No Mistletoe required – Getting Office Party Attire Spot on

250x250_CMTM_BannerThis Friday night is, that night of the year, some see it as the most dreaded night on the calendar, whilst others count the days down from last years one. Yes, if you work in an Office environment the likelihood is you’ll  be heading off to your annual office party. Making an impact at this event is all too important, be too gregarious and your seen as not being professional. Staying quite and keeping yourself to yourself, your seen as being standoffish and not a leader of people. Plus not attending is not an option as then your seen as. not a committed member of staff, who sees himself as better then the rest and you can kiss goodbye to that promotion or pay rise.

If you feel you need a little more advise to avoid the minefield that is the Office Christmas Party take a look at this link from last year when we covered the do’s & don’ts etiquette of this nightmarish event.

Now to ensure you look your best for the big bash, we’ve selected  an outfit to cover each scenario that could possibly cover the Partay, we really are too good to you guys.

The casual Office event

So it might be a meal, drinks down the pub but essential quite an informal setting, where you don’t wanna rock up looking like you’ve made a real effort and overdressed for the occasion.

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This is a winning choice from Barbour, as it shows your entering into the spirit of the Yuletide without going all out Christmas Jumper extravaganza.
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I know I’ve said this before but its an absolute staple, the Black Shirt, this one from Marks & Spencer, is a great all rounder. If the Christmas do takes a turn and you wanna take it onto a club or somewhere a little more upmarket you can whip the jumper off and it gives a completely different look to your outfit without having to go home and change. Plus if  you pair this with.
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A pair of chinos, my advise is keep the look simple you don’t wanna look like one of Santa’s lil helpers in your fair isle knit and red or green chinos so stay traditional. These are a great example from Ben Sherman and the reason for Chinos over jeans is simple, it gives you more options. Alot of establishments, particularly at this time of year aren’t welcoming of lads wearing jeans so do yourself a favour and make sure your night doesn’t come to and abrupt and early end.
Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 20.43.26Finish this look off with the highly versatile Finton from Grenson,  these lil lovelies can pretty much be worn with anything, they will see you through so many different occasions over the years. Not only timeless, they can be dressed up or down and still look great.

The Semi-casual event

Now this is when your boss is flashing the cash and has hired a venue for the Annual shindig, whether it be hotel, hall or even if its not been such a great year, pushed all the desks and chairs to the walls to make a dance floor and some room for Sharon from accounts Boyfriend Mark to show what he’s worth on the decks.

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This is a great look that sends out all the right messages, from yeah, I’ve made just the right amount of a effort, to Ohh yes I know how to put an outfit together effortlessly. This herringbone jacket and waistcoat combo can be bought as separates but also include a pair of trousers all from NEXT.

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These are a great pair of jeans from Oliver Spencer, Comfortable fit on the waist, front and back rise and a regular fit on the leg Dark Indigo Denim plus great value for money and will look great with this jacket and waistcoat.

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I’ve gone for a Chambray Oxford style shirt from Joules, rather then a white shirt as this can sometimes look too formal and you can easily smarten this look up with a navy tie and a pocket square. Plus it goes really well with the grey herringbone.

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Once again I’ve kept the outfit simple and finished it off with a classic pair of shoes, this time with Brogues from Oliver Sweeney. You want to keep things simple so there’s less for you to worry about and if you know you look good this will help with your confidence on the night. This look strikes a real balance and shows that you know what you’re doing.

 

The Formal event

So here you have it the final in the options for the Christmas Party looks to impress. The formal event, this is often when you have to attend a ball style function. Now once again you need to strike a balance of looking good, looking confident and standing out form the crowd for all the right reasons.

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Now this is a tuxedo that ticks all of those boxes from Banana Republic, you’re making a statement by going Navy rather then traditional black but at the same time looking totally dapper.

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You’ve made your statement with the Navy tux so you need to keep the rest of the look classic and sober. This is a brilliant dress shirt from the French brand Ami, which does does that, understated yet chic.

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Its all in the detail and this classic with a twist Black bow tie from TOPMAN finishes of this look perfectly, its just a little smaller then the traditional bow ties.

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These are a great dress shoes from Ted Baker and aren’t too traditional so you can easily wear these on other occasions with jeans.

So whatever your Christmas party follow these tips and it should hold you in fine fettle so you can hold your head high come Monday Morning.

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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

 

Ensure your always cool hand Luke with the Ted Baker Player’s Edition grooming range

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Making sure you perfect your Poker Face, Ted Baker has come up with a Limited edition Player’s range, to ensure you’re cooler then a cucumber on the coldest day of the year, when your need to be calm and collected. The range consists of 3 essential grooming products and subtle spices have been combined with citrus scents and woody undertones to establish a real masculine aroma. As always with anything the brand produces it comes complete with a great British tongue in cheek sense of humour and the product reflect this in their names. We have, “The Upper Hand” Body spray, which comes in handy when you play your trump card with this cooling body spray. It has a rich woody note combined with spices and a twist of lime. Next up is “No Need to Bluff” Hair and body wash, which ensures a refreshing feeling from the tips of your hair to your toes. Infused with lime and grapefruit and teamed with a subtle hint of woodiness, it acts as the perfect pick me up for night or day. Lastly there is the, “Up the Ante” Antiperspirant Deodorant, which kicks in just when you need it when the pressure is on, so you don’t need to sweat it. This trio all complement each other when used together offering a clean, fresh but not overpowering scent, ensuring you always Play your card right, sorry, couldn’t resist and I had to get that one it !

LOVE is a many splendored thing ! As long as you get the right gift – Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

(Sorry Loyal and trusted reader, this was meant to be Friday’s post, but due to Yahoo mail being, crap, it’s been delayed to today, sorry for the inconvenience).

Love it or Loathe it, there’s no escaping the fact that next week, in fact February 14th to be exact, is St Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year that you have no excuses and by golly you better not forget that Romance isn’t dead. Mrs Mc is exceptionally lucky in the sense that being married to my good self, everyday is like Valentine’s Day, or so I tell I keep her. But don’t worry if your still feeling the pinch from Christmas and in the words of Simply Mick, “Money’s to tight to mention”, we, as always, have searched far and wide for great ideas for the your loved one. Now don’t get me wrong, if you can afford it, whisk her away to Venice on the Orient Express for a romantic weekend or purchase her a pair of diamond earrings, think less Elizabeth Duke and more Chopard and you will literally be drowning in brownie points. BUT, as nice and as much as we may like to be able to offer this gesture, reality can often get in our way. So, here are a selection of great gift suggestions, that will get or keep you in the good books;

 

The Diamond Scented candle is guaranteed to excite, delight and fingers crossed surprise, as inside every fiftieth candle is a real sparkling spanking diamond !!!! by Paulina Leonor at Selfridges.

 

Paula Rowan Gloves come in a multitude of colours, not only RED, but it is Valentine's Day.

Paula Rowan Gloves not only come only in the finest leather but in a multitude of colours, not only RED, but it is Valentine’s Day.

 

You treat your good lady to these day of the week underwear by Stella McCartney and she'll love you 24/7.

You treat your good lady to these day of the week underwear by Stella McCartney and she’ll love you 24/7, now thats a promise.

 

It might seem cliche to us, but trust me the ladies love Mulberry and this Heart purse ticks all the boxes

It might seem cliche to us, but trust me the ladies love Mulberry and this Heart purse ticks all the boxes, nuff said.

 

As always M&S have the answer to your prayers all wrapped up. Send that special someone an extra special Valentine's gift; this red rose hamper includes a magnificent pot of red Kordana roses, a bag of love heart chocolates and Italian sparkling rosé wine for an all-inclusive gift to someone you love.

As always M&S have the answer to your prayers all wrapped up. Send that special someone an extra special Valentine’s gift; this red rose hamper includes a magnificent pot of red Kordana roses, a bag of love heart chocolates and Italian sparkling rosé wine for an all-inclusive gift to someone you love, chocolates, booze and flowers, you know her so well.

 

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I know I’ve gone on about these before, but this is what Mrs Mc will be getting as a little gift for Valentine’s Day. These Eley Kishimoto X Clarks, see not so sensible now are they. Another unlikely collaboration that works so well, will be earning me get out of jail cards !

 

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Give her the gift of time this Valentine’s Day, this Rotary Ladies verbier watch looks so much more then its price tag. Only thing is you can’t be late ever again !

 

As the release for Boss Nuit Pour Feme, says, "This will be your night." There are lots of great fragrances around at the moment. But word to the wise and check what kind of perfumes she like and go with one from the same family, so if she likes Musky scents DON'T go for a lil Floral number, trust me.

As the release for Boss Nuit Pour Femme, says, “This will be your night.” There are lots of great fragrances around at the moment. But word to the wise and check what kind of perfumes your good lady currently wears and go with one from the same family, so if she likes Musky scents DON’T go for a lil Floral number, trust me.

 

You can't go wrong with jewellery and big isn't always better. The ladies do like nice delicate, tasteful pieces like this bumblebee from Ted Baker

You can’t go wrong with jewellery and big isn’t always better. The ladies do like nice delicate, tasteful pieces like this bumblebee from Ted Baker

 

One last gift idea and normally I just would stay clear of gift vouchers, but these are no ordinary vouchers. Like everything Liberty do, these have a distinct individuality about them that any lady would find hard to say NO to.

One last gift idea and normally I would recommend staying clear of gift vouchers, but these are no ordinary vouchers. Like everything Liberty do, these have a distinct individuality about them that any lady would find hard to say NO to.

 

 

Ideal gifts for Kids

X-boxes, i-Pads, Playstations and Nintendos are all good and well and don’t get me wrong they have their place in gifting. But you won’t find them in this Gift guide, NO, we’ve decided to take it back and look at gifts that Santa himself would relish taking down the chimney. So if your stuck for something to buy for the lil tikes in your life, then here you go, plus we’ve selected gifts that, you know, you might even have some fun and enjoy yourself with.

 

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom we’re going to the moon in this Cardboard Rocket by Cardboardtoys.com. OK maybe don’t leave it outside over night, not in this weather.

 

The Force will be strong in you if you go for some of the great clothes for kids of a younger age group from sotinylondon.com With images as diverse and iconic as Stone Roses, Star Wars, The Rolling Stones and Batman amongst others, have your offspring looking the coolest in the playground.

 

You can’t beat a board game after a spot of Roast dinner and before a turkey and stuffing sandwich and what better board game the the daddy of them all Monopoly. But this is no ordinary Monopoly, ohhh no, this is Monopoly Millionaire. Your playing with the big boys now.

 

Go all Retro on them and go for some Swedish Hasbeen shoes.

 

What kid wouldn’t want to wake up on Christmas Morn and have the Millennium Falcon in LEGO to play with and if you wanted to “help” build it, I’m sure it would be appreciated and maybe even play with it on your own at some point, even.

 

What boy or girl, no matter their age, could resist this Multi play Table from Tesco.com games from table football to pool and ping pong !!!!

 

Anyone for Quidditch ? Of course in the Gryffindor stripe ! This was one of the recommendations from Harrods themselves !

 

The hot toy for this Yuletide is a bit of a retro throw back in Furby, it was annoying in the 1990’s and if anything they are even more so now, but with more technological advances !!!

 

They’ll be rockin around the Christmas Tree when they see this great Rocking Horse pendant by Ted Baker

 

Yee-ha Cowboy jump on the back of Jnr Bobbin from Joules