feature which will appear in the first-ever printed edition of In Retrospect magazine.

Review: Tavus cravat from Cravat Club

In which G.M. Norton goes crazy about cravats.

I simply adore cravats. They allow the wearer to still be properly attired even when the shirt collar is open. Cravats also conjure up associations of a winking Leslie Phillips or David Niven, which for me, is only a good thing!

So you can imagine my joy when I received a cravat to review from Cravat Club.

If you’re not familiar with Cravat Club then I recommend you visit their electronic site and immerse yourself in the world of cravats (unsurprisingly) and more recently, pocket squares.

I’ve been casting furtive glances at their collection of silk accessories for quite some time. Aside from the array of interesting patterns and colours available, what sets Cravat Club apart from its competitors is that each and every one of their products is made in England. So not only do you get to ooze style and sophistication but you get to wear something made and produced right here in Blighty.

On film: The Lady Vanishes

In which G.M. Norton agrees that a million Mexicans can’t be wrong.

I recently had the pleasure of watching The Lady Vanishes, a 1938 Hitchcock film caper about espionage, the disappearance of an elderly lady and cricket.

Marking the peak of Hitchcock’s British period, it is an exquisitely crafted cinematic treasure, boasting a collection of super acting talent including Dame May Whitty as the vanishing lady. 

It was the penultimate picture that Hitch made in Britain before his celebrated move to Hollywood.

Given the identity of the person directing proceedings, you’ll be unsurprised to learn that the plot is of the suspense variety, with just a dash of romantic froth for good measure and lots of comic moments to help ease the tension.

The film begins in the fictional European country of Bandrika, which is the sort of quaint yet suspicious setting that Hergé would place Tintin and Captain Haddock in.