6 Of The Best – Striped Pieces

WORDS KEANU ADORABLE 

Stripes are a classic and versatile pattern that can add interest to your whole outfit, and we at Clothes Make The Man want you embrace this look, especially this season. Here are our top 6 pieces that would make a great addition to your summer wardrobe.

 

FOLK Striped Cotton-Jersey Longsleeve T-Shirt

“Stripes are a fail-safe way to introduce pattern into your smart-casual capsule, and this T-shirt from Folk is an effortless choice. Cut from soft cotton-jersey that feels as good as it looks, it’s rendered in versatile charcoal and white for easy pairing with any colour trousers.”

PS BY PAUL SMITH Slim-Fit Striped Cotton T-Shirt

“Unexpected flourishes of colour are a PS by Paul Smith signature. Designed with royal-blue tipping at the collar, this striped T-shirt is made from lightweight cotton and cut comfortably slim.”

ZARA Plain Oxford Shirt

“Zara continues to keep up with the latest trends with this clean, plain Oxford shirt. The sleeve with contrasting stripe is the key point of the design. This can be worn on a casual day/night out, the versatility of this piece means you could rock it with different combos – jeans with trainers or trousers with smart shoes”

NEIL BARRETT Panelled Cotton-Blend Poplin Shirt

“With a palette based in brown and tan, Neil Barrett‘s Spring ’17 collection is inspired by the American TV shows the designer watched as a child in the UK. This cotton-blend poplin shirt is designed with stacked panels at the sleeves – a recurring detail that references military uniforms.”

3.1 PHILLIP LIM Striped Shirt

“This multicoloured striped shirt from 3.1 Phillip Lim is one of the most trendiest pieces that you can rock this summer, this shirt features peaked lapels, a front button fastening, a chest pocket and short sleeves that gives that casual but luxurious vibe”

PRADA Stripe-Trimmed Cotton-Poplin Shirt

“Prada’s retro-inspired short-sleeved shirt has been made in Italy from smooth cotton-poplin. It’s tailored in a boxy profile, enhanced by the neat box pleat at the back and side slits, and is trimmed with a contrasting mustard hem.”

Milan Menswear Shows Hightlights – Autumn/Winter 2015

If someone said to you we need a show to really kick Milan Mens Fashion Week off, one brand comes straight to mind. Now throw into the mix that this said brand are celebrating 20 years in the Fashion business and you could expect fireworks and good on those pesky Canadian twins Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared, they didn’t disappoint ! Offering up almost a Greatest Hits of a retrospective of their best work the twins send a host of ridiculously beautiful models down the catwalk including a bevy of Victoria’s Secret Angels to delight the crowd clad in allsorts of Hunter, Biker, Redneck attire, all of course with that Caten Canadian spin. Now if that wasn’t enough, acting as the finale to the proceedings a certain diva in the shapely form of Ms Mary J. Blige belted out U2’s “One“, without Bono, Thank God.

imageWhat a hard act to follow and talk about going to the other end of the Style spectrum, next up is Jil Sander, debuting Rodolfo Paglialunga first  menswear collection for the label, his voluminous trousers might not have been everyone’s cup of cappuccino, but there is no disputing his mastery in Outerwear and offering a coat to suit everyman.

imageOnto an award winning American designer in Michael Bastian choosing to show his signature collection in Milan, which was quintessentially US Preppy Chic at its best. One could  almost say a rival in the court of Ralph Lauren himself.

imageNext up a fellow Yank, more known for his Rock Star edge then Ivy League, John Varvatos channelled his inner Doris Stokes to summon up incarnations of Bob Dylan. This was a sterling collection for Varvatos offering a highly wearable but in no way boring look in a completely autumnal, sorry Fall like, colour palette.

imageOnwards to Bally then and WOW! Designer Pablo Coppola, looked to one of my favourite films for inspiration in Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums” and did not disappoint. Far from being a literally take on the film, not one headband in sight, OK the occasional tennis shoes, Coppola used this reference as a starting block for his collection and then built upon it, in a truly LUXE manner.

imageAs sure as the Italians love Pasta, so to do Dolce & Gabbana love dipping into Italian culture for reference points. Last season it was the Spanish influence on Sicily, which for them was pretty damn loose, but this season the duo drank long and hard from the cup of vino and focused their attention on Il Famiglia. From the Holy Family to the traditional portrait of an extended Italian Family with Mama and Papa.

imageFlying the flag for the British contingent is the grand Dame herself Vivienne Westwood, who took a rather unusual muse, for her punk heritage ways, in the shape of HRH The Prince of Wales. The show started off rather tamely enough, in what could be described as Westwood’s take on Savile Row Tailoring and how in her mind she would probably dress Prince Charles if he was a regular customer of  the Queen of Punk. However as the show developed, it became less the Princely figure we all know and more a character in Dame Viv’s reality of the world, including this brilliant suit complete in Pound note print. Gawd Bless her !

imageAnd from Viv we pass the mantle onto Italy’s very own Grand Dame, Miuccia Prada, who I never knew was a fan of the early 90’s Manchester Music scene as her male models looked highly reminiscent of Bez, Ian Brown, even an Ian Curtis for good measure was present. Like the fashions of this time where we saw lads and lassies wearing a unisex uniform, Prada showed not only her Menswear collection but her Womans Pre-Fall together. No not a pair of Joe Blogs Flares or tie dyed hooded top in sight but reference aplenty to Prada’s Nylon period of the 90’s.

imageLastly, we have Marc Jacobs, no longer preoccupied with his Louis Vuitton duties, Jacobs can now plough all his energies into his own brand and for this Autumn/Winter 15 and he was very much in a dress down Friday sorta mood. For this season, even in the most formal of look he managed to give them a casual feel the most moody of teenagers would be proud of.

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Milan Menswear Shows -Shows Review -Spring /Summer 2015

The Milan Menswear Shows have come around again and although many are complaining about London stealing Milan’s Thunder with the hugely successful London Collections:Men, surely no one can moan when your schedule contains such household names as Gucci, PRADA, Giorgio Armani, Versace and Calvin Klein, to literally name but a few ????

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana

Now, its not uncommon for designers to cite jaunts to far off climbs as inspiration for their collections, but this season in Milan I half expected Judith Charmers to jump out from the end of the Catwalk and start giving me a review of her stay while in Milano. We had Donnatella Versace falling in love with the people of Cuba, there was Stefano Pilati of  Ermenegildo Zegna finding divine inspiration from a temple in Greece and Dolce & Gabbana drawing on the Spanish occupation of Sicily and that was for starters.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein

Apart from all that travel malarkey, Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein worked with lots of naked flesh tones for Spring 2015 from pastey whites to sun kissed browns and inserted flashes of primary colours in for good measure.

Missoni

Missoni

However, over at the House of Missoni nothing could be further from the truth. Angela Missoni working to the tried and trust recipe of producing great clothes in this most wonderful house pattern and not managing to make it look like a dogs dinner.

Prada

Prada

Then over at PRADA we saw a collection, where at times you were left puzzled as to whether you were watching a Womenswear or menswear show. Miucchia Prada held her show set around a swimming pool and had both boys and girls parade around it, although very 1970’s inspired garb, at the same time incredibly commercial and equally wearable.

Diesel Black Gold

Diesel Black Gold

Diesel Black Gold continued with its reboot under the watchful eye of Nicola Formichetti, who like John Varvatos was on a real military tip mixing a contemporary rebel skater silhouette with Crimean military style jackets.

 

Fendi

Fendi

Penultimately, we have an ultra wearable collection for next Spring from Fendi, offering Summer must haves for ever well dressed international jet setters, catering for the rich young things who party in all the beautiful places and insist on being impeccably turned out.

Lastly, we get to those crazy Canadian combo Caten twins, Dean & Dan of DSquared, see the below image as the twins kinda take on military. In their fluro camo print, which we predict will be one of the most ripped off, sorry inspired prints that we see on the high. Street next Summer.

DSquared

DSquared

6 of the best weekend bags

We’ve all been there, had a great time on holiday, gutted to be back to cold weather, stood at the baggage re-claim carousel and that cold, stark feeling dawns upon you of, where’s my luggage ? A couple of years ago, my luggage went missing so regularly, it became a running joke with friends and work colleagues, “Ohhh wonder where it’ll end up this time ? Haha”. This was normally greeted with a withering, “ha, yeah” or similar words to that effect, kinda, use your imagination.

So as holiday season rapidly approaches we thought we’d give you some inspiration for weekend bags, ideally luggage you can keep as hand luggage to prevent that nightmare scenario, of having to describe your missing bag to a person who really doesn’t care and looks at you unsympathetically, when you inform them, “It’s a black bag”.

 

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You’ll never suffer the misfortune of picking up the wrong luggage again if you invest in this great piece from PRADA.

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Whether it be a highland jaunt or more exotic climbs, this bag with see you fine season after season in this timeless collaboration by Harris Tweed & Marks & Spencer

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Buisness or or pleasure this is a great all rounder of a weekend bag by Tumi

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Now this is a design classic, the Clipper from Mulberry will never go out of fashion and for experience, these just get better with age.
imageLa Portegna might not be a brand that automatically leaping into your mind when you think of luggage but they are definitely worth hunting out this brand from Madrid.

 

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Lastly, but by no means least is the King of Designer luggage, the brand who invented the rule book of luggage and ripped it up, Louis Vuitton Neo Eole, New light weight Damier Graphite Rolling duffle luggage continues Louis Vuitton heritage of innovating travel. Is it for everyday, of course not, it’s an investment piece which you will cherish for the rest of your life and like an old friend will remind you of past trips and adventures.

Milano Moda Uomo (Milan Menswear Shows AW14)

 Ciao Ragazzi ! we follow on from the splendiferous LC:M of last week with what hopes to be equally captivating and awe inspiring Milano Moda Uomo. Unlike London the colour palette of our stylish Italian cousins seems to be of a more somber and some might say commercial and seasonally appropriate nature, that is apart from Prada, Versace ohhh and the Brit Dame Vivienne Westwood, more on that later folks.

First off  on our whistle stop round up on the Italian style capital is Ermenegildo Zegna, capably helmed by ex YSL Creative Director, Stefano Pilati, who was inspired by the fusion of City and Nature on a global scale. The city-scapes of New York, Shanghai or Milan where Zegna suits are common place, the mixing of casual elements with the formal cuts which Zegna has made its name in.

Ermenegildo Zegna

Ermenegildo Zegna

On a more ROCKIER tip was John Varvatos, who despite worked with  Black, Navy or white was channelling a very Glam rock vibe which culminated in Kings of Glam Rock “KISS” yes Kiss coming out to take a bow with the man himself.

Crazy, crazy night with John Varvatos(far right, just in case)

Crazy, crazy night with John Varvatos(far right, just in case)

Now over to a Dolce & Gabbana, who always love a theme for their shows and boy do they know how to put on a show ! Literally all we needed was good King Goffrey sat frow (front row, God get with it) giving his Royal approval to complete this Medieval Merriment. The duo paid homage to everything of this epoch and ensured more Game of Thrones then Spamalot.

Gotta say I loved the D&G balaclava, there I said it

Gotta say I loved the D&G balaclava, there I said it

And so from the King of ROCK dressing to what has to be the Queen of dressing Rock Stars, Donnatella Versace, who was in a Wild, Wild West mood, I think can only sum it up. No one could ever accuse Ms Versace of not having a sense of humour which is often lost in the Fashion industry, where people take themselves far too serious. 

Just off down the corner shop, does anyone want anything ? Yes, this was one of the more conservative looks.

Just off down the corner shop, does anyone want anything ? Yes, this was one of the more conservative looks.

Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein, drew on the Urban Explorer trend we are seeing rather a lot of this season, but also explored the heritage that made Calvin Klein so iconic using the names of three of their timeless fragrances in, Obsession, Eternity(my personal fave) and Escape to be emblazoned across some of its sweatshirts.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein

Now we all know I hate to start off on a negative and sorry for that Prada, but what was that soundtrack all about ? I needed some heavy duty Mexican painkillers for the headache after I left ! And have to say it did interfere with the enjoyment of the show, which was my favourite Prada collection of recent years. Trademark signature colours, which so shouldn’t work but so do, lil military detailing and a move away from that skinny-Malinke silhouette.

Prada

Prada

Penultimately we have the first show from Marc Jacobs since he parted company with Louis Vuitton to concentrate on his signature line. This is a man who knows a thing or two about Fashion design and this collection has to be one of his most commercial and wearable to date. Take away the styling details of the turn ups etc this a collection that every man with a modicum of taste will LOVE, honestly, I promise.

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs

Ahhh and once again we reach the end of our non stop tour of some of the biggest names in men’s style and what better way to finish then with an Italian Super brand synonymous with style, class and excellent taste, of course, Gucci. While watching this show I couldn’t help thinking of two inspirations throughout it, firstly, obviously Frida Gianinni was draw towards the influences of London’s Swinging Sixties of Carnaby Street and the Beatles but secondly and somewhat more obscurely was the Hovis boy of the TV ad fame, sorry I know but couldn’t stop referring to him.

 

By'eck son it's None other then Gucci

By’eck son it’s None other then Gucci