Simon Carter's Halloween cufflinks

Halloween is nearly upon us and to get you in the spooky mood why not wear some of Simon Carter’s scary cufflinks with your work attire?

Here’s a few:

For the Prince of Darkness try these Crowned skulls with tiny crystals.

 "Trick or Treat?" - can't decide? Then go for the Angel and Devil option.

Just want the simple scary life - then here's the Tattoo skull minus the crown

Or lure your victim in with the Awhh factor with these cute Gothic Bats.

Men's Quality Winter Coats

Winter is approaching and it will be the overcoat on sartorial display. A good winter coat should last you for years and if you’re thinking of purchasing just one then it has not only to be warm, but versatile for all occasions and also it has to look good on you. So invest in one wisely.

When buying a good winter coat you need to make sure it fits properly and allows movement. Generally you should go for one size larger than you suit jacket as you’re probably going to wear it or  a thick jumper underneath. Take the jacket or jumper with you when buying a coat so you can try the coat with them on and get the right size. Then make sure you can move easily by mimicking the actions you’ll probably make whilst wearing it: can you tie your shoelaces easily? Can you raise your arms to flag down a taxi?

For warmth you can’t beat wool and top of the list is cashmere. It’s also soft to the touch which is a good way to keep that lady on your arm. However cashmere is very expensive and not very durable

So choose less expensive wool.   

What colour?

You should consider your own colouring when choosing. Look in the mirror and ask whether the colour is complementing your complexion or is it draining you? Does your skin look sallow or healthy? But don’t get hung up about it too much especially if you have found the perfect fit but it only comes in black – you can always wear a scarf in a colour that is the right shade for you.

The style of the coat is most important – it has to suit your build and height.

In general shorter guys look best in shorter length coats i.e. either ¾ length or just on the knee.

Taller guys suit longer coats i.e. on the knee or below.

Tailored cuts look best on slim or athletic builds, straighter cuts on the more rounded figure.

Raglan sleeves and the fuller coat are also good for the fuller figures, whilst double breasted and belted coats will add bulk so better for the slimmer figure.  

Styles

A Covert coat is light weight and warm so ideal for a day at the races. Originally used for riding, it has 4 rows of stitching at the skirt and sleeve cuffs to stop them from fraying prematurely. It also has a ticket pocket and is single breasted. Cordings were the originators of the covert coat and apparently tan was the original colour so that horse hair didn’t show up on it. The traditional covert coat style has a velvet collar, but now you can get covert coats without. Black velvet collars go way back to the French Revolution when the English nobility wore them as a mark of mourning for the Aristocracy in the French Revolution.  Cordings covert coats are around £425 with an additional cost of £35 for the velvet collar.

The Chesterfield coat is the classic formal coat, heavier in weight and can be tailored in a variety of cloths. This was one of the first straight alternative styles to the tight waist frock coats popular in the Regency period. It comes in double or single breasted (fly fronted) and again does not have to have a velvet collar.

The Crombie is a classic city coat and is usually single breasted and made in navy or black wool.  Crombie do have a great slim fit double breasted military coat (very on trend this season) which was inspired by an original Crombie RAF coat from the 1960’s.

The Raglan Coat is so called because of its raglan sleeves, and has a less structured silhouette, therefore less formal than the Chesterfield or Crombie. Great style for the fuller figure, it is usually made of tweed and is a good country coat.

For cheaper quality alternatives go vintage – check out: http://www.savvyrow.co.uk/collections/types?q=Overcoats

 Coats with a designer twist

Vivienne Westwood Man – now ignore the model’s tee shirt and fireman style trousers, just focus on the coat. It’s less outrageous than you think. The colour is dark burgundy with a lighter pin stripe and a black velvet collar. The single breasted style has 3 buttons with the Westwood logo design and the back is a 2 vent style. All for a reasonable designer price of £800

Brian Clarke -When you mention the word "sheepskin" people immediately think of Delboy the used car salesman. Brian Clarke has reinvented the sheepskin coat; it has a slimmer fit, giving a tailor made look with unfinished edges to retain the rugged outdoor feel. It is a double breasted 3/4 length coat with an optional hood which can be worn separately. It’s the perfect marriage of fashion and functionality. The coat is available in tan or black with white fur, Cost £1800 with separate hood at £300. Available online at www.brianclarkeclothing.com 

And now you’ve bought your coat, don’t forget to accessorise with hats, gloves and scarves. Homburg and Fedoras look good with the tailored coats, it has to be leather for gloves and cashmere scarves are much cheaper than cashmere coats.

KTZ Spring/Summer 2011 collection at London Fashion Weekd

As London FashionWeek neared the end, what better way than to bring a royal medieval touch to it with hints of King Arthur and his knights.

A knightly black and white hooded tunic is richly decorated in a patchwork of fleur de lys, stripes and turret patterns with a large dragon thrown in for good measure. Plus a few medals for decoration.

The King Arthur style hairdo and crown sets off a black and white patchwork jacket again of fleur de lys, stripes and turrets plus the large dragon. A scattering of fleur de lys is embossed on the black shorts.

If knights went to baseball matches, they'd probably wear a black sequined baseball style jacket and horned sequined baseball cap teamed with black and white fleur de lys, turret and striped shorts.

For that royal workout King Arthur could wear gold embossed bird and sun patterned black jogging bottoms. Accessorised with armour plated hand shields and of course his crown.

Or maybe pale pink and gold striped satin jogging pants with fleur de lys and dragon motif.

For that incognito jogging through the park, there is the pale pink and gold striped hooded jacket with black fleur de lys and black sequined dragon motif worn with a regal visor instead of the common sunglasses. And sandals of pattern embossed leather

To practise his punches, there is the pale pink and gold striped long boxer style satin shorts with fleur de lys motifs.

Other regal outfits are the pattern embossed leather shorts and sandals with gold embossed black t shirt.

And for the more subdued look there is the double layered black shirt with shimmering green strips and matching shorts.

James Long Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Titled -‘They died Too Young’ and inspired by classic films such as Midnight Cowboy, My Own Private idaho and a time of psychadelic living,..

....we see an abundance of fabric patch-worked together and hazy mix of bright colours in psychadelic splash patterns.

Trippy knitted patchwork in silver grey wools are worn with splash print trousers.

Splash print shorts mixied with block colour panelled twin sets,..

..desert dried rolled up denim shorts and..

..trousers with acid bright silk and chiffon tailored shirt under patchwork jumpers.

Lightweight indigo mohair,

and liquorice and tobacco coloured leather jacket also add to the swirling pot of colours.

Sibling Spring/Summer 2011 knitwear collection

Titled 'collection 5', this knitwear label is all about pop art and punk.

There are cashmere twinsets in a splash pattern of vermillion, black, white and yellow,

.....marl grey X Ray Specs jumper with swirling lenses,

oversized vest and jacket adorned with the number 5 in stars,

an ivory and vermillion Knit Pop dot Polo shirt features a micro embroidered leopard dot

and a knitted blue and slate Pop dot sweatshirt with a giant swoosh across the chest like a Sibling super hero.

The word PUNK is emblassened on a vermillion, black, white and yellow jumper and zip front jacket.

For the very brave there are black sweaters with girlfriend from hell or puny undernourished kid slashed over in neon reflective tape.
This bold knitwear label is definitely not for the faint hearted.

J W Anderson Spring/Summer 2011 collection at London Fashion Week

Titled ‘the Devoured and I’, the collection looks at the intimacy and journey of 2 people as they experiment and get lost in self discovery and subsequently the fall out and consequences of this.

Layering is key with waistcoats, shirts over tees, and knits wrapped round the waist, but the silhouette is slim and not baggy. Colours range from the muted earthy tones to....

burnt oranges,

blues,

pinks...

...and black.

Grandmas may have to lock up their doilies as hand crocheted ones make an appearance here giving texture to tee shirts and knits. Admittedly not all are the basic white as some are dip dyed with neon colours to represent hallucinations. Also adding texture and a bit of bling are Swarovski crystals embellishing tops and boots.

Patterns galore on rolled up chinos and digital prints of William Gedney the photographer grace the backs of tops.
The show ended this journey with a Pulp soundtrack and a wide laser beam display above the catwalk resembling a dense clouded sky.

Antipodium Spring/Summer 2011 collection at London Fashion Week

The weather was definitely getting in to the swing of LFW as the sun shone through the Portico Room windows for Antipodium’s ‘Hothouse ‘collection.

This mens and womens wear collection is inspired by the Barbican hothouse and what could happen if revellers succumbed to their natural urges at a refined soiree.

Shirt prints are oversized entwined limbs in greens and greys or.....

.....dense foliage in mulberry and green. Trousers are half mast in dusky pink.

Romeo Pires Spring/Summer 2011 collection from London Fashion Week

Romeo Pires' menswear collection has a circus clown feel to it....

....with long broad braces holding up....

....very low slung baggy trousers.

Main colour palette is crisp white and stone with touches of black and splashes of terracotta.

Layering is key and.....

....prints of large skulls are bold and dramatic.