Penny for your thoughts – 6 of the best Penny Loafers

The Penny Loafer is a much underrated and yet highly versatile piece of footwear, equally at home with a pair of jeans as they are within a formal setting. The Penny Loafer or the “Weejuns” to give them there more correct term first become popular after the depression of the 1930’s and had the rather strange origin of being based on Norwegian diary farmers clogs. The shoe’s strap has a split design that is supposed to resemble a pair of lips. This opening in the strap was soon used as a way to add a decorative touch to the usually simple loafer and small objects, such as pennies, were often placed there, hence the name, get it ? As alway we here at Clothes Make the Man bring you 6 of the best which should appear to you no matter what your taste or budget is. Take a look;

 

Ahhhh a real British, timeless Classic, this time in the form of this great from John Lobb from MRPORTER.com

 

 

Annie are you OK, are you OK Annie ! Ahh the late, great MJ himself was fond of a Loafer and these Penny Loafers from Russell & Bromley  are a nice break from the traditional and a little trip down that retro memory lane.

Another wonderful example to add a splash of colour to a look, comes this time from Clarks

Now for something just a little bit special, these objects of beauty come from the Italian luxury house Tods to produce this vintage looking Penny Loafer

You can’t go wrong with this Italian Classic interpretation of the Loafer from Brunello Cucinelli‘s designs are backed by meticulous Italian craftsmanship, evident in the quality materials and precise, hand-stitched finishes

 

Ahhh the original and many say the best by GH Bass the pride of Maine.

 

 

Ted-tastic luggage – Ted Baker launch Luggage

imageDon’t you just hate standing at the baggage carousel, on a right downer after a great holiday and all the bag on it look like yours ?!?! Well those wonderful guys from Ted Baker have thought long and hard on how to solve this problem without you looking a right plum with some day glo yellow, stand out from the crowd, suitcase.

The have come up with both a men’s and women’s range of hard-sided and ultra lightweight polycarbonate trolley suitcases. The men’s range takes inspiration from herringbone. One of the oldest forms of woven linen, dating back over 2000 years to the Roman Empire, where the design was used in some of the finest textiles.

The Ted Herringbone pattern is featured across the framed front panel in either a masculine Navy or Charcoal Grey. The cases have clever little touches to them paying homage to Ted Baker’s quirky and unique style, for instance, the wheels on the case have been cleverly re-imagined as shirt buttons. Plus the organised interior, designed for optimum packing efficiency, and features the brand’s unique “Birds of Prey ” lining, with soaring Eagles, Owls, Falcons and Hawks.

After all we must remember, travel does broaden the mind, but as Ted, himself says, it’s how you travel as much as where you go, that makes the Journey one to remember.

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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

A Scent of Victory -The new Tour de Ted range by Ted Baker

imageGentlemen, it’s time to step up a gear as Ted Baker launch their new Tour de Ted body Maintence kit. Pedalling a unique dash of tradition with contemporary scents technology, this timely new collection offers a (be)spoke, get it, selection of body wear fragrances which promise to keep you as fresh from the start to passing the finish line.

For the modern man about town who’s not afraid to up his game or multi-task, there is the Orange range. The fresh and invigorating top notes of eucalyptus, geranium and Patchouli will leave you totally revitalised and ready to take on the day.

But if your more of a Old School kinda fella, who prefers to never break a bead of sweat, then try the warm sensory tones of the Green range which boasts bergamot, Sandalwood, cedarwood and musk.

Each of the fragrance ranges contains a hair and body wash, deodorant antiperspirant and body spray, so whatever life throws at you, you’ll be guaranteed to both look and smell on top form.

A Fashion moment in time and Space – Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who by Dina Akhmetzhanova

imageWho would have thought that the biggest fashion moment of 2014(so far) would be, one, from the world of Menswear and two, the day the BBC revealed the Crombie clad look of the latest Doctor Who? It’s hard to tell whether it was the genius of costume designer Howard Burden or the surprisingly suave looks of Peter Capaldi who will be playing the part of the 12th (or 13th depending on your school of thought) Doctor, but it definitely stuck a chord with the public. Apparently within minutes of the release of the first pictures Crombie’s site was flooded by thousands of visitors,bringing the whole site down.Capaldi was propelled to the status of fashion icon overnight and is now trending at the top 10 in Google and social media. Take that Bieber!

So if you want to get “simple, stark and back to basics” look of Capaldi’s Time Lord here is how you can do it in your own way. The‘covert’ coat is undoubtedly the key feature of the look. Capaldi is sporting the Crombie navy coat with signature red lining, fly front and velvet colour. It’s a truly timeless piece fit for the Time Lord himself. It doesn’t come cheap, but the quality and style of the coat is worth every penny. If you find the real thing a bit pricy there are other cheaper alternatives on the high street.

imageThe Chaplin Coat from Reiss is much closer to Capaldi’s look. It has a flyfront, three front pockets and comes in the identical dark blue colour. The only thing missing is the velvet colour and the lining.

imageThis Tolou Herringbone coat from Ted Baker includes all the elements of classic covert coat velvet collar, fly front fastening and flamboyant lining. Even though the lining is not in dramatic red it features playful pattern of bow ties. You can think of it as nod to the style of the prior Doctor played by Matt Smith.

imageAustin Reed is one of the oldest British formal wear brands, so it may be a bit pricier than its neighbours on the high street but it is also better quality. Austin Reed’s navy covert coat is a shade lighter than Capaldi’s and doesn’t have red lining but other than that it is a great coat for any occasions.

The covert coat is one of those timeless items that never really goes out of fashion. So it’s quite appropriate for a  Time Lord and it’ll last you a lifetime. So if the Doctors’ new costume is anything to go by we are in for some great TV, come the Autumn.