Dapper & Dennis Hopper

There are some exhibitions you just can’t miss. For some, it’s a retrospective, a collection of fine art from somewhere or another. For him, Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album.

Dennis Hopper, the film actor, or in this case, Dennis Hopper, the photographer. So after checking out of the hotel, off he went to the Royal Academy of Arts.

The images were found by the actor’s daughter, in storage a year after his death in 2010. They were taken by Hopper over six years from 1961, after he was given a camera by his first wife, Brooke Hayward. The images feature fellow actors, such as Paul Newman and John Wayne, and also portray Andy Warhol (an unknown artist at the time) David Hockney and Roy Lichenstein. With over 400 images, Hopper’s themes range from shooting hippies, Hell’s Angels, the street life of Harlem and the Civil Rights movement. A wonderful personal document of 1960’s America.

After the exhibition, it made perfect sense to browse the tailors and stores of the world renowned, Savile Row.

He decided it was high time to purchase a bow tie, one which he had to tie himself. A daunting task for a novice, but – as he confidently professed – “you have to start somewhere and you’re never too old to learn.” And learned he did, as he spent time in Gieves & Hawkes (founded in 1771) and was given a masterclass in bow tying.

With the new purchase in tow, and given the searing heat of the London sun, he found a shaded patch of grass under an old oak tree in Hyde Park, took off his tie and shoes and there he fell asleep.

Dennis Hopper: The Lost Album is at Royal Academy of Arts until 19th October 2014

Bespoke suit

Zara shirt

COS tie

Paul Smith shoes

Massimo Dutti socks

Storm watch

Gant sunglasses

Marks & Spencer pocket square