CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN
The extraordinary mens blog for the modern man
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Your indispensable gift guide to Mother’s Day

Yes there’s another holiday just around the corner and woe betide you if you forget about this one ! Mothers Day is one of the most important days on the Calendar. So remember 26th March is Mother’s Day this year, that’s not just me reminding myself, that the Clothes-make-the-man.com offering what it does best, an essential service for you, it’s good readers. New dad’s, take note you have to make a special effort and make a fuss, plus you earn yourself major merit marks if you do so.

As always Clothes Make the Man have taken the stress out of this event so to save you the trouble of running round your local high street late on Saturday 25th looking for something to buy the good lady that gave you life. Here is all you need to know in one place, a selection of the best gifts to buy your dear, no so old, mum.

Clarins’ Eau Dynamisante is the result of a wonderful alchemy of 14 therapeutic plant extracts and essential oils which invigorate and energise the senses. In just one spritz, this lightweight formula tones, revitalises and leaves the skin lightly scented, soft and moisturised. Available alongside a handbag spray and cosmetics case, it makes an indulgent Mother’s Day gifting option.

God Bless Marks & Spencer they never fail to come up with the goods and no matter how crap we might be at present buying, leave it to them to raise to the challenge. This Mother’s Day grey stained wicker Basket Filled with a bouquet of roses and alstromeria, A bottle of sparklingRosé Cava & a Spring Blossom Cake.

This modern yet elegant glass set from The White Company is perfect for serving a post-dinner cheese course or presenting freshly baked cakes. Made from chunky soda lime glass and featuring a simple flat base with a statement domed lid, this robust piece is a stylish addition to your dinner table and may encourage your mum to make more Cake. Everyone’s a winner !

The Ted Baker Gem Garden range offers practical functionality in accommodating clothes, accessories and other worldly possessions with a flight of fancy. And if that’s not enough, the inside packs a real punch with signature, printed Birds of Paradise lining. It boasts an ultra-lightweight construction featuring a 100% pure Makrolon Polycarbonate shell and state of the art, aircraft grade aluminium trolley system.

This Lauren Ralph Lauren Jennifer Bridal Print Long Scarf is an ideal gift for any Stylish mum and will brighten up any outfit and give it a glamorous finish.

When song lyrics, or poetry say it better than we ever could, in this case the  immensely talented Prince, RIP. A classic lyrics typography print, brought up to date with metallic foil on coloured paper. Basically you tell Notonthehighstreet.com what your favourite song lyrics are, and they’ll create this stylish print for you. These prints make a great Mother’s Day gift for any music or poetry lover.

Smart, sauve and  sophisticated this Havana watch from Rotary Watches ticks all the boxes and will prove to be the right gift no matter how fussy the mother in question might be.

The legendary La Mer moisturizing cream from Crème De La Mer has the power to transform the look of skin. In only a short time, wrinkles and pores appear less visible, skin. Even the driest complexions appear renewed and rejuvenated.

A fashionable great gift idea and signed by the icon herself, this handsome slip-cased edition showcases work of the last fifteen years by legendary American Vogue editor Grace Coddington. The book celebrates seventeen of the master photographers with whom Coddington has collaborated – including the iconic Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Craig McDean, David Sims, Mario Testino, and Marcus Piggot and Mert Alas – in a sumptuous compilation of Coddington’s most beloved fashion stories.

These are a staple motif from the perenially chic Alex Monroe, these honey bee earrings are a go-to for simple and elegant looks. With a simple post-back fastening and a dainty-yet-head-turning style.

For all those workaholic mum’s, take a well deserved break !  We have the perfect gift for them. Nothing shows how much you care then with the stylish yet functional mini keyboard, compatible with both iOS and Android. The Penclic keyboard is Bluetooth, but gives you the option to switch to a corded connection, oozing sleekness and sophistication with every click. For the super stylish mum’s, keep an eye out for the release of the new rose gold, silver and regular gold designs.

Whether you’re after an Engravable token of love, Romantic statement or just plain Playful sophistication this Love Bridge NECKLACE “DISC” by THOMAS SABO answers all your requirements for a prefect Mother’s Day gift.

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ST VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT GUIDE BOUGHT TO YOU BY ROTARY WATCHES

“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; to return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.”

The Prophet (1923) by poet, writer, artist, and philosopher Khalil Gibran.

Love it or Loathe it, there’s no escaping the fact that next week, in fact February 14th to be exact, is St Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year that you have no excuses and by golly you better not forget that Romance isn’t dead. Mrs Mc is exceptionally lucky in the sense that being married to my good self, everyday is like Valentine’s Day, or so I tell I keep her. This year ensure you fall into the camp of having a present, card and something booked. Rather than the adrenaline rush of chasing around the local convenience store, having to settle for a bunch of Carnations, which have definitely seen better days and having to pay an astronomical ransom for the pleasure as the proprietor can clearly see and quite possibly smell the desperation and fear in you.

So remember think less Elizabeth Duke and more Tiffany and you will be doing well. BUT, as with most good intentions, as much as we’d like to be able to offer this gesture, reality can often get in our way. So, here are a selection of great gift suggestions, that will get or keep you in the good books, once again bought to you in collaboration with the wonderful Rotary Watches ;

Great idea if your thinking of maybe popping the question, or if you want to cement your relationship this is a great quirky gift idea from Notonthehighstreet.com

This Valentine’s Day Thomas Sabo are offering 15% discount on all heart jewellery. Plus, As a special  gift for you – you can have a personalised engraved message, complimentary with every engravable LOVE BRIDGE Jewellery.

Fill your house of love with the scent of LURVE this Valentine’s Day with Jo Malone‘s Red Roses Scented Candle.

Oooooh that age old dilemma do you buy Red underwear for your girlfriend/fiancé/wife/partner well Mrs Mc informs us it’s OK as long as it’s tasteful and pointed us in the direction of Rosie Huntington Whitley for AUTOGRAPH Silk & Lace Teddy.

The Legacy collection from Rotary Watches offers a selection of matching duo of watches for ‘him & her’. Legacy offers a sleek, elementary design representative of the new Rotary foundation family. Swiss Made in either a 32mm or 38mm case.

This great gift idea from The White Company offers you the chance to offer your soul mate a selection of key memento moments in your life together, so far with this sleek and modern picture frame featuring 15 5×7 – apertures.

Roses are often associated with St Valentine’s Day but who said they have to be of the floral kind. Surprise her with this 18ct yellow gold vermeil Wild Rose bracelet features a delicately handcrafted 15mm openwork rose flower from Dower & Hall.

What says romance more than 2 complimenting beers with pork scratchings and a large ‘I love you’ design pork pie on Valentine’s Day, beautifully presented in a re-useable. Don’t say we never show you a good time and thank you Marks & Spencer we salute you.

Great for guys and gals this 14 inch satchel with magnetic closure from The Cambridge Satchel Company is prefect for your laptop, butties and any important documents. Plus with free shipping over £100 and free embossing for a limited time, make it a personalised Valentine gift delivered right to their doorstep.

Love truly is in the eye of the beholder, but everyone needs a little help and the Esteè Lauder Advanced Night Repair Range. This targeted system is designed to keep skin beautiful and healthy-looking.

This really is the gift that keeps on giving rather than a bunch of blooms this rose bush will thrive year after year providing a lifetime of stunning red roses; so long after bouquets wilt and fade this rose tree like your love will be blossoming.

Have you heard it’s in the stars ? Love that is, Mrs Mc is loving these Zodiac Journals from Anthropologie, do you think she’s dropping a hint ?

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Food Gifts for the Festive Season

WORDS BY AMANDA LEWIS

Well here it is folks the last of our Christmas Gift Guides for 2016, hopefully so far ourselves with the kind assistance of The White Company have assisted you in taking some of the stress out of the holidays.
Ahhhh and what would Christmas be without the overindulging ? If its not the Turkey with Gammon, its the booze filled trifle, or the Turkey and stuffing sandwiches on Christmas Night and we can’t forget the tin of Quality Street, I mean i would be rude not to have another Chocolate Noisette Pate (The Green Triangle) and don’t get me started on the Baileys or the cheeky glass or two of Red while peeling the veg and singing along to Wizzard’s “I wish it could be Christmas everyday”. Ohhhhh Food its part and parcel of the Yuletide and to help you along the way, here’s a selection of some great and impressive gift ideas –

Ahhhh the M&S Cheese & Wine Hamper is the perfect gift for the cheese connoisseur. This selection of cheeses have been carefully selected and includes Chestnut Chutney, Charcoal Biscuits, Fruit Crunch Biscuits, Brie De Meaux and Barbers Chedder.

Thomson & Scott’s Skinny Prosecco is for those who want to drink something beautifully crafted but with the benefit of low added sugar as it has less than 50% of the usual sugar content added in the production process.

Ethical Consumerism is big business now and if you want to do the right thing you should check out a website like ethicshop.org who offer such hampers as the above by Traidcraft Luxury Fair-trade Hamper.

Want to keep the little ones occupied in between opening presents and a break from watching too many Christmas Cartoon favourites, this is your solution a Gingerbread House kit from your friendly neighbourhood Coop.

What more could you possibly need, those good people at Tesco, yeah I know, have come up with Tesco Finest Christmas Dinner for Two in a Box, literally everything you need all in one box !

It’s all about craft beers and microbreweries these days and ‘Craft A Brew’ Beer Making Kits bring the world of DIY craft beer to your own kitchen, garage or garden shed.

A frightfully festive gift hamper full of spooky treats from Hoxton Street Monster Supplies. These delightful sweets are based on famous scary monsters and were created by The Ministry of Stories, a non-profit organisation set up to encourage young people aged 8-18 to use their imagination and discover their gift for writing.

Harrods Knightsbridge Hamper is an indulgent hamper laced with Christmas favourites, discover cognac-infused Christmas cake, Turkish delight, cranberry mince pies, tea, coffee and more with the aptly-named Knightsbridge hamper.

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Excellent Stocking Fillers for all the family

Not long to go now, only a couple more sleeps til the big day ! How’s the shopping going ? Only a couple of bits left to go, please says its this rather then I’ve not even started yet ? In our household we have a great tradition of giving Christmas Stockings at the Yuletide, thanks to the ever suffering Mrs Mc, and this can be a great way to not only spoil someone special but a great way to buy lots of little thoughtful gifts for that hard to buy for person. Plus, every year no matter how much we exclaim the Christmas before, we always make the same old mistake, buying too much for one member of the family OR not enough for a certain member of the clan. This is where stocking filler gifts prove to be indispensable and remember, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, it’s the thought that counts.

What an wouldn’t want an Evolition White Christmas Limited Edition Swiss Army Knife by Victorinox

Legendary Party Eyes Bauble by Legendary Make up Artist Charlotte Tilbury

Good things come in little packages and I know for one I’d love to find this Haig Club Whiskey miniature at the bottom of my Christmas stocking.

Remember gifts don’t have to be for just for Christmas, they can be keep sakes that come out year after year like this ‘Merry Christmas Tree’ Christmas Decoration By Dower and Hall

Ohhhhh come on it’s not Christmas, without a spot of over indulging and what better way than with this slab of luxury Festive Wreath Chocolate by Hotel Chocolat

Come the new year we might all be crying out for gifts like this Cordless Skipping Rope by Marks & Spencer

Make the right impression with this Paul Smith X Caran D’Ache stylo

Look after your, possibly new Christmas Present, an iPad Mini in style with this saffiano leather casein very festive ahold by the Cambridge Satchel Company.

If your lucky enough to be escaping this grey dull weather, wear this shorts by Vilebrequin to never forget why you’re off work

The Bubble from Grays and Feather is the world’s smallest bottle of sparkling wine! Light and fresh with lively citrus notes, this charming little bottle is a perfect stocking stuffer.

if you like me are in dire need of a new wallet or card holder look no further than this Full-Grain Leather Cardholder by Mulberry

This is an ideal stocking filler for any number of family members this Fine Silver Mini Hinged Photo Frame by The White Company 

What more needs to be said, who wouldn’t want this ‘OH WHAT FUN!’ Panama Notebook by Smythsons of Bond Street.

Personalised gift needn’t cost an arm and a leh, or foot even with theses Individually named embroidered socks by The Sock Shop

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For the man who has everything


We all know someone who has everything they could possibly desire, you know the person, where you think of a brilliant gift only to be told he already has one. Arghhhhhhhh how infuriating it is year in year out, well no longer, hear me, no longer. We at Clothes make the man hear and feel your pain and so we got our thinking cap on because, well we are those men who have everything and we can empathise, because, well me know how hard we are to buy for, so here are some ideas folks. Take a look –

The Johnnie Walker House has launched exclusively in The Wines & Spirits Room at Harrods, offering whisky connoisseurs a bespoke whisky blending experience and an exclusive portfolio of the finest award winning Scotch Whisky gifts, some of which can be personalised to create an extra special gift retailing from £90,000.

What man’s life isn’t complete without the BYREDO Hand Cream Squeezer, specifically made for this unique purpose, but we are sure you could put in a toothpaste tube or even tomato purée to guarantee every lady drop us used.

You’ll be the envy of all your friends whether it be at a match, on a Boxing Day walk or just to take the chill out of that Winter’s day when you whip out this SAINT LAURENT Crocodile-effect leather hip flask.

They say owners start to look like their dogs and now they can even dress the same. Want your Dog to look Dapper? Then head to The SavileRow Company to adorn both yourself and your pup in your own Made to Measure shirts online.

Chill, Pour, Aerate with Corkcicle Air wine cooler ensures you never have to endure warm white wine again on picnics on those far off sunny long days of Summer, ahhhh, ever again.

This urban smart meets sports-luxe style with the Buckley backpack from TOM FORD. Generously sized to accommodate a busy lifestyle, the Italian-made bag is crafted from sumptuously soft suede and boasts a padded laptop compartment and multiple pockets for organisation.

The ideal gift for those coffee lovers out there, to ease you a little more into the day. The award-winning Cafflano Klassic is the world’s first all-in-one portable coffee maker. Perfect for life on the go; grind your own beans and drip-filter a hot cup of Joe wherever you are. 

Style and performance collide in Pryma‘s tan-brown 01 headphones. They’re crafted from refined Italian leather with a breathable microfibre interior, and come with detachable ear pads with black leather-covered cushions, and a high-shine cream coated shell. Brushed and polished hardware provides an ultra-sleek finish, while the Sonus Faber audio ensures premium sound quality. They’re compatible with everything from your phone to your laptop.

The Escale collection from Louis Vuitton has a unique and colorful identity inspired by the colorful universe of trunk customization. This table clock is the ultimate accessory for the modern traveler. Its exclusive quartz movement shows the time in all the world’s 24 time zones at a glance.

In this hi-design lead, image obsessed times we find ourselves in, it was only a matter of time before someone completed re-thought the humble water bottle and by golly the Memobottle is here. It comes in A4 & A5 size and is the perfect size to fit easily into a document holder.

The record player has made a come back and now it’s the turn of the Polaroid camera in the ever so  aesthetically pleasing IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT I-1 Analogue Instant Polaroid Camera.

Ambassador you really do spoilt us with your Chocolates and not a Ferrero Rocher in sight. Check out these amazing Luxury After Dinner Chocolate Box exclusively by Harrods.