26th August 2010
Article by: Matthew Burt
ASOS have come up with a treat for us today. As one of the premier men’s clothing destinations on the internet they continue to reinvent and push their brand forward by producing great editorial, trend collections and look books. One of their featured Autumn Winter 2010/11 trends is called “Smart”, and it brings relaxed formal and tailoring to a new level.
Now some of you may be a little bored of the same ‘traditional tailoring’ trend every single Autumn/Winter, and yes, I’m one of them. But fear not, ASOS have come up with a trend that does involve classic tailoring, but with an added twist. It integrates into your current wardrobe seamlessly, and encourages you to buy timeless items to pair with the essentials you already own. That is the key to this trend, reusing items and providing a mix between casual and formal. For example, if you have an old denim shirt in your wardrobe from Spring/Summer, you can breathe new life into the item by buttoning it to the top and pairing it with a tailored jacket, and as you will see below, this is one of the key looks produced. In the end it means you don’t have to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe like quite a lot of passing trends, which will save you money.
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25th August 2010
Article by: Paul Wells
Made To Measure Goes Mainstream
As a classic way of dressing, one can never underestimate the power of the suit. Simple, dignified and authoritative, the men’s suit is an item we’re told we should all have in our wardrobes; indeed the merits of two and three piece cuts have been covered comprehensively in Fashionbeans ‘Men’s fashion basics’ series.
I’m sure you’ve heard the adage that one should spend as much as one can possibly afford to, on a suit; an expensive cut can be spotted a mile off while a cheap suit looks… well, the words ‘chips’ and ‘cheerful’ spring to mind. So it has often been the case that while hankering after Saville Row fineries, the astronomic price tags have meant that we’ve had to settle for high street cuts. But that’s all about to change thanks to Reiss.
For A/W ’10 Reiss has announced the launch of its Personal Tailoring Service. Meaning that custom made, hand finished garments will now be available on the high street, for a fraction of the price you’d expect to pay for such a service.
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24th August 2010
Article by: Matthew Burt
Editor Introduction
So this week Matthew has singled out Pharrell Williams as our style icon, and provided a basic guide as to how you can achieve his look. He is an icon for a lot of young males who want to have that “effortless cool” approach to the way they dress. I actually covered him back in the day, so here is what I had to say about Skateboard P:
“His style has evolved from typical basic skateboard/street wear into what I think could be called the modern gentleman. He and Kanye seem to be really upping the fashion stakes for musicians and especially black musicians. When we went through the strong stage of hip hop a few years back – 50 Cent, Jay Z (really improved as well since his Def Jam CEO role), Dre, Snoop and even Eminem – it seemed that to be associated with “black culture” you had to wear baggy jeans, an over sized white t-shirt and some bling. It is a completely different story now with a lot of these artists wanting to become more well rounded business men.
Pharrell to me just oozes cool and style. I haven’t ever seen him when I thought he was just another average man on the street. He has a lot of flair and creativity with his outfits – mixing bold colours, patterns and using key accessories like scarves, sunglasses and watches to really stand out. I think a lot of people who are naturally creative just “know” what works when it comes to expressing themselves through their clothes.”
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23rd August 2010
Article by: Matt Allinson
The Tuxedo
Ah, the tuxedo, the trickiest item of menswear for any guy to get right. Once it was something to be cherished and relished when it was worn but these days seems to be more like a chore and an obligation for those bound for nuptial-based events. I’ve always thought of any suit that a guy owns as their own suit of armour; once hemmed and tailored to your own personal tastes it should fill you with confidence and valour for the times ahead. Never was it more true for this most masculine of tailoring.
Of course there are a few things to get right when considering a Tux. Firstly, I strongly recommend that you actually purchase one. Seriously, think about the process of hiring one for just a moment. You spend a couple of hundred on a tuxedo that doesn’t really fit you, kind of smells and you have to travel there and back for the pleasure. Yes, buying one will set you back a pretty penny but the amount of use you’ll get out of it (it’ll surprise you as time passes) and how good you’ll feel and look in it will be worth it.
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20th August 2010
Article by: Luke Todd
Introduction
I requested a bio’ of all contributors. Anyone not intimidated by the pretence of lexically indulgent and frankly, overwhelming words dwelling in my articles obliged accordingly. I suppose, in avoidance of being shunned for pedalling hypocrisy, it calls upon me to follow suit.
Prepare to have any façade of preconceptions about me longingly established:
Luke Todd; ‘Seasonal’ biography
I’m a clothes storage system embezzled, in a more often than not case of the [not so] essentials of any given sartorial requiem. Self-diagnosed bi-polar towards the seasons also occasionally blunders my CV. The world and his sister advise me to shop for “staples”; I come back with post-it notes! I’m more concise in providing outlandish remarks and nonsensical metaphors than I am in acting in philanthropic fashion towards my wardrobe assembly.
My birthright claims me little English nationality, aesthetically speaking. Tailored in the Italians, walking in the Americans and clutching the occasional au francais. My disgruntled belligerence is what dons Jack to my shoulders. After a few weeks of children branded in ice cream, the exercise-illiterate of society slapping on cream with a paste brush and a hosepipe ban leaving your neighbours cat unscathed for days on end; I’m ready to bring into play a knit or eight.
We follow that up by forgetting we have limbs (for a lack of sensation), “if you throw one more snowball at me your Mother will be glad she kept your Christmas present receipt” and a hosepipe made redundant by the ice, leaving your neighbours cat unscathed for days on end.
Last week I fed you from my trough of autumn essentiality. This week you can spoon-feed yourselves! Since the former, I have received more emails about autumn essentials than I have fans knickers, which frankly I receive a lot of; usually they are mine and are being sent back to me.
This is the week we offer over the gauntlet of sartorial styling to the ‘beaners. All to of whom we entrust all our knowledge and secrets; we release you as a Bambi of the fashion-literary world. Oh wait, as Bambi’s mother… that didn’t end well for us!
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19th August 2010
Article by: Tom Bloomfield
Introduction
For those of who are are familiar with my previous article on how to integrate colour into your wardrobe, you should now be pros at ditching the blacks and donning the brights! Well that is all very well, but how do we know which colours suit our individual looks the best? Well, you guessed it, I am about to tell you. The great thing about this article is, you can improve your look by wearing flattering colours, and it will look effortless. People aren’t going to realise why you are suddenly wearing more of a certain colour, but they are going to notice that you are looking a lot better. I won’t tell if you don’t!
So firstly, before I start blabbering on and demanding that you wear certain colours, we have to determine what “type” or “category” your skin tone falls under. Skin types are often broken down into “seasons” for this and are distinguished by the coloured undertones of your skin. To determine whether you have a cool (winter/spring) or warm (summer/autumn) complexion, simply check the underneath of your arms! If the veins running down your forearm appear blue you are a “cool” complexion, if they appear green-ish then you fall under the “warm” category – simples. If you can’t see any veins, then you are a vampire, and I am afraid I cannot suggest any colour other than black. For those of you still human, please turn your arms over – you will need them to scroll down.
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18th August 2010
Article by: Duncan Copeland
The Man-icure
While having a great hair, shave and skin care regime has a huge impact on your grooming credentials, it’s the finer details that take you from good to great in the grooming stakes. These added extras are often the things that we neglect, particularly with the hectic lifestyle of the modern man, but if you can take the time and effort to get these little details right then it will make all the difference. Hand and nail care is one of those finer details.
Now I know what you’re all thinking, taking care of your hands and nails isn’t exactly the most ‘manly’ thing to do. But before anyone writes it off, let me ask you this; would you want to be felt up by sandpaper? Or shake hands with someone who has unkempt, gruesome nails? Didn’t think so.
We all spend so much time worrying about having a six pack, or getting the perfect tan, but for normal everyday things like a meeting or a date, or important occasions like a job interview, your hands take centre stage along with your hair and skin. It’s for these reasons then that we should take time and effort to ensure our hands and nails don’t let us down.
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17th August 2010
Article by: Ben Jones
Introduction To Bohemian Style
In Paris, back in 1966, Yves Saint Laurent became the first haute couture designer to release an innovative line of pret-a-porter clothing which placed more emphasis on creating ready-to-wear garments for the mass public rather than exclusive haute couture pieces which adorned the catwalks. The aim was to ‘democratise’ fashion, open it up to the masses, and also to introduce elements from garments of the lower classes into high fashion. The name given to this collection was ‘Rive Gauche.’
Rive Gauche literally translates as ‘Left Bank’ and refers specifically to the left bank of the River Seine in Paris. More specifically, the term ‘rive gauche’ refers to this area of Paris in an earlier era – during a period when artists, writers and intellectuals such as Salvador Dali, Toulouse Lautrec and Ernest Hemingway flocked to Paris to become involved in the free-thinking, all-embracing Rive Gauche community. The term ‘rive gauche’ immediately implies a sense of bohemianism, creativity and individualism as the left bank of the River Seine became the heart of intellectual and artistic life in 1900 Paris. However, it is important to point out that the description of these people as bohemian, individual and unconventional relates to their professions, lifestyles and ways of thinking, rather than their clothing. Nowadays, ‘bohemian’ in a fashion context throws up images of hippies, tie-dye and all-natural fibres (shudder!) – but Rive Gauche suggests a more muted, functional, down-to-earth look which still retains a flair of individuality – a kind of Urban Bohemia.
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16th August 2010
Article by: Matt Allinson
Introduction
So with the basics for casual wear and suits out of the way I thought it was time for another ’6 items’ piece. Last time we ran you through the pieces that every guy should have in his wardrobe so this time I thought I’d run through items that you maybe hadn’t thought about until now but are still none-the-less essential additions to your growing wardrobe. I have also tried to give mention to a few more accessories this time around because a lot of you guys have been asking for articles on them so I thought this would be a good foundation to build upon.
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13th August 2010
Article by: Jacob Kamara
Introduction – I Have A Problem
Let me set the scene for you. It’s a Friday evening and I’m in Topman Oxford Street, gossiping with Terry the Topman stylist. As much as I’m trying to focus and enjoy some good banter, my gaze keeps wondering over to the pair of TOMS displayed a stones throw to my left.
Now if you’ve ever read my writing before you’ll understand I have the biggest shoe fetish around, I mean I would literally cut my toes off to get into a tight pair of treads. I’m the kind of person that would buy a size 8 as oppose to my actual size 9.5, just because they look nicer, then wince in pain every time I sport them. I know, I know, fashion has no mercy. Stupid me!
Jump back to me trying to listen intently to the latest Fash-Pack gossip, one eye meandering to the left. My self-control (or lack thereof) flakes and I have to get myself over to these shining beacons in a sea of distressed leather and rubber soles.
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