Christmas in July with M&S Menswear

The party season's must have velvet jacket came in a striking mid blue as well as the classic black.

Once the party's over, snuggle up in a red tartan onesie and the optional Santa hat.

Christmas Day is the time to wear the traditional Xmas jumpers. Here M&S have opted for a more grown up reindeer silhouette.

Or go for the FairIsle style - always a winter hit!

Available soon from www.marksandspencer.com

It's Wool Week 5-11Sep- Show Your Support by Choosing Wool

The Campaign for Wool is about stopping the decline in numbers of sheep. By supporting our sheep farmers and  their flock, we also support our landscape as the sheep grazing helps preserve our countryside. Plus wool is a natural and sustainable fibre.

So here’s a few woolly jumpers you can wear with pride:

The Gansey – the original hunky fisherman’s jumper www.gansey.co.uk

This hunk has always worked hard for his living, keeping the fishermen warm and dry, allowing easy movement so he can get on with his work and unfortunately sometimes providing ID for those who drowned and whose bodies were washed up on the shore.

The Aran – the typical hunk of the chunky knits www.qualityknitwear.co.uk

Originating from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland, the Aran is the younger more enterprising brother of the Gansey. Not as hard working, this sweater relies on his rugged blond looks and thicker wool to attract outside buyers to give the families on the island more income. He probably never went out to sea with the fishermen as his bulkier and stiffer style restricted movement, leaving this to his leaner and more flexible brother the Gansey. The traditional blond colour was due to the sweater being made from undyed sheep’s wool.

The Fair Isle- the fairest of them all. www.thistleandbroom.com

A Scottish hunk from the Shetland Isles, although it is said he did get some of his good looks from the Spaniards when a ship from the Spanish Armada was wrecked near the Islands in 1588 and the islanders fell in love with the Moorish patterns the sailors wore. But his striking colouring is all Scottish from local plants and lichens.

The Guernsey – the ultimate sailing sweater. www.guernseyknitwear.co.uk

This medium knit from Guernsey works hard to make it look plain sailing, becoming a favourite for seamen due to its warmth and resistance to sea spray. The classic square-shaped tunic style has a split at the hem for ease of movement and a straight neckline originally so it can be reversed as alternating the front and back made sure is was more hard wearing.

New Look Men's Autumn/Winter 2011 Collection

New Look Autumn/winter 2011 for men is all about the great outdoors. It's the rugged look of well worn items such as weathered jeans, the oil wash parka ,vintage wash chinos and check workwear shirts.

Above image left to right:
Gingham shirt £17.99,fair isle cardigan £34.99, fair isle fingerless gloves $5.99and straight jeans £24.99
Fair isle bobble hat £8.99, checked shirt £19.99, padded gilet £27.99 and oil wash jeans £32.99
Faux fur trapper hat £12.99, End on end shirt £19.99, fair isle scarf £10.99, fisherman jumper £24.99, fair isle fingerless gloves £5.99 and twill trousers £27.99
Overdyed check shirt £19.99 and straight jeans £29.99
Fair isle bobble hat £8.99, pea collar shirt £14.99, tailored tweed jacket £54.99, checked parka £44.99, reversible belt £8.99 and chinos £27.99

He's a lumberjack and he's OK in his end on end shirt £19.99; his cosy red lumberjack coat with faux shearling collar £49.99; belted cuff chinos £27.99 and his checked high top boots £39.99.

Chunky navy Fair Isle knits reappear for the colder months . Here seen as a shawl cardigan £32.99 and teamed with a cowl neck denim shirt £26.99 and red chinos £27.99.
The cable jumper is another chunky hunk at £29.99, here worn with the popular red check shirt £19.99 and faux fur trimmed parka £49.99 

The keycolours for the check shirts are reds, blues and greens.
Left to right:
Red checked shirt £19.99 and faux fur trimmed parka £44.99 with ripped worker jeans £32.99.
Overdyed checked shirt £19.99, fair isle fingeless gloves £5.99 and straight jeans £32.99

There will also be a hint of the country gent with tweed and tailored jackets, gingham shirts and elegant knitwear.
Here given a modern twist with fair isle bobble hat £8.99, red gingham shirt £17.99, dogtooth check tie £5.99, fair isle cardigan £32.99, denim tailored jacket £54.99, fair isle fingerless gloves £5.99 and red chinos £27.99




Available soon from www.newlook.com 

The Chunky Hunky knits - lastly the fairest of them all; Fair Isle

A Scottish hunk from the Shetland Isles, although it is said he did get some of his good looks from the Spaniards when a ship from the Spanish Armada was wrecked near the Islands in 1588 and the islanders fell in love with the Moorish patterns the sailors wore. But his striking colouring is all Scottish from local plants and lichens.
In 1922, the Prince of Wales made Fair Isle designs the must-have when he wore an authentic hand knit Fair Isle jumper on the golf course.

Today the Fair Isle looks are emulated by wannabe Fair Isle knits and have become the trend for this season, especially on the chunky knit. Pictured above: New Look Fair Isle-style shawl jumper with gloves. www.newlook.com

The placement of the pattern is important as this will draw the eye towards that area. For those with a larger tummy go for the yoke pattern as in this chunky Republic Soul Cal jumper (pictured above ); it will draw the eye up away from the middle.www.republic.co.uk

Not all the Fair Isle hunks are chunky; even in the finer knits, wearing the pattern along the top will give the illusion of broader, hunkier shoulders. Pictured above: New Look red Fair Isle style jumper. www.newlook.com

But for the fairest Fair Isle of them all and ‘the real MacKay’, you have to look to the Shetland Islands. At Thistle and Broom the website introduces you to the actual knitters.  This ‘Eas a’ Chual Aluinn’ knit (pictured above) is hand-knitted by Agnes in blues, greens and aqua to represent its namesake – the highest British waterfall. It takes her approx 100 hours to create and costs from £245 to £525, depending on what you are buying.  A bit more expensive than the wannabees, but here you are getting a 100% Shetland wool item lovingly hand-knitted which will last, so the cost per wear will work out to be reasonable, if not cheap!
www.thistleandbroom.com

And if you want a very similar pattern to that worn by Edward, Prince of Wales, then Mary Williamson (the actual niece of Maggie Simpson who knitted the Prince’s jumper), is your knitter! She knits tank tops, waistcoats and cardigans in the pattern and even skull caps modelled here (pictured above) by her son-in-law John.

 Full article on http://www.eclipsemagazine.co.uk/NewEclipse/Joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=48&Itemid=74