CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

The extraordinary mens blog for the modern man
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The Buyer’s Guide to Spring 2014 – Adrian Gibson – Harvey Nichols

imageOK, OK I know it feels like Spring might be a bit premature but I promise, if we really think positive thoughts, I’m sure it’ll come. Anyway, the subject of today’s Buyer’s Guide has over 20 years’ experience buying for luxury Department Stores, having worked at both Selfridges and Harrods. During his eight years at the ‘Town House Boutique’, Harvey Nichols, he has bought a repertoire of Menswear for the retailer. Harvey Nichols as a retailer, currently has stores in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol in the UK and internationally Dublin, Riyadh, Hong Kong, Dubai, Turkey and Kuwait. The London flagship store is located in the heart of Knightsbridge, London’s most fashionable and exclusive shopping district. But, more importantly back to the  person in question, Mr Adrian Gibson, today he specialises in the Casual and Diffusion Collections, while continuing to introduce new and innovate brands into the Denim Gallery. So what is his top buys for Spring 14 ?

imageThere have been a lot of Animal themed prints in the last fewseason but I think this one is cleverly executed and is a great accessible price point by A Question Of

imageThis beautiful laser cut trench is from New brand to HN for SS14 Herno who produce understated but technically brilliant outerwear from Italy

imageHN (Harvey Nichols) welcomes back Versus Versace for SS14 starting with singer MIA’s collaboration which is printastic with the main collection arriving shortly.

imageThe move on from the Tiger this season at Kenzo is the Waveas shown on this knit … although we still have plenty of Tigers in new colour ways if you haven’t got one yet

imageThis Canada Goose jacket is in collaboration MulitmediaArtist Eepmon who designed the elaborate lining to this jacket.  Only 150 of the jackets made worldwide and the jacket is Exclusive to HN in the UK

imageI am a total sneaker collector and these McQueen Skull & Lace plimsolls are definitely on my list for Summer  ‘14

imageThe homage to super brand Givenchy continues … Love this update of the Star print with Summer Rose print

imageWe adore the quality and perfection of the Psycho Bunny Polo and this time finished off in attention grabbing Large Gold Bunny … Exclusive to HN in the UK is going to get you noticed

imageSweatshirts are my garment of choice at the moment and I think Neil Barrett’s are one of the most desirable … Colour blocked and sporty

imageBrand new in to HN but also Bang on trend … Amazing design and practical efficiency by Kris Van Assche

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Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: The Best of British Menswear Designers X Grenson Shoes for MRPORTER

imageIn the latest of an increasingly must have exclusive line of collaborations, hosted by uber e-tailer MRPORTER.COM  is with, what can only be described as the hottest role call in young British Menswear Designers. The likes of Agi & Sam, Craig Green, Christopher Raeburn, Matthew Miller, Katie Eary and Sibling have each designed a pair of shoes, made by heritage footwear brand Grenson, which will be sold exclusively on MR PORTER.

The Grenson factory in Northamptonshire was founded in 1866 , and was the first in the world to employ the “Goodyear welt” method of construction, a technique that has become a hallmark of all well-made British shoes. In 2005 Tim Little joined the company as Creative Director to revitalise the brand and with the launch in 2006, of his easier, altogether more modern take on traditional English shoes, introduced Grenson to a whole new generation of men.

Taking the multiple styles on offer within the Grenson G: Lab programme, the designers have applied their very creative and individualistic vision to a mix of boots, brogues and loafers. Agi & Sam’s shoe uses three different types of black leather on a thick crepe rubber sole, while Katie Eary has created a cobalt blue double monk. Craig Green has taken an all-black brogue and added a utilitarian elastic strap fastening and chunky tread, and Matthew Miller has given a black derby shape a crocodile-effect treatment. Christopher Raeburn’s contribution is a military inspired boot, and Sibling’s trademark use of colour is evident in a pair of sky blue penny loafers with bright pink lining.

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NEVILLE – A NEW line of grooming products for the discerning gentleman

imageWith quality at the heart of the brand’s complete thinking, NEVILLE is loaded with natural ingredients that work hard to deliver results. Think of NEVILLE as a self-defence system against life’s natural aggressors: grime, pollution, weather and stress, all known to wreak havoc on your skin and hair.

From the people, not only behind the British beauty and lifestyle brand Cowshed, but the Soho House Group, who as we all know are synonymous with luxury, A-list, exclusivity. NEVILLE is the ultimate in premium British grooming for gents who like to look sharp in seconds.

The no nonsense essence of NEVILLE will keep men looking at the top of their game each day with a choice of one of 12 different grooming products, including, NEVILLE Clean & Shave. So face the day with this 2-in-1 timesaver. Simply work into a thick, full lather to cleanse skin, then wash off or use the foam to shave before rinsing away. With moisturising Sugar Beet Extracts and Aloe Vera to soothe and repair, this formula softens and primes skin for a closer shave without irritation.

Also, the NEVILLE Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner, created for the busy lifestyle needs of modern men, this 2in1 offers a quick fix solution to cleanse and strengthen hair. The dual-action formula helps to increase hair retention and reduce loss and breakage. Seaweed Extracts hydrate, Clove and Bergamot fight anti-oxidants, whilst Amino Acids revitalise and repair the hair and scalp. Within the range we have the Tobacco Musk Cologne, offering a woody oriental scent that is full of character and quintessentially masculine. Top notes of Bergamot and Grapefruit combined with middle notes of Clove and Frankincense combine with deep base notes of Vanilla and Cedarwood.

 

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6 of the best Designer Trainers by Dominic Heron-Sturt

There was time when style boundaries were very clear cut and definite, casual wear was casual and formal attire was, well formal and the same could very much be said for designer brands and sports wear and never the twain should meet. Then some years ago we started to see the likes of  Y3 a collaboration by Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas or Jil Sander for Puma. Then we saw designer brands like Gucci venture in traditional sportswear territory and producing great looking sneakers, giving these Designer/ Sportwear hybrids a run for their money.

Nowadays, this sort of collection is common place from Jeremy Scott for Adidas to John Varvatos for Converse. In fact even the team GB’s kit for the 2013 London Olympics was designed in collaboration with Stella McCartney and Adidas. So we’ve looked at some of the best Designer interpretations of Sportwear trainers around on the market at the moment. Check em out –

imageGuiseppe Zanotti Eagle High Top Trainers

imageGivenchy Tyson High-Top Trainers

imageMarc Jacobs Parker High Top Trainers

imageKris Van Assche Crocodile Effect Leather Trainers

imageGisueppe Zanotti Crocodile Effect Leather Trainers

imageMasion Martin Margiela Future High Tops

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I’m spoking your language -Spoke, by Sarah Gilfillan

imageAs a personal stylist for men I’m fully aware that the current trend for a skinny and super skinny fit is no friend of the gentleman with a manly (read chunky) set of thighs. It’s proving a bit of a nightmare to find much choice in trousers for those clients, especially with chinos, as sometimes when you do go for a more standard fit they can end up looking, how should I put this, a little old fashioned. So, when I heard aboutSpoke I rejoiced, and even more so when I realised I already knew it’s founder, Ben Farren.

imageLet me tell you about them – they have a tightly edited selection of chinos in a variety of colours, and the brilliant part is that they come in all sizes, going up in 1″ increments in the waist size & leg length, plus they also come in different “builds”. All you need to do is to measure round your thighs, your waist and your inside leg, and punch that into their calculator and it’ll tell you the size and build you need to order. They have a wide range of sizes, going up to a 36″ waist and down to a 28″ leg length, but if they don’t happen to have them in stock they’ll make them up to order.

With free shipping and returns, a pretty reasonable price tag, and a complimentary tape measure if you don’t have one, all in all I reckon this makes for a pretty great service. And with no more pesky alterations needed at the dry cleaners to get a perfectly fitted pair of trousers, whether you have knobbly knees or chunky thighs, you might just find that Spoke is your new best friend.

imageSarah Gilfillan is founder of www.sartorialab.co.uk