Is it just me or is this Winter dragging on and on, if it’s gonna snow, SNOW ! And get on with it, flipping heck, it’s nearly February? The TV is full of Holiday Ads promising sun kissed beaches and relaxation plus every other email in my inbox at the moment is from travel companies trying to entice me to take them up on their offers to far flung destinations. Essentially, I think I just need to book a short city break, mini break, hey I don’t care as long as it is a break.
If this is in any way reflective of the way you’re feeling at the moment, don’t take this the wrong way, but, good ! As we at Clothes-Make-the-Man have teamed up with the wonderful Napapijri to offer one lucky reader the chance to win one of their iconic and versatile Bering Bags .
As regular, loyal readers will already know we are quite the fans of Napapijri.
The “Napapijri” brand was established in Aosta, Italy in 1987 and the first product they manufactured was a waxed canvas duffel bag marketed to travellers and yes this was the first product to carry the Napapijri name with the synonymous and striking signature of the Norwegian flag also appeared. The iconic bag was named after an 18th century noted Danish officer of the Russian Navy, Vitus Bering, one of the first men to explore the great expanse of Arctic sea separating Russia from North America and hence the Bering Bag was born.
The key to the success and longevity of Napapijri’s Bering bag is its versatility; its all down to its perfect size and tubular construction in durable waxed canvas. It can easily fit into any space, making it ideal for any over head locker, over crowded boot or simply keeping it close at hand no matter what your journey. Lightweight and soft sided yet surprisingly durable and hard wearing, actually not that surprising coming from this brand, and of course emblazoned with the iconic Napapijri flag and lettering plus it comes in a host of colours from neutral tones right the way through to ‘Hey you ain’t losing me’, so a dream when it comes to saving time and identifying your bag on the luggage carousel. The Bering is pretty much, the ultimate weekend bag for anything from urban adventures and explorations to luxury 5 * weekends away and getting away from it all.
So to win a Bering Weekend Bag all you need to do is follow us at Instagram or Twitter and while your at it why not leave a message on Napapijri’s social media sites at Twitter or Facebook
Please note the competition runs from 6am on Tuesday 27th January until Midnight on Friday 27th February (GMT). Also, the prize is subject to stock availability (in terms of colours).
What a hard act to follow and talk about going to the other end of the Style spectrum, next up is Jil Sander, debuting Rodolfo Paglialunga first menswear collection for the label, his voluminous trousers might not have been everyone’s cup of cappuccino, but there is no disputing his mastery in Outerwear and offering a coat to suit everyman.
Onto an award winning American designer in Michael Bastian choosing to show his signature collection in Milan, which was quintessentially US Preppy Chic at its best. One could almost say a rival in the court of Ralph Lauren himself.
Next up a fellow Yank, more known for his Rock Star edge then Ivy League, John Varvatos channelled his inner Doris Stokes to summon up incarnations of Bob Dylan. This was a sterling collection for Varvatos offering a highly wearable but in no way boring look in a completely autumnal, sorry Fall like, colour palette.
Onwards to Bally then and WOW! Designer Pablo Coppola, looked to one of my favourite films for inspiration in Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums” and did not disappoint. Far from being a literally take on the film, not one headband in sight, OK the occasional tennis shoes, Coppola used this reference as a starting block for his collection and then built upon it, in a truly LUXE manner.
As sure as the Italians love Pasta, so to do Dolce & Gabbana love dipping into Italian culture for reference points. Last season it was the Spanish influence on Sicily, which for them was pretty damn loose, but this season the duo drank long and hard from the cup of vino and focused their attention on Il Famiglia. From the Holy Family to the traditional portrait of an extended Italian Family with Mama and Papa.
Flying the flag for the British contingent is the grand Dame herself Vivienne Westwood, who took a rather unusual muse, for her punk heritage ways, in the shape of HRH The Prince of Wales. The show started off rather tamely enough, in what could be described as Westwood’s take on Savile Row Tailoring and how in her mind she would probably dress Prince Charles if he was a regular customer of the Queen of Punk. However as the show developed, it became less the Princely figure we all know and more a character in Dame Viv’s reality of the world, including this brilliant suit complete in Pound note print. Gawd Bless her !
And from Viv we pass the mantle onto Italy’s very own Grand Dame, Miuccia Prada, who I never knew was a fan of the early 90’s Manchester Music scene as her male models looked highly reminiscent of Bez, Ian Brown, even an Ian Curtis for good measure was present. Like the fashions of this time where we saw lads and lassies wearing a unisex uniform, Prada showed not only her Menswear collection but her Womans Pre-Fall together. No not a pair of Joe Blogs Flares or tie dyed hooded top in sight but reference aplenty to Prada’s Nylon period of the 90’s.
Lastly, we have Marc Jacobs, no longer preoccupied with his Louis Vuitton duties, Jacobs can now plough all his energies into his own brand and for this Autumn/Winter 15 and he was very much in a dress down Friday sorta mood. For this season, even in the most formal of look he managed to give them a casual feel the most moody of teenagers would be proud of.
