Winter Coats

You've probably noticed the weather turn and the nights starting to draw in.
With this in mind it's probably an idea to dig out your winter coats.

If your winter coat has seen better days and you want to look for something new, you might some of these on your outings

This jacket is from River Island and is retailing for £90.
This might be a bit steep for some, but you'll feel the benefir when the weather truly turns!

This item has a lot going for it. The collars are very large so you can turn them up when the wind is bad.
The double breasted buttons give a double layer of warmth. The pockets are very deep to, so you have plenty of space for your phone, wallet, gloves, and even a book.

The colour is very rich and this could be worn just a easily with a pair of jeans as with a suit. It comes in other colours too if you aren't feeling the green.
The buttons are study metal, and the material is very pleasant to the touch. The epaulettes are a nice touch too, even if they don't actually add anything practical.

This would look great with a pair of leather gloves and thick wool scarf.


The second item is from Bank Fashion and can be found here

I won't lie, I'm not a big lover of Bank Fashion. It's like shopping in a night club, without the booze.
This jacket hasn't endeered me to the brand either.
For a start, they want £225.00 for it! That is hideoulsy over priced.
The buttons look nice but are a cheap resin material. I like the asymetric design, especially the the right sholder flap, but the pocket on the left breast is distracting. The zip makes it look cheap.
The epaulettes are cool but it's a small boon in an otherwise lackluster item.
The colour is solid, but it's a shade short for my taste.

I would steer clear.

Third up we have this little doozey from Topman

There's a lot going on here. The designer obviously had some spare buttons they wanted to get rid off.....honestly, there are buttons everywhere!
The navy blue colour of the trench coat is a little dull, but the shoulder flaps, oversized collar and belt help to bring it to life.
The pockets are a nice size, even if the verticle style does make it easy for stuff to fall out.
The ringlet on the cuffs are rather nice too, you don't see them too often.
The one drawback of the belt however is that if you were to wear it open, the buckle would keep hitting your left hand which could get quite annoying.
It's going for £90.00 which is about right. It's not my favourite jacket in the world, but you could do a lot worse.

And when I say worse......I mean a lot worse. Brace yourselves for this nightmare

......where do you even start with this? It doesn't help that they've picket a model who looks like he tortours animals in a house he shares with his dead mother.
The shiloutte of the jackt is...ok. But that's as good as it gets. The faux leather looks like plastic, and the studded belt is something you would find at a BDSM convention. To make it worse, the back looks perfectly normal. I can only assume the desginer wants wearers to be able to shock people who approach from behins.
The final bit of salt in the wound is the price; Topman want £250 for this gauche hell spawn of a garment.


Of course you could do what I did and find yourslef one of these

Army surplus. I think it's from East Germany. It's in too good condition to any more than about 20 years old.
It's the warmest thing I have ever worn. And the best part.....it cost me £12.

I win at clothes!

The Need For Tweed

It's now officially Autumn.....(unofficially every day is an Autumn/Winter day in my house, but that's between me and my thermostat)

There will be those among you who mourn the passing of Summer, with it's BBQ's, Pimms, assorted sporting cappers. But fear not chumrades, because this is preceisly the time of year to dust off that most versatile of garments...
...the tweed jacket!

Now technically speaking, tweed is a very specific fabric, made in a very specific way. However the spirit of this blog has always been to help the modern gentleman get by on a High Street budget. A brand new Harris Tweed jacket can easily set one back a cool £400. Yes, it's a jacket for life, but you I for one can't justify spending on a jacket what I could pay for a second hand car!

We are lucky in that may High Street stores offer a range of tweed-esque jackets at reasonable prices.
Here's a starters for ten from Next and can be found here

It's called herringbone but we shant be picky. It's a solid choice.
It's two buttoned which means it'll hang well if left open but equally won't look too forced if bottoned up. The colour is understated without being boring, and the sloped pockets (and cheeky extra small pocket on the right) give it a modern feel. The good folks at Next have also given you a handkerchief as well, so there's no excuse not to wear one!
It retails for £75.00 which is the higher end of this type of jacket, but the material looks good and and this can be worn with a range of looks and in various situations, so you'll get your money's worth.

Our next offering comes from H&M and can be found after the jump

I'll start brutally, I don't care for this look and the model looks like he needs a decent meal....and some vitamin D
Rant over
The jacket is another faux tweed number, but different from the previous one from Next. This is far more comtemporary and is in keeping with the H&M look and feel.
It's darted so will look fitted without having to be tailored. As I have said before this is great for me, but not if you have a bit of a belly.
The colour is....ok, but unless it's worn with bright colours or you are a naturally bouncy person, it'll wash you out and make you look, well, like this guy.
The pockets have no flap which is a personal preference, but I am old school in this sense and would rather have the flap.
The stiching on the buttons doesn't look too sturdy and I doubt the material is very durable either. That being said, it's made for the club, not the country side.
The only redeeming feature of this jacket is the price. At £34.99 it's half the price of the one from Next.

The last jacket today is from Topman, found here

This is a 'difficult' jacket, which is presumably why the model asked to have his identity hidden!
When I first looked at it I though a derranged canibal had made a jacket from human skin....
The colour is flattering to nobody's skin tone, and the leather pocket adds nothing to the garment. Oh, I've just noticed they added a similar flap on the left lapel. Why? Your guess is as good as mine...maybe they had some material left over? The material is too thin and the pockets are ludicrously large (is he a clown?)
Oh, and it's needlessly short
The only thing I sort of, half, kind of like is the different coloured buttons. But it's a sad day for the sartorial world when 'the button' is the best feature.

If you want to know the price, it's £80.00. Personally you couldn't pay me £80.00 wear this.

I always like to end on a high, so here's a smasher of a jacket from M&S

...proper job!

Coloured Suits

The last year or so has seen a rise the range and availability of coloured suits.
Previously these had been the reserve of Teddy Boys, Lounge Lizards and people going as the Wedding Singer to a 1980's fancy dress party.

Topman and River Island have taken the lead on the High Street, with H&M not far behind.

This number is from Topshop and can be found here

For a start, whatever the website tells you, it is NOT a 'tux'. The word tuxedo is a wretched American import and it has no place here.

The suit has a modern short cut which suits shorter men, but makes taller chaps look like they have donned their younger borther's jacket my accident in a hurry to leave the house.
That being said, its fairly well fitted (at least on this model) and the armpits are cut quite high so your sleeve won't ride up when you lift your arm.
The satin lapel is a nice touch, and is complimented well with the smaller pocket on the right hand side.

At £150 it is a decent price. I haven't felt the garment but I doubt its very thick or rich material, but as you are only going to wear it to the Office party or a New Years Eve do, that won't matter because it won't be visiting the dry cleaners very often.


This next outfit is from River Island and you can see the whole page here

I like this jacket...for a few reasons.
Firstly, its darted (you can just make them out on the front of the jacket). This is more of a personal prefernce as I am broad shouldered but very slim, so I need a very fitted jacket.
The colour is also modern without being too brash.
It's also very versatile. You could wear the whole suit to the Office party, on a date, drinks with the chaps, with a white shirt and black tie to work (just) or even with a pair of jeans as a casual day to day jacket.
 If you are *very* hip, you could probably get away with a funky t-shirt too.

It's currently going for £95 which is pretty good. It's available in sizes ranging from 36-46 so most of you will be able to get into one.

My main criticism is that it's also a little short. I also fear that any creases would show up very quickly.
However all in all, it's a good piece and well worth a look.

First post. An smashing H&M look.

I love everything about this look, even the facial hair...

The modern cut trousers nicley offset the more conservatively cut jacket without being too disjointed.
As you will find if you follow this blog (and I hope you do) I am very fond of bold trousers. I think they are more veristile than most people give them credit for.

I am a big fan of H&M. They are very reasonably priced, and they suit my frame.
The one draw back is that the clothes tend to be quite thin material. This is not a problem if, like me, you like the cold, but it can be if you are used to thicket garments.

Actually I have spotted one element I don't like; the button down collar.
Why God, why? They are a ghastly American

Tweed and Peach