Get the Festive Look in a Plum Velvet Jacket

Plum Velvet: A great warm rich colour for Christmas with thoughts of plum brandy and plum pudding.   

Paul Smith London slim fit two button blazer with peak lapels goes for the bright reddish plum colour with contrasting purple lining, giving a 70s decadence look.. Has four front pocket effects and double vents.

Fabric: 86% cotton, 14% modal, 100% viscose lining. Price £470

Available from www.mrporter.com

To keep the 70s decadence look team with Eton’s multi coloured pixel shirt with moderate cutaway collar from their Exquisite range. In both contemporary and slim fit. Available from Eton shops and www.etonshirts.co.uk Price £155

M&S Autograph pure cotton single button velvet jacket is a more muted purple plum colour. Has peak lapels and 3 button cuff

Fabric: 100% cotton, 52% polyester & 48% viscose lining. Price £99.

Available for M&S stores and www.marksandspencer.com

Team with a shirt in muted colours such as this bold multi stripe washed classic fit shirt from Charles Tyrwhitt.

Fabric: 100% cotton.  Price was £69 now £19.95

All shades of plum jackets look great with grey or dark blue jeans/chinos

The Velvet Blazer in Dapper Monochrome

For formal occasions you have the dinner jacket, but what about those other Christmas gatherings?

Try the velvet blazer – this looks cool and elegant with dress pants and a crisp white shirt, but can also look hot and stylish worn with jeans or chinos.

Velvet is a luxurious fabric originally made from silk, worn by the rich elite and associated with royalty. But now velvet can be made with more affordable fabrics such as cotton and rayon.  Cotton velvet has a softer sheen and is more durable so great for the velvet blazer.

Charles Tyrwhitt two button jacket is 100% cotton with peak lapels, natural corozo working buttons and fully lined.  Promotional price of £159 (was £320)

Available at Charles Tyrwhitt stores and online www.ctshirts.co.uk

The jacket is worn with the purple & blue stripe St James casual semi fitted cotton shirt and dress trousers. Shirt price: Was £80 now a promotional price of £29.95 

Like life, not everything is black and white for monochrome.  There is the grey area for a softer look. Great for those of you who find black too harsh against the skin or just too dramatic.

The Silver velvet jacket from Austin Reed  AR Cut range gives an understated smooth and sophisticated look.

Fabric: 100% fine Italian cotton, it features one button fastening, notch lapel and slanted flap pockets.

Price £375 Available from www.austinreed.co.uk

Create a more casual look with grey jeans or chinos and t-shirt.

Keep monochrome with a black and white or grey printed tee such as Energie Dabber T shirt.

 Price £34. Available from Energie store 31 Great Marlborough Street, just off Carnaby Street, London or online www.energie.it

Add a Boltz tag pendant in slate and silver from Storm watches. Price £69.99 Available from www.stormwatches.com

Summer Stripes for Long Sleeved Shirts

For business, keep the patterns subtle, but for more casual wear you can go to town and express your personality:

Stripes are a popular pattern for both the business and casual shirt.

Gone Green Collection - Eton shirts

Eton’s turquoise oxford shirt with satin stripes certainly ripples with cool style although you may get hot under its white cutaway collar at the price of £135.

Would look good under a navy blazer.

From their Gone Green Exquisite, a collection of shirts in different shades of green reminiscent of lush forests and deep lagoons.

www.etonshirts.co.uk

Charles Tyrwhitt Oxford casual shirt

Charles Tyrwhitt has an array of colours in their 100% cotton semi fitted stripe lightweight Oxford casuals with contrasting colour stripes inside the collar and cuffs.

Price £69

There’s orange with purple, pink with blue, coral with green, purple with orange, green with blue and blue with pink (as in image) seen here worn with their cotton flat fronted chinos in mushroom.

www.cctshirts.co.uk

But don’t just go for the vertical stripes, for casual there’s always the laid back horizontal stripes.

ASOS Bazaar shirt

ASOS Horizontal stripe shirt is 100% lightweight cotton.  Features classic collar, single patch chest pocket and dipped hem.  
Wear with sleeves rolled up and worn open over a white tee for a great casual look.
Price £30  www.asos.com/men/

ASOS Breton stripe shirt

For a touch of the nautical look there’s ASOS Breton stripe shirt.
But there is a twist as it features a contrast plain white panel across the chest and shoulders.
Also has a classic collar and single button sewn patch chest pocket. Price won’t make waves at £30.
Fabric 100% cotton 

www.asos.com 

Summer Shirts for the Office

The sun is shining and it’s too hot to wear a jacket so your summer shirt is out on display – do you go for the long or short sleeves?

Summer in the Office

The most formal option and usually the only option for an office environment is the long sleeved shirt.  Light colours reflect the heat whilst dark colours absorb the heat, so go for the lighter shades to keep you cool.

Atmosphere shirt from Eton

 Eton’s mint green shirt from their Atmosphere collection will have you looking cool and fresh, plus it keeps a formal business touch with its white collar, placket and cuffs.   www.etonshirts.co.uk

 And choose a breathable fabric such as cotton.

Charles Tyrwhitt Andrew Royal shirt

For summer days in the office Charles Tyrwhitt’s Andrew Royal twill stripe non-iron slim fit shirt is ideal. 100% cotton, with classic cutaway collar and double cuffs. The twill weave is durable due to twin threads being woven under and over the warp threads. Looks great with or without a tie.  Worn here with navy twill flat front suit trousers.  Shirt price £79 and also comes in deep pink, green, and sky blue

Check their website for any promotional prices www.cctshirts.co.uk

Panama hat - the hat to be seen in at Glorious Goodwood races

Whether you opt for the traditional linen suit or just a smart jacket and tie, the hat to be seen in at Goodwood races is the Panama hat.

Charles Tyrwhitt

Charles Tyrwhitt natural colour Panama hat. Was £90 now £34.95. Woven in Ecuador, leather inner band, traditional black ribbon. www.ctshirts.co.uk

Surprisingly the Panama hat doesn’t originate from Panama but Ecuador. Many factors endorsed the name: Panama was  the international point were goods  from South America would be taken before being shipped to Europe and the USA; workers on the Panama Canal wore them for shade and  when visiting the Panama Canal construction President Roosevelt was seen wearing one. But probably the main reason was when the hats were sold in the Paris World Fair in 1855 by a Frenchman living in Panama. Ecuador was not mentioned as a participating country, so the hat became known as Panamas.

Trilby Sussex

At Goodwood, a popular sight is the Panama with the hat band in Goodwood racing colours of red and yellow. These can be purchased from www.goodwood.com  and the price ranges from £40 for the Trilby Sussex ...

Panama Richmond

...... to £250 for the Panama Richmond   

For different colours check out Pachacuti on www.panamas.co.uk  . They import directly from Ecuador cutting out the middle man and are a Fair Trade hat specialist.   

Pachacuti's Fedora Llano  with peacock blue band

This classic, fedora style panama hat can be rolled for travelling. The llano weave is a flexible, durable, herringbone weave and it takes over a week to weave each hat.

The quality of grade 8 llano weave panama hats is very fine. Price £99.50
Image showing peacock blue band. Other colours available are mink, gold and black.

Pachacuti's Fedora Brisa

Another classic fedora style. This time in standard grade weave and trimmed with a red multi-coloured hat band. This is not a rollable hat.  Price £49.90

Pachacuti's Fedora Llano

The Luxury Teal Silk Band is bespoke made for Pachacuti in Devon by the UK's last remaining silk band specialist mill. Also available in sage green. Price £139.00
Grade 8 weave and rollable.

Linen Suits for Glorious Goodwood races.

Alas Royal Ascot is over for another year, but hard on its heels is Glorious Goodwood, providing everyone with another reason to don their glad rags. Dates are 26th - 30th July.

With Ascot, it was all about being ‘dapper’ in your formal morning attire, now it’s the turn of the quintessential summer English gentleman look in a light linen suit and Panama hat.

Unlike the morning suit in Ascot’s Royal Enclosure, the wearing of linen suit is not obligatory to enter in to Goodwood’s Richmond Enclosure. But it is a tradition that caught on ever since the trend setter King Edward VII wore one (and a Panama hat) in 1906. 

M&S Collezione linen blend suit

Linen suits will give you a casual chic look when dressed down with t-shirts, polo shirts, light wool sweaters and open necked shirts. But for Goodwood the dress code for the Richmond Enclosure is a jacket worn with a tie, cravat or polo neck sweater, so you need to wear a shirt and tie with your linen suit.

M&S Collezione collection have a range of pure linen and linen blend suits. The beauty of linen blend is the suit has the appearance of linen but doesn’t crease as easily.

The above image we have M&S Collezione linen blend blazer (£99) and trousers (£49.50) in an almond shade and worn with their Blue Harbour white t-shirt £6. But for Goodwood replace the t shirt with a shirt and tie.

Details of suit: Jacket -2 button fastening, notch lapel, 5 button cuff, front flap pockets. 50% linen, 28% silk and 22% cotton. Trousers- straight leg, on the waist, single pleat, rear pockets with button detail. www.marksandspencer.com

Goodwood's Horse Gallop ties

 

Get really in to the horse racing mood with one of Goodwood’s Horse Gallops tie at £70.  They are pure silk tie with detailed weave of a racing horse at £70. Colour choices are gold, navy, lime,lavender and pink.

www.goodwood.com 

The wearing of light coloured linen suits became popular in the Victorian era when gentlemen travelled abroad and wanted to look well dressed and elegant whilst keeping cool in the sweltering heat.  Linen was ideal as this natural fabric is loosely woven allowing air to circulate freely and the skin to keep cool.  Plus it suits a looser fit style which is more comfortable in hot sticky climates than the more tailored suits and is great for most body shapes.

Karl Jackson at Debenhams

 

The stone colour of Debenham’s Karl Jackson linen 2 button suit £130 is a light shade which won’t show the dirt as much as the creams and whites, plus will look great paired with shirts in most hues.  You could opt for the crisper clean look of a white shirt; an elegant tonal look with creams, ivory and beiges; a cool chic look with pastels or the statement look with bold brights.

Details of suit: Single breasted, notch lapel, 3 button cuff. Left and right straight pockets plus breast pocket, side vents, 100% linen, lining polyester.  www.debenhams.com

If you opt for the white, cream or beige shirt, add a touch of colour with your tie.

The more popular colours for linen suits at Goodwood are the neutral creams, beiges and taupes.

Stvdio Jeffe banks at Debenhams

So stand out from the crowd in your Stvdio Jeff Banks light blue linen suit (£135) from Debenhams. www.debenhams.com .

Pachacuti's Fedora Llano weave Panama hat

Team with Pachacuti’s Fedora Llano weave grade 8 and its luxury teal silk band £139.  The Llano weave is a flexible durable herringbone weave and the teal silk band is made in Devon by UK’s last remaining silk band specialist mill. www.panamas.co.uk

Charles Tyrwhitt Liberty tie

Wear the suit with a white or cream shirt and either a floral or paisley patterned tie to complement the embossed pattern on the silk band of the hat. Charles Tyrwhitt blue and green cotton Liberty ditsy floral handmade tie says ‘English summer’.  100% cotton in a genuine Liberty design fabric. Was £70 now £19.95 www.ctshirts.co.uk

House of Fraser

This Paul Smith cream double breasted linen jacket £550, worn with Kenzo cream linen trousers £170, may not be an actual linen suit, but still looks the part of the English gent.  Unfortunately the Kenzo cream granddad collar t-shirt (£79) won’t pass the dress code for the Richmond Enclosure so go more dapper with a white shirt and coloured flamboyant cravat. The double breasted blazer and cravat are a winning combination.  www.houseoffraser.co.uk 

And don't forget to team with your Panama Hat - see tomorrow's article for more details