SPEAKER_02 0:10

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Menswear Style Podcast with me, your host, Pete Brooker. It's been a while, but we're back! We're back, baby. This is episode 26, and it marks a new season for the podcast that will feature a run of long format interviews with some of the biggest influencers in the menswear industry. We'll find out what it takes to become an influencer, how do influencers build their social media platforms, how many years do they have to study at the Influencer Academy? How many influencers does it take to change a light bulb, and much, much more. To kick off the series, we'll be chatting with LA-based model and influencer Levi Stock. In the most ironical and almost nominative deterministic fashion, Levi started out his modeling career modeling Levi jeans. Since then, his beard has blossomed, his career has ballooned, and he's now got over 600,000 followers and counting on Instagram. Levi will be telling us what his attitude is towards social media now, what his workout routine involves, and why he focuses on one muscle in particular.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Yeah. Yeah, it's definitely a muscle you gotta keep training for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

That's a 245.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

But before we get into all that, make sure you're checking us out on the social app Menswear Style. Make sure you've downloaded the Menswear Style app from the App Store so we can update you on all the latest articles, competitions, trends from the Menswear Style site, which you can find at www.menswestyle.co.uk. Finally, if you like this episode, you can find the entire season one on iTunes and SoundCloud and Netflix and not really Netflix. I've just always wanted to say that. But by simply typing in Menswear Style into your SoundCloud or iTunes search bar, previous guests on the show have been legendary boxers George Foreman and Evander Holyfield, TV personalities Darren Kennedy and Oliver Proudlock, and bespoke tailors Joshua Kane and Gresham Blake. So subscribe, rate us, leave a comment, good or bad, we read them all, and if you'd like to get in touch with us here on the show, you can email us at info at menswearstyle.co.uk, okay? Are you ready for this one, Hooper?

SPEAKER_04 2:49

Don't wait for me!

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Here is LA model and influencer Levi Stock. Okay, I've got on the phone now Levi Stock. Levi, good to talk to you. Whereabouts are you in the world?

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Uh I'm actually in LA headed to a tattoo appointment.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Nice. What are you getting done?

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Yeah. Uh kind of up in the air. Got a few ideas, but I'm trying to figure it out at the moment. I usually it all comes to me once I get there.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Cool. So what number are we at now? Are we on tattoo 15, 20, 50? What's the score?

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Uh I've you know, I I'd have no idea. I'd probably say that usually when people ask, I always just tell them I have, you know, like four really big ones.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

I've got I've got one tattoo, and I just said that's enough. That's what that's it for me, because I've got no tolerance for self-inflicted pain. It's the reason why I don't drink anymore. So you must have a high pain threshold, right?

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Yeah. Um, I don't know. I guess it just kind of depends on where it is as well. Chest is definitely a bad spot. Um I did I actually did my whole chest in well it was done in one session, which was stupid. It was kind of like a bet between me and my buddy. He was um my old roommate at the time. Uh this was years ago, and uh he told me I'll go as long as you can go. So it became this competition thing to see how long I could last. So I did a double outline, full shading, and color in one session on my chest, and it was about nine, I guess almost almost ten hours, nine hours. It was a whole Saturday. Um my chest swelled up huge. I do not recommend uh doing that. It's not a good idea, very, very stupid. Um But a lot of the ink fell out and I had to have it touched up. So, anyways, uh won the bet, but I didn't get I didn't get anything for it except except uh swollen chest and you know a potential trip to the doctor, I was thinking.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

So Levi, a lot of people already know your story, but for the uninitiated, could you just give us a little backdrop? Um brag about yourself, if you will.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

I was born in Orlando, Florida, and then uh moved at a really young age. My family moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Uh I lived there for a big portion of my childhood, and then they also moved to St. Louis, Missouri from there. Um, and then that's when I really knew that um, I mean, St. Louis has they've got a good art outlet. It's just small. So I mean you're kind of limited on how much you really can accomplish in that area. So I actually um ended up um moving then to LA on my own and to pursue music and uh I played in and out of a bunch of you know no-name bands or whatever, and I just really wasn't making much money doing it at all, if anything. Uh I was having fun, you know, life was good, but at the time I was like doing you know your typical, you know, construction work and uh just you know hard labor stuff to pay the bills and pursue music. And I actually got scouted from a grocery store though in uh Glendale. A uh a woman approached me, which ended up being Yvonne Armstrong from Armstrong Casting here in LA. But uh I had no idea. It was a Saturday night. I was buying soup and beer. I'm like obsessed with this grocery store soup um at Ralph's. Um I guess that's a free shout-out for them right there. But it is, it's incredible. And uh she just came up to me and asked me if I'd ever consider modeling, and I kind of took it offensively at first because you know, I'm kind of like thinking to myself, uh I'm I'm a musician, I'm still stuck in that whole mindset. And sure enough, you know, I uh she said, you know, I think a client would really like to meet with you. Uh the client ended up being Levi's Jeans, which is even funnier. So when they found out that, you know, that was my name, it it was just kind of like one of those meant-to-be type situations. And I shot with them, and then long story short, went to New York, shot with just you know, a bunch of different things with them. They asked if I enjoyed doing what I was doing, and I said, Yeah. So they um started getting me in contact, and Levi's Jeans is actually who you know got me uh representation because I had I was I was just completely green to the industry, I didn't know that that side of it at all. And uh after that, I I booked like you know, this uh there was a sprint Super Bowl commercial and started getting a lot of bookings coming in, so I decided just to start you know putting stuff up on Instagram and I'd always loved style and fashion and uh you know I think that like nowadays with where where we are like in society with men and everything, they're becoming more more and more open to you know grooming and just and actually having these discussions instead of um it being uh uh you know like a like a mainly woman thing. It's you know, there's nothing unmanly about you know discussing products you use or fashion or whatever it may be. And um I feel like I I kind of found a voice uh there to encourage you know other guys to you know to uh be like, you know, you can you can be tattooed, you can, you know, I'm an avid motorcycle rider, I have been since I was eight, so it's like you know, I you you can be all that, but you know, just because you are into fashion or whatever, you're there's nothing wrong with it, you know, it's for everybody. So um that's kind of how I got into it, and then I just I ran with it, and um, it just kept growing and growing and growing.

SPEAKER_02 8:30

So what was it like working with Levi's and what was uh the gist of the campaign?

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Uh it was their spring campaign of that year, and we shot that in LA, and then we went to uh they flew me to New York, and then I shot with he was their old creative director. Um I believe he's uh not with him anymore, but as I Lynn Peltier, I shot with him out there. He was like the guy that was really involved with the Maiden Crafted and all that stuff that uh, you know, some of the really cool aspects of Levi's I really liked. Um and then uh went to San Francisco to their headquarters to walk in their holiday show they had there. And um, after that it was kind of like, you know, my life was definitely take taking a different turn from playing music, trying to make that work, and still, you know, working my day jobs and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

So a lot of it's right place, right time, right? And maybe adjusting a talent will help.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

Yeah, it's it's also a big eye-opener, too, to keep your you know, you always to keep your mind open um and open to opportunity because if you get down on yourself or you know, if you get in that mindset of nothing's ever gonna happen for me, or you you know, you just kind of surround yourself with negative energy. I I just don't think that you're ever gonna get anything out of that. Um it's really important to stay positive, you know, you know, given what you have.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

So, how much has your musical background influenced your style today? And do you still find the time to play in between all the traveling and the modeling?

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Um well, first off, definitely influenced um my fashion and everything like that. I mean, I've I've always been a big fan of anything that lasts through time. Um, I feel like everything now, I think we live in a disposable society where everything is made to it's you know, it's got a timeline on it and a time frame, and it things aren't built to last forever like they used to be. And so things from that era and that time period always have intrigued me and are what grabbed my attention, whether it be, you know, good leather jackets or you know, uh boots, those are probably I definitely have a a boot fetish and a jacket fetish for sure. Um but it's there's just something so unique and timeless about it, but it's it goes to show like for music as well. I mean, there was you know, we had some we've had some time periods of music that will live on forever. Um so anything that surrounds that or reflects that is definitely something that I'll I always gravitate towards. Uh then for the um sorry, and what was the second part you were asking me?

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Uh do you still find the time to play? You know and um sorry, what what did you play?

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Pla well I play piano, um but I I play guitar and sing. That's like my was always my main thing. Um my last band I played in, I just was like a fill-in for them at that time, but it was a band called The Perfect Victim. Uh I played uh a guitar for them and just did some background singing. They had already had a lead singer. But on my own stuff, um I actually I went out to Rio Grande Studios, which is my friend Um Drew Newman. Um it's his studio out in Albuquerque, New Mexico. So I guess that would have been I think it was August of last year. Went out there for a week and stayed with him, and uh we we uh recorded some of my stuff with uh the his producer out there named Kenny Riley, and uh that stuff's actually on iTunes and Spotify now. It's just a couple songs like nitty-gritty, like muddy waters blues, and some heavy, heavy blues licks thrown in. Um it's just some stuff I wrote. So uh I do find time, it's just it gets tough. I mean, I I would love to travel with a guitar, but it's just not practical. It gets really obnoxious. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

So Leva, let's talk about your Instagram account a little bit. Yeah, so you're you're over 600,000 followers now. What was it like to hit that benchmark? And how do you how do you compute that kind of number?

SPEAKER_00 12:39

Oh, it's always crazy because I always like you know, I think about it in in terms of, you know, like I guess when you two like plays a show or whatever, it's in front of like, you know, however, like 30,000 people or something, and then it's just funny to think that that many people actually even know who you are. Um but it it all I mean it kind of it grew really fast. Um and I remember for a while I I didn't know really which direction. Because you you start getting you start getting like really, really critical with yourself because you're like, okay, you know, I've gotta you always gotta keep bettering yourself. No matter what you're doing, you've got to evolve and keep growing. Um and I used to get like with my blog, I'd get really stressed out because I would think like, you know, what am I, you know, what am I gonna blog about? What am I gonna put up there? And then I kind of found a groove where I just stayed true to myself, as cheesy as that sounds. Um because I just finally realized I was like, wait a second, you know, why are you you know, why are you trying to become something that you aren't? You know, just be you and you know, stick with that. And if it works, cool. If not, you know, just there'll be another opportunity or something else will come along or another door will open. So I just stuck with with doing me and um, you know, it's it's work so far, so I'm just thankful that people are into what I'm doing. That means a lot.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

So I I'm interested. So if you if you when people have them sort of figures uh for their following, do you get recognized out on the street? Do you get stopped? What how does it work?

SPEAKER_00 14:15

It's really interesting. Like s throughout the rest of the US, yeah, overseas as well. In LA, it's literally like I just blend in. And it's so funny. I think it's because there's just so much of it here that um I mean I've only had it happen a few other times here. Um and you know, it's it's always like a cool experience, you know, running somebody. I just always tell people I'm you know, I just I'm stoked that to know you you think you know you know who I am. I think that's cool. But uh yeah, outside of the country, uh outside the country and outside of LA, it's definitely different. I mean, it does happen often. Everybody I've met's been really, you know, really cool and really great. And um, if anything, what always actually I'd like to say this as well, because a lot of people think because of my images or you know, my image that I have, they they don't find me as approachable. And that's something I'm trying to change because I get direct messages often where I'll be out and people say, Oh, I saw you somewhere and then you know I didn't come say hi. And I always write them back. I'm like, you know, you should have came and said hi. The worst thing that's gonna happen is I'm probably gonna buy you a beer. You know, I mean, it's like I'm not I'm very approachable, um, for sure. I'm not someone who's you know doesn't like talking to people, or I mean, for God's sake, because I'm in social media, I have to like talking to people. So nice.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

So you uh I saw you were in the UK recently, right? For the launch of David Beckham's brand, House 99. Free plug, there you go. There you go. Free plug for David Beckham. So um did you enjoy your time in the UK?

SPEAKER_00 15:55

Oh, it was great. It was a quick trip, but it was really good. Um, I was there while you uh the beast from the east. Um that was crazy. This is so cool seeing London. Um, you know, with snow and just I don't know, the the architecture of London has always been one of my number one favorite places in the world. And just to see snow on top of it, it just became like a you know paradise. Everyone was complaining about how cold it was, and you know, that it was such a bad storm, and I was like, just incredible, you know, to to see it that way because I've I've never seen London like that.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Awesome. Levi, I want to talk about your styling for a second, if that's okay. Yeah. So on your Instagram, there's a lot of shearling coats, there's a lot of biker jackets, etc. So I know that's a key look for you, but when you go to the formal side, where does your head lean in terms of styling? What kind of fabrics do you look for? What kind of looks do you aspire to?

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Uh fabrics like fit, I always like a slim fit. Uh I'm not a like uh skinny is just for it doesn't work for me, but I always like a a form, I think a form-fitting suit looks amazing. Um and I mean fabric-wise, I've I always leaned I love uh I've got a couple Burberry um uh sport coats, and they're just really, really well made. Like one of them's wool, and then I love a uh a quilted inside, like a lining. A quilted lining, they're really nice.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Nice. Yeah. How often do you get to rock the formal stuff?

SPEAKER_00 17:32

Uh usually uh I mean in LA or wherever I'm at, if it's if the night calls for it, I usually, you know, will I always stick true to my you know my leather jackets or uh a simple pairing because I don't I have I mean I'm I'm colorful like a color, you know, a coloring book, so I I can't like wear really busy stuff because my tattoos and everything just make it all clash. So I keep it really real simple and clean and crisp. Uh but you know, for you know, stepping out to like there's a few locations, like you know, Chateau Mermand or things like that, you always want to kind of dress it up a little bit. But still still try to uh keep that you know rock and roll uh vibe to it as well.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

Yeah, does it ever feel forced when you go formal? Does it feel natural? Is it a look you can slide straight into?

SPEAKER_00 18:21

No, I'm just it feels it always feels natural. I mean if I put a tie on, of course, you know, it I feel way out of place, which I don't even I don't even think I own a tie, honestly. Um I just I don't see personally for me, I I don't see the point of you know going that far with it. I've I've worn like in a a couple shoots and everything I've done uh uh like I paired it with a leather jacket for a shoot I did um a little while back. And it was kind of like a cool contrast. I think contrast can be really neat if it's done right, but I mean I probably would only ever wear a tie like that with a with a leather jacket, you know, like a punk rock jacket over it.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

Nice, big lover of the punk rock jackets. Um Leva, tell us a little bit about your workout regime um and also like just generally, how do you start the day? How do you get your mind into the day? What what are the first steps you take when you get out of bed?

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Um I first thing I usually do when I wake up is um I've got like this Nespresso machine, so I make uh you know a coffee. I feel like sometimes I go through times where I'll try to, you know, stay away from coffee, but I always end up back at it. Uh this always feels like that's what you know starts the day. Uh I I always try to fit the gym in uh first in the morning. The reason why is when you wait later in the day, um, if you think about it, if you work out early in the morning, you're working out those muscles throughout the rest of the day as well. So you can work actually work out soreness. You know, I feel like you can just get a little bit extra out of your workout and you don't even realize it if you do it first thing when you wake up. And um, I do the same thing when I travel as well. I usually wake up. I I'm not a late sleeper, I can't sleep past, I mean, it's like eight o'clock is really pushing it. I just have this internal clock that wakes me up. Um and another important thing uh is you know, when you do get traveling a lot, it's hard. Staying in shape gets it's tough because you're eating different foods in different places. Um you don't know where those little spots are that you go to to uh get your healthy you know wraps or salads or whatever it is you want to eat. And with my diet, I mean when I travel, I definitely like to also indulge in whatever the culture has to offer. So um I have like a workout routine I do um and it's just like a core focused. So I try to focus all my workouts mainly on on my core. Um that's like the foundation of our entire body. So I feel like if you're if you can get your core in good shape, then the rest of it just kind of falls into place.

SPEAKER_02 21:06

So you're saying you do three minute planks in the aisle of the plane?

SPEAKER_00 21:11

No, I just I do it in the hot uh my hotel room workout, um, or what I um I've got one that I've put together that works pretty well. I can actually keep definition off of it for about oh, I don't know, a week, depending on how much I'm eating and drinking.

SPEAKER_02 21:28

So do you ever hit the gym when you go to the hotel?

SPEAKER_00 21:32

Yeah, I actually look ahead. It's one of the first things I usually check. Um, you know, as long as they've got a good gym, I'm usually in a good good spot. Like that was like great because in at the Ned in London, their gym is amazing. It's actually one of the nice travel gym nicest travel gyms I've ever been in.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

Okay. Leva, I got a question from my editor here. He wants to know can you remember a point in time when you thought I can make a living making money on Instagram?

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Uh I d honestly I never even realized that it was possible, you know, to do that until um I I actually was creating a brand which was my brand, you know, in the on my own, and I never even really realized what I was doing um until you know the company started reaching out and wanting to work together and then it definitely like opened my eyes that wow, you know, I've really got something here that I could do quite a bit with.

SPEAKER_02 22:29

So yeah. Do you ever get to turn down brands? Do you ever think, nope, this isn't for me, this ain't the one, not a good fit. How do you vet them?

SPEAKER_00 22:37

Yeah, all the time. I'm I'm very uh, you know, I've become a lot more and more selective with the stuff that I I like to work with. Um I wanted to keep my brand really, really true to you know, to quality to where people know that if it's something that I I rep and that I'm pushing, that it's something that I really do believe in and I really do care about. Um I don't I don't like associating with things that I'm not um really involved with or that I don't have a interest in before I I work with it.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

Leva, I've got a couple of quick round questions for you, okay? So uh just shoot off your answers from the hip, if you will. Number one, Vans or Converse?

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Like a ball, but at the moment I'm uh I'm into Vans.

SPEAKER_02 23:23

Vans got the vote.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

So, uh number two, favorite bond, favorite bond film.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

Uh probably Goldeneye.

SPEAKER_02 23:34

Uh tie or bow tie.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Uh I mean neither.

SPEAKER_02 23:39

I think we established that earlier on.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Uh what make of watch do you wear?

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Uh it really kind of depends. I mean I don't know. Don't really want to answer that one. Okay, I got it.

SPEAKER_02 23:56

That's that's under contract. Yeah, that's an under contract answer. No problem. Do you have a walk-in wardrobe?

SPEAKER_00 24:03

Uh like a walk-in closet?

SPEAKER_02 24:05

Um thinking more of a walk-in wing of your house.

SPEAKER_00 24:09

Dedicate wing, yeah. Uh well, I've I've got probably well, I definitely have way too much stuff. I've got probably the enough vintage teas to fill a warehouse, I feel like.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Very nice. Well that leads me to my next question. Who gets your hand-me downs when your closet's full?

SPEAKER_00 24:29

Uh probably when it comes to stuff like that, especially around the summertime when you're packing around backpacks or traveling or whatever, probably whoever comes within my path because I'm bound to leave something behind.

SPEAKER_02 24:43

Pretty cool. A little souvenir for people. Yeah. Um how many how many pairs of denim do you own?

SPEAKER_00 24:51

Oh my god. Um I have I wouldn't even know where to start. I've got I would think I know I've got at least maybe 30 pairs. 25 or 30 pairs. But the funny thing is I only wear like five of them. So. But I don't want to part with the other ones because I feel like there's gonna be, you know, something come along where it's gonna it's gonna work. So I try to keep a lot of stuff around for test shooting and things to create new looks.

SPEAKER_02 25:19

That was Levi Stock there. And if you want to catch Levi, you can follow him on Instagram. He's at Levi Stockwithan E. So I didn't mention this at the beginning of the podcast, but I'm gonna speak to Beck Lodes now, who's the editor at large of menswear style, and she's gonna give us a little bit of a roundup of all the things that's been happening in the news relating to British brands. So see you after this. Okay, so I'd like to introduce to the podcast now. This is gonna be a little bit of a bonus round, really. Um it's Beck Lodes who's on the line.

SPEAKER_03 25:52

Kinda.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

How are you doing, Beck? So uh thought we'd before we do a little bit of a round up really of what's happening in the news and uh just talk about some of the British brands and what they're doing at the moment. But Beck is it Bex or Beck? Sorry. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 26:06

Do you know what? It's I'm easy, Bex or Beck, whatever's right.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

Um yeah, because when I spelled it out on the phone, it added an apostrophe, and I thought, oh actually that's not that's not right at all. So uh Bex, you're the editor at large of Men's Wear Style, is that right?

SPEAKER_04 26:23

Yeah, that's right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:25

So what does that role involve?

SPEAKER_04 26:28

So I guess it means more sort of I cover sort of a broad spectrum of things, so it's it's not just fashion, um, it kind of varies completely. It can be sport, um interviewing rugby players, then um talking about music or um yeah, then doing interviews with people, um designers or things like that, so it can completely vary, it's not um not picking all into one thing. So um yeah, it's just quite an open role, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_04 26:57

Um wicked.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

Well, um listen, I thought we'd just do a quick little recap of what's happening in the news and perhaps maybe something that's happening later in the month as well. So I start off with actually an article on the Menswear Styles site that I noticed, which is Noose and Monkey have released a new season's worth of collections. Um which was pretty cool. Um I mean, for those that don't know Noose and Monkey, they are a quite ostentatious brand, aren't they? They're quite quite out there. Did you get a chance to have a look at some of their their new new releases?

SPEAKER_04 27:32

Yeah, I did. Um it's quite fascinating. I love the name of their company. I was just having a look at the reason behind the name of their company, which is quite interesting. But um, yeah, that I guess they're just uh a plan that's trying to break the boundaries a bit with sort of patterns and designs and things like that, which I think is uh quite prominent at the moment, and things like um velvet shirts and things like that. Velvet's really sort of quite out there at the moment, and a lot of people wearing it, so um I think they're gonna do quite well with their new stuff.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Yeah, so what it is a story, it's something about a monkey on a beach getting hung, wasn't it? Like during the Praganic Wars, didn't they? Uh so they they just they just nicked an old story from folklore and just uh called it that. But um so the models that they're using is actually they're really far out with uh so the models are Joel Palmer and Theo Maddox, and you can see this. We'll leave a link to it in the website, but just imagine 80s Miami Vice, which is I think the theme they're going for, almost something like you'd see in the fifth element.

SPEAKER_04 28:33

Yes, absolutely, definitely that vibe. Yeah, definitely. You've got to have confidence to wear them, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 28:40

So lots of floral patterns, lots of paisley motifs, velvet cotton shirts, like you said, um and some tartan stuff in there as well, which I quite like.

SPEAKER_04 28:49

So yeah, I like the the plaid suits actually, they're really nice. Yeah, they're quite cool.

SPEAKER_02 28:53

So that they're doing quite well, so check those out. They've got a new video as well promoting it all. So uh always excited to see what they're doing. Um Burberry have announced some news, right?

SPEAKER_04 29:04

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we've got um Ricardo Tishi, who's come in um who used to be at Giovanci and is now taking over from Christopher Bailey. So that's uh gonna be quite an interesting to watch because he's quite got quite a unique style. So um yeah, big news, definitely. It did, it wasn't really expected because a lot of people were saying that he might go to Versace or something like that, and then he sort of popped up and yeah, it's sort of uh it's because obviously Burbu being very British brand, um it's gonna be quite difficult, I imagine, to um take over, but it'll be very interesting.

SPEAKER_02 29:45

Yeah. And he's gonna bring out a collection, I believe, in September. So I mean he's gotta start, he's gotta start hustling straight away, right?

SPEAKER_04 29:52

He's gotta get in there and yeah, it's straight in there. Yeah, they don't give them much time, that's for sure. He's gonna have uh a lot to take on.

SPEAKER_02 29:59

Um we mentioned Versace. Have you been watching the series on the iPlayer?

SPEAKER_03 30:05

I have, I have just on BBC.

SPEAKER_02 30:07

I mean, I've been watching it on the iPlayer, the assassination of Versace is really good, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 30:12

It is, it's quite it's quite dark. I mean, obviously it's a dark story, so it's um it's not the most pleasant of storylines, but um yeah, it's quite fascinating.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

Yeah. Yeah, I mean uh it's it's all it's very graphic. So uh if if if people are a little bit sensitive to certain images or certain um natures and ways of life, I guess, I mean they don't pull any punches, do they?

SPEAKER_04 30:38

No, they don't. It's um they don't cover anything up, and it's I I mean there's been different stories to what's true and what's not, but um the general gist of the story is still quite a dark and shocking story anyway.

SPEAKER_02 30:50

So me and um my girlfriend were having this debate on whether the actors that are playing the characters, whether they're gay or not, in real life, because they're they're yeah, you it's uh yeah, it must be quite difficult if they're not. Obviously, if they're they're actors, right? So they have to have like uh an element of acting skill. But I said I said to uh my girlfriend, the way that guy flipped the other guy over on the bed whilst he's whilst Versace's in the foreground just drawing something up on a bit of paper. That takes that's that's a natural, that's a natural at work.

SPEAKER_03 31:24

Yeah, that's so great. Yeah, Eric Martin in his element there, I think.

SPEAKER_02 31:29

He flipped him over like a boxcar burger on that on that on that food time. I I just I just thought now I've seen some things in my time, but the the way he anyway. Um so that's Burberry. Sorry, I I went off on a bit of a um Versace tangent. Um Henry Poole. Henry Poole and well Gary Oldman at the Oscars, uh obviously one best actor, which was really good for his portrayal as Churchill in the Darkest Tower. But that uh the whole costumes and the archivists went back and had a look at what Churchill was wearing at the time, and they wanted to get the suits right, obviously. So Henry Poole from or Simon Cundy from Hendy, sorry, I should say from Henry Poole came in and oversaw all that. So they they had a good time, and I'm glad that they got the nod, because that was a r an amazing achievement.

SPEAKER_04 32:16

Definitely. Yeah, there's a huge amount of history behind Henry Poole, and quite um they did um I wrote an article actually they did a collaboration with um Adidas, which you wouldn't expect, but um it turned out to be a really nice one. Um but that yeah, there's a huge amount of history behind it, and obviously being the a tailor for Winston Churchill, so it's great that they yeah, were picked out for that.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Wow, I didn't know about the Adidas thing. Yeah, that is that doesn't seem like an exact fit for them, but it's cool that they're gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_04 32:46

No, it was quite a surprise, but it worked really well actually. They came out with uh two two different styles of shoes and they they sold out, they were so popular, so it was really nice.

SPEAKER_02 32:55

Oh cool, I'm gonna have to have a look at that online later. Um Yeah, so that uh that's really cool. We had Simon Cundi actually on the podcast. Uh must have been one of the tux the birth of the tuxedo or the dinner jacket. So yeah, if you're on uh iTunes or on SoundCloud, go back and check that out because uh he was really nice and came on, and these guys actually invented the tuxedo, right?

SPEAKER_04 33:15

So Yeah, they did. Yeah, it's quite a fascinating story.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

So great that they got the nod. Um I suppose in news to come we've got an exhibition happening down Carnaby Street, haven't we?

SPEAKER_04 33:27

Yeah, for um Michael Cain's new um documentary, which looks quite interesting, it looks quite cool.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

Yeah, it's called uh My Generation, and it's all about the swinging sticks uh swing 60s and the the people that he met along the way and all the collaboration collaborations they did with like Paul McCartney, Lulu, the Stones. Um so that's happening down whereabouts down Carnaby Street. It's um uh yeah, number three Carnaby Street. So we'll leave a link to it on the website. But if you're around, they're actually showing it down the BFI, I believe, the actual film.

SPEAKER_04 34:03

Yeah, I think there's tickets. I think he's doing some um questions and answers um uh session as well, I think. There's quite interesting events to col go along with that, so the launch of it, so definitely tickets available.

SPEAKER_02 34:16

Yeah, so they the on the 14th of March, I think they'll do a QA, because that'll be his birthday, so it'll be 85. That'll be quite a bit. Amazing. Do you have a favourite Michael Cain film?

SPEAKER_04 34:28

Ooh, tricky. That's a tricky one. There's some real classics. Um I actually really liked him in the Batman films.

SPEAKER_02 34:38

Brilliant. Yeah. Oh, he made me cry in the Batman films.

SPEAKER_03 34:44

Yeah, it gets quite emotional, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 34:46

It does, yeah. Um, we could do a completely different podcast on Michael Caine in the in Batman. Um but what else? Oh, so lastly, I've I've got up like the Oscar page here for some reason, because I was just going through some of the outfits on the red carpet. Um wasn't expecting to really go into that, but as it's just flicked up, did you um did you see any of the suits that happened on the red on the red carpet for the Oscar Pet?

SPEAKER_04 35:11

I did, yeah. It was actually a good night to the men, I think, actually. There were quite a few standout outfits, and again, sort of velvet was really prominent. A lot of a lot of guys, um Ansel Eckort and Army Hammer and the Versace series. He was also wearing sporting a red velvet jacket, so um there was a lot of that going on.

SPEAKER_02 35:34

Yeah, so it's definitely trending at the minute, isn't it? Yeah, I like this uh Timothy Chalamet. I'm guessing that's how you pronounce it.

SPEAKER_04 35:43

Yeah, I still haven't seen the film, so um that's on my list, but he looked pretty pretty dapper in his uh all white uh Sido.

SPEAKER_02 35:52

See, I think you can get away with that when you have like really dark hair, like he has, like a kind of looks a bit like a vampire, um translucent skin, really red lips, you know. You can get away with that and the unabashed honesty of youth, right? So when you're really young, you can just go out and do what the fuck you want really on the red carpet, can't you? You know, you can say, Look, I don't know the rules, I'm 18. Who gives a crap?

SPEAKER_05 36:15

You know, just do what I want. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:18

Yeah, that's about it. Well, excellent. Well, thanks for coming on. Beck. No problem. And uh we'll perhaps catch up in a month's time.

SPEAKER_03 36:26

Yeah, sounds great.

SPEAKER_02 36:28

Alright, take care, Don.

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Thanks, Steve. See you later. Bye bye.

SPEAKER_02 36:33

Beck Lodes, uh, editor at large of Men's Wear Style, and that's it for another episode. Thank you, Beck Loads, thank you, Levi Stock, for coming on. Thank you for listening. Next month we're gonna be talking to Ali Gordon, lifestyle blogger and influencer Ali Gordon. So stay tuned. Subscribe in iTunes so it can update automatically. Uh, leave us a review while you're there. And remember it's only fashion, people, and you're never fully dressed without a smile.