CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Men’s suits may be associated with formality, but there’s no reason why they can’t be part of your casual arsenal too. Styled correctly, they can be your go-to for both smart and off-duty events.

Suits don’t have to strictly be reserved just for your friend’s wedding. Ditch the button-down shirt and opt for a more casual feel to transition into the cooler months ahead, or style your suit jacket with a pair of your favourite jeans – it’s that simple.

Happen to have a suit sitting pretty in your wardrobe, sadly collecting dust? Give it a new lease of life with Suit Direct’s go-to guide on how to style your own with ease. If you prefer smart-casual ensembles, this is how to dress down your favourite suit for your everyday.

Suit Jackets and Jeans/Chinos

First up is the simplicity of pairing your favourite suit jacket with jeans or trusty chinos. No matter what shape or style your jacket may be, jeans can add heaps of laidback style to any formal outfit. Keep them on the skinny or slim side in dark shades of black or blue and pair them with trainers and a plain, complementing tee for a trustworthy weekend look.

Suit Trousers and Polo Shirts

Originally worn by polo players in the 1800s, the classic polo shirt has stood the test of time and is now a firm favourite in most men’s wardrobes. It’s versatile, breathable and can be teamed with pretty much anything – especially suits, and we at Suit Direct can’t get enough.

They’re as good as any button-down shirt when you’re in need of a smart-casual ensemble to pair with your favourite two-piece, and are perfect for transitional dressing. Tone down your smartest suit with a polo shirt and just add loafers and minimal accessories.

Suits and Trainers

There’s no better way to dress down your suit than with a pair of versatile trainers, like these from Ben Sherman. At Suit Direct, we love to style our formal suits with simple white or black trainers to really let the suit do the talking. You can easily style a two-piece with trainers in a casual way: just make sure the suit features a block colour (think dark grey or light blue) and that your shirt and accessories are muted and minimal.

Suits and Printed Shirts

If plain tees don’t quite cut it for you, why not try a printed shirt from Suit Direct instead? There are endless ways to pare back a classic suit with a printed tee: just look to Ben Sherman, who made printed shirts a staple in many men’s wardrobes of the 1960s, for fashionable advice.

You could wear your favourite logo tee, an abstract and modernist tee or traditionally striped tee – anything goes, as long as the colours and tones of your outfit complement one another.

Suits Direct

It’s been quite some time since we sort the advice of our experts and asked their opinion. So with things starting, hopefully, to return to normality, we thought let’s give them a shout a ask what is getting them out of bed at the moment. The first of three posts set them the question.

What brand are you most excited about for Autumn/Winter 2021?

Firstly up we have, Simon Longland, head of menswear at Harrods said:

“The Louis Vuitton and Dior collections were both incredibly strong this season, and I am excited that within the coming weeks, we will unveil new expanded boutiques for both brands to showcase the amazing new season pieces. Jil Sander and Thom Browne also have absolutely timeless collections this season, it’s all about wearable investments with a hint of modernity– buy now, wear forever. Lastly, I can’t go past Tom Ford, which is quite frankly, the definition of modern luxury, and really comes to life in the cooler months. From rich leathers and suedes to luxurious knits and perfect tuxedos and evening jackets, Tom Ford constantly releases wearable and ageless pieces year after year.”

Now its, Harry Block, Owner at Copperfield. Copperfield is a long established source of the latest men’s trends. Opening in 1973 and standing the test of time since, the business offers a selection of globally curated goods to suit the modern contemporary man’s lifestyle.

“The brand I’m most excited about for aw21 would probably be nanamica as it’s usually my favourite every season.

Personally a brand I’m always looking forward to receiving at the start of each season is Nanamica. The functionality, detail and design always stand out for me, especially in AW seasons.”

From the South we head to the North and  we have a firm favourite, regular and pride of Manchester, Pete Parry, Founder of Steranko, the mens and womans fashion emporium.

“This Autumn Winter for me is all about the Portuguese Flannel shirts, beautifully crafted in soft brushed flannel. They look and feel wonderful.”

Next up we have a real fashion veteran and what this guy doesn’t know about menswear isn’t worth knowing. Adrian Gibson, is now Menswear Buyer for Robert Goddard. Spanning back over twelve decades, five owners and three generations and with stores throughout the South of the country and stocking Barbour, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren and Valentino to name a few.

“We are really excited to add Napapijri to our mix. It is great to see this classic outdoor brand really making a resurgence, particularly with a younger customer who may not remember it from the first time round.  With high profile ambassadors such a Taron Egerton and Rick Edwards it is certainly making an impact. The price points are great and instantly recognisable, strong branding is a winning combination with customers right now. We are very happy to of added it to our brand portfolio.”

Then we have Wellgosh, that’s not me being shocked but this stylish gem in the heart of Leicester who have been building up quite the reputation in Menswear, stocking Aape, albam, Edwin, Norse Projects, Rains and more and more. Daniel Greengrass – Buyer/Store Manager of Wellgosh

“General Admission – We recently received the General Admission x Santa Monica Airlines collaboration that tees us up nicely for our debut season with the brand. A really nice mix of apparel and homeware, executed with a relaxed Californian approach to fashion and being looked after in the UK by the formidable Michael Kopleman.”

Last, but certainly not least we have Damien Paul, Head of Menswear – for legendary go to style website, MATCHESFASHION.com

“I’m extremely pleased to have S.S.Daley’s debut RTW collection launch online today, as part of MATCHESFASHION’s Innovators Programme 2021-22. Steven Stokey-Daley’s talent and new take on menswear is incredibly exciting. His forward-thinking design feels extremely relevant for the now and after our initial meeting with Steven, we were so excited by what we were seeing, and then, understanding his vision, everything just clicked. The attention to detail from the locally sourced fabrics, to the fact that he won’t compromise on his vision and already is honing his house codes, creating ageless, timeless clothes for real people, that are credible but wearable, dramatic without being costume-y, is really great to see.

We are delighted that S.S.Daley has joined our latest Innovators cohort. Steven and his brand are the perfect example of harnessing everything we stand for in the Programme. He has a great business mind as well as being super creative and it’s clear to see how quickly he is connecting to customers.”

As we start to return to Work/College or Uni we will want to freshen up our look. So we caught up with award winning men’s hairdresser, Toni & Guy’s Jim Shaw to tell us what hair styles we should be considering.

Slick Back – for the dapper man! Slicked back styles look incredibly sophisticated and professional. This style looks particularly great when worn with a haircut that has length on the top and is shorter at the sides, really helping to show off the haircut and giving structure to your hair. Using a hairdryer to slick the hair back off the face is the easiest way to create this look before finishing with a pomade, gel or wax to help create the shape and hold it in place. You can use a product with shine for a sleek and shiny finish or a matte product for a more natural finish depending on what you prefer.

Long Waves – after all the lockdowns many of us have been experimenting with longer hair looks and embracing our longer hair and natural textures. Long hair is here to stay and looks particularly great when worn messier for a relaxed finish. If you have natural curls or waves, use a curl defining product or salt spray to enhance these and give your style further body and volume. Although long hair may require less regular cuts, it’s important that you do book in for cuts for yourlong hair to keep it looking its best, free from split ends and frizz.

Caesar Hair Cut – For those who want to ooze style this will be one of the most on trend haircuts this season. With this look it’s all about the scissor work and ensuring the cut is as precise as possible. I also love the versatility of this look, you can wear it super sleek and straight for a more sophisticated finish or for day-to-day and quicker styling, this look also looks fantastic when paired with texture. A texturising spray or matt pomade can be applied through your hair with fingers to break up your hair and give it a softer appearance. You can also incorporate some choppy layers into this style for further texture.

Buzz Cut – this is a great look if you want to show off your facial features and allow them to really pop and for those who want a haircut that’s lower maintenance and requires little to no styling. I love using clippers to create this look and going shorter on the sides to create a gradual fade and to give the look a more on trend finish.

Side Part – the side part has made a comeback over the past couple of years and it remains on trend for autumn/winter 2021. The beauty of this style is that it can instantly update your look and give it a more contemporary finish. It’s also great for those who may want to make their hair appear thicker in appearance, as the style adds volume and height to the hair. I love pairing a side parting with quiff for a statement look with extra volume.

Footwear supreme brand, Vans, have partnered with Warner Bros. to bring classic, well-known horror stories to life with the Vans x Horror collection, through interpretations of some of the scariest moments across iconic footwear and apparel pieces.

Establishing true icons of fright, Warner Bros. has produced our most beloved horror films for over 80 years. They’ve become synonymous with scary – from the terrifying twins of The Shining and devilishly possessed characters of The Exorcist and The Lost Boys, to the maniacal minds in Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and IT.

Relive the scariest moments from classic horror films with graphic interpretations and written messages across Vans Era in classic Checkerboard with iconic red balloons from IT, and the SK8-Hi’s bright repeated text logo from The Shining, plus handwritten script callout across the outsole.   

The Vans x Horror pack transports us to our favorite scenes from Friday the 13th using the fleece pullover printed with a glow-in-the-dark hockey mask and Freddie Kruger’s claws tearing across our A Nightmare on Elm StreetWard Crossbody body pack.

Additional Horror footwear styles include the Classic Slip-On, the Slide-On, the Slip-Skool, the Old Skool, and the Style 47 Creeper. Women’s apparel and accessories pieces also highlight the boyfriend fit fleece pullover hoodie, cotton jersey boyfriend fit tee and mini backpack, while men’s apparel features the fleece pullover, short sleeve tee, crew socks, 6-panel jockey hat, 5-panel snapback hat, and Old Skool III backpack.

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Did you know every year, 300 million toothpaste tubes end up in the UK’s landfills, it’s estimated if these tubes were laid out end-to-end, the plastic line would stretch 75,000 kilometres, the equivalent of almost twice around the world, plus a toothpaste tube needs almost 500 years to fully biodegrade in a landfill, according to a report by the waste management firm BusinessWaste.

Not only are New PÄRLA PRO eco-friendly, but vegan, plus plastic free and British-made, what more could you want ? Designed by dentists, the effective, naturally whitening, ethically sourced toothpaste tabs promise high level cleaning power, while presenting a revolutionary approach to whitening, fighting sensitivity and boosting immunity. The toothpaste tabs are made with clean ingredients and free from palm oil.

The toothpaste tabs, that not only clean effectively but also care for the planet; as we said are eco-friendly, vegan, plastic free and British-made. The toothpaste tabs contain clean ingredients that fight against tooth decay, sensitivity and enamel erosion with high gloss teeth whitening power and packaged in a reusable glass jar. 

PÄRLA PRO contains flouride, the key ingredient to fighting tooth decay 

It’s the first toothpaste to support a healthy immune system each tablet contains at least half your RDA of vitamin E (an antioxidant) , B12 & selenium

NO artificial flavourings – peppermint essential oils are used instead for minty freshness.

The natural and gentle foaming agent is sourced from coconuts contains the mineral hydroxyapatite which adds a high-gloss, whitening shine. Four signature stain removing ingredients include kaolin and calcium carbonate, Includes potassium citrate for fighting sensitivity 

PÄRLA is the only sustainable tooth decay-busting product that protects your smile as much as it does the planet.

While you won’t have come across supplement-fortified toothpaste before, there are already impressive studies highlighting its efficacy. And by getting your RDA simply by brushing your teeth, at least that’s one less ritual to remember each day.