CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN
The extraordinary mens blog for the modern man
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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.

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London Collections:Men – Highlights – Autumn/Winter 2015

 

We start this season’s round up of all matters of a Sartorial nature in London and what better place to get the ball rolling than at an honest to goodness PUB QUIZ !!! OK with a rather stylish twist to it, in that it’s compare was Hacienda DJing Legend Mr Elliot Eastwick and it was organised by  the Savile Row Tailoring trailblazers that are Cad & The Dandy, only in London.

TOPMAN DESIGN

TOPMAN DESIGN

Bright and breezy, otherwise known as flipping freezing, start to the day, but a warm reception was waiting at the TOPMAN Design show which was piled high with Northern Soul references, like being at a Wigan Pier Weekender. There was nods to The Bay City Rollers, Mark Boland right the way through to James Hunt and any show that finishes with Crazy Horses by The Osmonds  is a winner in my books.

I was spoilt for choice on the first day of LC:M with a number of fave brands showing their wares but high points had to be David Keyte’s Universal Works, offering us a conceptual performance, which can go either way for me. But it didn’t disappoint, working on the principle upon which the brand is founded, the idea of Passing on, not in an deathly kinda way but how clothing can be passed on from being old to young and in doing so can be reinvented and reinvigorated.

One of my overall highlights of the entire schedule has to be the Barbour Presentation, which showcased the second season of their wonderful collaboration with the Japan company White Mountaineering, best summed

Barbour

Barbour

up by the unique, Thank God, Mr Richard Gray, of The Sunday Times STYLE;

“I guess this collab is Tokyo cool meets Prince Charles or something like that. I spoke to Aiwaze San the designer of White Mountaineering, who told me the wax you see, which makes a Barbour jacket waterproof, was the Gortex of its day. And, in fact, it works as well as any new scientific development. Including Gortex. I look forward to the day the Royal Family wear White Mountaineering.“

Hackett

Hackett

Then what a way to finish off the first day then to head over to one of London’s hidden architectural gems, No 2 Temple Place for a spot of dinner and to look at some exquisite attire by none other than Hackett, entitled, ‘Sheep, Shape and London Fashion’, this capsule collection paid homage to the prestigious longstanding textile mills of Britain. The 12 looks were an amalgamation of different checks and patterns in the finest British wools.

The second day started off with a great breathe of fresh air in the shape of the LC:M Exhibition, this never fails to impress me and I always fall head of heals for at least one brand this season my head couldn’t help being turned by the wonderful Gloverall and then the cashmere delights of ESK, this just has to be British craftsmanship at its best. And from one great example to another with Mr Nigel Calbourn who is never swayed by the short lived trends of Fashions but driven by inspirational stories of real people in history and vintage military, outdoor and work wear pieces.

Over then to Fraser Moss and YMC and once again I search the counsel of the ever wise Ms Sarah Gilfillan, contributor of this wonderful publication and founder of Sartorialab.co.uk ;

 “I’ve always loved their simple understated look, and I particularly liked the clever layering and outerwear. The mixture of taloring with sportswear inspired pieces like the drawstring trousers takes me right back to the 90’s when they first started .I find their collections are minimal enough in design to appeal to the everyday man but they always have a subtle point of difference so they’re never boring. I have no doubt I’ll be buying many of these items with my clients next season and I can’t wait!”

Hardy Amies

Hardy Amies

Moving on to a brand which, to quote Messers Daft Punk and Williams, “Like a Phoenix from the ashes” WOW I can quite simply sum the Hardy Amies collection as, Beautiful clothes, where you find yourself wanting piece after piece.

Christopher Raeburn

Christopher Raeburn

Much like Mr Christopher Raeburn, who like Nigel Cabourn draws greatly on the great outdoors and nature in all its beauty for their inspiration and once again he does fail to impress. This season utilising Royal Navy rafts as his material of choice.

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Belstaff

Now stay with me here, but I had my reservations when I headed towards an underground car park, not a million miles away from The House of Commons. Surely I must have taken a wrong turn, it wouldn’t have been the first time and this can hardly be classed as a glamorous setting for a stylish presentation for a brand like Belstaff ? Well, as I see Fashion Royalty like Ms Suzy Menkes, Mr Edward Enniful and Ms Caroline Rush spilling out of it, I can’t be wrong. Belstaff, took its inspiration from the ‘Ton-Up Boys’ of the 1950s. Heavily into their rock‘n’roll and motorcycles, these ‘greasers’ would rendezvous at cafés and attempt to ‘do a ton’ (exceed speeds of 100mph) on their custom-made bikes, both fearless and reckless in their stylish pursuit.

Casely-Hayford

Casely-Hayford

Moving into the straits now we had a blinder of a show from Father and Son duo Joe and Charlie Casely-Hayford.  Set to a sound track of Bjork and Bowie a tribe of Stylish Outsiders did the honours for u. Mixing Oranges and Pinks seamlessly with Blacks and Navy to create a riveting colour palette.

E.Tautz

E.Tautz

Opening to a surmon by his Holiness Pope John Paul II isn’t the most obvious start to an E.Tautz show but give Patrick Grant his dues it certainly got the audience’s attention in what Grant called his most personal collection so far, for the Savile Row house. Every coat and piece of outerwear he sent out was one you lushes and craved for already, no brights or pastels for Grant this season only monochrome in his highly wearable colour spectrum.

Tom Ford

Tom Ford

Now here’s the battle of the big boys of LC:M, the Texan and the Yorkshire lad, up first we have Tom Ford who showed us a much more causal side to him, which I have to say I’d really not expected to see which included jeans and trainers, I lie to you not ! Then we have Christopher Bailey in the Burberry Check corner, offering us Classical Bohemian in ponchos, florals and paisley, fresh off a hazy trip back in time to India.

Well, there you have it for another season next stop Milan, ding, ding !

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London Collections:Men Designer Profile – Jeremy Hackett

imageJeremy Hackett is a name which has become synonymous with British Style and the best of British tailoring.  After set up his Business in 1983 with the first store bearing the Hackett name, on the Kings Road. Selling vintage men’s clothes and accessories, discovered in house clearances and antique markets, Hackett soon gained cult status amongst London’s sartorially inclined. Word quickly spread abroad and soon Americans and Japanese, as well as French, Italians and other Europeans, were making the journey to the “wrong end” of the King’s Road in search of “le style Anglais”. It soon became apparent, however, that market demand would always exceed the supply of vintage men’s clothes and accessories, so Hackett and decided that the answer was to reproduce new clothes made from natural fibres in traditional English styles.

Today, Hackett has continued its expansion with Galeries Lafayette in Paris being added to the prestigious list of department stores alongside Harrods and Harvey Nichols. Hackett franchises have opened stores in Geneva, Zurich, Kuwait City, Johannesburg Airport, Cape Town, Amsterdam, Pozuelo (Madrid), Knokke (Belgium), Brussels, Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Shanghai, Shenyang and Kuala Lumpur.

As well as the development of the stores’ look and feel, the Hackett clothing and accessories collections were refreshed by taking inspiration from the early DNA of the brand and the new slogan “Essential British Kit”. Key additions to the collection included the “Hackett Mayfair”, “Aston Martin Racing” and “Little Britons” ranges.

The Hackett Mayfair collection embodies the lifestyle of the late 1950s and early 1960s gentleman. Inspired by the iconic photography of Bailey, O’Neill, Donovan and Duffy, the signature streamlined tailoring takes London’s legendary Savile Row as its starting point. What began as a single suit has now evolved into a full range of formalwear and gentlemen’s club-style accessories: all presented under its own exclusive Hackett Mayfair logo of bowler hat and crossed umbrellas.

2012 proved to be a very successful year for Hackett. In June 2012, Hackett was one of the pioneers of the British Fashion Council’s new men’s fashion week – London Collections:Men. Launched to showcase the UK’s wealth of menswear talent, the Hackett London collection was successfully premiered to international buyers and press. Now in its fifth season, the Hackett show is one of the most anticipated during the biannual event and an established fixture on the LC:M schedule.

For it’s Autumn 2014 show Hackett experienced perfect serendipity, the right location, at the right time, with the right collection. It celebrated the age of stylish travel, a global traveller, the collection styled the different characters of ‘The Leading Man’ on his global travels.

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In our exclusive insight Jeremy he describes his Spring/Summer 2015 collection as, “We are well recognised for our sporting sponsorships so we have built the collection around Spectator Kit, what to wear for instance to the polo or Henley or to watch Aston Martin Racing or what would be perfect to wear to a tennis tournament ( coincidentally I am writing this between watching the tennis at Queens our latest sponsorship )”. Anyway enough of me.

If you could have invented anything what would it be ?
Although I am not personally on Facebook I wouldn’t have minded inventing it.

If you had one day to live what would be your biggest regret ?
That I never learnt any foreign languages, to be honest I still struggle with English.

Favourite hotel in the world ?
Over the years I have been to New York quite regularly and I stay at The Carlyle where the service is perfect and the cocktail bar even better.

If you could collaborate with one brand who would it be and why ?
I really like watches because it is one of the few accessories men can wear so I would like the opportunity to collaborate with say, IWC. The Mark 15 Pilots watch was the first that I owned.

If you could give your teenage self advice, what would it be ?
Believe in yourself because if you don’t why should others. Also have a good financial partner.

How did you get into the industry, what was your big break ?
My father once said to me ” If you don’t pull your socks up you will end up working in a shop”. Fortunately that is exactly what happened. Clothes at the time were one of the few things that I had an aptitude for. When I opened Hackett in 1983 it was more as a bit of fun and a way to sell some second hand kit, and when I started to make new clothes it was the birth of the brand and I haven’t looked back since.

If you could only wear one brand/Designer for the rest of your life who would it be ?
Being able to have my clothes made by a good tailor would be my ideal as I could determine the outcome.

Who is your style icon ?
David Hockney who dresses as well as he paints.

What piece of clothing should everyman have in his wardrobe ?
At the risk of repeating myself I would consider the navy blazer to be a vital part of any man’s wardrobe. It can be dressed up or down.

Who would do you ideal diner guests and why ?
Stephen Fry, he is so engaging and would make any dinner party swing and the fact that we dress him for the BAFTA’s is by the way. Sorry that’s it,back to the tennis.

 HACKETT MAYFAIR COLLECTION FOR AUTUMN 2014

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London Collections:Men Show Review Autumn/Winter 2014 Pt II

Christopher Kane

Christopher Kane

So after yesterday’s plethora of delights that enthralled us,  what do we have for you today. Well, we can quite safely say COLOUR is the major  trend for Autumn, but you could retort with, so what’s new ? What’s new is that we have seen pretty much every colour of the Rainbow from the darker more somber tones as een in TOPMAN Design and the monochromes of Agi & Sam to the racier hues of Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders and of course Christopher Kane, who offered a box of delights to keep any man happy no matter his taste from sober to total intoxication. Kane has expanded his collection to include a more formal element right the way through to his signature patterns and knits in amazing and engaging tones.

Hackett

Hackett

Next stop was the Freemasons Hall in Holborn for the Hackett Show, some what of a British institution holding it’s show within another British institution. The Freemason’s was a spectacular venue for the staging of this grand hotel themed setting. It was like a game of Guess Who, with leading men under the guise of the Explorer, The Graduate, the CEO and travel photographer, to name a few. In short everything was right about this show, in trying to select a picture to illustrate this show, it was so difficult as I liked one shot, then another and another.

E.Tautz

E.Tautz

As always I like to gauge the opinion of learned colleagues, up first this season, is The StyleKing himself, Gary Kingsnorth, who described Patrick Grant’s E.Tautz as, “The highlight of LC:M was E.Tautz for me, a collection that was strong and contemporary.Inspired by the artwork of William Hogarth that was brought bang up date was a compelling collection to watch on the catwalk .”
Kent & Curwen

Kent & Curwen

Another house of tradition with its roots firmly entrenched in formalwear, but somewhat commencing a transformation, since the appointment of  new Creative Director, by golly there all at it, Simon Spurr is Kent & Curwen. He bought us a range inspired by Naval dress uniform, where he has reinterpretation and juxtaposition of iconic pieces.
Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum

So  from one brand ringing in the changes to the ultimate brand who have completely turned themselves around, Burberry. Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum, used London again as inspiration, in the second season of showing at LC:M he embraced the London Autumnal weather and used Leaf prints on Scarf, shirts and coats. Plus, if anyone can make that other very British of garment, the string vest cool again surely it has to be Bailey ?

Christopher Shannon

Christopher Shannon

The second of our contributing opinion formers comes from one of the pioneers in men’s style blogging, Marcus Jaye, otherwise known as TheChicGeek,  who felt, “Think my favourite show was Christopher Shannon. Really took it to the next level with ideas and the finish. Kept his sportswear look that he is known for, but gave others, who aren’t necessarily into that look , something like the fag packet knits or the bomber jackets.”

A.Sauvage

A.Sauvage

And finally, we come all too quickly to the end of another LC:M  and what better way to finish this review of the best of the best then with Mr Adrien Sauvage. Who presented his envious and effortlessly cool take on style from rocking formalwear to rock inspired casual wear.

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The Importance of Good Shirting – Never underestimate the power of a good shirt !

Every man should have at least one good quality, clean, crisp, fresh, white shirt in his wardrobe. A white shirt is one of the foundations pieces of any man’s dressing repertoire. It’s an indispensable item that virtually can go with every outfit from casual to formal, from a black suit to a pair of jeans, its one of those few truly versatile items of clothing that goes with pretty much anything.

But like so many things within this wonderful and great world in which we merely inhabit, it isn’t altogether straight forward and the white shirt is indicative of this fact. A white shirt, isn’t simply just a white shirt and possessing one white shirt won’t mean it caters for every required occasion. But, investing in a good quality example will serve you well and should see you through a multitude of occasions over the coming years. So take this white shirt, see it as an investment buy –

This fine Oxford shirt by Hackett with button down collar in the Clifton. With cutaway collar, two button mitred cuff, made from the finest woven cotton.

This fine Oxford shirt by Hackett with button down collar in the Clifton. With cutaway collar, two button mitred cuff, made from the finest woven cotton.

 

5 Ways to way a White Shirt

1)

The Classic Tuxedo, timeless, classic, elegant. Nothing more needs to be said

The Tuxedo, timeless, classic, elegant. Nothing more needs to be said

2)

Keeping it easy and casual. A simple white shirt, throw on a pair of jeans & a navy blazer.

Keeping it easy and casual. A white shirt, throw on a pair of jeans & a navy blazer, for that start casual look.

 

3)

Sharp, dapper, and quintessentially looking good you can't go wrong with a well cut suit team with a white shirt and tie

Sharp, dapper, and quintessentially looking good you can’t go wrong with a well cut suit teamed with a white shirt and tie

4)

The Autumn is nearly upon us and work that weekend look with one of the biggest trends for the season a spot of tweed and some fair isle knitwear. Adding a white shirt makes the outfit stand out more.

The Autumn is nearly upon us and work that weekend look with one of the biggest trends for the season a spot of tweed and some fair isle knitwear. Adding a white shirt makes the outfit stand out more.

5)

The trick is to keep things easy and simple. Just a white shirt and a pair of chinos, no more no less

The trick is to keep things easy and simple. Just a white shirt and a pair of chinos, no more no less