Well heeled – Six of the Best Brogues

The Evenings are drawing in, Summer is starting to be nothing but a deem distance memory, hey ! Nothing to worry about Autumn & Winter offer men some of the best items to wear and show of over the coming months. Whether that be wrapping yourself up in great knitwear, getting a new winter coat, some great examples out there, but we’ll come to them later and of course the Great British Brogue, check out six of the best below –

Beautiful and a real design classic by a great British brand who know more then a thing or two about brogues, Grenson.

Brogues don’t always have to be so traditional and no surprises who have given these, his own individual spin by Paul Smith

Its not just desert boots and senible shoes that this brand is known for and a great little twist on a classic here Ernest Limit Black Leather Brogue from Clarks.

Looking for something a little different ? Now although not everyone’s cup of tea. These brogues from DrMartens won’t break the bank and with look great whatever the occasion.

Back to a classic with a twist and now for one from the Grandaddy of the brogues and a brand synonymous with not only Brogues but great footwear is Churches.

We couldn’t show you six of the best Brogues without showing you an example of a great sneaker version and this is very much one from Ted Baker

 

 

 

Tis The Season To Be Stylish – A Guide For Christmas Outings

by Keanu Adorable

Tis the season of blessings and joy, and there’s no excuse to just throw on a Christmas jumper that you dug out from the back of your closet that you got from your mum or significant other from last year or could even be the year before. Whether you’ll be roasting chestnut on the open fire or down the pub with your mates, we here at Clothes Make The Man are going to make sure you are prepared for the season’s events ahead and have your Christmas wardrobe covered.

Christmas Office Party

Dressing the part and knowing what to wear can sometimes be a tricky issue, should it be super formal or super casual, or somewhere in-between? A no brainer and the key piece of fashion advice when dressing, you should wear what the occasion dictates. If there is a dress code or theme to the party, then stick to that.. A perfectly tailored suit that’s easily adaptable or semi-formal blazers and trousers will complement cocktail looks. Keep things classic with dusky navies, subdued cobalt and muted greys. Stick to tailored suits that are fitted, but not too tight. Keep blazers figure hugging, fresh and modern and alter pants to just skim the top of the footwear.

Blazer

Shirts

Fitted dress shirts are proper, classic and safe in whites or powder blues. With that in mind, a modern or brighter patterned button down shirts can give a new edge to your outfit, provided they are not too over the top. Build on the colour of your suit with complementary shades that will look presentable and well put together.

Shoes

Great shoes should not be overlooked or underestimated. A traditional round toe leather Oxford is timeless and the shoe of choice for that smart attire look. Upgrade your style in authentic leathers and switch things up with different textures like brogue punch holes. Loafers can be considered if the event is less formal but keep them relatively classic with colours in and black, navy or brown.

Christmas Eve

Whichever style Christmas Eve you tend to have, it’s also a good time to chuck on some fresh threads and look your best. This night is one of the best times to get together with friends and have a good drink down your local or have a more traditional family gathering and a takeaway or head out for a meal, casual attire would suit best, but it’s important to add a bit of a bit of swagger too. Pieces we recommend are overcoats and roll neck sweaters that will keep you warm, these can paired with smart trousers and smart looking trainers.

 

Christmas Day

Start the day of right with with these pair of White Company Pyjamas, will make sure you get a good nights sleep for the big day, and feel the warm cheerful christmas spirit with your family.

Oh Brother where art thou – 6 of the best Monk Shoes by Marcus Burns

What a weird name for a shoe your probably thinking? Double monk strap. Well yes there is reason behind the strange name and it dates back centuries from when monks in Europe wanted more protective footwear than the honest Jesus sandals they normally wore gave them, the monkshoe was hard wearing and long lasting, making it a perfect choice as a work shoe. For centuries now the shoe has grown and declined in the style ranks but 2014 has certainly seen the double monk become an essential in every dapper chaps wardrobe the perfect meeting point between both smart- casual dress codes and everyday work wear. Here are six of the best double monks you can get hands (well feet) on.

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These beauties from Oliver Sweeney

 

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Blue Suede shoes are not just fro Elvis, get all shook up, with these by Katie Eary X Grenson exclusively for MRPORTER.com

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A  classic in every way, well what more would you expect from Paul Smith

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Dr Martens have well and truly shaken off any misconceptions of not being stylish, design lead footwear with this example of a Monk shoe

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All British brands so far, and we shouldn’t be surprised with Britain being the home of well made, great footwear and again another Great British brand, this time Ted Baker

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And to finish off this splendid array of Monk shoes we have no less then TOPMAN. Go in peace and spend

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.

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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