Late last year, I received an e-mail inviting me to get involved in a very special project with the British iconic car, the MINI. I was taken out for lunch to discuss ideas on how we could work together, and at the time I had too much work going on with all the press days I had to attend. So we had decided to leave it until after London Collections: Men would be over. The plan was to spend the day shopping and getting around using the MINI.
So one morning a little over two weeks ago I woke up, got ready and the MINI was waiting right outside my home to take me out on a day of fun. I was terribly excited as it was the first time I had sat inside the car since my very early teens when my neighbour had one and my friend and I used to sit inside pretending to be driving. My neighbour’s MINI was tiny and the ceiling was so low I remember you really had to bend down to get inside. Things have changed a lot since then. The MINI Cooper Paceman I drove in took me by surprise as it is quite spacious inside, very comfortable to drive in and incredibly quiet. The engine switches itself off when the car comes to a stop to save petrol, and then switches on again when you press the accelerator pedal. The size makes it ideal for squeezing into tight parking spots.
We first drove down to several of my favourite spots around the city on a day that started off with rain, and thankfully the sky very quickly cleared up within an hour to reveal a beautiful, bright sunshine for the rest of the day which meant I could enjoy my shopping along Jermyn Street, Regent Street and Oxford Street. I ended up getting myself a couple of suits and a pair of shoes to add to my wardrobe before driving back home again. It was the perfect day.
I chose a grey three piece classic tweed checked suit (see above) to match the classic MINI, and like the car, it is made in England. The second suit (below) is also made in England. This outfit is inspired by the colour palette of the MINI, which is available in shades of green, red, blue, orange and pretty much any colour you can possibly want. MINI is like a friend, inventive and fun.
