And so we’ve reached not only our last official post of 2015, but also our last post of our 12 Posts of Christmas with House of Fraser. It’s been a blast and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have. To send us off on our Merry way to enjoy all what the Festivities have in store for us over the coming weeks we thought we’d speak to a couple of our friends and ask their learned opinion about taking the stress out of Christmas so we can enjoy it for all its worth 24/7 and eat, drink and make merriment over the Yuletide. Enjoy these lil pearls of wisdom and see you back here on 4th January 2016 for all you need to know to keep you ahead in the style stakes.

Take Care, Thank you and Merry Christmas

A.M.

Olympian, Tom Daley
My big tip would be to write lists way in advance of what you need to get. For example a present list of the people you need to buy for and what you get them and check it off as you go. Same for Xmas dinner.

Designer and raconteur Sir Paul Smith

“Keep it simple and don’t try to be too ambitious. A single thoughtful gift is better than a sack-load of things that someone doesn’t want. And if it all gets too much, escape to a desert island on your own to escape any drama!”

Actor Phillip Rhys, who over the Yuletide can be caught on the Doctor Who Christmas Special and new E4 show called ‘Tripped’
“Keep travel to a minimum. Surround yourself with your favorite people, a good bottle of wine and The Doctor Who Christmas Special.”

Presenter and Sportsman Freddie Flintoff
“A tip on having a stress free Christmas is going away! Go away for Christmas, or book a restaurant. I know everyone likes Christmas at home, but you can open up your presents, spend time at home and play around with all the presents, go out and get something to eat and come back home, or else you’ll be washing up all afternoon.”

The First Lady of Breakfast Television – Lorraine Kelly
“Think of Christmas as simply as Sunday lunchthat’s grown a bit big for its boots. Also delegate as much as you can. If friends and family are coming over then assign them tasks.
Someone can bring the starter, another can make the trifle and others can supply Christmas crackers, games to play, DVDs to watch and sweeties to eat. X”

Rapper, MC & Prsenter of Lip Sync Battle in 2016 – Professor Green
“Go on holiday, alone.”

DJ, Presenter and Funhouse Master of Ceremonies – Pat Sharp

“For a relatively stress-free time on Christmas Day. Wrap some spare presents with no labels and then when unexpected guests turn up over the festive period, hey presto, you have that gift you had always planned to give them !”

Chef, TV Host and all round good guy – Dean Edwards 

“My biggest stress busting tip would be to share the load at Christmas lunch. Coming from a large family we all bring something to the table, this year I’m roasting off a beautiful rib of beef, some fresh cranberry sauce and a lovely cider gravy. If everyone chips in it lessens the load on one person having to shop and cook for everyone.”

With Christmas less than a month away, Ohhh dear God ! This therefore means the party season will be upon us in the blinking of Rudolph’s eye. If you like us are thinking of having a little Yuletide get together, soirée, party, festivity, celebration or even jamboree and are wanting to add that WOW Factor in the drinks department, than look no further, as we here at Clothes-Make-the-Man have teamed up with the experts over at thebar.com to bring you more WOW than you can shake a tinsel covered stick at.

The guys over at thebar.com have advised us on some great festive beverage ideas that will put the POW into any party, making sure it’s memorable for all the right seasonal reasons.

First up we have, a warming blend of spices and a delicious spirit, the Hot Toddy has a long history, particularly based on whisky.

Cardhu is the ideal choice, offering tasty sweet apple and heather notes along with a warming, dryish finish.

Ingredients

50ml Cardhu 12 Year Old
75ml Boiling Water
25ml Honey
25ml Lemon Juice
1wedge(s) Lemon to Garnish
3piece(s) Clove

How to

1. Place runny honey in a glass.
2. Pour Cardhu 12 Year Old, lemon juice, boiling water and cloves into the glass.
3. Stir slowly.
4. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Next we have the blend of two legendary Christmas tipples, I mean you can’t get much more festive than a Baileys Eggnog ! Yes, the classic, homely combination can be done deliciously and simply as this: a pour of Baileys Original Irish Cream, plus egg, milk and a pinch of nutmeg for a great Yuletide drink to get you in the mood.

Well, if that hasn’t filled you with Christmas Spirit, then this well. If you can’t drink Champagne during the festive season, then when can you ? This idea is a version of the classic aperitif the Kir Royale, this switches in Pimm’s for a deliciously fruity pre-dinner drink that also makes for a great party celebration drink thanks to the addition of champagne, so ideal for Christmas or seeing in the New Year !

Ingredients

50ml Pimm’s No. 1 75ml.
Champagne
1slice(s) Orange

How to

1. Pour Pimm’s No.1 into a champagne flute.
2. Top up with champagne.
3. Garnish with a slice of orange or lemon.

Now last, but by no means least and I hate to bring this matter up but it’s part of pretty much all of our Christmasses is the Yuletide argument, no quarrel, no disagreement. Well, listen we won’t fall out about it, but if you know what I mean here is a defuser far more effective than any UN peace agreement. Is the Port in a Storm, one of the great mixed drinks using two base spirits, this combines Johnnie Walker Red Label with cognac, but also the fortified Port for a dark, richly flavoured cocktail.

Ingreidents

25ml Johnnie Walker Red Label Blended Scotch Whisky
25ml Ruby Port
1dash(es) Cognac

How to

1. Fill a glass with ice.
2. Pour Johnnie Walker Red Label Whisky, ruby port and cognac into the glass.
3. Stir until well combined.
4. Strain into a glass.

The shard has intrinsically changed London’s skyline forever. As you head South East the sun glints off the sharp, unique profile and my stomach always lurches as I look up, up and ever higher. Subtly nestled within the Shard is the 5* Shangri-la Hotel, bringing the hotel groups luxe Asian hotel concept to London Bridge, overseen by executive chef Emil Minev. A lift, literally, elevates you in an instant to the 34th floor where you are welcomed to TĪNG restaurant, which blends an elegant and contemporary setting of Chinoiserie design. The food is a blend of modern European with subtle Asian influences, with locally-sourced ingredients, easy when you’re that close to Borough market and its incredible fresh artisan produce.

All this is almost secondary – you go for the view, its GOB smacking, jaw dropping! Planes and helicopters are on the same level as you. The artfully located mirrors reflect back the skyline. We were blessed with clear skies, incredible peachy sunset and a table that was well placed for my guest and I to both stare out the window, resulting in the fact that we barley spoke for the first course.

I know it was lovely, hand dived Scottish scallops cooked a la plancha and served with carrot, ginger, yuzu and grape seed oil dressing. This was followed with organic Welsh lamb from Rhug Estate, glazed with mirin, sake and soy sauce and served with root vegetables and Kentish apples.

By this time, the food was starting to win me over, I was paying more attention and it was a well accomplished dish, my guest chose the steak, frites and spinach side which was perfectly cooked. Outstanding was the accompanying pinot noir from Oregon in the US, No that isn’t a typo, it was sublime. To her credit the very knowledgeable sommelier recommended it and it was exceedingly memorable as was the whole evening.

We didn’t have room for desert but are already plotting an excuse for afternoon for tea, suggestions welcome.

We rarely cover furniture here at Clothes-Make-the-Man, but when a friend of ours contacted me and asked me to come down to a launch, I was a little reluctant at first. Until she told me it was a collaborate with one of my favourite bespoke furniture designing duo and my all time favourite tipple, those of course being The Galvin Brothers and Jameson great Irish Whiskey.

Galvin Brothers design and make contemporary handcrafted furniture from their workshops in Beverley, East Yorkshire. The business was formed as a partnership between Matthew Galvin (designer) and Andrew Galvin (joiner) in March 2012 building on their Father’s 61 years of joinery and cabinet making experience. In 2013 they were nominated for the Designer of the Year in Elle Deco’s prestigious British Design Awards. In April 2014 they opened Galvin Brothers: The Shop in their home town Beverley, selling all of their furniture as well as homewares, objects and curiosities.

Their designs celebrate the uniquely wonderful properties of English Oak and other solid woods, placing traditional joinery techniques at the centre of contemporary forms — functional objects with a twist.

The Jameson Works projects are not just what you make, it’s how you make it. Its about sharing the stories and spreading the knowledge of how great work is made in a contemporary setting. This time working to the brief of Form & Function, the Galvin Brothers have created a collection, which sees them working beyond their traditional skillset of furniture making. Inspired by how Jameson makes its whiskey, and by looking carefully at the way in which people consume it, they have created a space that is designed to enhance the drinking experience.

As part of this project Jameson have create an whiskey lover’s paradise, in the Whiskey Den, which provides different ways for drinks to be served with a range of furniture with different functions – some merely for seating, some for the presentation of cocktails and others to create a social enclose and convivial space. Copper pots are also an integral part of the distillation process of Jameson and have inspired part of the design through beautiful copper vessels and ice buckets.

Open until mid-August at The Reverend JW Simpson bar, one of London’s finest cocktail bars. An intimate space with an original design, will serve as the home of The Jameson Works x Galvin Brothers Whiskey Den, before moving on in September to a top secret establishment in Liverpool. This is where the public can experience, unique cocktails and even purchase the bespoke furniture they are sitting on, named The Whiskey Drinking Collection.

The widely anticipated Alexander McQueen:  Savage Beauty exhibition has returned home to London.  This major retrospective hosted by the Victoria and Albert Museum in partnership with Swarovski celebrates the iconic GENIUS of (Lee) Alexander McQueen and honours the designer’s love of the animal world, ancestry and his exploration of tailoring traditional practices.

This vast V&A exhibition provides the prefect date location, treating viewers to an embellished journey through McQueen’s raw creativity in the London years, transporting you from the shockingly beautiful to the Romantic Naturalism.  Savage Beauty showcases McQueen’s signature silhouettes housed in stunning gothic sets in brooding blacks and golds, accented by his East London tones which can be heard as you pass through the space.

‘Savage Beauty is a celebration of the most imaginative and talented designer of our time.  Lee was a genius and a try visionary who pushed boundaries, challenged and inspired’.

–Sarah Burton, Creative Director Alexander McQueen.

The heart of the exhibition lies within the cabinet of Curiosities located in the double heighted gallery is home to an array of revolving accessories and 120 garments interspersed with catwalk footage from a rich collection archive.  This part of the exhibition has been expanded since the New York exhibition in the Met.  This space provides a complete sensory experiences showcasing McQueen’s passion for collaborative creations new design innovations, with the use of industrial machinery and holographic technologies. This is no girly night out, this offers something for everyone with a modicum of taste and is testament to McQueen’s genius status. This man was able to transcend the worlds of Art, Fashion, Design with ease and question the perception of beauty and what defines it so simply.

‘The Collection at the V&A never fails to intrigue and inspire me.  The nation is privileged to have access to such a resource… it’s the sort of place I’d like to be shut in overnight’.

–Alexander McQueen

For a spontaneous night at the museum, visit Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Victoria and Albert Museum, until August 2 2015.