Missoni Gloves

Every man deserves a pair of Missoni gloves and you are no exception. I have a pair from a few years ago which were bought for me as a present and I’ve worn them into holes so I need to replace them. I can’t quite bring myself to part with £54 for a pair of gloves, but on the other hand, I don’t think I can go back to pre-Missoni days.
Consider the evidence: they’re 100% cashmere, which means that that they’ll naturally keep you warm and absorb sweat whilst repeling dirt; they come in the signature Missoni jacquard pattern, which goes with almost anything; and they have a great cuff design which means you can roll them back over your sleeve, thereby avoiding any chance of the chill wind getting to your skin.
Why deprive yourself? Available from Yoox.

More Big Scarves – Electronic Sheep

As we know, scarves have fattened up for the winter. Big scarves, like these from Electronic Sheep, will not only keep the chill from your neck, they’ll also help you to create this season’s top-heavy silhouette. The scarves may be made from softest lambswool, but their leftfield design gives them a hard edge. 

Electronic Sheep is a Dublin-based label started by three childhood friends. The spécialité de la maison is knitwear in graphic patterns and unexpected colour combinations. They apply this winning combination to a range of hats and scarves and have thrown in the odd T-shirt for good measure.

The name and the little sheep might be a bit annoying but when they get it right, they get it right. Scoot on over to their website to browse or buy their collection or check out the stores who stock them here.

P.S. Someone called Fan, posted a lovely comment about the blog and asked how to tie a scarf like this. Take a look after the jump to read about my technique, which I’d like to say was fool-proof but probably isn’t.

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Week-end bags from Dunlin selling like hot cakes

Week-end bags are big at the moment – in both senses of the word. This season’s trend-conscious male should not be seen leaving the house without a bag the size of a microwave, like this one from Dunlin. Where women’s fashion leads, men’s fashion (often) follows and so I reckon we’re seeing the effect of all those delightful little Zoe-bots like Nicole Ritchie and the Olsens. A malnourished celeb beats her butterfly heart in LA and it causes a storm on the streets of London.

Or more accurately, a storm on the streets of New York, where the sold out Dunlin Lafeyette Week-ender (for it is he) has a waiting line so long it’s attracting mimes and jugglers (to quote Lorrie Moore).

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Commes Des Garcons Wallet

I don’t mind admitting it: I’m at a point in my life where many of my friends are hitting that big landmark age (the big three oh-oh). Obviously this requires a gift which is a bit more special than the usual signed photo of myself. Whenever I’m stuck for a present, I opt for a Comme des Garçons wallet or change purse. If you haven’t seen them already, the wallets come in a range of colours and styles so there has to be one to suit every taste. My favourites are the Colour Plain range. The colours they’ve chosen are just perfect – typically for Comme… they’re slightly unusual, and uncompromising but have a classic air to them. Like they just don’t need to try that hard.

They aren’t that cheap, but I think they’re quite reasonably priced (they start at about £40) – and the good thing is that they look more expensive than they are. Perfect! You can get the full range from the Dover Street E-shop.

J.Lindeberg Belts

Everyone
needs a belt. It’s a scientific fact. While it’s pretty easy finding a nice
plain one for work, you may want something a bit more stylish when you go out.
Offerings seem pretty slim for those who don’t want a studded neon pink jelly
belt or a horrible eagle emblem. Luckily J.Lindenberg have come to our rescue.

J.Lindeberg’s
belts are the best items out of their range, with the logo perfectly suited
to being an emblem that isn’t overbearing. The leather is also soft and of good
quality and it’s available in a wide
range of colours. They cost around £70 with shipping from Revolve, although
you should be able to get them from independent boutiques for slightly cheaper.

Double-edged Sword

It’s quite hard to pin down exactly who or what Surface to Air is. One thing I know, they’re enviably cool. They’re a collective of designers, film-makers, photographers etc who seem to have carte-blanche to get inject their goth chic into any cutting edge project, happening or campaign they choose. It’s enough to make a boy sick with jealousy.

They have a great fashion line of mens and womenswear but it’s the accessories which really kick it for me. Their necklaces come on ultra long chains and are pretty damn special.

You can get hold of them from Brigade – don’t forget your 10% discount for Brandish readers (just quote “brandish!!” in the discount code).

Paul Smith Wallet

Wallets
make the world go round, so the old saying goes. Without one you’d just be left
carrying your money and cards in your pocket loose, like some kind of
simpleton. With wallets being stuck in your pocket for the large majority of
the time, you’d want a certain ‘wow’ factor when you do bring it out.

Paul
Smith’s leather wallet mixes the formal with the trendy, with an outer made
from good quality leather and a cream stitching. On the inside is a
photographic print (Which is called ‘Mini in London’, if you want to appear
really knowledgeable). You do pay a price for quality like this though, with
this wallet being available for £130 from the Paul Smith website.

Shawly Not

Scarves, like everything else above the waist this season, are getting bigger. The most fashionable necks this winter will be hidden in yards of fabric. It’s practical too: when it’s too hot for a jumper but too cold for a T-shirt, you can just swaddle yourself in a big scarf and you’re all set. I’m very glad about this. I was getting really sick of seeing skinny little scraps of fabric last year and had developed an irrational hatred of that thing where people fold a long scarf in half and pass the two ends through the loop. I’m hoping I don’t have to look at that another season.

So it’s with pure delight I bring this scarf from Henrik Vibskov to your attention. It ain’t cheap but it’s so lovely. You can get hold of them here.

More Bitter Than Sweet

The jeweller behind Bittersweets NY must be a right sicko – but I like her. This nameless designer says that her jewellery is inspired by everyday objects, but her ‘everyday’ includes maggots, earthworms and fake vampire teeth. She must lead an upsetting existence.

Still, the jewellery she makes is witty and beautifully crafted, as witnessed by this dagger and heart necklace where the dagger can be worn either dangling menacingly below the heart or stabbing it right through the middle, depending on how bad your mood is. It’s a subtle distinction between moods, but one I’m sure won’t be lost on you. Her jewellery has featured on the cover of i-D as well as around Britney’s neck and it doesn’t really get better than that does it? Bittersweets’ on-line shop is here.

Designer Spotlight: Urban Spectacles of wood

Glasses have never been particularly innovative. Even if you spent hundreds on a pair of Gucci glasses, they’ll just look like a £10 pair with a logo stamped on it. Standing out with a pair of glasses has become near impossible, unless you want to wear a monocle.

Urban Spectacles of wood don’t make monocles, but they do – as their name suggests – make glasses made out of wood. The glasses are handmade, with maker Scott Urban tending to each one personally. You can even order one made from scratch and make it exactly how you’d want it. The slightly off-putting part is that price isn’t discussed on the site, which usually means it’s pretty expensive. While you couldn’t usually put a price on originality, in this case it’ll cost you a $250 deposit.

Psycho Bunny neck ties cost seriously psycho money

If I was a big-ass businessman earning the equivalent of a small, African nation’s GNP annually, it wouldn’t be paisley and polka dot neck-ties that I’d be wearing into the office; it would be these nutty ones from Psycho Bunny.

Actually scratch that, I’d wear either of the above ties now, sitting at my desk in my underwear, if I had one in my possession. And the money. The reason why I brought up the analogy of the businessman is because each individual item in this series of neck wear costs around £60. Definitely a small fortune for a piece of embroidered silk, no matter that I’m in love with the aforementioned piece of embroidered silk…

Worth splashing the cash or a total rip-off? Let me know what you think.

Desperately Seeking: Juicy Couture Fingerless Gloves

I love Britain, I really do. There’s too many reasons to go into as to why I feel this way about this green and pleasant isle, suffice to say that I believe it’s one of the best countries in the world to live in. For most things anyway; one thing that really gets my goat is that it seems all the really cool clothes, the items that I covet and pine for the most, are available in only the US and Japan.

Take these Juicy Couture gloves. 100% lambswool, available in three colour ways and they have a cool little button detail on them. They’ve also got a screen print of Juicy Couture’s awesome Skull n’ Guns motif. They are special. But they’re also only available exclusively to Nordstrom, who don’t ship overseas. Bastards.

I’ve check out boutiques across London for these on the unlikely premise that perhaps someone has managed to import a pair. No such luck. So, in my infinite desperation, I turn to my loyal and plucky readers: can you guys provide me with a source for these gloves that I so crave?

Topman Leather Gloves

The good thing about leather gloves is that
they’re never out of fashion. Sure, they’re never in fashion either, but at
least you’re not freezing your fingers off just trying to keep up with trends.
With the right outfit leather gloves can look pretty suave, but with the wrong
one you could like a bit Patrick Bateman.
Although even that’s not a bad thing, He was an all-round great guy, if you
overlook the whole serial murderer thing.

Topman – the one stop shop for all male
essentials – has
a good pair in black, costing a mere £12.

Red Dunlop bag from Topman

It’s officially winter now, and Topman have got a great Dunlop bag to brighten up your autumnal outfits. The red colour is amazing, and just looking at it I feel cheered up! It reminds me of tinned cream of tomato soup, which is another perfect antidote to rainy grey days.
The bag’s retro stylings make it look great with office clothing, and it’s casual enough for the weekend. It’s a bargain at £20, which should leave you enough money for some gloves and a scarf!