Tim Gunn: Cyclecars and Oddities
The master bicycle and pioneer motorcycle restorer displays a machine he built from instructions originally published in 1913.
Sorry to use such a corny metaphor, but Tim Gunn is a ‘hub’. A centre, around which an entire realm of eccentric pioneer motorcycle, motorised-bicycle and cyclecar enthusiasts revolve. In short: if it has three or four wheels, it’s light (possibly made of wood), has a small motorcycle engine and bicycle wheels, then Tim is the go-to man when it needs to be fixed or parts need to be made or found. Famed for scouring the French autojumbles and flea markets he even found an early prototype, cycle-powered flying machine, made in canvas and steel, at a car boot sale (somewhere on the Continent). In this video he shows Men’s File readers his home-made Grafton constructed from instructions first published in 1913 in a book called, How to Build Your Own Cyclecar: A Handbook for Amateur Constructors. A real engineer, builder and expert in his field – a rare bird.
Men’s File explores leather as a signifier of subcultural affiliations but also as a functional material that protects and serves the wearer, sometimes for decades. In this feature we present Lewis Leathers, The Real McCoy’s and the London Leather Man in an indulgent retro fantasy.
Riki’s brand is small, exclusive and doesn’t usually reflect what everyone else is doing. This genuine independence is apparent in everything the stylist wears and does.
This is the world of Fabian Jedlitschka and Pike Brothers. A realm in which post- war Americana and militaria are transposed, as they had been 75 years before, onto the picturesque German landscape and into the psyche of the nation’s fashionable youth.
There are certain street stylists, within the realm of male style, who ply their art on the same pavements on which George Brummel once trod. They are few, but their impact on the early moods that permeate menswear is immense.
Aboard this 1920s polished aluminium road rocket is Mr Derek Lee, a student of architecture and a young man of refined tastes. His suits are personally tailored in Hong Kong and his ability in finding original pre and directly post-war clothing is not in doubt.
Many years ago (Gary never says exactly when) Mr Eastman dismantled an ancient A2 flying jacket with the intention of finding out how it was made, with the idea of making a copy for himself. A few decades later and Eastman Leather Clothing is one of a select few of go-to brands for the serious connoisseur of replica militaria.
Painter, motorcyclist and collector of objects from the Old West, Nicholas Coleman lives on the edge of the old frontier town, although now very civilised, Provo, Utah.
A dedicated part-time Tiki-ist, hot-rodder and stalwart of the VHRA organisation, Jacqueline Davis is in fact a full-time professional graphic artist.
The innocence and elegance of pre-war Italy is encapsulated in this series of attractive vignettes featuring Alex Hills, Lucy Manley and an untouched 1935 Fiat 1500.
Just 5 years separate the four watches discussed on these pages, and each has their own unique personality and story to tell.