Summer's last hurrah

In which G.M. Norton becomes a seersucker-wearing shouty man.

Last Saturday, I went along to Salford's Big Day Out where I spent the day sauntering around with a megaphone in my hand making announcements. 

Think of me as a town crier, only at a festival, and wearing an American seersucker suit.

Revisiting my past

In which G.M. Norton goes on a time travelling meander. 

I live around five miles from Rochdale, a small town in the north west of England.

From the age of 16 to 22, I worked in the town and but now I only occasionally visit. It's been a good three years or so since I had a proper mooch around.

This week I had a small errand to run visiting the magnificent Rochdale Town Hall. 

It really is a stunning building. According to folklore, Adolph Hitler was rather keen on it and had plans to have it moved elsewhere. While I was there, I decided to have a little wander.

Missing mojo and 4th birthday celebrations

In which G.M. Norton finds his missing mojo.

For a couple of months, my mojo has been missing. I penned something about feeling out of sorts back in July.

Well, chumrades, you will be delighted to discover that I have now been reunited with it.

It turns out, my mojo wasn't really missing at all, I'd merely left it in a drawer and forgot all about it!

As luck would have it, the triumphant return of my mojo has coincided with this periodical's fourth birthday celebrations. My first ever periodical entry can be found this way.

Is it autumn yet?

In which G.M. Norton looks ahead to his favourite time of the year.

Now we're in September, I simply can't wait for autumn to be here. I'm not one for summer, I must confess. 

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have a little sunshine and clear blue skies. Indeed, I've just returned from a summer jaunt away with the family. But I do so terribly miss my finest tweeds and woollens. 

With my favourite season on the horizon, I've greedily been lusting over photographs of tweed ensembles. 

Don't these pictorials (purloined from Cordings) just look grand?

Smouldering Sirens: Jill Adams

In which G.M. Norton falls under the spell of another smouldering siren.

As regular readers will already be aware, I love sitting down to an old film. Especially comedies. such as Private's Progress, Brothers in Law and The Green Man. Quite by chance, an utterly charming English actress by the name of Jill Adams starred in these pictures and I've been smitten ever since. 

Doesn't she look divine? 

Mad Dogs and Servicemen: Sir Thomas Macpherson

In which G.M. Norton looks back at a swashbuckling Scotsman.

Please allow me to introduce to you another war hero, Sir Thomas Macpherson.

Known as the “Kilted killer”, Sir Thomas, or Tommy as he was known to his comrades, is the most decorated British soldier in history.

Some gallant war heroes are honoured to have the Military Cross proudly pinned to their chests. Macperson had three of them! That’s in addition to three Croix de guerre, a Légion d’honneur, and a papal knighthood for his heroics during the Second World War.

Bow tie baddies

In which G.M. Norton hits upon a fail-proof way to spot a bounder.

As the 11th incarnation of Dr Who quite rightly observed, bow ties are cool. But according to mid-century British films, bow ties were crooked too. Or at least, the wearer of the bow tie was crooked.

Yes, I realise that Sir Winston Churchill favoured this entanglement of silk under his jowls but the evidence certainly suggests that the bow tie is the true mark of a cad, bounder, cutpurse and stinker.

Here are some notable examples:

William Hartnell as Dallow, one of Pinkie’s henchmen in Brighton Rock (1947)

Good day, sunshine

In which G.M. Norton reminisces with Revolver.

Yesterday marked the 50^th year since the release of Revolver, by The Beatles.

Growing up, my parents would play lots of records on their radiogram. As well as a lot of ‘70s bands, they would play some ‘50s and ‘60s too, including The Beatles.

Clark Gable - King of Casual

In which G.M. Norton admits his man crush.

Chumrades, it's time that I came clean. I have a bit of a thing for Mr. Clark Gable. As my most recent Style Icon, I'm afraid I paid Clark a disservice by failing to capture him in more relaxed attire.

As an aficionado of casual clothing, Clark pulled off the dressed down look with aplomb. 

Dressing for the summer

In which G.M. Norton studies period fashion illustrations for some summer inspiration.

This week in Blighty, we’ve experienced something of a heatwave. Of course, we've also had thunder and lightning and the usual rain. But sunshine, nonetheless. 

While I find it relatively easy to dress in the colder months, dressing for the warmer months can be quite the hard slog, as it were. On the other hand, ladies seem to have the opposite conundrum and positively embrace sunshine while bemoaning winter.

In order to seek some inspiration from the halcyon days of yesteryear, I've been seeking out period illustrations from the likes of 1930's Esquire and Apparel Arts. Laurence Fellows was one of the more prominent fashion artists, with a distinctive style. Of course, other artists soon started to imitate his style.

These fine thirties fellows certainly show how it should be done.