CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

The extraordinary mens blog for the modern man
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A Stylist, a Footballer and a Photographer walked into a bar. HAMPTON & BAKER

What do you get if put a photographer, a footballer and a stylist together, no I promise this isn’t some antiquated, offensive joke for a bygone era. The answer is infact Hampton & Baker, the brainchild of Warren Baker, a fashion stylist living in Los Angeles but originally from the UK. Who has styled red-carpet looks, television shows & fashion editorials. Professional football, sorry, soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy, and accomplished author of the best-selling “Coming Out to Play”,Robbie Rogers. Last part of this creative consortium is Nathan Poekert, a Photographer and Creative Director born in Seoul, raised in Florida and currently living in New York. Poekert has cut his creative teeth consulting with several startup fashion brands as well as launching and co-founding his own brand, Proper Assembly, in 2014.

Hampton & Baker came about from a simply innocent conversation between Robbie and Warren regarding fashion and style, over coffee in West Hollywood. A quick text to Nate in NYC shortly after that said “hey, what do you think about this?” and hey presto the brand was born.

This is an LA based casual menswear brand making good vibrations far from their native California. The origins of the brand lie in a deep motivation to create a collection that is both sophisticated and comfortable. They have just shared their second collection which the trio have nicknamed Chapter 2.0. The focus this season was to expand on the foundations they laid during their debut collection, a bit like that all important second album for a recording artist. Again, they’ve created their collective versions of the “American Classics” and remained focused on high quality fabrics, craftsmanship, and a modern silhouette. Inspired by the effortlessly cool of style icons of the past, the likes of Steve McQueen and Mick Jagger, each jacket was designed for a specific well dressed male in mind. The collection features colours and tones inspired by LA’s vibrant landscape. Each piece is handmade in Los Angeles with the highest quality materials that the guys can get their hands on.

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Lamler – A classic British Brand with that all important fashion twist

Lamler is a new luxury heritage brand equally at home in the urban city environment or at ease in the country, founded by Helen Plummer who prided herself on creating silhouettes that function as active wear pieces with a classic with that all important fashion twist. A combination of traditional British craftsmanship and relaxed luxury style, Lamler coats fuse understated individuality, with a work horse like durability. Influenced by contemporary art, street style sportswear, classic British luxury and a love of the ocean. All coats are hand made in England including the brands signature waxed cotton prints.

In its debut season Lamler makes a real statement and concentrates on a study of print patterns across one silhouette – the trench. As the ultimate multi-functional piece, the trench coat is the centrepiece for the brands future collections. Lamler makes it clear from the beginning what it cares about. The trench. The print. The quality. To make coats that men feel comfortable in. Coats that take you from a life in the city, to sitting on the beach in the sand. Contemporary print patterns that are unique and yet don’t wear you. Colour that is flattering and can be worn day after day. And last but not least, a fit that makes you feel confident, free and relaxed.

The tried and tested coats will allow you to carry your life in them and the trench is built to be used, loved and lived in. The graphic prints start life as hand painted designs which give the soft textured appearance to the fabric. Fitted with Lamler horn buttons and a soft cotton lining the coats are built to age well. The Atlantic Trench takes careful consideration of the male form through meticulous research and posture work, creating a relaxed masculine silhouette with perfect pocket placement. A little bit of swing has been added to the body for extra freedom of movement and a back vent to allow you to sprint and jump if you need to! Internally the coats have 3 large pockets, one extra-large that will fit an iPad and wallet and two smaller, one for your phone and one for your charger, all with built in connecting holes to hide all your tangled wires.

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Over parr – TED BAKER GOLF

Over the years Golf attire hasn’t had the best reputation for being tasteful. We all remember Ronnie Corbett, perched on the edge of his 70’s style arm chair regaling some witty anecdote whilst dressed in some Gordy Lyle & Scott Sweater. Or then there’s any number of celebs including Sean Connery, Brucie Forsyth or Jimmy Tarbuck going straight down the middle in some celebrity/pro tournament, looking as though they may well have got dressed in the dark. As a result traditional golf wear has fallen out of the style stakes in recent years.

However, Ted Baker want to amend this quandary with the launch of Ted Baker Golf, a new, considered menswear collection specifically catering for the most gentlemanly of pursuits.

With a masterful spin on golfing tradition, the range aligns sporting style with comfort and technical know-how in this colourful capsule range for the keen golfer who wants to look his best. Packed with sporty details, including quick-dry fabrics, taped inner waistbands, removable sunglasses cloths and Velcro glove holders, each piece is designed to enhance your game and inspire utmost confidence on the tee. Mix-and-match distinctive patterned knitwear styles with wind and rain-repellent technical outerwear to put some style back in your swing. It offers a masterful spin on golfing tradition.

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Pride of Britain – David Beckham’s Made of Instinct

David Beckham OBE HAS to be one of the most recognisable individuals on the face of this fair planet. Aside from his outstanding football career playing for the likes of a super clubs including Manchester United, Paris Saint-German, AC Milan, Real Madrid and of course Preston North-End. He has proven his philanthropic worth as an ambassador for UNICEF, is about to embark on not only a movie career but as a fashion designer too and in the process bagged himself a Spice Girl and became part of one of the biggest power couples and most well known families in the world.

As part of his cultural master plan to become the world’s leading male icon, Beckham has a highly successful and popular fragrance brand. Twelve years after its launch, the original Instinct by David Beckham continues to be a fragrance phenomenon. Building on its impressive success, David Beckham presents Made of Instinct, his vibrant new scent for men.

Talking about the new launch, David Beckham comments: “I’ve always had a personal admiration for people who work hard and persevere until they succeed. With this inspiration in mind, we created this new fragrance, Made of Instinct. We hope people like it.”

This fragrance has a bright and impactful opening which stems from the fresh fusion of zesty grapefruit, fennel and starfruit. This gives way to a vibrant and masculine heart of crisp violet leaves and sage balanced by pink pepper. The dry down unveils wild facets of cashmere wood and fir balsam, a resin with a balsamic green aroma that conveys a fresh and manly elegance. Finally, a soft touch of moss lends an earthy quality to the bold yet re ned fragrance experience.

Echoing the iconic look of the Instinct range, the Made of Instinct design has been given a new electric blue and silver colour code and the fragrance itself has been Designed by talented perfumer Elise Benat from Firmenich.

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The Sole of America – Cole Haan launch in the UK

Somewhat seen as a footwear institution in its native US Market. Cole Haan is finally bringing its tech-led reinterpretation of contemporary and classic men’s footwear to the UK with an installation in iconic London department store, Liberty.

Founded in 1928, in Greenland, New Hampshire, Cole Haan was the vision of two men, Trafton Cole and Eddie Haan, who set out with a commitment to craftsmanship, timeless style and design innovation to deliver fine crafted products. Fast-forward 88 years and their mantra remains true to its original beliefs. Cole Haan’s groundbreaking reinvention of the dress shoe and sneaker unites traditional craft with modern engineering. Each innovation working harmoniously with the next to create flexibility and comfort based on featherweight construction methods

Craft, style and engineering combine to create Cole Haan footwear. The Grand and the Grand.ØS family of innovative footwear delivers four main benefits: greater flexibility, reduced weight, increased cushioning and breathability.

Collections featured in the Liberty installation include GrandPrø Tennis, Øriginal Grand, ZerøGrand, and 2.ZerøGrand

GrandPrø Tennis is a ultra-light GrandPrø Tennis shoe a vintage-inspired sneaker, updated with a thoroughly modern operating system.

Utilizing proprietary Grand.ØS technology, GrandPrø Tennis delivers an innovative spin on a classic silhouette. Grand.ØS is an operating system designed to drastically reduce weight, mimic the foot’s natural flexibility, offer dynamic breathability and provide responsive cushioning for maximum comfort.

The men’s GrandPrø Tennis shoe weighs less than a third of the average leather court shoe, weighing-in at 8.8 ounces (based on a men’s leather court shoe in size 8.5 – may vary according to style, material and size).

ØriginalGrand is crafted in rich leather and completed with a premium burnished finish and baroque accents, this progressive wingtip brogue is one of the most lightweight classic-inspired shoes around. Cushioned with Cole Haan’s proprietary Grand.ØS technology for ultimate comfort, the ØriginalGrand looks as amazing with a sharply tailored suit as it does with a pair of selvedge-edge denims.

ZerøGrand features Grand.ØS, Cole Haan’s proprietary design platform which combines engineered insoles and outsoles with liners and uppers that move with each step. Grand.ØS replaces the heavy steel shanks traditionally used for support with a unique cushioning compound that is stronger, more flexible and longer lasting, reducing the overall weight and slimming down the shoe’s outsole.

2.ZerøGrand launched in July of 2016 and is an evolution of Cole Haan’s ZerøGrand technology. Designed to mimic the natural motion of the human foot, the 2.ZerøGrand delivers a level of flexibility and cushioning that rivals top-of-the-line running shoes.

An anatomically contoured Grand.ØS energy foam foot-bed cradles the foot for superior weight distribution and cushioning, while airflow channels and moisture-wicking materials assist in keeping feet comfortable.