CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Hardly anyone looks forward to wrapping their Christmas presents, and of that few that do get some odd perverse enjoyment from this, very few people are actually any good at it. In fact because of this fact the sale of decorated gift bags have sky rocketing in the last five years. Now as you all know by now we at Clothes Make The Man get great enjoyment out of making your life easier and so to finish off our essential guide to all things Christmassy we have sort the wrapping advice of an EXPERT. Yes, none other then QVC Presenter and all round Crafting Genius, yes and I don’t use that word freely, Stephanie Weightman ! Let me leave you in very skilled hands;

Wrapping Presents (Lo Res)

For more information on Stephanie or tips on Crafting go to Crafting.co.uk

As we hurtle closer to the big day, there is always, that male relative who is especially hard to buy for, why ? Because he has everything !!!!! You ask him every year, what do you want for Christmas ? Or you think you have the perfect gift idea, until you see him with it already ! Arghhhhhhhh how infuriating it is year in year out, well no longer, hear me, no longer. We at Clothes make the man hear and feel your pain and so we got our thinking cap on because, well we are those men who have everything and we can empathise, because, well me know how hard we are to buy for, so here are some ideas, folks.

What better gift idea for the man who has everything other then SOCKS ! No not just any old sock the finest Cashmere socks from Patherella from the finest of Sock e-tailers. Richmondsocks.com

Like us all the Man who has everything DOES have down time and like us all is partial to a spot of LEGO. Hey, this isn’t building a car or a house, oh no this is Architecture LEGO that has taken some of the finest examples of Modern Architecture and transported it to the world of the brick. See the Guggenheim Museum here, but you can also acquire the Sydney Opera House, The Empire State Building and Burj Khalifa.

Mere mortal trainers like what we wear just don’t cut the mustard. Check these bag boys out from Gucci, no less.

The Man who has everything, finally will have when he unwraps this beauty from Parda come Christmas Morn.

The Man who has everything, finally will have when he unwraps this beauty from Prada come Christmas Morn.

Of Course, Smythsons of Bond St, personalised Stationery, an ideal gift, when one is stuck for what to get for that bligher !

Of Course, Smythson of Bond St, personalised Stationery, an ideal gift, when one is stuck for what to get for that bligher !

If you wish to share the same Tailor as 007 himself. Seek out the service of Designer extraordinaire Mr Tom Ford. Yes, you will have to dig deep into those perfectly bespoke pockets, but it’ll be worth it, trust me.

You can’t buy the man who has everything a simple off the shelf scent ! He can’t be smelling the same as us plebs. Invest in a signature fragrance for him. Boutique fragrance house Miller Harris offer this service where they will literally create your own scent, specifically for you from your instructions and personally preferences.

X-boxes, i-Pads, Playstations and Nintendos are all good and well and don’t get me wrong they have their place in gifting. But you won’t find them in this Gift guide, NO, we’ve decided to take it back and look at gifts that Santa himself would relish taking down the chimney. So if your stuck for something to buy for the lil tikes in your life, then here you go, plus we’ve selected gifts that, you know, you might even have some fun and enjoy yourself with.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom we’re going to the moon in this Cardboard Rocket by Cardboardtoys.com. OK maybe don’t leave it outside over night, not in this weather.

The Force will be strong in you if you go for some of the great clothes for kids of a younger age group from sotinylondon.com With images as diverse and iconic as Stone Roses, Star Wars, The Rolling Stones and Batman amongst others, have your offspring looking the coolest in the playground.

You can’t beat a board game after a spot of Roast dinner and before a turkey and stuffing sandwich and what better board game the the daddy of them all Monopoly. But this is no ordinary Monopoly, ohhh no, this is Monopoly Millionaire. Your playing with the big boys now.

Go all Retro on them and go for some Swedish Hasbeen shoes.

What kid wouldn’t want to wake up on Christmas Morn and have the Millennium Falcon in LEGO to play with and if you wanted to “help” build it, I’m sure it would be appreciated and maybe even play with it on your own at some point, even.

What boy or girl, no matter their age, could resist this Multi play Table from Tesco.com games from table football to pool and ping pong !!!!

Anyone for Quidditch ? Of course in the Gryffindor stripe ! This was one of the recommendations from Harrods themselves !

The hot toy for this Yuletide is a bit of a retro throw back in Furby, it was annoying in the 1990’s and if anything they are even more so now, but with more technological advances !!!

They’ll be rockin around the Christmas Tree when they see this great Rocking Horse pendant by Ted Baker

Yee-ha Cowboy jump on the back of Jnr Bobbin from Joules

ZZZzzzzzzzzz

This coming Friday, yes Friday 14th December is the most popular date for Office Christmas parties, this year. You and your colleagues from offices and places of work up and down the land will be coming, or should I say thrown, together to celebrate the Yuletide season. The Office Christmas party is up there with a UN Peace Conference or a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, for being a potential volatile environment. Ken in Accounts getting into a fight with Bill from Marketing or Peter from Head Office being caught in the disabled toilets with Karen from HR or Susan from from the Kendal office being in tears because Nigel from I.T. who were smooching to Wham’s Last Christmas, had gone in for a snog and Susan has just got engaged to Paul and sees Nigel as just a friend. Ohhhh Office Christmas Do’s can be great fun, honest, but there are a couple of golden rules that you need to adhere to, to stop that FEAR when you awake on Saturday morning-ish.

Do: Enjoy yourself, get to know your colleagues a little better, but not too much better, if you know what I mean, cough, First aid cupboard.

Don’t be the talk of the office on Monday

Don’t: Goes without saying Don’t drink and drive, book a cab beforehand.

Do: Treat people as you would like to be treated, remember that one, not always easy but in the long run it’s the best way.

Don’t: Be the talk of the Office on Monday Morning leave that to someone else.

Do: Be fun, til the season to be jolly.

Don’t: photocopy your bits and bobs (Or at least don’t get caught)

Don’t: Sit in the corner and sulk, It’s a party, have fun.

Do: Dance, it’s Christmas ! In the words of Noddy Holder of Slade.

Ohhhh I’ll see you in court !

Don’t: Bring a dodgy friend that may get into a fight or decide to dance on the desks.

Do: Be cordial to that person that does your head in. It is Christmas so try to put on your happy face on, if just for one night.

Don’t: Decide it’s a great time to tell your co-workers what you really think. How you are sick of him/her not pulling their weight. Speaking of weight, do not mention how he/she could do with losing a few pounds, NO !.

Do: Keep the conversation upbeat and casual, til the season to be jolly, after all.

Don’t: Get into office politics, it’s easy to fall into this trap. Work is common ground so inevitably the conversation will be work based. Try not to talk about Sandra’s boyfriend or the fact that she’s going through her third divorce.

I can feel that hangover from here

Do: Dress well, if your office is a suited one, still dress smart but wear a decent pair of jeans, don’t end up looking like Jeremy Clarkson, think more Gary Barlow or Ryan Gosling.

Don’t: Wear a novelty Christmas Clothing, it might be a party but you do want to keep your dignity and want people to see you as professional come Monday.

Do: Talk to your boss. If it’s at your boss’s house, thank him or her for having you, it’s polite.

Don’t: Decide it’s a good time to talk about a raise or Christmas bonus. Maybe bonuses were cut this year, if you are deeply upset by this, maybe you should give it a miss, yeah.

The Ideal Outfit for your Office Party

This Black velvet jacket by Ted Baker is not only festive and bang on trend but will have you feeling like 007 when you enter the room and play, go for it wear it with a pocket square, if someone dares, take the mick, put them in there place with a witty put down like, “Did we get dressed in the dark again” or “What are you wearing to the party tonight ?”

Keep it simple and this shirt from Mark & Spencer will have you looking $1000,000 even though it costs just a faction of that. Team this black shirt with the black velvet jacket for a sophisticated look. Plus it won’t show the sweat from a boogie on the dance floor or if you spill a drink down yourself. These things happen !

Now yes its an Office party and you want to keep an air of professionalism, but it is a party with these jeans from Albam not only are you giving a casual element to this look but you are putting it out there, “Yep I know how to dress.”

Finish the look with these little beauties from Grenson @ MrPorter.com. Please trust me don’t ruin this perfect outfit with novelty socks or tie, keep it simply and trust me if you go with this outfit for your your office party, you will have a great time and if you following the golden rules. I just think that promotion AND rise might just be in the bag.

Normally the one to watch section of the blog is reserved for young, up and coming brands, however today we’ve made an exemption to the rule as Lyle & Scott almost feel like a new brand as they have so much coming up over the next couple of months. But before we move forward, we can’t miss out the rich history of this brand which stretches back to 1874 when it was founded with a loan of £800 from an Edinburgh based investment company and £500 from a local corn merchant by Messers William Lyle and Walter Scott in the Scottish town of Hawick. Lyle & Scott have, as the Headline reads, stayed true to its roots and still today draws on its over 130 year archive that includes designs by Christian Dior and Michael Kors.

However, is wan’t until 1960 that the Eagle finally landed and started to be used by the brand as their iconic logo and round about this time they started to establish themselves as key players in the world of Golf apparel. During the 1970’s & 80’s their bright and patterned knitwear became synonymous with the golfing world and the Celebrities of the day. It was common place for such stars as Sean Connery, Greg Norman or Comedian Ronnie Corbett, who would be sat in his arm chair telling us of a funny thing happening to him on his way into work, to be seen wearing the unmistakable knits.

Like with every good brand it had a period in the 90’s where it took, what can only be called a sabbatical from the style scene but like a phoenix from the ashes of the new millennium came out fighting with a re-branded new look and feel which was followed by the launch of Lyle & Scott Vintage. Like in the 80’s the retro aesthetic look of Lyle & Scott became a hit again with the likes of The Arctic monkeys, Kasabian, Dermot O’Leary, Steve Jones and the cast of Skins.

For AW12 the Heritage collection takes a trip along the great British coastline, using inspiration from the traditional Naval and Maritime dress code to create a sophisticated and stylish winter wardrobe. The key piece of the collection that embodies the design ethos perfectly is a Melton wool pea coat in navy, a real time-honoured classic. Of course, the knitwear offering is at the core of the collection with a shawl collar Submariner sweater in 100% heavy gauge merino wool. Another knitwear highlight includes a crew neck pullover, available in a range of colours and made in Scotland from 100% lambswool, providing a simple but timeless winter indulgence. Cords complete the Heritage look, capturing the nautical dress code of the season in navy or burgundy.

Now with British designer Caroline Massey taking at the helm watch this space for another new and always interesting turn in the next chapter of Lyle & Scott

LyleandScott.com