Woven throughout Valet Issue 3 are themes of layers and liminality, of translucency and transparency, in terms of both the ethical and aesthetical. The 272-page tome houses long-form pieces on a number of subjects related to why and how we dress.Philosophical essays and object histories on nakedness and see-through garments explore what is brought to bear on our notions of dress when considering its absence.In our conversation piece between our proverbial gentleman and his valet, we look back at a summer day in which our chap, with his mind clear of the stresses and disillusionments that make up everyday life, found himself in love and wanting to exploit silly whims and frivolities.Layers of cloth and cloud find a home in another piece that looks at the group of amateur British mountaineers who tried to conquer Everest in the '20s, doing so in garments that provided both warmth and style, and which, if used today, might even outperform the fluorescent wind-proofs and synthetic puffer jackets to which many of our brethren have become accustomed.We speak to Joshua and Kim of British tailoring house Dobrik & Lawton about music, romance, and platform boots; Bernhard Roetzel takes us on a tour of Volkmar Arnulf's Potsdam tailoring workshop; an architect ponders the notion of continuity in architecture and dress (and deprecates the de facto architect's uniform of black-t-shirt-an-jeans); and loads more.
