A new newsletter-style series about life lately, the things we’ve done and the things we haven’t.
As predicted, The Slow Life Adventures will occasionally return as a collection of stories from several weeks. And so, here we are, looking back.
A few weeks ago, I had a brief exchange with @ivyarchivemunich after spotting a copy of Christian Kracht’s 1995 debut novel, Faserland, in his bag in one of his Instagram Stories. It immediately reminded me that I had been made to read the book at school and that it was one of the very few books I genuinely enjoyed back then. Unlike Macbeth, that is.
Still, much of the story had faded from memory. All I could recall was receiving a rather underwhelming grade for my essay on it. Thank you, Ms. A.
One quick visit to our well-stocked bookshelf later, and I was holding that old paperback in my hands again as though it had simply been sitting there, waiting for me all these years.
At its heart, Faserland follows an unnamed narrator on a journey through Germany, beginning on the island of Sylt. Within the first few pages, one thing becomes abundantly clear: he is an incredibly unpleasant person. We learn very little about who he actually is, yet an enormous amount about what he thinks especially about the brands everyone is wearing.
Champagne, for instance, is far superior to Prosecco, provided the bottle is from Roederer. Green Barbour jackets are much better than black ones. And he cannot stand men in Ralph Lauren shirts, chinos and Alden loafers.
Oops. Guilty.
I also spent two days in Leipzig for an event at Porsche that I am not yet allowed to discuss and perhaps never will. Never mind.
We stayed at The Westin and went out for drinks in the evening. Naturally, I had given some thought to what I would wear. It was mid-August, the nights were becoming noticeably cooler, the first rainy days were returning, and autumn was slowly beginning to make its presence felt. September is just around the corner, bringing with it my favourite time of year for layering. In fact, September may well be my favourite month altogether.
As we would be spending more time sitting in cars than standing around, I had little desire to wear a suit and Oxfords all day. Instead, I chose my current favourite: Catwalk No. 0028. Atelier de Nîmes jeans, a cream T-shirt, a Wrangler denim shirt with a Ralph tuck, Vans and a light-coloured jacket.
While the two-day programme rushed past me, one particular gentleman caught my attention. He wore a perfectly crisp white shirt with a cutaway collar, navy trousers, dark-brown suede brogues and a brown Barbour jacket. It was an exceptionally strong outfit although it did not quite belong in that setting, judging by the reactions from the On-sneaker crowd.
Neither he nor his blonde companion appeared remotely bothered. He had a calm, almost aloof air about him, and I immediately thought of the unnamed narrator in Faserland. I thought about Barbour jackets and about how sensible it would have been to bring my own.
Mine is black, although I have been considering buying a green one for quite some time. Now, of course, I found myself thinking that brown would be rather nice as well. And just like that, I had fallen into my own trap. I was slowly becoming the unpleasant narrator myself, analysing brands and colours while hastily finishing my first glass of white wine because I did not particularly like it, all the while looking for a waiter so I could switch to beer.
A classic own goal.
As I postponed the internal debate over the colour of my next Barbour jacket, I realised that I am not immune to brand names than anyone else. More importantly, I was reminded how easily we judge people by their appearance and place them into categories even when we have no intention of doing so.
Dear fellow Barbour wearer, should you ever read this: I thought your outfit was excellent.
And with that, we shall close this chapter.
On the way home, I finally managed to collect my Nicola Radano Napoli trousers from the alterations tailor. They will make their debut tomorrow. Made from 55 % cotton and 45 % linen in a vintage navy Ralph Lauren cloth, they were created in collaboration with the W. M. Brown Project.
I hope to wear them a few more times before the weather becomes too cold. Which brings me to a small piece of advice: now is the time to start buying the pieces you want to wear during autumn and winter especially if you are going made-to-measure or still need to have something altered. That way, everything will be ready when the season truly begins.
Those of you who follow our Instagram Stories will already have seen that we had the pleasure of speaking with the Lämmermann brothers. The full interview will be published here very soon.
Once again, thank you both for taking the time to talk to me. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.
Speaking with the brothers reminded me why I started this entire project in the first place: to feel part of something, to discover people’s stories and to make those stories accessible to you.
It is fascinating how many of us found our way into menswear through rather similar beginnings. For my part, I simply want to dress like the person I hope to become.
Editing and refining the interview will still take a little time, so I had better get back to work. Until then, have a wonderful time.
Meow & Ciao.
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