Part One: Of Clothing, Fashion and Tea

First of all, I would like to thank everyone so very much for the kind words regarding my blog's first ever birthday - thank you! I received a number of questions, in fact far more than I had anticipated. So, rather than trying to answer them all in a single post, I thought I would split them up into parts. Quite a few of the questions really did make me think, and I felt that brief answers would be unable to do the wonderful questions justice. Here are my first set of answers, expect more soon...

Have you always lived in London?

Yes. I was born in St. Thomas' Hospital, which lies just opposite the Houses of Parliament, and I have lived South of the River ever since.


How long have you been interested in fashion?
How old were you when you first became interested in style and fashion?

From the very moment we are aware of ourselves, we have an interest in clothing. In that very moment of self realisation, we will inherently seek to fulfil our desire to be unique, to stand out, to be me.

The fulfilment of this most basic of human desires is easiest done through how we choose to look. Whilst we may have limited choices in the way we wear our hair, and indeed no real choice in how we wear our body parts, we have complete control in how we choose to dress ourselves. Our daily outfit therefore acts as the material extension of our unique selves. However, it is not only an expression of self, but also an expression of how we wish the world to perceive us. As such, I shall say that my interest in clothing started the moment that I was first aware of the concept.

However, my interest in fashion, by which I mean the emergence of trends and the artistically produced styles that influence the way society dresses, probably started in my early teens. My fascination stemmed from two different aspects. The first was the artistic side, the appreciation for beautifully crafted and executed pieces and looks. I suppose I have always had a sentimental appreciation of beauty, whether this be in the form of a colourful sunset or a crushed flower floating in a puddle.

Fashion is more than simply clothing, it is an artistic expression. Indeed, it is one of the most relevant art forms to our daily lives, in that we spend the majority of our time clothed. A daily outfit comes to life only once we wear it, and in essence, the moment we wear a piece we give the clothing a meaning, even if it is only a fleeting one.

I was also fascinated by the cycle of clothing in stores. I seldom buy clothing, however I love window shopping and the joy found in the appreciation of a beautiful piece of clothing. With my frequent window shopping sessions, I became interested in fashion in its more social aspect. I noticed the way new clothing entered the stock in a store, and how the older, yet equally appealing clothing, was reduced in price. They were often thrown unceremoniously into a bargain bucket, deemed as being no longer fashionable. The way that cheap high street fashion works in today's market, is that clothing is made to serve a momentary trend and then become easily disposable. I suppose it was from that point that I began to take an interest in the influences for this behaviour from the fashion world.


What is your plan for your future career?

Although as children we are encouraged to have a dream job, and taught to try and achieve that goal, I have never really had a clear idea of what career I would like to have. When I think of what I want to be when I am older, the only real answer I can come up with is 'happy'. I would like to work for the love of what I do, not simply work as a means to support my family. Provided I am happy with what I am doing, and doing it to the best of my abilities, the other details are not so important.

However I suppose my ideal career would be one in which I am able to write. I think I would be happy if I was able to write, and people were able to take something away from my writing, whether it be factual or simply a different way of thinking. Indeed, I have a certain love of teaching, and I suppose if I could teach through writing it would be enjoyable. As one may be able to tell from this blog, I would certainly love to work in a fashion related field, perhaps in fashion journalism? Regardless, I would love to write books in the future - whether this be in the form of novels or something fashion related? I would like to think both.

What is the story behind the name dapper kid?

To be entirely honest, it was a rather an impulsive decision. I did not really know what to call my blog, and had not actually given any potential names much thought. However, as I was filling out the details on Blogger, I received an email from Facebook, saying that a friend of mine had commented on an old photograph of me. The comment read 'dapper!', and I thought it would make part of a nice name. I did not want a name that was taking the blog too seriously, nor did I want something overly gimmicky, so I ended up with dapper kid.

What is your favourite tea?

As some of you may know, I am somewhat of a tea obsessive, so this is quite a hard question to answer. I suppose I am meant to answer Darjeeling and extol my love for its lightly floral and muscatel experience. However whilst it is true that I adore Darjeeling, I must admit that one of my favourites is actually Flowery Orange Pekoe grade (that being, the whole leaf including tips from a later flush, and fully twisted), black Ceylon tea.

Ceylon tea actually began being grown and cultivated in Sri Lanka after the destruction of the coffee crops by a fungal disease in the the middle to late nineteenth century. It was introduced as a way to fill the void, as it were, created by the lack of coffee for exportation and sale. The full bodied, ambery brew, with its deep and slight caramel flavour, accompanied by the lightest hint of citrus notes, was thankfully to stay and become one of the most important crops grown on the island.

That being said however, my tastes are always changing, and it really does depend on the time of year, the weather that day and my personal feelings. Indeed something such as an Assam is a more comforting a brew on a winter's evening, when one is curled up indoors, with the accompanying rhythm of rain drops pattering against the window. I suppose it comes in as my second favourite currently, although during the colder months it probably takes the first place.

Have you ever visited Norway?

Unfortunately I can not say that I have, but hopefully one day. I have always wanted to take some time out to leave home and just travel to wherever my fancies took me. To be free to explore and meet people whose lives I have never even imagined, and to see beautiful places I have only ever half dreamed of. I would travel to experience the world, not so much to see the tourist spots, but to see and experience everday life. To go to the local markets, to eat at the local cafes, to relax with the local past times, to talk to the local people - to live, even if just for a moment, how they live.

Currently playing: Walkin' - Miles Davis

xxxx