Author Archives: Matt Allinson

The Tux Dilemma So now that we have covered the reasons why you should at least be thinking about buying a tuxedo – and how to make sure you’ve got the right fit and style – we should now cover the disadvantages of the item. I’m talking about the fact that the times you will be out wearing your tux will probably be very minimal. When you are wearing it, it will feel amazing; a really stylish, rakish, awesome piece of battle armour. But the moment the party is over…

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…

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…

Options, Options, Options This article is based on a few experiences that I have had over the past year and it may be something that my fellow males have been going through too. We all know the situation, for whatever reason something is occurring out of town. It may just be a case that you are looking to get out of town full stop but either way you have booked the Monday off work (and called in sick on the Friday) and are heading off for a nice long weekend…

How To Dress Down Your New Suits Ok so we’ve been dealing with suits for the last couple of weeks; with what to buy, how to wear it and when to where it now out of the way I want to cover one final thing before we move on. Namely, how to wear a suit out of the office. This is a subject that is close to my heart because I don’t see nearly enough guys do this; even I am a little bit of a sinner when it comes…

Introduction With the last of the basic suit articles done and dusted I thought we should just go over a few of the accessories that can go with the new suits that you have just acquired. Now there’s nothing wrong with heading out to the office or restaurant in your grey, navy, black or plaid suit with your shirt and shoes of choice. In fact, in the right circumstances a truly stripped down, understated suit and shirt combination can look extremely modern, stylish and practical. But outside of a relaxed…

Introduction So this week’s article will be the last Men’s Basics on Suits before we do another round up of what has been discussed before. Maybe I’ll throw in an extra one on ties, hats, shoes and other accessories, I don’t know. But first let’s make sure we’ve covered patterned suits. And by this I mean primarily the striped and plaid varieties. Now, up until now we’ve been using the suit as the anchor for going wild with all kinds of suit and tie combinations. There were stripes, plaids, checks…

Summer Suits So with the summer well and truly on us, I thought I’d put an article aside to cover the best suits to have in your wardrobe when the heat is on. Now I did plenty of research into this (I know, right?) and there are loads of materials and colours that people swear by but I think I’ve cut it down into three main types of suits and a couple of rules to follow when wearing them. With it being summer, you don’t want your wool blends or…

Fade to Black So I definitely think I’ve received enough e-mails from you beaners out there to know that you would like me to write an article on how to wear a Black Suit! I don’t know what it is, maybe you guys have been watching Reservoir Dogs too much or have way too many weddings and funerals to attend, but it appears to be in high demand. And I can see why. Classic and classy but never in an over the top or overstated way, the black suit is…

In The Navy So now you know all the reasons why you should have or at least be considering having a grey suit in your wardrobe as your go-to option if you’re heading to the office/wedding/formal event. But with the summer nearly upon us (or at least we all hope so), there is another versatile suit that deserves a mention and lends itself particularly well to the hotter months. Yes, the Navy suit. Sure, camel or beige khaki material suits are the obvious choice when it comes the summer but…

Shades of Grey With the last couple of week’s articles done and dusted, you should now know what you’re looking for when purchasing a suit and have a rough idea of how to make it suit your body type as well. But now the real question is which suit are you going to buy? Because let’s face it, there are plenty out there! With this being fashion basics, I’ll try to keep things as simple as possible on our way to building a respectable business wardrobe to compliment your beautiful…

How To Buy A Suit Part 2 Ok guys, so now you know what you’re looking for when it comes to the fit of a suit and what the finer details should look like. However, I understand that the basic rules that need to be followed are difficult for the majority of guys out there. People come in all shapes and sizes but, unfortunately, most ‘off the rack’ suits do not. A common theme amongst most men is that they can find a suit jacket that is perfect for them…

How To Buy A Suit So with casual basics done and dusted, let’s move onto more important things – Suits. If you thought people were getting casual fashion all wrong, then you haven’t seen anything yet. On my regular morning walks to the office it’s unbelievable the amount of baggy, oversized suits I see slowly drowning the ‘business’ men that are wearing them. It’s this awful look and the stigma associated with ‘knotting up’ for the workplace that give suits such a bad reputation and have men sighing with relief…

OK guys, one more article on what has gone before and then I promise we’re moving straight on to suits and other kinds of formal/work place related attire. But what I want you to do right now is cast your mind back to all the articles that have gone before or if it helps go back and read them now to refresh your memory. What I need you to do now is have a think about what kind of casual ‘person’ you are. It is great to have tips and…

Following on from last week’s article on 6 pieces of clothing that all of you guys out there should be wearing, I decided to write a further six because I really am running out of ideas on what to write about these days. No that’s a lie, it was mainly due to the response the article got from you guys and also because I couldn’t help thinking that there were a few prime suspects missing from our line-up. So, as with the last article, try and view these as twelve…

So with the casual basics out of the way, it’s time that we had a bit of a round up. But before we get into all that, I appreciate that all these articles put together can be a little bit overwhelming and it’s difficult to know which pieces to focus on to build yourself a stylish, versatile and reliable wardrobe. Getting your clothes to the place you want them to be can be a very long process and to have the basics covered can potentially take a couple of years….

With last week’s articles on casual ties done and dusted, I think we may have come to the end of all we cover in regards to Men’s Basics in a casual context. But before I go away and start drawing up a cunning plan for Men’s Basics in a work/formal context I would like to touch briefly on the topic of footwear. Previous experience dictates that, although we have got the clothing nailed and some quality outfits at our disposal, there is still room for the whole thing to be…

This week’s article is going to be on ties and is inspired by the complete lack of them being worn by you guys! I can’t understand why most guys don’t jump at the opportunity to knot up and let a little bit of style and flair pop out of your outfit. Aside from a watch, the tie is the one truly masculine accessory that we have and can add a lot of different things to your outfit depending on the occasion. However, just for the purposes of this article, I’m…

So I’ll be the first to admit that I am running low on ‘men’s basics’ to cover these days. I look back on the previous instalments and I’m pleased with how they’ve turned out and also just how MUCH we’ve covered together. However, I feel that our time together may be drawing to an end soon but never fear; I still have some aces up my sleeve before it’s all said and done. I was walking through town the other day trying to get ideas for an article, watching all…

Editor Note: With blazers set to be MASSIVE this Spring/Summer there couldn’t be a better time for Matt’s blazer basics article. All fashion newbies should have a blazer in their wardrobe as it is an ESSENTIAL piece of clothing, but with the added value of being bang on trend for this year. For background information about how important they are check out these articles: Men’s Blazers – New Season Collections | Men’s Spring Fashion Trend – Relaxed Tailoring | Spring 2010 Fashion Essential – The Blazer | Short Suit Look…