Dandy & Dapper

Reading Time:2 minutes

Published: 12:00am, 11 Mar 2012

Chaps, good to see Doc Martens back in fashion. I have my short back'n'sides, my DMs, my jeans and my Fred Perry polos, but where can I get one of those khaki flying jackets with bright orange lining? Please something affordable and not from those fancy Central stores. Get the Ska on the iPod and it's 1982 all over again!

Mr Dandy: Uh oh. That's a fashion faux pas just waiting to happen. Sorry, dear reader, but I can't support such a literal take on an outdated look. Just because you can buy all those things, doesn't mean you should wear them together (again). Designers have some amazing new designs and fabrics for old-style bomber and military jackets. Take the army-green MA1 nylon jacket by Korean brand Wooyoungmi, for example (HK$8,750; Harvey Nichols, Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 3968 2668). DKNY Men makes light, technical material MA1 bomber/anorak hybrids in grey, black knit, or red check (about HK$3,390 each; Fashion Walk, Causeway Bay, tel: 2890 2799). Or trade in the technical fabrics for some luxe leather, as in the awesome Paul & Joe brown nappa bomber jackets for spring-summer (HK$9,500 to HK$11,000; Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon, tel: 2523 3866).

Mr Dapper: I'm not convinced by the reader's nostalgic leanings, either, Dandy, but if he wants an orange-lined, military green bomber jacket, then that's what we should give him. He could hunt through the racks at military supply stores around town, or he could make it easy on himself by ordering from an online source such as www.sportsmansguide.com. There, I found a few jackets that might appeal, including the Knox Armory MA-1 jacket made of a nylon shell with light, warm poly insulation and orange lining for only HK$233. Of course, it bears some consideration that 1982 was 30 years ago. If you have, by some miracle, converted to more contemporary interpretations, then I recommend the J Lindeberg Bailey dressed jacket in grey/green (HK$3,490; The Landmark, Central, tel: 2801 6428).

In my youth, I remember my father telling me a decent pair of shoes should last a lifetime. Where are the best places to give one's footwear a polished makeover without having to stand in the street, and is there someone who might even be able to teach me to (heaven-forbid) do it myself?

Mr Dapper: My secret new indulgence is in the East Lobby of The Mandarin Oriental Hotel (5 Connaught Road, Central, tel: 2522 0111), where a shoe shine service has been launched in collaboration with shoemaker John Lobb. For HK$150, a 'Shoe-Shine Butler' trained by expert Paul Brogden will revive your footwear using John Lobb's fine wax, polish, brushes and cloths. The entire experience takes a mere 15 minutes, but if you are like me, you'll wish it could take longer as you sit in the Rena Dumas wood and leather chair with a complimentary drink and a selection of newspapers and magazines.

Mr Dandy: Who has time to sit around? I've got one better: Ben Shoe Shine (www.benshoeshine.com). E-mail info@benshoeshine. com.hk or call 9841 3544 to get them to come to your office, where you can have a shoe shine right at your desk. A standard shine costs HK$40 while an executive shine is HK$50. It only services Central and Admiralty at present, and there is a minimum of four pairs of shoes per visit. But it's not the only such service; Kao Kee also offers a mobile shoe shine (e-mail enquiry@ kaokee.com.hk or call 6278 1112).

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