Mr Natty Archives - CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Yes you read that right folks, this Sunday, yes, this Sunday is Father’s Day, the day when the hardest working member of the family, sorry what, well its the case in the McG household ! gets to relax, put his feet up and everyone runs round and looks after him for a change.

As always we’ve done all the hard work so you can still look super diligent on Sunday when you pull the best present out of the bag for your old man and look confidently smug with yourself while the rest of the family can only look on with fake pleasure and make a guess at, How does he do it ? envy.

Once again the wonderful retail emporium of Marks & Spencer have worked in association with us to produce the ultimate in gifting for your beloved Pop. We’ve broken it down this year into categories to cater for every Dad’s taste whether he be a Sporty dad or even a Posh Dad, we’ve got all points covered. So Chocs aways !

FOODIE DAD

Ahh what Dad could resist the culinary Jedi knight that is Nigel Slatter, the man that can turn the contents of an empty fridge into the feast suitable for the feeding of the 5000 and if that wasn’t enough over 300 recipes listed in chronological order so a night, can’t literally go by without a seasonally splendid dish.

JET SET DAD

If yours is a dad who spends more time Jett setting than Richard Branson, get him this brilliant travelling gadget from Mulberry. A chic leather pouch reveals the adapter, compatible with plug sockets in the UK, US, Australia, China and Europe. There is also a USB connection for charging a wide variety of devices. Just don’t forget to take it with you!

SPORTY DAD

The Summer of 2014 isn’t, quite, all about Football. Our reigning Champion of the Courts will be defending his title on the Lawns of SW19 , so show your purpose for Andy Murray with these sterling silver Cufflinks specially commissioned for the tennis tournament and create something truly bespoke with Link of London offering an engraving service in all of its stores to add a touch of Personalisation.

GOOD TIME KEEPING DAD

This reissue of a watch first used by pioneers in underwater exploration in the 1970’s this watch from Longines, available into versions one with three hands the other chronograph. Show him how much he means and go on spoil him !

WELL GROOMED DAD

Whether it be giving the England Team, a dapper haircut in this month’s issue of GQ before they depart for hotter climbs or it be as part of his traveling international pop up barber shop the guys over at Mr Natty are men much in demand, well worth keeping an eye out it see if they are visiting a location near you anytime soon, I promise. But in their absence check out their inspired gift sets, either the Ace fighter pilot care package or the Hirsute rogue care packet (essential one for shaving and one for achieving impossibly natty hair styles).

THE MOD DAD

If you’re going to purchase dear old dad something to wear go for something, that, one, you know he’ll like, but more more importantly, ensure it’s something he’ll look suave in. Spoil him pick something like this great and versatile piece from Peter Werth. Not only is it functional, its sure to be a wardrobe favourite and a staple that goes with pretty much everything.

LOVEABLE ROGUE DAD

If your dad falls into that category of a bit of a Hard nut on the outside, who loves nothing more then a pint with his mates and watching the footie. But, when he’s alone with his kith and kin, he’s rather partial to the finer things in life . Look no further than these undoubtedly luxurious house slippers by none other than New and Lingwood, I’ll have you know my good man.

BUSINESS MAN DAD

Just because he might spend a lot of time working doesn’t mean he loves you none the less. Let hope your Business dad is more like Daddy Wallbucks than Patrick Bateman. But get him something he’s bound to be impressed by like this snazzy business card holder by the undoubtedly dapper Turnbull & Asser.

SOMMELIER DAD

Does your dad like to see himself as a bit of an Ozzie Clark, rather then take the mick this Father’s Day, play along with him for once. Make him proud and give him a tool set he’ll actually use, check out this sterling Sommelier kit from Marks & Spencer themselves And for some other genius gift ideas for the Dad in your life take a look at their own Father’s Day gift guide.

Good Day Folks, River Island have released another of their masterclasses and this time we couldn’t resist sharing it with you all, as its none other then Mr Natty himself, Matt Raine. A Genius with a pair of scissors and what he doesn’t know about mens hair and how to style it, really isn’t worth knowing. Plus he’s a good friend of our over at Clothes-Make-the-Man HQ who we’ve worked with many times over the years. Anyway enough of me, take a look at the below and if like me your in need of a good hair cut, this will certainly give you food for thought. ENJOY !

About eight years ago while on a Press trip to Manchester I found myself sat next to the subject of today’s Textual Conversation. As the dinner progressed and the vino flowed myself and James Shaw started to discuss his new business idea and I proceeded to tell him he was mad for leaving his job and thinking about starting up a new clothing brand while we were in such a bad economic climate. I can categorically state I was 110% wrong, in fact I could not have been any wronger. This little brand, that in my tiny little mind was destined to fail has, to put it mildly, come on in leaps and bounds since it was founded in 2006, in fact Albam, to give this Great British clothing brand its correct title, was recently voted ‘Best for Men’s Fashion’ at The Telegraph’s Best Small Shops in Britain awards. Albam was built on a foundation of, “to make an honest product that is well made and that uses great fabrics”. This ethos has served the brand well and has earned itself the accolade of being THE most copied, sorry inspiring, brands of recent menswear history, from multi national designer houses to humble little high Street retailers, have used Albam as their inspiration in some way, shape or form for pieces or entire collections over recent seasons, whether they’d admit it or not.

The customer of Albam is equally diverse from Actors, Creatives, club kids, trendies or regular guys all loving a bit of what the label calls ‘Basics’ or what I would call foundation pieces. They, in my opinion, produce great, easy garments that lift whatever you’re wearing and make you feel good about yourself and what you’re wearing. As an independent clothing company, Albam are always looking for new ways to tap into their customers lifestyle, bringing them more of what they love: honest, beautifully-designed and well made products, whether that be the artisan services of barber extrordinaire Matt Raine aka Mr Natty or collaborating with mid century modern furniture website antikmodern.

Anyway, enough of me going on with oneself, lets hear from the man himself the co-founder of Albam, James Shaw;

What’s your favourite piece of clothing ?

I have three at the moment! A Western Mountaineering Down vest. Albam seamless T Shirts and a pair of Spellbound Jeans. My daily basics.

Who is your style icon ?

Cliché, but there is Steve McQueen (the actor) Simple American sportswear, great staples and just worn with his own edge. Not sure I would have liked to know him in person but he looked great. Royal Robbins (climber) looked pretty awesome when he climbed El Capitan back in the day and then nowadays I am not so sure. I like the idea that you wear the clothes rather than the other way round. Clothes should always be well made and great fitting, but I want to see the person and not the clothes first.

Can you tie a bow tie ? If yes, who taught you ?

I can after a few goes, my dad showed me many years ago and I just never have the opportunity to wear one regularly. They are fun but for me, speed is pretty important in the morning!

What piece of style advise do you live by ?

Keep it simple.

In your words, describe the collection ?

Albam AW12 has 3 points of view, which are relevant to the brand. We realized that we want different things daily and a single look/silhouette wasn’t particularly us as we live doing many and varied things. So we took this and created 3 spirits, all interchangeable but taking into consideration the basics of a wardrobe, great shirts, denim, T shirts, sweatshirts, work blazers and some technical outerwear and then looked to our sportier and more relaxed “white” label to bring in elements of sportswear whilst our “black” label brings to life some more fluid silhouettes, softer minimalism, maybe a Modern Crafted English silhouette. Honest, confident, a nod to the technical and a purity of thought.

Have you ever bought a piece of clothing and regretted it ? If so what & why ?

I bought a great Armani work jacket once, it was on sale for £50 and thought I must have it. I got it back home when I was living in Manchester and then sent it back. Twelve years later I regret sending it back, it would have been perfect for this winter!

In terms of regretting a piece because it wasn’t right, I have banished these to my Room 101!

What do you have to do after this conversation ?

Go for a run to wind down! I have cleared my inbox and my head is spinning!

What would you like to be doing after this conversation ?

Going for a run anyway, it keeps me in check with my headspace and creates a fluid energy that keeps my mind ticking.

What piece of clothing should everyman have in his wardrobe ?

Great jeans, for me at the moment anyway. Various stages of wear, Japanese denim, maybe some Albam in there for good measure!

What inspires you ?

Movement and the idea that we have to keep on moving on.

If you could have invented anything what would it be ?

Time, we all live by it, so that would have been fun!

Albam’s store on Bleak Street, London

Albamclothing.com

The Murdock London Barber Shop at the Shop at the Bluebird in London

The Art-Deco inspired Tommy Guns barber shop at the Superdry flagship store

Regular readers of Clothes-make-the-man.com may have noticed of late a trend developing at menswear retailers with the addition of a traditional barber shop, but with the all important, contemporary twist, in their flagship store. However, this isn’t a new phenomenon, for years bastions of traditional department stores such as Selfridges, Harrods and some of the more old school House of Fraser stores such as the former Kendals in Manchester, have all boasted grooming emporiums to answer any possible requirement the dapper gent may request.

Nevertheless, the style pendulum has well and truly swung back in favour of the traditional barber shop experience. In the last few months alone we have seen the brilliant Murdock London open at the uber trendy Shop at the Bluebird on the Kings Road in London and then only last week we had Ted Baker inviting us to experience his Turkish inspired Ottoman Lounge, as you fans of Clothes-make-the-man.com will know only too well.

Mr Natty himself, Matt Raines at Albam

Nonetheless, these retailers are far from being on their own on this particular grooming tip. TopMan have enlisted the service of top barbers Sharps, as too have Ben Sherman who are soon to open this service in their Islington, London store . Superdry have opted for the grooming skills of Tommy Guns for their retailing flagship stores. Tommy Guns are particularly known for creating a striking environment that blends heritage Barbershop influences, faux narratives and modern day craftsmanship to their hair cutting prowess. And those guardian of No 1 Savile Row themselves, Gieves & Hawkes are a dedicated contemporary oasis within their traditional male haven, maned by Gentlemen’s Tonic.

Also, we have seen the likes of Albam, yes trendsetters extraordinaire Albam, who have been offering the unique services of Matt Raines and his Mr Natty brand within their stores.

And for our Irish readers, or if planning a trip to the Emerald Isle, the wonderfully stylish Brown Thomas have recently opening their own grooming enclave in Brown’s offering packages from the ‘10 minute Quick Fix’ and the ‘40 Minute Rejuvenation’

Although, the first time I saw this new modern day trend, of a return to the barber’s chair within a men’s shopping experience was with the Mancuian style gurus Oi Polloi. Who for years in their original store, had queues out their door waiting to take advantage of their single barber’s chair.

This Sunday is Father’s Day ! – Father’s Day Gift Guide in Association with M&S

A man in the know – Mr Natty’s RI Masterclass

Wham, Bam, Albam – James Shaw of Albam- Textual Conversation

Short, back and sides please – The return of the barber shop in a shop

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