Look of the Week: Streetwear

Right, a bit later than expected, but here's my Look of the Week inspired by streetwear!  I've recently been infatuated by the streetwear that's all over Tumblr and Pinterest (if you know where to look), it's a look that before has never really caught my interest, I just thought that it was just some urban style where people bought t-shirts that were too big and jeans that were too tight!  But, having looked into it, it's an incredible world influenced by major designers such as Givenchy, Neil Barrett, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Kenzo and Commes Des Garcons to name a few.  Now, I'm not talking about the smaller companies like BOY London, who are adorned by people like Rhianna.  More like A$AP Rocky, Kanye and alike - who wear it with much more aplomb and finesse.  The origins have come from rap and hip-hop, oversized baggy street styles mashed with modern slim cut designer clothes has breathed new life into streetstyle without it being refused entry into a club.  You'll find a lot of monochrome, it seems to be the code of the uniform, mixed with leather, studs, animal print and gold.  It's a great look and a lot of high street stores are catching on.

So, what I've got for you here is your monochrome streetstyle inspired look.  The jeans are from Balmain, they're leather panelled distressed skinny jeans which sound awful I know but look great.  To match this I've got a pair of trainers that have been a huge success this year, the Valentino sneakers, I love them - if only I could afford a pair (or two).  The t-shirt is a limited edition that you can only buy at Selfridges at the moment, its from a company called Les (Art)ists who have brought out these american style jersey t-shirts with notable artists such as Yeezy, Damien Hirst and Raf Simons printed on the back.  I've gone with an artists I can't stop listening to at the moment, A$AP Rocky.  The chain is from A.P.C, I've used it a couple of times on my blog, it's awesome and fits in perfectly here.  The watch is a Nixon Time Teller rose gold that won't break the bank but looks the piece.  The jacket is a black bomber which is right on trend for the coming autumn from Paul Smith, it is such a cool item and you'll see it all over the street style blogs come the colder months.  Finally the belt is new season Burberry Prorsum.  The animal print breaks up the black and white nicely.

So, there you have it - my street style inspired look.  If you have a similar outfit and want to send me some snaps I'll be happy to put them up on my Tumblr page.

Enjoy!

Look of the Week: Festival

Hey guys, hope you're all doing well and you enjoyed my Picks of the Week yesterday, if not hit the link to check it out!  So, this weeks look gets its inspiration from all the festivals going on over the last few weeks, I'm also off to Reading Festival this weekend so thought it would be apt.  Now, the majority of festival 'looks' that are posted on menswear sites I usually hate; they probably include a checkered shirt, wellies and a straw hat.  No bloody good at all.  Just because you're going to a field to drink cans of cider doesn't mean you have to dress like a farmer.  Festivals are cool and I have time for a lot of modern festival goers, I just cannot abide those hippy types that change their look drastically because they're going to a festival and force an outfit that doesn't work.  Never fear, I am on hand to provide you with a cool, modern and yet practical outfit if you're off to a festival this weekend!

Ok, obviously you're going to be in a filed, probably living in the same jeans and trainers for the weekend so I've chosen a pair of Nudie Jeans Grim Tim slim fit organic denim jeans.  Nudie make some awesome jeans and they're priced very reasonably, this pair made with organic cotton are a bit softer and stretchier making them really comfortable so you can wear them all weekend. 

I'm sorry I just couldn't pick a pair of wellies or boots for this, they're just not me so I've gone for the next best think; leather trainers.  These are Jack Purcell's black leather trainers from Converse, they should keep your feet nice and dry and warm, they'll be easy to clean but above all they're a classic style of shoe with a great silhouette.  Being leather also you can just wipe them clean and they're only £50!

You'll need a bag for all your beer/wine/rum whatever you're bringing (spare pants and socks would be advisable if you have room left).  Herschel Supply Co do backpacks that are really well build and hold a lot of stuff!  This one is ideal and has a great aesthetic.  

Accessories I've got for you are the black leather woven belt from Mulberry, quality leather goods and the again a woven belt is more comfortable that a solid leather and is a lot more casual.  

The bracelet I used in my Picks of the Week a few weeks ago, its from Miansai who are doing fantastic things right now, I literally want all over their goods.  

The Sunglasses are from Illesteva and again I used them in my Picks of the Week a while back, very cool and plastic so they shouldn't break too easily.

The watch is one of those cheap retro Timex ones which, should you break it or lose it it won't really matter but is still quite a cool little item. 

Moving on to the rest of the outfit, the amazing t-shirt is from Paul Smith, its part of the new season they've just released and the oversized houndstooth print is massively on trend right now, I really want this t-shirt.

The coat is a Winston Fishtail parka from Steven Alan, perfect for a festival.  Lightweight enough to be carried around, waterproof and big enough to protect you from the elements and those late nights!

Well there you go, although I'm not a festive man myself this is my take on what you should look like.  I'd love to see your festival style photos if you have any, I'll post them!

Enjoy!

Picks of the Week: Mr Porter

So, it's been a fairly long week (or one of those week that felt really long anyway!), I've mostly been sorting out my new Website and Facebook Page to boost my Personal Styling business.  Please go and check them out and let me know what you think.  A lot of designers are releasing their Autumn and Winter ranges at the moment so my Picks of the Week have one eye on the approaching colder season whilst keeping everything on trend.  I aim to go into more depth about the Autumn/Winter trends with a post in the near future but, a general overview of trends would be: orange, grey-on-grey and burgundy being the biggest colours to walk the catwalk earlier this year.  Bomber jackets are big, oversized prints and checks, the gillet is back, rollnecks are making an appearance from last year which I'm happy about, printed everything (trousers mostly and sweaters), bold shoes (trainers and shoes with bright casings), hiking boots and some very snappy silk blend paisley DJ's for the christmas dinners (I apologise for mentioning Christmas, I know it's only August!).

Top Left: Ok, with those trends in mind I've got for you a houndstooth-print silk pocket square from Paul Smith.  The oversized print is really big right now, if you've got some time check out Paul Smith's new A/W13 range, the the printed trousers are amazing.  I used a pair in my Look of the Week last week.  This item will be really easy to slip into your wardrobe and give a quick boost to your style; being black and white it will go with pretty much everything.  The obvious choice is to wear a black and white outfit with this but stand out and make a statement, wear it with a forest green blazer, crisp white shirt, skinny black jeans and slippers or loafers for a night out, the pocket square will really pop off the blazer.

Top Middle: We've got a heart cutout wool and chasmere-blend sweater from Burberry Prorsum.  I saw some of the Burberry Prorsum shows from earlier in the year and the stuff they're brining out is fantastic and I'm really excited for next years line.  Anyway, keeping with the theme this jumper has an awesome print in the on trend burgundy colour way.  Wear it with jeans and a pair of Jack Purcells for an off-duty look.

Top Right: Doberman-print cotton-jersey t-shirt from Givenchy.  Following on from their range of Rottweiler sweaters they've brought out this incredible printed t-shirt.  This t-shirt will be huge so get it now before anyone else does!  Givenchy are doing some of the coolest street wear around at the moment so wear it with some equally cool street wear but keep it plain as the t-shirt is very bold, black skinny jeans and some of the new Valentino sneakers.

Bottom Left: I've chosen Drawstring knitted trousers form Dolce & Gabbana.  These aren't particularly to my taste, I think I'd have to work them in quite carefully, but done right they can be very modern and a great look.  Acne has some great pairs of these and a lot of the big designers are releasing their own.  Although the temptation is to wear these on a Sunday afternoon round the house then popping on a t-shrit and sneakers and nipping to the shop but I'd really prefer to see them worn completely differently.  I'd wear these with Lanvin sneakers, a grandad shirt and a shawl collar black blazer with the sleeves rolled up and plenty of jewellery.

Middle Bottom: We have a leather-sleeved wool-blend bomber jacket from A.P.C.  A.P.C have brought out a few new coats on Mr. Porter this week and in all honesty I could've done the whole post with their coats but hey, I had to chose one so I chose this.  Again, the bomber jacket will be a good look this season and a jacket like this will see you through a few years and age really well so its a great investment.  Saint Laurent had a similar one that was more of a leather bomber jacket as opposed to a baseball inspired one that was around £2k.  Wear this with a printed t-shirt or sweater, jeans and leather sneakers.

Bottom Right: A new designer on Mr. Porter, Helix fringed leather loafers from Heschung.  They're a traditional French shoe maker that use the highest quality leather from France and Italy.  Some of their boots look really good.  This pair though, in a nice burgundy will see you the winter months nicely, robust and well put together but still stylish.  I love a fringed or tasseled loafer, they're an instant style upgrade without standing out too much.  Wear them with slim dark jeans and a warm oatmeal cable-knit.

Well, again if you guys have any questions about by post feel free to leave some comments below, I'd love to hear from you!  Keep an eye out for my Look of the Week tomorrow!

Enjoy!

Share the love

I recently launched my new website to offer my personal styling skill set on a more professional level.  whilst doing this I was messing around trying to link all my social media pages to each other (which took hours!), so I thought I'd put a quick post up here for my new website so you guys could have a look and also offer you links to all my social media should you want to connect with me!

Website

So, here we are - I've made it nice and easy with a screen shot for you, just click on the link to go to the page!  Hope you guys like it and as always I welcome any feedback or questions you may have!

Intsagram

Facebook Page

Twitter

Tumblr

Pinterest

Look of the Week

I hope you guys liked my picks from Mr. Porter yesterday, if you missed it check it out on my previous post and let me know what you think.  This weeks Look of the Week is inspired again a little from London but mostly just a strong night-out look.  It's a friday or a saturday you're meeting a few friends and possibly a few lady friends later on for a bite to eat and some cocktails.  Sometimes the old jeans, shirt and blazer combo is a bit worn out.  Don't get me wrong, its a timeless classic and the infamous smart-casual staple but after wearing it a few times you'll soon realise that everyone is wearing the same clothes and honestly, I couldn't think of anything worse than going on a night out and being dressed the same as everyone else!  The blazer, jeans and shirt assemble is a great place to start, this is a step up.  It's very bold and you're going to need some balls to wear it.  Confidence is everything.  I would happily wear this on a night out and if I do put the outfit together I'll take a photo for you guys because its always nice to see the clothes on a body as opposed to flat and separated like this.

Again, I've been banging on about patterned trousers for weeks now but they are fantastic, this pair is from Paul Smith's new collection, there's another pair with a large print houndstooth which I almost chose for this article but went for the marble instead as I though they were more party-ish.  The blazer is Alexander McQueen and season on season these two keep powering out great British looks.  The obvious choice would've been to pair it with a black blazer (and if you're not feeling brave enough to wear the burgundy one go for a simple black, maybe velvet) but, taking inspiration form Tom Ford's SS14 lookbook I've decided to match the colour with the main colour of the trousers for a stronger look.  Now, I could've gone for a shirt here and I played around with a bib-front grandad collar shirt but it just didn't seem to work.  The best way to calm the outfit down was to keep it as simple as possible so a plain white v-neck t-shirt from James Perse did the trick.  You'll notice that I've kept the other colours black or white not to overpower the look, a Bottega Veneta embossed leather belt, the slippers I love are from Dolce & Gabbana, the watch is a beautiful minimalist Uniform Wares 100 Series all black , the necklace is from A.P.C its a gold chain with a square black pendant on it, nothing too brash but a nice touch to break up the t-shirt and finally the pocket square is a Turnbull & Asser silk polka dot which adds a bit of contrast to the black and the white.

So, I hope you like my Look of the Week, its a strong one!  I'd appreciate any feedback or if you have any style questions you'd like to ask me feel free to leave it on the comments box below, thanks!

Enjoy!

Picks of the Week: Mr.Porter

It's been a long week for some reason, but I'm looking forward to doing my Look of the Week tomorrow; it's becoming the highlight of my week to be honest!  Anyway, as I'm sure many of you have noticed a lot of the magazines, shops and general advertisement have turned from summer linen vibes to layers, coats and winter accessories which can only mean that autumn is on it's way and it is definitely time to start thinking of your winter wardrobe.  Albeit, summer isn't over yet but, here's a few items to get your brain thinking about some winter styles.

Top left is a colour-block bonded-jersey sweatshirt from Neil Barrett, if you read my blog last week you'd have discovered that I have an obsession at the moment with panelled or printed loopback jersey sweaters and this one is no exception.  It also mixes textures and fabrics, and the layering is actual overlapping of material, it's not sewn together.  Super contemporary, I love it.  Wear it with black skinny jeans and colourful flyknit racers.

Top right is a leather pouch from Comme Des Garçons.  Measuring 9" by 6" its the ideal size to chuck your phone, wallet, documents, keys and whatever else your carrying into and keep safe.  If you're like me you hate having things in your pockets, especially when you're wearing a slim fit suit, tailored chinos or skinny jeans, things in your pockets look like ridiculous bulges and are uncomfortable.  This pouch won't be for everyone and some may see it as feminine, but take it as you like, guys all over Pitti Uomo had these this year and expect to see them in the hands of stylish gents at January shows in 2014.

So, in the middle left we have a beautiful Masion Kitsuné quilted wool-blend peacoat in a bold blue.  The peacoat is an absolute classic and everyman should own one, this one is the contemporary classic.  the cut is slim and the blue and white contrast anchor its nautical heritage.  With its quilted lining on the inside this coat will see you through the harshest of winter months.  If you think the colour is too bold, go for a navy from Burberry or Belstaff which is a failsafe option.  Wear it with your favourite jeans and brogues.

Middle right we have the SLo6 leather sneakers from Saint Laurent.  I've been looking down at my poor canvas Jack Purcell's all scuffed and torn from the summer antics and thinking "I need new trainers for the winter".  The only option is to go with leather ones, obviously, canvas will last you 5 minutes in the rain before you feel like you're walking round with two sponges on your feet.  This pair from Saint Laurent hark back to the classic tennis shoe with its simple aesthetic and sleek silhouette, what more do you want from a sneaker.  Wear them dark jeans and a t-shirt and bomber jacket.

Bottom left is a pair of slim-fit printed cotton-blend jeans form Balenciaga.  These jeans are awesome, look at them!  I've said it before and I'll say it again, printed trousers are going to be huge next year, so get yourself a pair now, don't be a follower be a leader.  This monochrome pair are very bold, but if you're going to start somewhere start with a subtle black and white look.  You can dress these up or down really, with a velvet black blazer, white shirt and slippers or a with a pair of black common projects sneakers, back t-shirt and dark denim jacket.

Finally, I have another Saint Laurent product for you, this stripped cotton wool-blend sweater.  Nothing but pure quality and luxury from the Parisian design house with this classic breton stripe jumper.  This is one of those jumpers that will last you for years and never go out of fashion, its a solid investment.  Wear it on the weekend or to the cinema for a cool casual look.

Look of the Week

Here's my look of the week as requested!  I've had such a great response from this section and I'd just like to thank you guys for your input!  There's been no special occasion since last week and the weather hasn't much changed but, I've had London on my mind.  I really enjoy visiting London when I can and hope to be there in October for a small shopping trip with a client so, this weeks look of the week is with the Nations capital in mind.  It's something I'd wear whilst popping around some of the boutiques in London, a great casual look that comfortable yet stylish.

Ok, so what I've tried to do is base the outfit around the sneakers, when walking around London shopping (or anywhere for that matter) it's always best to have a super comfy pair of trainers to do it in, trust me it makes all the difference!  These are brand new pair from french design house Ami, old school racers are huge right now so grab a pair now so you can dig them out for spring because they'll still be big next year.  I've matched these with a pair of Acne slim fit Max Cash jeans, I love wearing black skinny jeans and this pair from Acne are well cut and great quality.  Another company I absolutely love is Hentsch Man, their Friday shirts are great and I especially like this soft denim one.  Thrown over the top I have for you a Todd Snyder loopback cotton jersey sweat, simple, understated yet cool and to pull the look together a suede Anderson's belt and a Uniform Wares 100 series watch.

Again, if you have an occasion you'd like me to do a look of the week for, please leave a comment in the box below, thanks!

Enjoy!

Picks of the Week: Mr.Porter

Not much has happened this week, except I went to Sestri Levante on the Italian Riviera to work an event.  Sadly, it was a very rural town and there wasn't much style to snap, but the women were as beautiful as the coastline.  Anyway, here are my picks of the week from Mr.Porter (I'm hoping if I give them enough attention I'll get a job there!)

So, top left we have a pair of Illesteva Leonard Round-Framed Acetate sunglasses.  I love the contrast of the matte black and reflective blue lenses, they scream an edgy city vibe.  Wear them with a plain black t-shirt, scruffy ripped jeans and converse.

Top right I've got for you a Wooyoungmi Printed Neoprene Loopback cotton sweatshirt.  I'm obsessed with loopback sweats and prints at the moment, I like the vintage design and simple aesthetic with the modern print slapped on the front.  The neoprene and leather detail adds a great textured effect.  Wear this with a crisp white shirt, skinny black jeans and some simple racer trainers.

Middle left is a J Crew Loopback cotton sweat; I told you I was obsessed with these!  This one from J Crew is slightly lighter and a bit more textured, giving it a great relaxed Sunday feel.  Wear it with black jeans and a pair of white canvas trainers.

Middle right is a Patterned Ribbed Merino Wool sweater from A.P.C.  Loads of designers are coming up with chunky knit contrast patterned sweaters and jumpers for the coming season so this will be right on trend.  Wear it with your favourite jeans and a pair of brown boots for a relaxed weekend look.

Bottom left is a plain white Henley t-shrit from James Perse.  If you haven't heard of James Perse I suggest you take a look into the brand; they make some of the best t-shirts and jumpers around, using the finest cotton to make luxury easy to wear basics.  Every man should own a henley t-shrit in white, black and grey.  They provide the basis for so many outfits and are great for layering.  Wear it with a leather jacket and dark jeans.

Finally we have a pair of Common Projects Achilles leather trim and wool low top sneakers.  I absolutely love Common Projects shoes, they make fantastic minimalist shoes of the highest quality.  Wear these with grey chinos, a white button down oxford and a chunky cardigan.

Look of the Week: Holiday

Today is apparently the hottest day of the year here in the UK so I thought I'd give you guys a nice holiday look, something you could wear here in the Great Britannia or whilst you're away on your holiday!  It's a nice simple look, with a relaxed palette which you can wear during the day and take through to early evening cocktails or even dinner.

Ok so what I've got for you here is a lovely summer blazer form Massimo Alba which is a linen blend, so should help keep you reasonably cool in the heat of the Italian Riviera!  I've matched this with a simple white linen shirt (yes, there's a theme here) from Faconnable which, despite it being linen, has a nice fit so won't hang off you like a overside cushion cover!  Paired with a solid pair of navy chino shorts from Slowear (an essential item this summer) - these will go with everything, very versatile.  Now, if you're going to be doing a spot of sightseeing during your holiday you'll need a comfortable pair of shoes and what better pair than Car Shoe driving moccasins.  I've chosen this great burgundy pair as I love green, red and blue in an outfit; I think they really compliment each other.  I've teamed the shoes with a Anderson's woven burgundy belt to tie the look together and a pair of great Persol 649 tortoise shell sunglasses and of course no outfit is complete without a pocket square, this beautiful one is from Drake's.

I hope you enjoy this look of the week - if you try it out I'd love to see some photos so I can put them up on here! 

Enjoy!