London Calling

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After the success of the Opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic games on Friday we thought we’d give you another chance to sample the delights of our guide to the host city. We decided to give you a insight to the not only the home of London Collections, but also the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the capital of Great Britain, yeah you guessed it, LONDON. Now to spice thing up we’ve only gone and asked a couple of the key designers who have shown their SS13 collection last week, for their favourite London tips, destinations and hang outs, with the help of our friends at the British Fashion Council. So whether you reside in Londonium, are planning a visit or just wanna know a little more about the place, relax and read through your essential guide ;

Top 5 Things to do

5) Head down to Borough Market, go hungry and take advantage of all the free samples.

4) Let yourself go, do something touristy – we recommend the London Eye, the Olympic Stadium or an open top Bus tour.

3) Head east and see what everyone is talking about, avoid the Nathan Barley’s (the reality is worse then the show, the show was tame), have a look round the Box Park pop up Mall. See where your taxes are being spent.

2) Use the Boris Bikes, obviously not a after a drink or two and take a ride down to the Serpentine.

1) Get a Time Out and see what’s on, it sound corny but, there is always so much going on in London. So, take advantage of being in one of the best cities in the WORLD.

Eat – Tayyabs – Probably the best curry this side of Mumbai (www.tayyabs.co.uk)

Sleep – Dean St Town house, you couldn’t get much more central (www.deanstreettownhouse.com)

Drink – The Cat & Mutton Broadway Market, a great pub in the one of the globe’s trendiest areas (www.catandmutton.com)

Ask a Designer

Christpher Raeburn – “The Chiswick Boot Fair has always been a personal favourite. I also recommend The Wapping Project and a walk around the surrounding area, as well as escaping the city (sort of) to Epping Forest.”

Lou Dalton – “The Charles Lamb pub in Islington, St. John in St. John Street and the Hunterian Museum.”

Oliver Spencer – “The Barbican for Bauhaus, followed by the James Bond Exhibition. Primrose Hill for the weather and Lambs Conduit Street because we love it.”

Patrick Grant – “Drink a Vesper at the bar at Dukes Hotel. Go for oysters at Wilton’s or Bentley’s.”

Christopher Shannon – “Shrimpy’s at the Filling Station in Kings Cross, Mishkins in Covent Garden and a walk along the Thames as long as your legs can take it.”

Matthew Miller – “Stour Space café in Hackney Wick for breakfast. You can sit next to the canals and the Olympic stadium and watch the rowers row by while enjoying the wares of the local artists, and the best Eggs Benedict in East London! Vietnamese from the Green Papaya, Hackney, is the best I have tasted anywhere.
Just spend a day walking around the streets of London, you never know what you’ll find.”

Richard Nicoll – “Sunday at Herald Street Gallery and shopping at LNCC, dinner at La Bodega Negra Mexican in Soho (book ahead) and then on to Horse Meat Disco for an evening jig.”

London skyline by night

www.britishfashioncouncil.com/

www.londoncollections.co.uk/men

All dried out for Summer

It’s warming up, slightly, it’s looking like summer’s, hopefully, on its way and the thought of holidays are creeping into our heads. Whether that be on a long deserted beach in some far flung destination or something a little nearer to home and a trip to some of blighty’s incredible coastlines. One thing you will definitely have to pack is swimwear, now before we move on any further, as you all know, here at Clothes-make-the-man.com we pride ourselves on being a no nonsense platform that cater for the requirements of the regular guy. So please this is a non swimming trunk shoot, strictly shorts and some of the best that are currently on the market.

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1) Checked shorts £39 by Medwinds
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2) Red Hebiscus print swim shorts £120 by Vilebrequin
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3) Pink checked swim shorts £45 by Bjorn Borg
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4) Purple & pink multi striped swim shorts £85 by Paul Smith
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5) Black, white & Biege swim shorts £35 by Fred Perry @JD Sports
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6) Navy whale print swim shorts £49.95 by Star Blu
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7) Shoe lace print swim shorts £45 by Nike 6.0
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8) Swirl patterned swim shorts £25.00 by Adidas @ JD Sport

STOCKISTS

www.medwinds.com

www.mrporter.com/Shop/Designers/Vilebrequin/Clothing

www.bjornborg.com

www.paulsmith.co.uk

www.jdsports.co.uk

www.starblu.com

www.nikestore.com

Summer Shoes -AskAnt

Morning good readers, I’m not going to beat about the bush today, it’s straight to business as there are good man folk out there in need of helpful, wholesome styling advice. So without further ado lets tackle the issue of the day;

Ahhh, the problems of the Great British Summer weather, totally unpredictable and can cause no end of problems for the well dressed chap about town and what to wear ????? OK Nicholas, as soon as I received your enquiry I turned to my infinite contacts books and sort the advice of some footwear aficionados. Firstly, I turned to the creator of your very own suave brogues, Mr Oliver Sweeney himself. They advised ;

“That will be our Bannister brogue, produced in a very soft leather with an antiqued patina. As he suggests the best way to protect them is to avoid the rain but we live in the UK, so a good care routine for them is the best way to avoid significant damage. To retain the same coloration, always use a neutral cream or polish, we’d recommend a beeswax variety, as opposed to synthetic polishes that don’t nourish the leather in the same way (you can play around with other colour polishes to slightly alter the colour of your shoes, but be aware that, if you don’t like the change it can be hard to reverse).

If they do get wet, stuff them with newspaper to draw out the water from the inside, and let them dry out in their own time. Don’t place next to an artificial heat source (such as a radiator etc) as this may crack the leather.”

Exhibit number 1 me lord, The Bannister Brogues, from Mr Oliver Sweeney, no less.

Wonderful advice as always, from the Shoemeister, but then the wonderful people over at Pierre Corthay, a true French master of footwear, offering me his top tips for shoe care;

– Once you start to feel the bumps on the ground (small stones etc), then it is time to resole your shoes. Once there is hole it is too late !

– The only secret one must alternate one’s shoes. We recommend that one wears a pair of shoes for no more then three consecutive days. This will ensure their longevity, prevent humidity and help keep their original shape. Once a week is even better.

– Leave your wet shoes to dry without shoe trees.

– At least once a week, clean leather shoes with a damp cloth (for smooth leather) or a dry brush (for velvet). Apply an adapted cleaning product for smooth leathers (polish, cream…), then glazing with dry and soft cloth. Polishing will be effective after the shoes are dry.

– When it comes to waterproofing, Pierre Corthay shoes made of leather with smooth aspect are already protected by the finish of the surface. On the other hand, the nubuck and velvet leathers need to be protected by the application of a waterproofing product.

– To maintain a pair of shoes, it is best to remove dirt with a brush or a damp cloth, then apply the appropriate cleaning products.

– Wet leather shoes should never be dried next to a heater. They may harden and become brittle. It is preferable to let them dry naturally and to insert newspaper to absorb the moisture.

www.corthay.fr

So Nicholas, all that is left for me to do is to tell you, the choice is yours ??? Do let us know if you found this advice helpful and join us again soon for another style clinic.

Sun’s so bright gotta wear shades

That time of year is drawing closer and closer, it doesn’t matter if the weather here is rubbish or not. If you haven’t booked a cheeky lil getaway, then maybe now’s the time to do so. Remember that feeling, bags packed, check, passport in order, check, high factor suncreams, check, sunglasses, ohh. Well don’t worry, rather then running around your high street, surfing countless websites or trawling through a shopping mall, we’ve saved you the trouble, here are a selection of the BEST sunnies money can buy for this season, enjoy.

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Wayfarer style sunglasses by Persol @sunglasses-shop.co.uk/

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Grey sunglasses with green detailing by Breo

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Mirrored lens with purple frame aviators by Ray Ban @ sunglasses-shop.co.uk

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Tortoise shell wayfarer style sunglasses by Oakley

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Foldaway wayfarer style sunglasses by Sunpocket

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Avaitor style sunglasses by Tom Ford @sunglasses-shop.co.uk

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Sports sunglasses by Carrera

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Avaitor sunglasses by Maui Jim

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Tortoiseshell frame sunglasses by Lacoste

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Red frame with white detailing wayfarer style sunglasses by TopMan

STOCKISTS –

sunglasses-shop.co.uk

www.persol.com

www.breo.com

www.ray-ban.com

www.oakley.com

www.sunpocketoriginal.com

www.tomford.com

www.carreraworld.com

www.mauijim.com

www.lacoste.com

www.topman.com

Lou Dalton – the First lady of Menswear

Dame Lou Dalton, you mark my words, its on the cards.

Today’s subject of Textual conversations had the nightmare task of kicking off proceedings for the first London Collections:Men  last week, so no pressure then !!! However, in the words of Gary Barlow, X-Factor circa 2011, “Wow! what a way to open to the show.” Lou Dalton totally rose to the occasion and took it all in her lady like stride. Dalton has established herself within Menswear with a signature aesthetic that showcases contemporary classicism and refined tailoring that is defined by her working-class roots and her dapper Teddy Boy father. She has the ability to develop exceptional well crafted garments that are both considered & at the same time functional. She has honed her craft by working with amongst others Stone Island, Crucianni Knitwear and tailor extraordinaire Charlie Allen. Now you would have thought this lady was too busy for interviews, but she made time to answer the questions of Clothes-make-the-man.com  

In your words, describe your SS13 collection ?

Light wool mohair tailoring mixed with M.O.D mesh. Harness inserts in contrast fabrics mixed with classic shirting. Oversized shirts worn with slim jersey sweatshorts.

  What was the inspiration for it ?

Obssession & restraint. Also the male leads in films such as Breaking Away, Eraser Head & Taxi Driver.

 

SS13

    What are the key pieces in it ?

The mesh inserted single breasted jackets, strap shoulder sweatshirts, harness cut shirts 

    What is you most memorable moment?

Seeing the boys lining up back stage about to walk out, the realisation that I actually got to this stage, also having key heavy weight press pop back stage to congratulate me on what they saw as a great show, very moved by that. Also meeting & chatting with Prince Charles.

    Who would do you ideal diner guest and why ?

At this moment in time the love of my life Justin Haigh, we haven’t been in each others company for a while due to the show. Within the public eye, from the past Princess Margaret, from the present David Hockney, both colourful souls with many a story to tell I’m sure.

    If you could give £1,000,000 to someone/something who would it be ?

I would split it between close family & friends, in return for all their constant love & support, my nearest & dearest have sacrificed a great deal, for that I will be forever greatful.

    What piece of clothing would you relegate to Room 101 ?

A couple of seasons back one of the collections was heavily inspired by Napoleon, pretty much all of that collection can be put into room 101

    What track would always get you on the dance floor ?

Raze, Break for Love

What piece of clothing should everyman have in his wardrobe ? 

A good crisp white shirt, preferbly one by Lou Dalton

Tell us something no one else knows ?

I was once on Alan Car’s tv quiz where I won a colourful rosette, this sits proudly upon my Christmas tree now, year in year out.

If you could only wear one brand/Designer, other then your own, for the rest of your life who would it be ? Why ?

Dries Van Noten, relevant when I was a student & still relevant today, considered & beautifully executed. Love, love, love

www.loudalton.com

Lou Dalton A/W12 Collection

Preview of SS13 Collection