The Greatest gift they’ll get this year – For the man who has everything and the person who can afford it !!!

250x250_CMTM_BannerWe all know someone who has everything they could possibly desire, you know the person, where you think of a brilliant gift only to be told he already has one. Whether it be a Brother, Dad best mate, cousin, Uncle, boyfriend or even one’s self, its a flipping nightmare to buy for them so we have LITERALLY picked up that internet thingy given it a good shake and gone through it with a fine tooth comb to give you some blooming well fantastic gift ideas, even if those gift ideas happen to be for yourself. Take a look –

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Who could resist this Backpack from Louis Vuitton, in keeping with the Mountaineering/Explorer theme from their Autumn/Winter 2013 Show,  Menswear Designer Kim Jones produced a Masterful collection, still managing for it to be wearable and totally desirable.

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Who’s says White Men can’t jump, Christopher Bailey of Burberry has worked and reworked animal prints into all sorts of luxury goodies, from man bags of all shapes and sizes to these hi-top-tastic trainers. Looking good !

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This amazing leather bound games compendium by Bill Amberg is ‘Made in England’ from Bridle leather. There are boards for backgammon, chess, draughts and noughts and crosses, It also comes with pieces for these games all wrapped up in a leather box. Perfect for travel or home and great entertainment for all the family, like after the turkey and stuffing and before the mince pie and brandy butter.

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My Life is complete ! Or it will be with this Tateossian paperweight at a cool £10,000, its what every man wants and needs, he just might not know it just yet.

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How truly decadent and could this gift be any more Rock n Roll ??? Strangely enough the brainchild of actor Dan Aykroyd, Crystal Head Vodka is the statement drink and gift this season. The enigmatic, hand crafted Crystal Head Vodka is based upon thirteen crystal heads found in various regions around the world.

 As if the legend wasn’t cool enough, Crystal Head Vodka spent the Summer partnering up with the Rolling Stones themselves to create the definitive Stone’s lover gift pack. The Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary set

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For anyone in the international jet set, you won’t be stuck without power abroad again with this Travel Adapter from Mulberry. A chic leather pouch reveals the adapter, compatible with plug sockets pretty much across the globe. There is also a USB connection for charging a wide variety of devices. Just don’t forget to take it with you!

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Now if you desk is a bit more bomb site then place of tranquility this is the perfect gift. This luxury calf leather desk set from Graf von Faber-Castell, available from Harrods.com features a letter opener, notelet box, pen tray, pen holder, 6 guilloche pencils and a desk pad.

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Now everyone and we mean everyone needs some down time, even the most workaholic out of us and down time requires the correct attire, but for some people your regular hoodie won’t cut it. Now this Loro Piana silk and cashmere-blend hoodie from MRPORTER.com embodies contemporary sportswear luxury. This Italian-crafted knit delivers ease and elegance in equal measure. Wear it with cashmere sweatpants for a contemporary your time look or refined in-flight lounging.

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Bloggers Create – The Tateossian project

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Bloggers Create/Anthony McGrath from Tateossian London on Vimeo.

To our loyal readers who also follow the mundane trappings and rambling of myself via our numerous social media channels, you will have seen some interesting mussing over the last few months about BloggersCreate and some good natured banter between myself and a couple of other bloggers.

Basically the story starts a couple of months back when the jewellery brand Tateossian commissioned five of the UK’s leading bloggers,  Dan Hasby-Oliver, Last Style of Defense; Craig Landale, Menswear Style, Luke Todd, FashionBeans,Callum Watt, Maketh-The-Man and yours truly to design a limited edition bracelet which would then be unveiled as part of London Collections:MEN in January. Until recently I’ve been under strict instructions to keep the entire project top secret and even now I can’t discuss my creation until the official unveiling on 6th January.

The Design Process

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Hmmmm very interesting, says Anthony as he’s briefed on the Project.

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I think we’ll need more. Exclaimed Anthony.

Anthony MO 1Adrienne, Head of Press for Tateossian is Lost for words, for once, as Anthony declares he wants more Gold !

 

To be Continued ….

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Socks are for life not just for Christmas – Socks don’t have to be boring

250x250_CMTM_BannerThe more ardent followers of Clothes-Make-the-Man will be aware of Richmonsocks.com and what a sterling job they have done in revolutionising, not a word I use lightly, the way we not only look at socks but purchase them. So when the talented Sarah Gilfillan of Sartorial Lab approached me with a shoot idea on the not so humble sock and using some of the brilliant socks available from Richmond Sock. Well, how could I refuse.

PipeFinal

The Chap Sock

Red argyle socks by Corgi

DJFinal

The Hipster Sock
Orange cotton socks by Pantherella

BusinessFinalThe Business Sock
Black and grey dress socks by Casa Italia by Bresciani

ExplorerFinal

 

The Explorer Sock
Green and purple striped socks by Corgi

EveningFinalThe Evening Sock
Black merino wool socks by Zimmerli of Switzerland

PartyFinal

 

The Party Sock
Coral cotton socks by Mazarin

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The Travelling Sock
Blue herringbone socks by Casa Italia by Bresciani

Photographer – Mel Allen at MelAllen.com
Concept & Styling – Sarah Gilfillan at Sartorial Lab

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May your Days be Merry and Bright – What have you bought your Mum this Yuletide ?

728x90_CMTM_BannerOK then, its Mum’s turn to give you guys a couple of helpful hints on what to buy one, if not THE most important lady in your life. Remember, your mum looks after you 365 days a year and we don’t get a lot of opportunities to show our appreciation for this most wonderful of creations, so follows these simple gift ideas, which should suit every budget.

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We love these Faux Fox fur slipper sox from Joules – Mums expect to get slippers at Christmas and these wont disappoint.

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The perfect combination to help your Mum to set the festive mood with these gorgeous scented candles that capture the essence of Christmas and create a festive atmosphere from Diptyque. Pomander: Reminiscent of a Christmas orange, sprinkled with cloves and cinnamon. Feu de Bois: This sophisticated blend of rare woods recalls the crackling of an open fire. Warm and familiar during the winter days and Opopanax: Extracted from the bush of Persia, the resin is captivating and enigmatic by the warm vanilla undertones

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Keep Mum cosy in this British designed Beige Rainbow Stripe hot water bottle from the Row Pinto Collection in 100% Lambswool from Liberty London.

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The Tuscan Sun Cashmere Scarf at Banana Republic – will brighten up even the most Wintery day and bring a little ray of sunshine that will delight Mum.

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This is a glamorous and warm Dressing Gown from Marks and Spencer for lounging around over the Christmas holidays and you can wait on Mum for a change.

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Blow her away with this hairdryer by hairdresser extraordinaire Nicky Clark at next.com

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For Mums with a sophisticated sweet tooth try Cocoa Boutique’s Best of the Best Selection. Chocolate tasting experience. Includes award winning 3 star Passion Fruit, Salted Caramels and, hand finished treats from Artisan chocolatiers John Beard and Catherine Bracegirdle which brings together pralines, fruits, caramels and cheeky alcoholic truffles.

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This Mesh Rondal necklace incorporates links and chains to create a piece that is light and wearable. In rhodium plated sterling silver or gold plated rings of delicately wrapped mesh from tateossian.co.uk

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No Mistletoe required – Getting Office Party Attire Spot on

250x250_CMTM_BannerThis Friday night is, that night of the year, some see it as the most dreaded night on the calendar, whilst others count the days down from last years one. Yes, if you work in an Office environment the likelihood is you’ll  be heading off to your annual office party. Making an impact at this event is all too important, be too gregarious and your seen as not being professional. Staying quite and keeping yourself to yourself, your seen as being standoffish and not a leader of people. Plus not attending is not an option as then your seen as. not a committed member of staff, who sees himself as better then the rest and you can kiss goodbye to that promotion or pay rise.

If you feel you need a little more advise to avoid the minefield that is the Office Christmas Party take a look at this link from last year when we covered the do’s & don’ts etiquette of this nightmarish event.

Now to ensure you look your best for the big bash, we’ve selected  an outfit to cover each scenario that could possibly cover the Partay, we really are too good to you guys.

The casual Office event

So it might be a meal, drinks down the pub but essential quite an informal setting, where you don’t wanna rock up looking like you’ve made a real effort and overdressed for the occasion.

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This is a winning choice from Barbour, as it shows your entering into the spirit of the Yuletide without going all out Christmas Jumper extravaganza.
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I know I’ve said this before but its an absolute staple, the Black Shirt, this one from Marks & Spencer, is a great all rounder. If the Christmas do takes a turn and you wanna take it onto a club or somewhere a little more upmarket you can whip the jumper off and it gives a completely different look to your outfit without having to go home and change. Plus if  you pair this with.
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A pair of chinos, my advise is keep the look simple you don’t wanna look like one of Santa’s lil helpers in your fair isle knit and red or green chinos so stay traditional. These are a great example from Ben Sherman and the reason for Chinos over jeans is simple, it gives you more options. Alot of establishments, particularly at this time of year aren’t welcoming of lads wearing jeans so do yourself a favour and make sure your night doesn’t come to and abrupt and early end.
Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 20.43.26Finish this look off with the highly versatile Finton from Grenson,  these lil lovelies can pretty much be worn with anything, they will see you through so many different occasions over the years. Not only timeless, they can be dressed up or down and still look great.

The Semi-casual event

Now this is when your boss is flashing the cash and has hired a venue for the Annual shindig, whether it be hotel, hall or even if its not been such a great year, pushed all the desks and chairs to the walls to make a dance floor and some room for Sharon from accounts Boyfriend Mark to show what he’s worth on the decks.

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This is a great look that sends out all the right messages, from yeah, I’ve made just the right amount of a effort, to Ohh yes I know how to put an outfit together effortlessly. This herringbone jacket and waistcoat combo can be bought as separates but also include a pair of trousers all from NEXT.

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These are a great pair of jeans from Oliver Spencer, Comfortable fit on the waist, front and back rise and a regular fit on the leg Dark Indigo Denim plus great value for money and will look great with this jacket and waistcoat.

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I’ve gone for a Chambray Oxford style shirt from Joules, rather then a white shirt as this can sometimes look too formal and you can easily smarten this look up with a navy tie and a pocket square. Plus it goes really well with the grey herringbone.

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Once again I’ve kept the outfit simple and finished it off with a classic pair of shoes, this time with Brogues from Oliver Sweeney. You want to keep things simple so there’s less for you to worry about and if you know you look good this will help with your confidence on the night. This look strikes a real balance and shows that you know what you’re doing.

 

The Formal event

So here you have it the final in the options for the Christmas Party looks to impress. The formal event, this is often when you have to attend a ball style function. Now once again you need to strike a balance of looking good, looking confident and standing out form the crowd for all the right reasons.

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Now this is a tuxedo that ticks all of those boxes from Banana Republic, you’re making a statement by going Navy rather then traditional black but at the same time looking totally dapper.

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You’ve made your statement with the Navy tux so you need to keep the rest of the look classic and sober. This is a brilliant dress shirt from the French brand Ami, which does does that, understated yet chic.

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Its all in the detail and this classic with a twist Black bow tie from TOPMAN finishes of this look perfectly, its just a little smaller then the traditional bow ties.

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These are a great dress shoes from Ted Baker and aren’t too traditional so you can easily wear these on other occasions with jeans.

So whatever your Christmas party follow these tips and it should hold you in fine fettle so you can hold your head high come Monday Morning.

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