South London Style - Marco Nelson

Marco is a music producer and photographer. He runs an all analogue studio in Brixton Hill. He's also a founder member of Mercury Prize-nominated soul group Young Disciples and has played bass on records by Paul Weller and Primal Scream. I caught him outside the Southbank Centre snapping pictures on his Leica M3 camera.

Marco's outfit

Overcoat - French Dust Jacket from Leftovers, Brixton
Worker jacket - "Also from Leftovers."
Jumper - 1950s Royal Navy
Breton Stripes - Arthur Beale, Covent Garden
Watch - Rotary 1950s
Jeans - Levi's 501xx 1940s cut
Shoes - Clarks Originals Desert Boots
Camera - Leica M3

Mother's Day - Last minute gift ideas!

Teapot by Orla Kiely - £55

Parakeet Silk Scarf by Cléo Ferin Mercury at Labour-Of-Love - £160

Rose Otto Collection by Balance Me - £12

 Bluebell Eau de toilette by Penhaligons - £85

 Earrings by Wolf and Moon - £42

 Sweet Almond and Macaroon Candle by Jo Malone - £39

Les Demoiselles de Rochefort DVD at Amazon.co.uk - £11.55

Colours for Spring!

colours for spring!! by lostjohns featuring water resistant watches

Monkey Brand Black Tooth Powder

My friends Christina and Simon from the garage band Oh! Gun Quit were kind enough to give me some exotic black tooth powder. They know I like that kind of thing.

It is odd. Odd to point where you think you might have misunderstood somehow and are brushing your teeth with carpet cleaner. But once you get passed the shock of seeing yourself in the mirror with a mouth full of black then you realise this is a great product.

Ingredients include spearmint flowers, caraway and wood charcoal (hence the blackness). The taste is not at all bad and the effect, after repeated use, is to whiten the teeth. Also if a product has survived for over 100 years it must be good, right?

Soho - Leo Maldore

Leo is a musician and an expert on all things Levis. I could quite easily spend an afternoon chatting with him about cuts of jeans and Ivy League style. Check out the LVC store on Newburgh Street, London. And yes, that is Bing Crosby wearing a denim tuxedo in the background.

Leo's outfit 

Glasses - 'Lemtosh' by Moscot

Piercings - "My ears are pierced nine times. I got them done when I was twelve. My Mum was a punk!"

Shirt - LVC current season. Based upon a souvenir shirt for the Goldengate International Exhibition 1939.

Jacket and trousers - Levis BIG E trucker jacket and 519s (original cut) both in Bedford fabric. "It's the classic Ivy League look. The trousers come really short because in the 60s it was all about showing off the shoes".

Socks - Plain white from Uniqlo.

Shoes - Sperry Topsiders, original model of 1935. "Obviously not an original pair even though they look absolutely battered!"

South London Style - Alex Barrow

I met up with Alex at Papa's Cafe on Pulross Road in Brixton. You can get a really good cup of coffee and an advocado and melted cheese ciabatta there. Alex is an accordionist and illustrator. His first children's book titled A Possum's Tail has just been published by the Tate Gallery.

Alex's outfit

Suit - 1930s tweed suit by Burton from Leftovers, Brixton Village

Shirt - Tailor made in China using fabric from Hong Kong. "My girlfriend lived there for a while and got it done for me by her local tailor in Suzhou."

Brooch - "It's a small radio mic. I found it in a street market in Corsica."

Hankie - From Casablanca, Rue Moret, Paris

Watch - "It's a World War I trench watch. One of the first wrist watches. I think the numbers might be radioactive! They glow in the dark."

Socks - "Wool socks from a charity shop in Glastonbury Town."

Shoes - by New Avenue. "Bought them from my friend Andrew Fletcher."

Accordion - "It's my new Cooperativa accordion from Italy!"

Bulldog skincare

Take a trip to your local high street chemist and you'll find the choices for good, natural men's skincare products are pretty limited. Bulldog bucks the trend. Their products are free from synthetic fragrances and are animal-cruelty free.

Their face wash is cheap (around £5) and full of great-smelling extracts like lime oil, tree moss extract and green tea. It doesn't dry your skin out and leaves you feeling fresh.

Even better is their moisturiser which retails for around £7. Again the primary fragrance is green tea, this time with hints of bergamot and lemon peel. The green algae and vitamin E help rehydrate the skin in a natural way.

The packaging looks good (which is exceptional for a high street brand, just think of Lynx) and their range of products just about covers your needs. It'd be cool if they developed a shampoo though.