Men's fashion & style
If you’re a fan of Ted Baker (mens or womenswear), get down to the Camden Centre, Bidborough Street today or tomorrow for their sample sale.Nice to see that it even opens at 8am, for those who want to get their bargains before work.
EDIT: just noticed this is the #2 hit on google for “Ted Baker Sample Sale”… this refers to a sale a long while back now… I suggest you check the London newspapers (Metro, Evening Standard, etc) if you want to find out about forthcoming sample sales.
Being neither into football nor rucking, I can’t ever claim to have been a casual. Having said that they’ve championed some class clothing along the way, such as the Adidas SL80s and CP Company’s Mille Miglia Coat. The shop on 80s Casuals celebrates some of these items with some well designed looking tees and sweats.
Incidentally, if you’re interested in the history of this oft-overlooked youth cult, try Phil Thornton’s Casuals, a well-written book which pays a decent amount attention to the clothes and less to vicarious tales of which “firms” the author has had. Available from the same site or Amazon.
I’m a big fan of Moonsoon For Men and their vaguely bohemian menswear. Their current sale features reductions of between 50% and 70% (although only available in stores, it would seem). I’ve snapped up a rather fetching striped tank top for £12 and am now eyeing up cord jackets from £24. The branch on the King’s Road has the widest selection.
Howies are a group of mountain bikes, surfers, etc from Wales who make nice casual clothes with a tree-hugging bent. This polo-shirt has caught my eye and is made from organic cotton no less. They’ve also got a couple of nice shirts and jumpers at the mo.
You can order from their site, or G-Room stock them on London.
As previously mentioned here, fashion watches can be disaster area of gimickry and tat; however Topman’s Limited Edition range of watches are surprisingly good. They all follow a retro theme, but are authentic enough to pass muster (at first glance at least) as some genuine piece you picked up on eBay. Plus they’re nicely priced around the £35 mark.
Nigel Cabourn designs rugged clothes inspired by mountaineers and explorers of yore (think sepia toned photos of men in Antartica raising the union jack while puffing on a pipe). His own brand is rather high end price-wise, but Debenhams have snuck in there and persuaded him to do a diffusion line. There’s some nice anoraks, cord trousers and duffle coats, but I’m not sure about the jumpers.
Available in Debenhams from September.
This will mean nothing to anyone who hasn’t shopped in London’s Oxford Street in the last 5 years, but it’s worth saying anyway 🙂 “Don’t Be A Sinner, Be A Winner” shirts are now available from Good At Magic.
Click here if you want to know more about London’s favourite amateur evangelist.
If you’re getting bored of smelling other people wearing the same CKOne/Gaultier/Brut aftershave as you, it may be time to investigate some of the more obscure fragrances out there. Without doubt, one of the greatest men’s fragrances is Creed’s Irish Tweed. Originally commissioned for Cary Grant, it’s combinations of woody and floral tones is very distinguished and is the kind of thing not forgotten in a hurray (particularly by ladies)
It’s not cheap (£45 for 30ml), but then the bottle I bought 5 years ago is still going strong (admittedly I don’t wear it too often). Try Escentual online or Liberty in London
With it’s faded and frayed hawaiin shirt fabric, and a wooden button on the side, you should really be drinking a cocktail in a Honalulu bar to wear the Goorin Tiki Lounge Hat Admittedly a friend did greet me with “Where’d you find that ? A skip ?” but I think it’s ideal now that summer’s arrived and so many other hats make you look like you’re trying too hard.
Urban Outfitters are carrying them in the UK for £18.
While the aim, to provide no-nonsense grooming products at a reasonable price, is laudable; couldn’t they have done something with the colour ?