Tag Archives: Tasselled loafers

Style and Fashion

How to stretch your Summer into Autumn with a suit

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Well look who is here, seems like I got your attention with the article title. You are most welcome and please keep reading. By the way, if you have not subscribed to this blog yet, i encourage you to do so as i have a lot to share in the coming weeks and months which you don’t want to miss.  Just in case some of you are wondering what makes a suit a summer or winter or autumn or whatever season suit, let me give you two main pointers before I move on to talking about my super cool suit. But why does summer have to end in the first place? It would save us so much hassle if it was summer all year round right? Anyway, quick back to the suit. Two quick pointers to always check for when determining a seasonal suit are fabric and colour.

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Summer suits are generally lightweight with weave that are slightly looser allowing breathability. Remember it is hot during the summer months so breathability is absolutely essential when choosing a fabric or indeed buying a suit for that time of the year. The second pointer is colour. Summer colours for suits are usually either vibrant or light shades and naturals like beige and stone as oppose to charcoal grey, navy and other darker colours suited to the cold seasons. Get these two rules right and the rest will fall into place.

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However, I am in the mood to break some rules today. There is no way I am going to spend hundreds of pounds on a beautifully crafted suit and be expected to only wear it during summer. It just does not make financial sense neither would I be doing justice to the suit itself. So guess what, I am going to stretch my money by wearing this suit in all its splendour until that cold wind really start to hit my bones. Besides, who made these colour rules anyway?

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As I was saying its rule breaking time so stick with me for a minute or two while I explain myself. Quick word of caution before I proceed. Before you break a rule, make sure you know what the rules are first of all. Going against the grain is sweet but make sure you know the direction of flow before going against it. That way, you can do it like a boss.

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The suit I am wearing is made with a linen-wool-silk blend fabric that provides comfort and luxury at the same time. The linen provides strength and breathability to the suit, whiles the wool and silk gives durability and structure. What you basically have is a suit made of fabric that is lightweight and breathable but not saggy or droopy. It maintains it form and structure and with the right cut, can look like you were born with it.

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So to stretch my summer suit into autumn, I have done two main things.

The first is simply and straightforward as all I had to do Continue reading How to stretch your Summer into Autumn with a suit →

Style and Fashion

Top 5 men’s footwear for the summer

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Before the summer ends, I thought I should put together a quick list of footwear every gentleman should be wearing right now. If you are here and are thinking you are going to see trainers/sneakers and the likes then I suggest you close your browser and walk away now. Simply put, you are in the wrong place. 5, 4, 3, 2……..1. By the way that was me counting. Are you still here? Phew, thank goodness you stayed. I appreciate that. Right let’s get straight into it.

One thing men sometimes find challenging when it comes to putting a look together is finding the right pair of footwear to go with the rest of the outfit especially during the summer months. I mean I have seen guys pulling all the stops from the right type of blazer to the right length of chinos only to look further down to discover a disappointing pair of footwear. Let’s be honest guys, we have it much easier than the ladies. For the most part, we don’t even have to worry about squished up toes or the prospect of walking on six inch heels. Do you agree? Please say yes otherwise I seriously worry about the kind of shoes you have been wearing. Errmmmm anyway as I was saying, we have it easy so really and truly there are two main things we need to consider when shopping for footwear for the season. Practicality and functionality in relation to the weather, in this case hot weather, and looks in relation to the rest of what you wear it with. With this in mind, here are my top 5 picks for this season.

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  1. Penny Loafers

The fact that its summer does not mean you cannot or shouldn’t dress smart. These Penny Loafers from Tommy Hilfiger are perfect for the office and evening out afterwards. They are versatile enough to be worn sockless and classy enough for a night out requiring a tie.

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2. Boat Shoes

Boat shoes are a man’s best friend when it comes to pairing with chinos. No other footwear goes better with chinos. You can get these from Tommy Hilfiger.

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3. Slip on

Some may refer to these as monkfish shoes but I’d rather just call them slip ons. These are very light weight and comfortable which means you shouldn’t miss your trainers/sneakers at all. I bought these last year from Russell and Bromley.

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4. Tasselled loafers

These black tasselled loafers made by Bass have served me very well. I get a complement every time I wear these and are one of my favourites.

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5. Suede Loafers

Suede shoes in general commands a sense of maturity from the wearer as they require extra care and attention for their upkeep. I went for a more casual option with these blue Northern cobblers. They are colourful enough for the season.

There you have it, my top 5 pick for the season. Leave a comment below if you disagree or want to add to the above.

Meanwhile, if you are interested in handcrafted shoes that will last you for a long time and get people talking for all the right reasons, then head over to gracill and get yourself a pair of these bad boys. Gracill is a growing shoe brand which means you satisfying their customers is very important. This company is headed by a friend of mine which means I can personally vouch for them. Check them out and see what you think.

Style and Fashion

Make a statement with colour

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Colours! What is it about coloured garments (suits to be precise) that make most men panic? Is it the fact that we are never too sure how to pair colours when we choose to mix them, or is it the prospect of standing out in the crowd? Ok before I go any further, let me just qualify the word colour just in case some of you are wondering what I’m on about. My use of the term colour refers to anything outside of the neutral range such as black, white, grey, and sometimes brown and beige. These colours are neutral as they do not show or appear on the colour wheel. In essence they are “safe” hues. Fully saturated bold hues such as red or burgundy, green, aqua, pink, royal purple and more to the point, yellow are my idea of colours.

These colours are far less likely to be worn by men in comparison to the wardrobe staples such as navy, black, and grey. I mean don’t get me wrong these are appropriately named wardrobe staples for a good reason but you are not going to get very far if you truly want to make a statement where colour is concerned. Black, white, grey do a great job at pairing either with each other or anything on the colour wheel, but that’s about it.

Ok let me take a step back a little bit. The truth is wearing a full suit in any of the bold colours mentioned above is tricky and I get it. Imagine wrapping yourself in a badly cut coloured suit like royal purple on any given day. That will get you attention alright but for all the wrong reasons. Get it right and I guarantee you will turn heads, literally. I mean you only have to look back to Autumn/winter 2014 run way were many models donned the elegant burgundy. Burgundy was like an instant hit that continued it reign to date. Nothing better than a well-tailored burgundy suit for spring/summer 2015 season and I think Ozwald Boateng epitomizes this look perfectly. This have statement piece written all over it.

However, I understand that wearing a bold coloured suit is a bit too much for some especially those who are not used to colours. May be you want to break into this sphere of fashion and style gradually? Well I have good news for you. Your statement piece does not always have to be a full suit. I recon a well cut blazer can equally do the job with half the risk. To demonstrate this, I used my statement piece for spring/summer 2015 which is a yellow/mustard coloured blazer from suitsupply. I fell for this piece the minute I walked into the store. In fact, I went in for something completely different but left with a big smile on my face knowing that I have made a good purchase.

I do not need to wear matching yellow trouser with this piece as I recon I risk looking like a clown or worst a walking banana. The idea was to pair my yellow blazer (which is a warm colour) with a navy trouser (cool colour) to get perfectly balanced mix.

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I had the option of wearing either a blue or white shirt but went with the neutral option which is white. I added a pair of brown tasselled loafers from Paul smith, and brown belt from banana republic to match the brown buttons on the blazer. To top it all off, I also added a light blue pocket square (cool colour) to break the yellow a little bit. I made sure that nothing competed with the yellow blazer in the form of patterns or other warm colours. It was all about the blazer.

Pairing can be a daunting task for some, but I recon learning a thing or two about colours will go a long way to help. What better way to learn about colour pairing than the colour wheel eh. So yeah, get acquainted with the colour wheel and see how you get on. Understanding the position of each colour (all twelve) is important and will determine the difficulty or ease of pairing, or whether they can be paired at all.

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Here are three things to consider when looking at the colour wheel:

  1. Similar colours – these are next to each other and are generally easy to coordinate
  2. Complementary colours – Complementary colours are opposite each other on the wheel and are quite difficult to pair in comparison to similar colours. Try not to wear them in their full strength together as they may be too much for the eyes.
  3. Contrasting colours – these have three colours between them on the wheel and can be troublesome for the eyes if used with their full strength. A good way to pair them is to use a darker tone with one of them just so they do not compete with each other.

So brighten up your wardrobe by investing in a bold statement blazer. Come back and share how you intend to pair it up. Feel free to add your comments and tips below as I am sure other readers would appreciate it.