The Greatest gift they’ll get this year – For the man who has everything and the person who can afford it !!!

250x250_CMTM_BannerWe all know someone who has everything they could possibly desire, you know the person, where you think of a brilliant gift only to be told he already has one. Whether it be a Brother, Dad best mate, cousin, Uncle, boyfriend or even one’s self, its a flipping nightmare to buy for them so we have LITERALLY picked up that internet thingy given it a good shake and gone through it with a fine tooth comb to give you some blooming well fantastic gift ideas, even if those gift ideas happen to be for yourself. Take a look –

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Who could resist this Backpack from Louis Vuitton, in keeping with the Mountaineering/Explorer theme from their Autumn/Winter 2013 Show,  Menswear Designer Kim Jones produced a Masterful collection, still managing for it to be wearable and totally desirable.

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Who’s says White Men can’t jump, Christopher Bailey of Burberry has worked and reworked animal prints into all sorts of luxury goodies, from man bags of all shapes and sizes to these hi-top-tastic trainers. Looking good !

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This amazing leather bound games compendium by Bill Amberg is ‘Made in England’ from Bridle leather. There are boards for backgammon, chess, draughts and noughts and crosses, It also comes with pieces for these games all wrapped up in a leather box. Perfect for travel or home and great entertainment for all the family, like after the turkey and stuffing and before the mince pie and brandy butter.

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My Life is complete ! Or it will be with this Tateossian paperweight at a cool £10,000, its what every man wants and needs, he just might not know it just yet.

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How truly decadent and could this gift be any more Rock n Roll ??? Strangely enough the brainchild of actor Dan Aykroyd, Crystal Head Vodka is the statement drink and gift this season. The enigmatic, hand crafted Crystal Head Vodka is based upon thirteen crystal heads found in various regions around the world.

 As if the legend wasn’t cool enough, Crystal Head Vodka spent the Summer partnering up with the Rolling Stones themselves to create the definitive Stone’s lover gift pack. The Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary set

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For anyone in the international jet set, you won’t be stuck without power abroad again with this Travel Adapter from Mulberry. A chic leather pouch reveals the adapter, compatible with plug sockets pretty much across the globe. There is also a USB connection for charging a wide variety of devices. Just don’t forget to take it with you!

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Now if you desk is a bit more bomb site then place of tranquility this is the perfect gift. This luxury calf leather desk set from Graf von Faber-Castell, available from Harrods.com features a letter opener, notelet box, pen tray, pen holder, 6 guilloche pencils and a desk pad.

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Now everyone and we mean everyone needs some down time, even the most workaholic out of us and down time requires the correct attire, but for some people your regular hoodie won’t cut it. Now this Loro Piana silk and cashmere-blend hoodie from MRPORTER.com embodies contemporary sportswear luxury. This Italian-crafted knit delivers ease and elegance in equal measure. Wear it with cashmere sweatpants for a contemporary your time look or refined in-flight lounging.

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Not your bag, this has to be – Mulberry X MR PORTER

mr porter blue bag 1In the words of that icon of pop Culture and Americana, Coca Cola, “Holidays are coming, holidays are coming”. And if your thinking about heading off for the Yuletide or you have to pay a trip to the Outlaws. I have just the bag or even bags for this very jaunt. That Bastion of stylish e-commercery MR PORTER has teamed up with a brand that epitomises everything suave about travel and of course luxury luggage, Mulberry. These two connoisseurs of elegance have worked together to create a five piece capsule collection, launching this very month. The collection consists of five classic Mulberry bags across four styles reworked in canvas rather than the traditional leather that Mulberry is known for. The Elkington briefcase comes in grey canvas, whilst the Brynmore dispatch style is available in black. The Clipper holdall comes in black and grey with a compact version also available in blue.

mr porter briefcase 1Sam Kershaw, Buyer for MR PORTER said of the collaboration, ‘We are delighted to be working with Mulberry as figureheads of British heritage leather craftsmanship and are delighted that they have produced a capsule collection reworking their classic designs in a new material. At MR PORTER we strive to give our customers something that they cannot buy anywhere else globally and are sure that they will love all five styles.’ 

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They’ll warm the cockles of your heart – 6 of the best Cable Knit sweaters

Ahhh the nights are drawing in and its getting harder and harder to get up in mornings, Winter’s on its way and if your to believe the reports of those pesky weathermen and women, Sian Lloyd I’m talking about you its gonna get mighty cold in the coming weeks (and months). Now the style of knitwear for this season is none of this fine gauge light weight nonsense, Ohhh no. Its as though the Fashion houses around the world have been looking into their meteorological crystal balls and can see Winter 2013 is one for good and heavy old fashion Jumpers !

So we at Clothes Make the Man have searched far and wide for some of the best example of THE knitwear for the season, the knitwear in question being, the ‘Aran Jumper’ otherwise known as the ‘Cable knit Sweater’. Now there is an incredibly interesting, if not macabre, story behind this type of garment. Many moons ago the fishermen of the Aran Island, off the coast of Galway, Eire would get their good lady wives and mothers to knit them, fine sturdy jumpers to keep them warm and protect against those savage Atlantic conditions. Now the ladies would knit for their men folk jumpers but would add in intrinsic cable patterns onto them. So heres the interesting bit, every family who lived on the three main Islands which make up the Aran Islands, Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer would all alter their patterns, almost like having a family coat of arms. So if one of the fishermen were wash overboard, basically his body could be identified by the jumper, or more importantly, the pattern on his Aran Jumper, told you it was macabre !

So with thought still engrained on your minds check out 6 of the best examples, our finest retailers have to offer –

 

No Winter chills are gonna get past this bad boy from Reiss

No Winter chills are gonna get past this bad boy from Reiss

Keeping it nice and simple , this fine example with go with pretty much anything. It by Remus Uomo from House of Fraser

Keeping it nice and simple , this fine example with go will pretty much anything. Its by Remus Uomo from House of Fraser

 

Colour my life, there's no chance of going missing in the snow if you're wearing this knit by Paul Smith from MRPORTER.com

Colour my life, there’s no chance of going missing in the snow if you’re wearing this knit by Paul Smith from MRPORTER.com

Well you can't get more authentic then an actual Aran Sweater which is produced on the Aran Islands themselves. This is by Inis Meain for galvinformen.com

Well you can’t get more authentic then an actual Aran Sweater which is produced on the Aran Islands themselves. This is by Inis Meain for galvinformen.com

 

This is a great example of a cable knit from high Street favourite Burton.

This is a great example of a cable knit from high Street favourite Burton.

Channel your inner country gent in this wonderful Polo Ralph Lauren jumper

Channel your inner country gent in this wonderful Polo Ralph Lauren jumper from Matchesfashion.com

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever the Weather – Six of the best Trench Coats

The weather at the moment is as reliable as a TfL train schedule, don’t get me started. You wake in the morning it seems a bit dull and overcast, by the time to get to work the sun is cracking the stones, you fly out to grab some lunch and it pours down and by the time you’ve arrived back to the office the sun has dried you off via its natural radiation, or it can be any of the mixed up aforementioned scenarios, literally four season in one day.

To combat this infuriating conundrum and make your life a little easier we’ve selected six of the best, of a piece of outerwear that EVERY man should possess, the Trench. Thin enough for the transitional period, thick enough to tackle most things Mother Nature can hurl at you, essentially enough to see you through whatever the weather and still having you looking sharper then sixpence, whatever that means ????

 

OK lets start with something a little left field and not your traditional Trench, from Belstaff @ Harrods.com

OK lets start with something a little left field and not your traditional Trench, from Belstaff @ Harrods.com

 

This is a classic in every sense of the word and if you look after it, it should return the favour. Jaeger @ House of Fraser

This is a classic in every sense of the word and if you look after it, it should return the favour. Jaeger @ House of Fraser

 

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This trench is a must for the season and is from Marks & Spencer’s Autograph Collection so you can be assured of quality and price

 

Within Trench coat history there is an on going argument as to who first invented the Trench, with Aquascutum claiming they did.

Within Trench coat history there is an on going argument as to who first invented the Trench first, with Aquascutum claiming they did.

 

Whereas the other contender to this title, also holds the Royal Warrant. It is of Course Burberry, this example of the classic is from Burberry Brit at MrPorter.com

Whereas the other contender to this title, also holds the Royal Warrant. It is of Course Burberry, this example of the classic is from Burberry Brit at MrPorter.com

 

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Fancy something a little more contemporary but that won’t go out of fashion ? Go for this Trench from Reiss available from JohnLewis.com

 

 

Come Aboard – Six of the best Boast Shoes

Love em or Loathe em you can’t escape Boat Shoes this season, no matter if a shop or brand remotely dabbles in footwear they will carry a boat shoe in some way, shape or form. Now to save you stress of having to scour the high street looking for a pair you might like, we at Clothes-Make-the-Man as always have saved you the hassle and selected six of the best from the traditional to something a little different –

 

Saint Laurent @ Harrods.com

Saint Laurent @ Harrods.com

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Swims @ MrPorter.com

Romain Kremer for Camper

Romain Kremer for Camper

Sebago Dockside @ OiPoloi.com

Sebago Dockside @ OiPoloi.com

Ted Baker @ House of Fraser

Ted Baker @ House of Fraser

Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger