Another example of how great British High Street Style is ! – Baartmans & Siegel X River Island

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Morning loyal readers, as many of you will know, design duo, Baartmans & Siegel or Wouter and Amber as they are known by their Mothers, are becoming not only regular subjects of high praise here at Clothes-Make-the-Man, but they have been making real positive ground as part of London Collections:Men.

Synonymous with an impressive attention to detail matched with unwavering masculinity, Baartmans and Siegel, are renowned for their use of interactive texture and razor sharp tailoring. Self described modern-traditionalists, Wouter Baartmans and Amber Siegel’s work focuses on beautiful fabrics that seduce and shapes that are accessible yet distinctive.

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They are the latest subject of River Island’s inspired, Design Forum, the inspiration for this 12 piece collection centres on a strong masculine protagonist, drawing dark cinematic elements from the dystopian works of Phillip K. Dick and the stark synthesizer noir of Director Michael Mann. Outerwear and tailoring are among the hero pieces in the range, including a structured double breasted blazer in a high quality wool mix fabrication and a versatile goose down puffa with reverse feature. Slick accessories and statement footwear accent the collection. Complete with a petrol-effect snow boots, a further reference to a signature style of the designers.

The duo said of this partnership, “When working on the concept for the collection we felt it was important for us to carry through our identity of indulgent masculinity with our signature fabrics and refined classic silhouettes. River Island’s responsiveness and huge industry network has allowed us to maintain our high level of craftsmanship which has been most refreshing. We have also been able to explore new technical aspects that we have wished to create for some time, which has been key in helping to create an accessible wardrobe with effortless style.”

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COMPETITION TIME – Win Free Tickets to Off The Rails Menswear Event

imageA couple of months ago we brought you the news of a brilliant new event that was coming to Ole London Town, that was specially created just for us good fellas. Off The Rails is London’s brand new event dedicated to men’s style, retail & grooming, taking place from 30th October –2nd November.

Making its home in the iconic Old Truman Brewery, OTR presents a collection of over 70 classic and contemporary menswear brands including Oliver Sweeney, Realm & Empire, Shore Projects, Kent & Curwen and Natural Selection plus many more to keep every stylish gent fixed up and looking sharp for autumn/winter. Shop from exclusive collections just for OTR, special discounted products & meet directly with the brands themselves.

Add to that; Complimentary expert styling sessions in the Topman Personal Shopping Lounge, DJs, a pop up Murdock London barbershop, A Mr Hyde Bar, Patty & Bun burgers, an on-site tailoring service, and the opportunity to buy affordable contemporary art at specially curated Future Art 10 exhibition.

OTR really is London’s freshest fashion retail and style destination for the discerning modern man and we want you to be there with us.

Clothes-Make-the-Man is a proud style partner of OTR and we are offering our wonderful readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the event on any of the four days. We have 25 x pairs of tickets to give away so Follow us & Retweet NOW to enter #menswear #OTR to be in with a chance of winning.

If you want to buy a ticket please check out www.offtherailsldn.com for more details….

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I can see clearly now the SUN has gone – Transitions

imageYou now how it is, its still sunny and bright but you don’t want to appear a dick by wearing your sunglassees you don’t wanna have to keep on swapping over from regular glasses to sunglasses and back again, well by Gove, I think I’ve found the answer to your problems.

Transitions Optical, the world leader in pioneering light- adaptive lens technology and is the market leader in the advancement of photochromic lens technology, with over 100 worldwide researchers focused on the innovation of new technology. Transitions have developed over 4,500 different photochromic dyes, and over 115 US patents and 330 worldwide patents protect the technology. Transitions Optical goes beyond traditional vision correction by offering superior technology that surpasses clear prescription lenses and outperforms traditional sunwear. The lenses adapt their tint to changing light conditions, wherever you are.

imageFor Autumn they have collaborated with Eyewear specialists, Eye Respect, where all their frames are designed by hand in England and manufactured by hand in Italy. The brand was born out of a desire to pay homage to the long and distinguished histories of English and Italian culture, and the effortless combination of style, standards of craftsmanship and attention to detail that are inherent in both cultures.

The partnership is announced as Transitions unveils a great new colour to add to its Signature lens offering, Graphite Green. A green sunglasses colour had been originally developed in the 1950’s because research showed that the human eyes do not respond equally to all colours in the visual spectrum. Based on this insight, Transitions Optical and Essilor International jointly developed the new grey-green colour using a unique patented colour science technology to provide an enhanced colour and contrast experience. The new colour is a contemporary addition to Transitions Optical’s family of coloured light-adaptive lenses.

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Good, Honest, Hard Working Denim – Blue Collar Worker

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BLUE COLLAR WORKER is a brand established by an experienced team of British denim experts as a reaction to being sick and tired of the seemingly endless conveyer belt of over-styled European and West Coast American jeans brands, that lack a sense of authenticity. The team decided to launch a small, dedicated, functional, workwear inspired jeans range, with subtle twists in terms of detailing and cut to give a distinct, contemporary, “British” flavour.

All garment details are engineered to function as intended – pure focused jeans wear that will stand the test of time. Raw denim products (unwashed) will wear over time to evolve into a truly unique item, and a great “wardrobe favourite”.

Screen Shot 2014-08-21 at 08.24.42This season the brand has used the finest quality, ring-spun denims, referencing traditional workwear pieces and ‘archive’ influences from the 1930’s – 50’s, products are given that all important twist, whilst, never losing sight of their true utilitarian nature. And sees the introduction of a limited edition line of jeans in top grade 14oz Japanese selvedge denim. Each pair of jeans are individually numbered and with a nod to working times gone by hold beautiful copper “snuff box which doubles up as a handy coin case. This premium range is limited to 150 pairs per style.

Microsoft Word – Blue Collar Worker Press Release AW14

For keeping the cold at bay the collection also includes proofed cotton coats, denim over-shirts, checked work shirts and an expanded range of indigo jersey wear.

As always focus is given to each garment ensuring it not only functions in the workplace but to its overt attention to detail is paid to its construction and internal finishing.

 

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The Buyer’s Guide to Autumn 2014 – Stacey Smith – MatchesFashion.com

imageYou may not have heard of the subject of today’s Buyer’s Guide and there is a good chance that you’ve not visited one of its stores. But, it can only be described as a pocket rocket powerhouse for Style, which has a fiercely loyal customer base and is why MATCHESFASHION.COM has over the last decade become an authority on both contemporary and international menswear. It’s menswear buyer, Stacey Smith, started her career in the Retail Fashion industry working at the likes of Nicole Farhi and Paul Smith. She joined the retailer in 2002 and has spent the last decade establishing MATCHES as a real key player. Smith not only picked up hot British designers Jonathan Saunders and Rake in their first seasons, but has also introduced the coolest international labels, such as Carven, AMI and Michael Bastian to their menswear offering. MATCHESFASHION.COM’s rostrum of more than 100 carefully chosen brands is now a curated edit of international super-brands, young British designers, cult labels, sartorial legends and contemporary classics.

The Portfolio of the MATCHES lifestyle brand now boasts 11 stores and an international website, that ships to over 195 countries across the globe. However, its beginnings are far more humble, when, back in 1987, Tom and Ruth Chapman opened the first Matches store in Wimbledon Village, London. Since then MATCHES have worked with a plethora of names including Max Mara, Burberry and Diane Von Furstenberg on exclusive projects.

Mens Health consider it, “Shop here for the one luxury purchase you make this season.” and the Telegraph Magazine called it,“An elegant and easy-to- navigate site with a good selection from familiar names such as Paul Smith and Polo Ralph Lauren, as well as less widely available and interesting labels including Carven. A special mention for Matches’ excellent selection of eveningwear, if you have occasion to smarten up this season.”

So let’s see Stacey’s top buys for the season ahead;

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STACEY’S TOP TEN PICKS FOR AUTUMN 2014

1) Y3 TRAINER
2) RAF SIMONS /STERLING RUBY BOMBER
3) SAINT LAURENT RUC SACK
4) VALEXTRA DOCUMENT HOLDER
5) BALENCIAGA OVERCOAT
6) APC SWEATSHIRT
7) MASTERCRAFT DENIM JEANS
8) HAIDER ACKERMANN TROUSERS
9) CHRISTOPHER KANE JUMPER
10) LANVIN BOOTS