I first met Robert Railton in the early days of this blog and we met regularly in the days of London Collections:Men when London had wonderful menswear shows before it all faded sadly away. Robert is one of those stylish types who is always being photographed as his style is unique but approachable. Here he tells us about his style journey:
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| Robert Railton: Image Tom Edwards Photographer |
GF: Please introduce yourself, what’s your name, where are you based and what do you do?
RR: Robert Railton, Artist, residing along the corridor between East London and Southend-On-Sea
GF: When and how did you first become interested in style, in clothes and dressing well?
RR: I Grew up with the edict ‘make do and mend’, my mum made her own clothes and as a teenage ‘Bowie’ obsessed new romantic I would flick through glossy style bible ‘The Face’ setting her the challenge of bringing my two dimensional aspirations to life.
I recall fondly a full-length dog tooth coat which she re-interpreted from a ladies pattern book and a Prince of Wales plaid bomber jacket, sadly now both items are lost to sowing bee’s recycle bin!
RR: Robert Railton, Artist, residing along the corridor between East London and Southend-On-Sea
GF: When and how did you first become interested in style, in clothes and dressing well?
RR: I Grew up with the edict ‘make do and mend’, my mum made her own clothes and as a teenage ‘Bowie’ obsessed new romantic I would flick through glossy style bible ‘The Face’ setting her the challenge of bringing my two dimensional aspirations to life.
I recall fondly a full-length dog tooth coat which she re-interpreted from a ladies pattern book and a Prince of Wales plaid bomber jacket, sadly now both items are lost to sowing bee’s recycle bin!
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| Robert Railton 'artist, rebel, dandy' |
GF: How would you describe your style?
RR: Artist, Rebel, Dandy!
GF: What sort of clothes do you wear and where do you find them?
GF: Would you say that your style is still developing? If so, how?
RR: Artist, Rebel, Dandy!
GF: What sort of clothes do you wear and where do you find them?
RR: Over time I have gravitated from Kensington Market to Lambs Conduit Street via Topman Personal Shopping.
It is important to me that clothes are functional, aesthetically pleasing whilst simultaneously defining the individualism of the wearer.
Utility is the term frequently used to describe my present-day style; however my spectrum is much wider incorporating militaria, ametora and modernist influences.
Utility is the term frequently used to describe my present-day style; however my spectrum is much wider incorporating militaria, ametora and modernist influences.
GF: Do you buy mainly ready to wear, tailored or vintage?
RR: Mostly ready to wear, occasionally secondhand vintage.
GF: Please describe the main style influences in your life - past and present.
RR: My hybrid styling is inspired by a gamete of menswear influencers including Artist Lucian Freud, L'Uomo Vogue’s Robert Rabensteiner and Garden rescuing siblings The Rich Brothers but if I had to select a single contemporary source of inspiration, it would have to be photographer/blogger Scott Schuman whose documented street style ‘The Sartorialist’ is a visual encyclopedia on how to dress well.
RR: My hybrid styling is inspired by a gamete of menswear influencers including Artist Lucian Freud, L'Uomo Vogue’s Robert Rabensteiner and Garden rescuing siblings The Rich Brothers but if I had to select a single contemporary source of inspiration, it would have to be photographer/blogger Scott Schuman whose documented street style ‘The Sartorialist’ is a visual encyclopedia on how to dress well.
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| Robert Railton |
GF: What are your favourite brands and stores?
RR: MHL, Oliver Spencer, Fred Perry, Community Clothing and Muji.GF: What is/are your favourite individual item(s) of clothing?
RR: Breton Stripes, a T-shirt for all seasons.
RR: I’d say my personal style/image is constantly in a state of flux. Recently I’ve been revisiting my own fashion archive reviving garments once lost to the darkest recesses of the wardrobe.
The Covid lockdown provided an ideal opportunity to conduct an inventory of what I own and how I wear it as part of my underlying long-term ecological upcycling principles.
The Covid lockdown provided an ideal opportunity to conduct an inventory of what I own and how I wear it as part of my underlying long-term ecological upcycling principles.
GF: What skills would you say that you have that help you in your search for style?
RR: I use one simple precedent, if David {Bowie} wore it (in Nic Roeg’s 1970’s film) ‘The Man who fell to Earth’ it’s cool!
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| Image by @unlimitedbyjk |
GF: What are your top tips for others on a search for style?
RR: I focus on a Blue/Brown/White base colour palette supported by key signature items such as the afore-stated Breton Shirts from Armor Lux, Bass Weejun Loafers and Universal Works scarves worn all year round in both warm & cold climates.
As a rule, I avoid both oversized cuts that drown me and bold patterns which end up wearing me rather than the other way around. I prefer layers and subtle detailing to elevate my look. Simple additions like a vintage pin badge (I buy a handful every time I visit ‘The Pop Boutique’ on Monmouth Street) on a jacket lapel can lift an outfit from uniformity to distinction.
GF: Where can you be found on Instagram and other media?
GF: Many thanks to artist, rebel and dandy Robert Railton.
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| Robert Railton |
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