John the FASHION ICON

Ok, totally unrelated to the music but I just have to say that John had simply impeccable style. He was quirky and fun at times, but also understated and classic other times. I look at pictures of him and think, "my gosh, I see people wearing this all over Vogue."

So in the name of fashion I had to start a thread dedicated to John's other natural talent: dressing to kill. Unf, those who don't care and think this is far too shallow and unimportant I'm here to say it matters when someone that is no longer with us is still leading trends.

Just enjoy!!!! (And please, please share if you feel the way I do...)

Afghan jacket- this amazing jacket that John wore to the "Sgt. Pepper's" album launch is one of the most famous pieces of Beatles memorabilia, and definitely an iconic look for the man.
John's coat:

Modern comparison
I own this coat, from Anthropologie, and I adore it because it has that 60's flair with a little Russian influence. In any case, it is similar in many ways to John's coat for it's sheer uniqueness, the floral print, the length, and the collar. Ugh, I adore it.

graphic/slogan shirts- John wore TONS of shirts that had messages or pictures on them that usually made a bold statement, or just said something on them- like his very famous New York City image. In this day and age, you see them everywhere of course.


Modern looks- of course graphic tees are huge but it's pretty amazing to see famous people walking around wearing some of the ones John made iconic.

The all-white look- obviously, one of John's most recognizable looks, just up there with the young Beatle days, and the "Imagine" look. The all white suit is so evocative of his persona at the time. He had embraced the peace movement, was part of it, and this was the look he was embracing. (I even stuck 1980 John in all-white just to show it was no passing phase.)

Modern looks: Rupert Everett, Kanye, Jessica Alba...no one nearly as cool and amazing as John but this look is simply a hit in so many ways.

Denim on denim- this is big now, and when done well it looks pretty fantastic. John of course did it VERY well.

Modern looks

WOW you really have put together a great short history of John's fashion side! I don't know if I can contribute anything of interest in this thread, because there is fashion-concious and then there is fashion-unconscious. I am in the latter camp, and wouldn't know a truly fashionable look if it slapped me vigorously about the face
But I appreciate the zeal and knowledge you display concerning this subject! As they say..."You GO girl!"

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

[b]Modern looks- of course graphic tees are huge but it's pretty amazing to see famous people walking around wearing some of the ones John made iconic.

Hi

Interesting topic; it's true that the "all white suit" is typical "Lennon" during the peace-movement. What a change, when you remember that John wore all black leather in the early Beatles days. He looks very smart in white clothes, although I find him more sexy in "all jeans"

I also love his afghan-jacket; I slightly remember having had a similar one in the mid-seventies

I'm proud to have a red/white t-shirt "You are here" in red/white and a "Come together" in green/rey, though I don't wear them at the office

But please tell me, who is the young guy wearing the shirt "Working class hero" and the dark cap and sun-glasses ???

Snoopy

Originally Posted by Snoopy66

But please tell me, who is the young guy wearing the shirt "Working class hero" and the dark cap and sun-glasses ???

Snoopy

That's some actor named Alex O'Loughlin who is on some re-make of Hawaii-Five 0. I just kind of liked the fact he had that shirt on.

wayfarers: this style of sunglasses is just a huge bang these days. Obviously, I also have had them for years (in multiple colors). My preference is almost always Ray-Bans, but I have been known to vary. I LOVE the yellow-tone ones John wore in 1980. LOVE. They're IN right now big-time.

Modern looks
[img]
Here are the modernized version of John's 1980 model:

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

wayfarers: this style of sunglasses is just a huge bang these days.

I'm a wayfarers wearer from way back! My sunglasses are usually in that style (have two Ray Bans right now)... I generally prefer the retro-classics to the more trendy stuff. But I always wished I could wear the round tinted look, just doesn't work on me.

How classically cool is this preppy look?


Loud prints with classic jackets are still mighty hip:


How many rock stars look like this nowadays? Answer: A lot!!

Originally Posted by Snoopy66

I also love his afghan-jacket; I slightly remember having had a similar one in the mid-seventies

Awww, you and John had matching outfits! I'm sure your afghan-jacket would look lovely with your Snoopy socks...

Woohoo! The New York Times declares John can still get it with men's fashion!

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/fa...iced.html?_r=2

SHADES OF JOHN LENNON OR A PROFESSOR



STILL defiantly hanging on to those aviator sunglasses? Well, you’re now on notice. This summer, the shape of shades has come full circle. Round sunglasses, by now a two-year-old trend for women, have finally been embraced by men.

“Very true, we’ve been seeing that a lot,” said Larry Davis, the manager of the modish Selima Optique shop in SoHo. “And it’s across the board. The young guys are more into the John Lennon-style glasses, and older guys are buying the more old-fashioned, professor-style ones. We even had a run on hot-pink ones after they were featured in Rolling Stone.”

From familiar favorites like Ray-Ban and Persol to indie upstarts like Moscot and Salt, round-framed sunglasses are this summer’s strongest new seller. Seizing the moment, Oliver Peoples, a Los Angeles-based brand that made its debut 25 years ago with a collection of vintage-inspired round frames, reissued three of the styles that helped turn the company into one of the 1980s’ notable brands.

As noted, round glasses usually accommodate one of two looks, 1960s peacenik or 1920s pencil-neck, depending on whether the arms join the frame at the side or the top, respectively. But either makes a refreshing departure from the various ’70s-style sunglasses that have been shielding hipster eyes from reality’s harsh glare for something like a decade now.

There is only one problem.

“The round shape is not that flattering to a face,” said Larry Leight, the founder and creative director of Oliver Peoples. “They’re a strong statement, and they look a lot better on people who can handle that shape. They work the best on a skinnier face.”

The hardest to wear, Mr. Leight said, are those with lenses that are perfectly round. They make the most cartoonish statement and are generally the least flattering to a face.

As Madeline Weeks, GQ’s fashion director, observed, “It’s a little affected.” For one thing, she said, the circle’s perfect geometry does not jibe with a face’s more organic shape. Second, the most natural-looking bridge between two circles is a short one; unless the frames are thick and large, a wide bridge looks awkward.

But on many faces, the short bridge sets the lenses close together and makes one’s head look like a balloon dangerously close to popping. Sure, it’s fine for Harry Potter, but he can cast a spell that makes people think he’s hot. The rest of us rely on the glasses to work the magic.

More forgiving shapes have a slight oval or teardrop shape. Perhaps the best is the faux circle known in the trade as the P3, a shape that looks like a circle but which is, in fact, slightly wider than it is high, and tapers slightly toward the bottom, mirroring the general shape of the face. Johnny Depp has long favored the P3 style, which softens his angular features and puts a gentlemanly spin on his generally disheveled appearance.

If that’s what you’re after, Ms. Weeks said, it’s worth doing a bit of footwork and trying on as many pairs as possible until you find the ones that best fit your face. But as a woman who knows what works for her, she’s not giving up her Ray-Ban aviators anytime soon.

They apparently look great on men with thinner faces though

^ The definition of a classic... it just keeps coming back, getting refined a bit, but stays true to the original spirit. John's style was classic!

Did you know that English Laundry had a John Lennon shirt collection? I don't know when they started selling, but here's one of the shirts and a description of the collection:

Christopher Wicks, owner and designer of English Laundry, was born a child of the sixties in Manchester, England. This long sleeve woven from the John Lennon Collection derives inspiration from the artwork and wardrobe of the late Beatles front man. The Yoko-approved designs include Beatles inspired embroidery, peace sign cuff snaps, and contrasting fabric inside the barrel cuffs and under the collar. The John Lennon collection has all the bells and whistles you are accustomed to with an emphasis on 60s plaids and stripes, as well as a more relaxed fit than the classic European cut by English Laundry.

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

Woohoo! The New York Times declares John can still get it with men's fashion!

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/fa...iced.html?_r=2

SHADES OF JOHN LENNON OR A PROFESSOR



STILL defiantly hanging on to those aviator sunglasses? Well, you’re now on notice. This summer, the shape of shades has come full circle. Round sunglasses, by now a two-year-old trend for women, have finally been embraced by men.

“Very true, we’ve been seeing that a lot,” said Larry Davis, the manager of the modish Selima Optique shop in SoHo. “And it’s across the board. The young guys are more into the John Lennon-style glasses, and older guys are buying the more old-fashioned, professor-style ones. We even had a run on hot-pink ones after they were featured in Rolling Stone.”

From familiar favorites like Ray-Ban and Persol to indie upstarts like Moscot and Salt, round-framed sunglasses are this summer’s strongest new seller. Seizing the moment, Oliver Peoples, a Los Angeles-based brand that made its debut 25 years ago with a collection of vintage-inspired round frames, reissued three of the styles that helped turn the company into one of the 1980s’ notable brands.

As noted, round glasses usually accommodate one of two looks, 1960s peacenik or 1920s pencil-neck, depending on whether the arms join the frame at the side or the top, respectively. But either makes a refreshing departure from the various ’70s-style sunglasses that have been shielding hipster eyes from reality’s harsh glare for something like a decade now.

There is only one problem.

“The round shape is not that flattering to a face,” said Larry Leight, the founder and creative director of Oliver Peoples. “They’re a strong statement, and they look a lot better on people who can handle that shape. They work the best on a skinnier face.”

The hardest to wear, Mr. Leight said, are those with lenses that are perfectly round. They make the most cartoonish statement and are generally the least flattering to a face.

As Madeline Weeks, GQ’s fashion director, observed, “It’s a little affected.” For one thing, she said, the circle’s perfect geometry does not jibe with a face’s more organic shape. Second, the most natural-looking bridge between two circles is a short one; unless the frames are thick and large, a wide bridge looks awkward.

But on many faces, the short bridge sets the lenses close together and makes one’s head look like a balloon dangerously close to popping. Sure, it’s fine for Harry Potter, but he can cast a spell that makes people think he’s hot. The rest of us rely on the glasses to work the magic.

More forgiving shapes have a slight oval or teardrop shape. Perhaps the best is the faux circle known in the trade as the P3, a shape that looks like a circle but which is, in fact, slightly wider than it is high, and tapers slightly toward the bottom, mirroring the general shape of the face. Johnny Depp has long favored the P3 style, which softens his angular features and puts a gentlemanly spin on his generally disheveled appearance.

If that’s what you’re after, Ms. Weeks said, it’s worth doing a bit of footwork and trying on as many pairs as possible until you find the ones that best fit your face. But as a woman who knows what works for her, she’s not giving up her Ray-Ban aviators anytime soon.

They apparently look great on men with thinner faces though

wish i could find the frames on the lower left side... i dig those. but i just got a pair of oval silver wire rim filled ...though eyemasters is having a get 2 pr. for 99$ up the rd.

gk.

Originally Posted by Apple Scruff

Ok, totally unrelated to the music but I just have to say that John had simply impeccable style.

Amen!! He definitely had an eye for fashion... but in a cool, non-metrosexual kind of way. He was of the time, but also a trendsetter. Ever since he used to dress like a Teddy boy, he just knew how to look cool.

Recently, I read in Glamour magazine that John Lennon glasses (round with tinted lenses) were "hot" right now.




Love these looks too:


This is fun... I'll look for more later...

Originally Posted by Maia 66

Amen!! He definitely had an eye for fashion... but in a cool, non-metrosexual kind of way. He was of the time, but also a trendsetter. Ever since he used to dress like a Teddy boy, he just knew how to look cool.

Recently, I read in Glamour magazine that John Lennon glasses (round with tinted lenses) were "hot" right now.

They SO are!! I was going to post about it but you beat me Maia! I got 2 new sunglasses for the Spring/Summer with John's look specifically in mind.
This pair by Ray-Ban:

and
This pair by Elizabeth and James:

This is fantastic! :D

This thread is great. Does anyone know about Johns Let it Be fur coat? Was it faux fur, and if not what kind? I've always wondered if Paul's lack of enthusiasm about re-releasing Let it Be might have something to do w that coat. I know it's a stretch but the Beatles have never ceased being trend setters, as evidenced by this thread.

Originally Posted by Colonel Angus

This thread is great. Does anyone know about Johns Let it Be fur coat? Was it faux fur, and if not what kind? I've always wondered if Paul's lack of enthusiasm about re-releasing Let it Be might have something to do w that coat. I know it's a stretch but the Beatles have never ceased being trend setters, as evidenced by this thread.

It was real fur. I'm sure Paul's feelings had nothing at all to do with the fur coat. Paul himself was still a meat-eater at that point so it would be pretty hypocritical to get uptight about something more than 30 years later. These guys all made many changes in their lives since then- especially John in all of 11 years! I personally chose not to include John's fur wearing as a fashion trend in this thread. All last fall and winter (as I visited NYC, Boston, Baltimore, and Chicago) I noticed women and men in real fur coats. I just don't see the appeal but I try not to judge. It's a pretty sensitive matter, so I decided that I would only post practically every other fashion trends John led/made unique. There were so many, lol!

Thanks for your post! Please join in if you want!!

Originally Posted by Colonel Angus

Does anyone know about Johns Let it Be fur coat?

I believe it was actually Yoko's coat...

Originally Posted by Maia 66

I believe it was actually Yoko's coat...

You are absolutely correct.