Rudolf Beaufays

Behind the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg lies a treasure trove of classic English tailoring. Rudolf Beaufays runs a vintage clothing store that out-tweeds, out-flannels and even out-tartans anything in the UK. His shop is filled to the rafters with three-piece tweed suits, shooting jackets, plus-twos and plus-fours, a huge range of vintage suits, and even some kilts. There are polo coats, Aquascutum raincoats and leather flying jackets. There's even an occasional Brooks Brothers navy blazer.

The shop was written up in Men's Vogue a while back.

For any devotee of vintage clothing or classic English style, it's a must-see in Hamburg.

Rudolf Beaufays
Büschstraße 9
Hamburg
www.rudolf-beaufays.eu

Ladage & Oelke

Hamburg's grandest menswear shop is Ladage & Oelke, which exemplifies the anglophile mode of the city. It's located in a colonnade near the town hall, with several smart cafes outside.



Inside, suits and jackets are displayed in old fashioned wooden cupboards. In Style and the Man, Alan Flusser described it as "so fuddy-duddy it's charming".

The range of outerwear is well-chosen for a city close to the North Sea. Duffel coats are a speciality of the shop and there's a good range of rain coats and quilted jackets. They also have an excellent selection of umbrellas. Perfect for the drizzly weather I've experienced every time I've been to Hamburg.

The shop has good range of English shoes, with a large range of Crockett & Jones sold under Ladage & Oelke's private label and a well-edited selection of Edward Green shoes.

Neuer Wall 11
Hamburg
www.ladage-oelke.de

The Free and Hanseatic City

The Man of Mode has returned from a short trip to Hamburg.

This city-state has one of the most impressive settings of any northern European city. It's built around two lakes: the heart of the city is clustered around the smaller Binnenalster, with the larger Außenalster extending away into the residential parts of the city.



It's a prosperous city, and quite stylish in a buttoned-up sort of way. It is a very anglophilic place, and Barbour jackets, tweeds, quilted jackets and Land Rovers are much in evidence. That might also be due to the weather, which tends to be damp and drizzly.



The city made its fortune as a trading centre, and was one of the largest members of the Hanseatic League. Even today, Hamburg remains incredibly proud of this history. It's not the "City of Hamburg"; the full name of the place is the "Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg".

Hamburg is still a major port, but containerization has meant that the old warehouse district, the Speicherstadt, hasn't been used by the major shipping lines for a long time. Instead, the neighbourhood is full of small businesses that have carved out space in the old buidings.





The area still has strong links with international trade. There are many carpet importers, most of which seem to be Iranian.