anthonymcgrath405 / 17/04/2013

Laugh in the face of April Showers – Mackintosh

Charles Mackintosh

Back in 1823, a lowly Glaswegian chemist of the name Charles Mackintosh, came upon a discovery which would, literally, revolutionise, not only his life, but the lives of many around the world, for years to come. Then, like nowadays, people experienced great difficulty protecting themselves from the elements and the inclement weather. However, one of Charles experiments, essentially him messing around in his lab with one of the by-products of tar, naphtha, led to his invention of a waterproof fabric, the Mackintosh Cloth. This rubberised cloth is produced by spreading liquid, natural rubber between two fabrics, pressed and heated, its that simple. The coats made of this innovative fabric became an over night success and held must have status for THE coat to be seen in whilst walking in the rain. Slightly later in its life the “Mac” or “Mackintosh” as the coat then became known as, was adopted by the British Armed Forces for both World War I & II.

Jumping forward nearly 200 years and the Mac has lost none of its appeal or status and is still the coat to be seen in whilst walking in the rain ! The concept of the modern contemporary outerwear of the rubberised coat that Charles invented, has never strayed far from its origins and as the company put it themselves, “We never design too much and retain the simplicity and the tradition. This makes MACKINTOSH a timeless piece that expresses your individual style.”

Probably explaining the popularity of this piece not only with style makers and opinion formers but with the general well dressed dapper bloke.

MACKINTOSH SPRING 2013

anthonymcgrath405 / 15/04/2013

The Man with the Golden GUM – HAIRBOND Haircare

It isn’t unfair or unjust to call Hairbond a small player in the very big pond of male grooming products, which to be honest it’s a pond with some very big fish swimming about in it, nonetheless be prepare to hear and see a lot more form Hairbond over the coming months.

Hairbond make some pretty big statements in their brand literature, including, “Our task is to launch the highest quality brand with a superb range of products that prove that British haircare is truly the very best in the world.”

Additional to this the brand must be commended for the fact that none of their products are neither tested on animals nor do they condone or work with companies who perform unethical testing. Here, Here !

Hairbond was dreamed up by Scott Michaels, who founded he brand in 2008, principally because, “Our brand is not about gimmicks but giving people a quality British made alternative to their hairstyling routine”

The brand now exports globally and has an ever growing cult and celebrity fan base, which includes TV Presenters Dan Lobb, Iwan Thomas and Dan Walker, Footballers Michael Owen and Andy Reid and errrrr Dick and Dom.

Key products within the range include the MOULDER, which gives strong flexible hold gives immediate grab and high density texture while thickening hair’s appearance. The DISTORTER, this styling product creates texture with a supple finish. Flexible hold gives great results to thick straight hair. The SHAPER, you can achieve perfect finish with this strong hold product. It goes the distance and works fantastically giving shaped texture to your hair any way you want and the SCULPTOR,which is designed for separation and hold soft and easy, it works superbly on dry hair and separating thicker hair types. Plus this range is completed by a professional separate Shampoo and Conditioner.

anthonymcgrath405 / 11/04/2013

Be hidden in the Urban Jungle – Camouflage Trend

Good day my dear and trusted style gazers, as the weather is being as predictable as my child’s nightly sleep patterns I thought I would look at a trend which can be worn rain of shine, in the words of 80’s family groovers 5Star. Camo or Camouflage as you may know it has been floating around as a menswear trend for quite a few seasons now. Hopefully, you will have been a style consumer of great foresight and have invested in a piece or two of the camo variety over the past couple of seasons. As you see from below for Spring 2013 literally everyone has interpreted and tailored camouflage to their own likings, offering us, it in every conservable item of clothing, colour combination and from traditional Action Man-esque patterns to 21st Century state of the art stealth techno camo to even neon, floral, in your face ones.

I’ve sourced the great information Superhighway from start to finish looking for some of the better examples of this trend. Now please heed this warning, akin to not feeding the Mogwai after midnight, do not, I repeat do not wear to much of this trend at the same time or you’ll run the risk of looking like a reserve from the T.A. on civilian maneuverers, once again the maxim of less is more applies.

Must have piece, particularly for those pesky April showers is this Pac-a-mac from Superdry

A great take on the camouflage print by McQ by Alexander McQueen @ MrPorter.com

Camouflage sunnies just to complete that look from TOPMAN

Look sharp mixing and matching materials with the camo trend in these Windsor Shoes by Dr Martens

At ease solider in these camo print shorts by Scotch & Soda from John Lewis

Camo Eastpak luggage from House of Fraser

Formal up the trend with this blazer from Daniele Alessandrini @ FarFetch.com

Get your Camo on with this Tee by Marc by Marc Jacobs @ MrPorter.com

A unique Camouflage design by Diesel @ House of Fraser

On manoeuvres with this Racksack by Herschel @ John Lewis

Escape from the old routine in these high tops from Converse @ Topman.com

Not sure about the camo trend then add flashes of it with this tie from Mr Bathing Ape @ Coggles.com

anthonymcgrath405 / 10/04/2013

More of lifestyle than a shop – Coggles

The subject of today’s post is one of those retailers that if you don’t know about, just lie and nod with that knowing look in your eye but from post hence, you can now sound more knowledgable about clothing and will look cooler if you drop it casually into the conversation. In a nutshell, Coggles is a premium fashion and design retailer home to over 200 men’s and women’s designer collections from established fashion houses, emerging designers and great, rare international labels.

The company was founded in 1974 from rather humble beginnings and comprises of 3 regular bricks and mortar stores all based in York, Yorkshire, then back in 1996 they had the foresight to launches Coggles.com a reflective website of their award winning independent stores.Only last year, the website was redesigned to provide a better customer experience as well as a more attractive platform for delivering fashion and lifestyle content. This content, housed in the dedicated LIFE section on the website, includes the UK’s largest street style gallery with images added each week of well dressed, dapper folk from London, New York and the major fashion week cities across the globe; a music section featuring exclusive mixes, interviews and features; a bike section that explores the best bike workshops from around the world, and Culture – a regularly updated edit of the very best from art, food, photography, tech and travel. This LIFE content sits alongside Book and Home, further transactional sections of the site.

With an emphasis on ‘design not designer’, something that can be seen right across the brand, from the unique and beautifully restored grade II listed buildings which house the stores to the simplistic, minimal design of the website, which provides an elegant environment to shop a premium edit of mens and women’s wear. The list of brands stocked at Coggles.com is literally an encyclopaedia of zeitgeist, should know brands from A Question of and APC to Wood Wood and YMC.

Mark Bage CEO & Creative Director of the company best sums it up,

“Coggles has always viewed fashion in its wider context and we feel it’s all the more relevant when sitting alongside music, art, books, bikes, travel, food and photography – the everyday things we choose to live with”.

THE CROSS SECTION OF COGGLES SPRING 2013

anthonymcgrath405 / 09/04/2013

If the cap fits – “New Era by you” customisable cap program

I know Spring, lets not push it with Summer yet, seems a LONG way off, but it will arrive, I promise, be patient. Now when it does, finally, arrive we can wear T-shirts, remember those and short sleeves, lightweight jacket, in case it rains, not snow. Plus, you can wear hats to keep the sun out of them, yes Sun remember that big Yellow thing in the sky that felt nice and warming on your skin. Well, when the weather finally does improve bear this great stylish idea in mind. The good people over at New Era have come up with a new fangled computer program which allows fans to create one-of-a-kind 59FIFTY or 9FIFTY Snapback caps online. Featuring more than 200 logos, 33 fabric colours and 56 thread colours, cap lovers everywhere, of all ages, gender, colour or creed can now create a completely unique cap.

With all of the various colour and logo combinations, New Era by You has the potential to create more than 10 billion different styles and designs of caps at the touch of a button. The unique brand experience can also be shared with loved ones via custom New Era By You gift cards, available to purchase exclusively via the site.

You are taken through an easy-to-use, step-by-step experience on newerabyyou.com, where you can create a cap reflective of your personal style, taste and loyalties. Alongside official National Basketball Association, American Basketball Association, NYC Boroughs etc users of New Era by You are able to customise and colourise every single facet of their cap – from the colour of its stitching and panels to the intricate details of the front and rear logos. Consumers are also able to browse previous users’ designs via the online gallery, with the option to vote for their favourite cap.

With all of the various colour and logo combinations, New Era by You software has the potential to create more than 10 billion different styles and designs of caps at the touch of a button !!!! Plus this experience can also be shared with loved ones via custom New Era By You gift cards, available to purchase exclusively via the site, if that tickles your fancy.

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