TOPMAN Collaborate with British Brand PERCIVAL

The British brand PERCIVAL has designed a jacket exclusively for Topman which will launch in selected stores this month.  The jackets will be limited with only 32 being made and will be hand-numbered.

The jackets feature cord lined pocket and collar detail, brass buttons and a bees wax finish.

 To remain true to Percival’s British roots they have sourced the waxed cotton from two classic suppliers, British Milleraine and Brisbane Moss; with the wax finish contrasting perfectly with the satin quilted lining, also making it water-resistant. The manufacturing has also been done soley in the UK.

 



Each jacket will be numbered 1 – 32 giving it a true authentic exclusivity.  The jacket is available in four colour-ways; burgundy, orange, blue, and green and will be sold exclusive in Topman Oxford Circus, Topman General Store (Shoreditch), and online at

www.topman.com

Price £175.

Images provided by Topman

PERCIVAL was started 3 years ago by art directors Chris Gove and Luke Stenzhorn. The brand puts emphasis on British-made quality workmanship, timeless styling and clever detailing over trend-led, disposable fashion. Having quickly gained a cult following the brand has gone from strength to strength. They use tailored fitted cuts in order to set it apart from the current flurry of 'heritage' led brands. The use playful/contrasted linings, buttons and unexpected colours are a Percival trait, a nod towards the eccentric British gentlemen.

UNIQLO to give out thousands of free socks this weekend in Westfield London

Uniqlo will be handing out individual socks from 24-26 Feb along the mall in Westfield London.

Once you have your sock, you will then go to the Uniqlo store to complete the pair for free. 

Uniqlo manufactures hundreds of kinds of socks and  613 varieties .

Made for all: Uniqlo think of their items of clothing as components from woch you can build the mix that best suits your lives. They offer the basics including the sock, and the not so basics in a broad range of colours, finishes and materials.

For the humble sock they’ve concentrated in making sure it stays up, but is not too tight; to make sure that the ankle is in the right place and that the colour holds even after Hundreds of washes.

So if someone offers you a single sock whilst shopping in Westfield London, don’t think of it as odd, just think of it as lonely and you need to get searching for its perfect match.

Thomas Sabo is the Exclusive Jewellery Partner of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

Thomas Sabo will be the exclusive jewellery partner of the Mercedes AMG Petronas team from the 2012 season onwards and their logo will feature on the racing cars throughout the coming season.

Mercedes-Benz and Thomas Sabo  have signed their Fromula 1 partnership in the royal sporting class just in time for the unveiling of the new racing cars in Barcelona.

Mercedes-Benz Head of Motorsports Norbert Haug comments: “We are thrilled to welcome Thomas Sabo as our team sponsor. Brand, products and philosophy are perfectly suited to us and we already have a first class partnership within the DTM. We are very much looking forward to a dynamic and close collaboration.”

The newly branded Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 WO3 racing cars will be lining up on the starting grid for the very first time at the season opener in Melbourne on 18 March.

To view Thomas Sabo jewellery visit: www.thomassabo.com

Celebrity Filled Front Row for Topman at London Fashion Week

The last day of London Fashion Week is dedicated to mens fashion and a host of celebrities attended the Topman show:

Roling Stones Ronne Wood with Topshop bosss Sir Philip Green - both looking dapper!

Sartorial elegance - model David Gandy and Amir Khan.

Keeping style in the family -actress Emilia Fox and brother Freddie (not sure about the sneakers though Freddie)

Definitely fitting in with the fashion crowd are: Misfits actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett with tv presenter & DJ Alex Zane and fashion journalist Henry Conway.

Review and images of the catwalk show to come.
Images provided by Topman

Transitions Lenses Collaborates with Tom Davies Eyewear

Whatever the season , a pair of sunglasses is the accessory to wear when the sun is shining. Alas sometimes we forget to take them out when the weather is cold and then get caught out by the glaring sun.

But for those of us with less than 20:20 vision Transitions Lenses will make sure that's a thing of the past.
Their prescription lenses adapt to sunlight, turning from clear glass indoors, to sunglass lenses in damaging sunlight, blocking out 100% of harmful rays

And the great advantage is that you don't have to sacrifice on style as they partner with several of the most well regarded frame makers throughout Europe to provide the most luxurious of designs including bespoke frames from British designer TomDavies

After launching his couture collection for the ‘rich and famous’ and creating a Ready-to-Wear line, Tom Davies has revolutionised the eyewear world. Customers choose their preferred frame from the existing collection and then can choose colour and materials. The frame is redesigned based on the customer’s face and head measurements, face shape, skin and hair tones, personal style and vision needs. Each frame is handcrafted and discreetly laser engraved with the customer’s name on the inside arem.

From frames in acetate and titanium to eco-friendly and hypoallergenic buffalo horn, all Tom Davies collections feature high quality materials and multiple colour combinations.
More information on www.transitions.com

Topman Takes A Step For Fairtrade Fortnight

Topman will continue to support Fairtrade Fortnight this year with a selection of printed t-shirts made from Fairtrade cotton (from Cameroon).

The range consists of two t-shirts and two vests, each printed with Aztec inspired designs and the ‘Take a Step’ slogan from this year’s campaign. 

One of the t-shirts incorporates an image of African fabrics found at the Ridley Road market in Dalston.

The range will be available online www.topman.com and in selected stores nationwide from 27 Feb.

Vests are £16 and t-shirts start from £18

Not too late to come up with a unique Valentine Gift

Guys, it's not too late to come up with a unique gift for your Valentine.

Romantic rhyming favourite, Purple Ronnie, is creating a series of one-off poems for loved-ones this Valentine’s Day, to accompany a very special gift – your very own colour.

A world first, you will be able to gift their loved-ones an actual colour for them to own, through Facebook.com/OwnAColour, for a minimum donation of £1 – an initiative in aid of UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation.

The gift of colour, accompanied by a unique Purple Ronnie poem, will be available today until Valentine’s Day itself and provides a special solution for all those Valentine’s Day gifting dilemmas, whilst also contributing to a great cause.

The limited-edition poem, in Purple Ronnie’s iconic cheeky style, will appear on your loved-ones Facebook wall on the 14^th February, along with a link for them to pick and name their colour of choice. 

With Own A Colour, your Valentine will be the exclusive owner of one of the 16.7 million colours that the average computer, smartphone or tablet can display. 

Recent celebrity donators include The Saturday’s beauty Frankie Sandford as well as other UNICEF Ambassadors and fans such as Jemima Khan, Matt Dawson and Sir Roger Moore.

Jemima Khan named hers CFC Blue for her Chelsea mad son,

Sir Roger Moore’s Swedish Blue for his wife 

and Matt Dawson’s colour reminds him of his wedding day.

To Own A Colour, and for more information, visit: Facebook.com/OwnAColour

About Own A Colour

Own A Colour is a charity initiative, in aid of UNICEF and powered by Dulux, which allows you to own or gift your very own colour from a choice of 16.7million.  The minimum donation for a single colour is £1, but there is no limit to the total donation you can make.  The project is powered by Dulux, in a bid to ‘add colour to people’s lives'.  To date, Own A Colour has raised over £99,000.

About UNICEF

UNICEF is the world’s leading children’s organisation, working for children and their rights in more than 190 countries. Together with our partners, UNICEF delivers health care, nutrition, education and protection to children in urgent need.

For more information please visit www.unicef.org.uk

About Purple Ronnie

Purple Ronnie was created nearly 25 years ago by Giles Andrae, the UK’s most published living poet.  Now owned by leading family entertainment producer Coolabi, Purple Ronnie is renowned for its witty rhymes and simple illustrations, primarily on greetings cards but also across a wide range of other gifting merchandise.

For more information visit www.purpleronnie.com

Keep Warm in the Duffle Coat

It's freezing out there and if you need a warm casual coat then check out the Duffle Coat.

This style has been yoyoing in and out of popularity since WW2 when it was standard issue in the British Royal Navy. This  ¾ length coat was ideal to keep protected from the high seas with a hood, easy to fasten and unfasten wooden toggles and large patch pockets to keep your hands warm. It was worn by all ranks, came in camel only and became famously associated with Field Marshal Montgomery which led to the coat being affectionately nicknamed the ‘Monty’

The British firm Gloverall started off selling navy surplus duffle coats in 1951 but soon moved on to producing their own style of duffle in 1954.

 Monty duffle

The original Monty style was knee length with wooden toggles and jute rope fastening. 

Gloverall still make this original style plus an updated mid length version in navy and the original camel.

Fabric: 90% boiled wool and 10% pa cloth

Price: £270

www.gloverall.com

Gloverall duffle

However it is what is called a Gloverall duffle that is the most popular style today.

With buffalo horn toggles instead of wood and leather fastenings instead of rope, large pockets with flaps and the check interior double faced fabric.

Fabric: 80% wool, 20% pa.

Price was £295. 

Available in a variety of colours

www.gloverall.com

 

Raf Simons

Belgian menswear designer Raf Simons takes the duffle back to its roots.  The name derives from the Antwerp province of Duffel where the thick woollen fabric used to make the coat originated from. The duffel coat was a key piece on his AW11 catwalk show.

Simons mixes tradition with contemporary: the camel colour is both traditional and also on trend for this season, the toggles off to the side mimic the original Monty but the double rope fastening  does not stretch over the front so gives the coat a more tailored and minimalistic look.  Horn toggles are partnered with a double rope fastening instead of the leather.

 Mr Porter is having a sale and Raf Simon’s duffle coat is reduced by 50% from £830 to £415.

Fabric: 100% wool with 50% viscose and 50% cupro lining.

www.mrporter.com

 

                                           

ASOS duffle

ASOS makes the duffle coat in to a jacket with its short bonded wool duffle coat.  Unlike Raf Simons simplistic style, here the white thick twisted rope cord fastening stands out prominently from the navy as a kind of embellishment giving a slight military feel to the whole look

This short style is better suited for the smaller guy. Because the toggle fastenings are prominent and stop quite high up the coat, the taller guy will just look as though he’s outgrown his duffle.

Fabric: 62% polyester, 34%wool, 3%acrylic and 1% nylon Price £85

Seen here with chunky mittens £10, cropped trousers £32 and chukka boots £50.

 All from www.asos.com

Uniqlo Collaborates with Concord Records for new UT Tees

Uniqlo has collaborated with Concord Music Group , one of the world’s largest independent record companies, to create the new Uniqlo Concord Records tees.

The tees will feature archive cover artwork as well as Concord logos.

 

These covers include the most admired and enduring names in music including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Isaac Hayes and Thelonious Monk

The tees will be priced at £14.90 and will be available in the Uniqlo stores from Mon 13 Feb and online at www.uniqlo.com

For Valentine's Day - all You Need is Love (Letters)

The most desired romantic gesture one in five women (21%) crave is to be sent a love letter. And that goes for you guys too- 20% of you would also like to receive a love letter. Alas quite a few of us will be disappointed.
 But if any of your guys ( or girls) would like to send their loved one such a romantic letter but don't know how to go about ir then QVC is at hand... Read on.....

To help bring back old-fashioned romance this Valentine’s Day, QVC has hired illustrator Kate Forrester to create a beautiful romance-inspired design for Brits to write their love letters on. Poet Christine Miller will also be on hand to help Brits struggling to find the right words by penning verses for their loved ones. With a dedicated email address (found at www.qvcuk.com/loveletters), anyone can send in the details of their special someone and QVC will arrange delivery of a personalised love letter for them in time for Valentine’s Day.

QVC will be sending out the personalised love letters in the week before Valentine’s Day so that all recipients receive their special notes in time for the 14^th February. Limited to one love letter per person, anyone can log on to www.qvcuk.com/loveletters before 9th February when nominations will close. So log on NOW!!

Topman do Valentine's Day- it's what's underneath that counts!

TK Maxx men's spring clothes now in store

We know it's hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner  when the snow is falling and temperatures are plummeting, but you never know it may be sunny and hot next week.

 For the latest Spring looks check out  TK Maxx and save up to 60% off the RRP on a wide range of ever changing high street and designer brands. 

Mediterranean Style – neutrals, biscuits, laid back style in soft washed cotton soft linen and denim were all part of the Calvin Klein spring show. Denim look blazer with floral detail £59.99

Brights - the catwalks in Milan/Paris were bursting with colour with parrot greens, oranges and highlighter yellow contrasted with warm hues of berry. Add a touch of colour with knitwear, trousers or jackets. Bright coloured chinos from £19.99

Check Mate – follow in the footsteps of Gucci with tartans and checks which provide an alternative to the louder tropical prints for ss12. Available in subtle neutrals or primary brights, checks adorn lightweight overcoats, shirts and suits galore. Blue checked shorts from £24.99

 Also available online:

www.tkmaxx.com