CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

anthonymcgrath405 / 07/10/2015

The Best Bags about right now by Peter Jones

It’s slowly getting to that point where the mornings are getting darker, the commute is getting longer, and your old bag is becoming less and less stylish. Of course a bag’s soulful purpose is to carry Your possessions, from trash to treasure. However, we all want to look great in the process. We present to you today a handful of the best bags about right now to carry you through Autumn.

This stylish tote by Givenchy is the menswear answer to its sister bag, the Antigona’ tote, ask your girlfriend.Maybe this isn’t the every bag, however if your after just adding to your already impressive bag collection the ‘Lucrezia’ definitely gives a lot of personality and can liven up any drab suit. The polka dot definitely give this bag a the extra edge and is guaranteed to turn some heads on the tube.

At a completely opposite side of the price spectrum, nonetheless, still looking every bit as stylish, we have ZARA’s office back pack. This leather look back pack looks slick and manages to find the perfect balance between formal and cool.

On the topic of back packs. Differentiating itself from the office back pack Paul Smith have of course made sure the bag has a lot more sustainability by being ‘crafted from black cotton-blend twill with leather trims’. Creating a sleek finish.

If your a bit of a maverick and don’t want to conform to your traditional tote. Then you should Tote-ally (sorry) go for this Fendi Bug bag, designed by, of course, Karl Largafeild.

Teal may not be your first point of call when looking for a new bag however the colour adds a bit more personality and POW to your everyday wear. Surprisingly Teal compliments more colours then you would of initially thought, with the crocodile effect creating a masculine edge, well done ASOS.

Its common knowledge most women love a Mulberry bag, and finally, with this geometric camo print, us guys can finally jump on the band wagon too. This Canvas bag is ideal for the everyday. Allowing a lot of extra space for papers books and whatever other things you have crammed into your bag. The combination of blues and navy, with a sharp silhouette allow you to look smart and on trend in the process.

anthonymcgrath405 / 06/10/2015

Molto Bene – Fiorentini+Baker and Ducati

Well the flip flops are well and truly put away for another year, the desire for more sensible and, frankly, warmer footwear comes to mind and let’s face it you’re certainly not going to get cold wearing these bad boys.

The coming together of these two Italian brands, is the best thing since Pasta was mixed with bolognese sauce. Ducati, the epitome of sexy Italian motor cycle engineering for nearly 90 years and Fiorentini+Baker, founded in 2001 by British designer Deborah Baker in partnership with interior designer Paolo Fiorentini.

This new collaborative range brings together the very best of the two brands, it presents seven models for men and women consisting of five pairs of boots of different heights and two pairs of sneakers. The collection displays a perfect union between the iconic styles for which the shoe brand has become synonymous, while further creating a classic motorcycle boot which is tough and enduring: the upper boot features the typical and classic bolster tip, combined with lateral buckles that ensure these boots are not only stylish but hard-wearing essential biking equipment.

Materials used for the collaboration are typical of the Fiorentini+Baker label, natural leathers, brushed and grease treated to highlight the traditional and artisan hand finishing techniques used by the brand. To craft the collection, Ducati opened its archives to the Fiorentini+Baker creative team, so that they could feel the story of the Italian motorcycle brand and inspire its own interpretation, resulting in a collection that combines the classic motorcycle design with the vintage feel that is at the very heart of the shoe brand.

anthonymcgrath405 / 02/10/2015

Ask the Experts – Top Autumn Buys

The weather mightn’t know what to do with itself at the moment, but one thing’s for sure, there’s certainly an Autumnal nip to the air and things are only going to get colder. Nevertheless, console youself in the fact that it’s the season to wrap up, layer up and spend some of your hard earned cash on some top quality premium High Street apparel. We are spoilt for choice whether that be from our own Great British brands or from further a field so we have consulted some of the finest leaders of these well respected retailers to tell us THEIR favourite, must have piece for the coming Autumn/Winter season.

Jane Shepherdson, WHISTLES CEO

“If I had to pick my favourite piece from our autumn/winter 2015 menswear collection, it would be the camel textured Crombie. It’s made from a premium double faced wool , it retains warmth and is unlined making it the perfect coat to wear with layers. The Crombie is a classic , it transcends seasons so is a good wardrobe staple.”

John Mooney , Menswear Design Director, Asos

“I’ve picked our ‘wool flannel panelled shirt’….. Yeah quite a mouthful.
To be honest I’ve selected the whole look…… the whole co-ords thing seems to be going from strength to strength and for what we thought would die-out as a high summer [poolside/ beach] trend still has gravitas in autumn and winter. Also I know grey is hardly a giant leap away from Black but, although we’ve enjoyed it all, black is becoming a touch dull….. So in ‘massive’ contrast I’ve gone for…… Grey. Ha!
The shirt is beautiful though, french fronted with mini collar, very versatile and yes would also work with those black jeans you;ve already got in your wardrobe… it’s also a nod towards the softer tones and textures we’re excited to see for s/s 16.”

Frances Walker, Design Director, Jigsaw Menswear

“This is a characteristic tweed with a salt & pepper colouring style. Normal tweeds are woven from single yarns, but Thornproof tweed is made from 2-fold twisted yarns producing a durable and impenetrable cloth – hence “thorn-proof.

We work with Abraham Moon consistently and this dark grey/black mouline (salt and peppery) effect of the fabric feels very contemporary and so right for now. It feels like a twist on tradition to use the fabric for a contemporary fit on a double-breasted suit.

The suit is a half-canvas construction like all Jigsaw men’s suits, and crafted in Portugal with functioning cuffs, and detailing (pick stitch) inside and out, and real horn buttons. As a suit it can be worn together, but is also great as a separate trouser worn with our double-breasted textured black overcoat, our classic merino rib roll neck and our Sanders black shiny boots.”

Martin Anderson, Head of Menswear Design, COS

“This is the coat we think every man should have in his wardrobe – a timeless classic, elegant and paired down essential. This season we are offering it in navy and this shade of light camel”.

Michael Anderson, Vice President, Men’s Product and Design, Banana Republic

“Love our super soft blown lambs wool captains coat. Double breasted with a tailored feel, it’s a blazer that acts as an outerwear piece, a must have.”

Gordon Richardson, TOPMAN Creative Director

‘Selvedge denim can be really hard to find on the high-street but we now have a really strong collection in various washes. My favourite and pick for the season are this raw denim pair in our new shape for the season – the standard fit.’

anthonymcgrath405 / 01/10/2015

Uniqlo & Lemaire – No more words are necessary

A high end Fashion designer coming together with a high Street Fashion retailer is hardly reinventing the wheel and is never going to break the cogs of the institution and bring down governments. But when those two apparel brands happen to be the former artistic director of Hermes and Lacoste, who honed his skills at some of France’s most prominent Fashion houses and the other being the global fast fashion Japanese retailer, known for their parred down, intelligent, good quality and understated pieces. Well, now that does start to grab your attention.

Uniqlo as a brand have worked with an impressive roster of collaborators in the past, these have included such noted figures as Jil Sander, Pharrell, Peter Saville, Kim Jones, Terry Richardson and Novak Djokovic. This season sees them partner with Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran(see below). UNIQLO AND LEMAIRE have come together to offer a timeless style to everyday essential pieces that, as you would expect, high quality materials and uncompromising focus on quality at a highly competitive price. The collection brings a sense of refined, yet approachable confidence to items that you can wear every day and for any occasion. The collection designed for everyday living offers, attentive details influenced by the cosmopolitan parisian lifestyle. This LifeWear, as it is known, is elevated with style that fully respects the needs and requirements of the individual.

Lemaire has harboured for some time a desire to work with Uniqlo, as he believes, “Our philosophy is close to Uniqlo’s. Uniqlo designs quality garments for everyday life. Uniqlo is not trend-driven. Everything is about the product and technological innovations. Their philosophy is strong and modern”.

This collaborative relationship bossomed from a shared philosophy, that Lemaire sees it as being, “Lemaire is not a luxury brand. We try to do qualitative garments that will last. In this sense, that is also what Uniqlo is doing. Uniqlo challenges our conscientiousness as designers because we know we will dress many different people across the world. Therefore we have to be very attentive to proportions and style. It has to fit everybody’s lifestyle and morphology without compromising the style. This is a very interesting exercise”.

anthonymcgrath405 / 29/09/2015

Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean On the cover of a magazine- How To Dress Like James Dean by Keanu Adorable

Anton Corbijn’s James Dean biopic ‘Life‘ tells the story of Dean’s short lived but eventful time on the planet. A tragedy, but in the 24 years he walked on the big screen, he firmly set himself up, as one of Americas most iconic leading men. He was an actor, a sex symbol and a style icon, men wanted to be him, women wanted to be with him, in fact many a man wanted to be with him too. His style was effortless; everything was simple but practical, reflecting the youth culture of that era and beyond. Yet, even in the midst of simplicity, he made a statement with his leather jacket and denim. He had the rare ability to make the simplest of outfits look like a million dollars. We take a look at his timeless style and recreate his most iconic looks, for the modern men.