One of our favourite online retailers, MRPORTER.COM, is turning One years old, and to celebrate they have teamed up with a number of designers to produce exclusive pocket squares for the site.
Brands involved include:
Alexander Olch
Band of Outsiders
Drakes
The Elder Statesman
Jean Shop
Oliver Spencer
Our Legacy
Richard James
YMC
This limited edition project is sure to turn the pocket square into a collector’s item, with only 50 of each square available.
The pocket square project is just one of a series of initiatives celebrating MR PORTER’s first birthday. From tomorrow a special MR PORTER birthday microsite will bring together a menu of anniversary content, including the launch of an interactive global treasure hunt.
Valentines day is next week, so we imagine many of you will running around this weekend trying to find the perfect gift.
To help you out we spoke to Soozie Jenkinson, Head of Lingerie Design at M&S, to find out her top five fail-safe tips to help you choose your lady the ideal lingerie gift for Valentine’s Day…
1. CONSIDER HER STYLE
If she’s an elegant and sophisticated dresser, look for luxurious fabrics and detailing. If she likes to feel feminine and pretty go for lace and florals, and if she’s a bit of a fashionista then keep your eye out for on-trend prints and jewelled colours.
2. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE SIZE RIGHT
Don’t just guess! Raid her lingerie drawer, look for something she has bought recently and loves wearing, and write the size down. You won’t be in her good books for buying lingerie that’s too small, or too big, and she’s much more likely to wear it if it fits well and feels comfortable to wear.
The shape is really key because some women love wearing balcony bras, (a traditional style which gives maximum uplift and a fuller shape) whilst others love wearing plunge bras (a modern shape which lowers / dips in the centre and gives a great cleavage). Brazilian knickers are the knicker shape of the moment, but she might be a short or even a thong fan. Don’t feel overwhelmed – get clues from her existing collection to see what she feels suits her best.
3. CONSIDER A TOUCH OF LUXURY
Every girl loves luxurious lingerie so consider silk lingerie as her special gift. Silk lingerie will be on every woman’s wish list so treat her to something special because it feels extravagant and sensual to wear.
4. TRY NIGHTWEAR IF YOU’RE UNSURE OF HER SIZE
If you’re worried about getting her bra size wrong then consider nightwear or loungewear. Pyjama dressing and vintage glamour looks are so on trend right now you can’t fail but to get it right – and guarantee cosy winter nights in cuddling by the fire. Every woman loves pretty, cosy PJ’s.
5. FINALLY, REMEMBER TO BUY FOR HER AND NOT FOR YOU AND SHE’LL LOVE YOU EVEN MORE!
Yes, red and black sets can be extremely sexy, but there’s so much more choice in lingerie and sleepwear today that you can really be sure to choose something that will be loved by you both and won’t end up hiding at the back of her draw.
If you are far too embarrassed to venture in to a lingerie department, don’t fret because lots of retailers offer products online with next day delivery. Choose wisely and you are sure to have a memorable Valentine’s Day!
One of our favourite brands Orlebar Brown will be debuting their new AW12 product in the coming weeks. But if like us you can’t wait till then, check out this “sneak peak” with Mr. Porter, explaining some of the inspiration behind the collection.
Satchels have been big this year and we don’t expect this trend to disapear anytime soon. While there are a lot of companies making satchels, we highly recommend The Leather Satchel Company.
The Leather Satchel Company make custom satchels for the same cost as many off the shelf competitors, meaning you get a one of a kind bag for a great price. On their website you can pick from an impressive array of colours and style combinations.
After placing my order for a classic chocolate brown leather satchel, I received an email from their workshop to discuss in depth what I was going to use the satchel for and to make sure it would suit my needs. In the end I opted for the 14″ with briefcase handle and strap for a degree of flexibility.
Among some of the many other options to customize your bag include adding deeper gussets to allow you to slide in ‘more books’ in your satchel and Backpack Straps, perfect for cyclists.
All satchels are hand-crafted in Britain from top quality, natural heavy leather by artisan leather-smiths. This standard design features a long adjustable shoulder strap and is stitched using a colour matched blend of cotton and nylon for extra durability. The straps and fasteners are then finished with silver buckles and finally the satchel is riveted for completeness. All satchels come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 5-year craftsmanship guarantee.
A few weeks ago we were invited to one of our favourite Savile Row tailors, Spencer Hart, to learn about their recent collaboration with Samsung.
The collaboration involves integrating mobile technology into the traditional craft of Savile Row design and lifestyle tailoring. To be perfectly honest I was a bit skeptical at first, but as soon as I saw how the tailors were able to use the Samsung Galaxy Note, all doubts disappeared.
The Samsung Galaxy Note features the S Pen – and advanced pen-input technology combined with a full touch 5.3” HD Super AMOLED screen for sketching, editing documents or annotating images. Spencer Hart founder Nick Hart is using this technology to complement the traditional tools of tailoring for measuring up clients and showcasing different fabrics, fits and designs.
We had a chance to speak to Nick Hart about the collaboration. He explained how it is changing the way they work stating: “In our world we spend time with our clients to make sure everything is perfect and there’s a huge amount of detail we need to record to create clothing that’s tailor-made to them. When you work with high profile people things need to be done quickly and you’ve got to be flexible – using this new technology will make us more efficient as a business and allow more time for creativity.
“And of course it’s not just for work. I travel a lot and I’m always looking for new ideas. The Galaxy Note means I can capture inspiration while on the move, through images, memos and sketches, and share them instantly with colleagues, suppliers and even clients!”
The Samsung Galaxy Note devices is now being used in store at the Spencer Hart flagship at 62/64 Brook Street, London.
Here at Brandish, we are always on the look out for new up and coming designers. One that recently caught our attention was Common Sons. Their inaugural AW/11 collection, carried by both selfridges and ASOS, and is best described as British made knitwear for the modern gent. They draw inspiration from traditional sherman knits, while bringing giving it a contemporary twist and a little humor.
All the knitwear is made in the UK, in family run factories and printed with organic dyes. Knits range from £65-95 and are available here
Charles Tyrwhitt, men’s shirts specialists, have created this amazing infographic timeline to showcase some of the most iconic looks from the past year.
The timeline draws focuses on events such as film releases, television shows and key cultural happenings, to show just how they have influenced the way UK men have dressed over the past 12 months.
Important style landmarks include the centenary of Harris Tweed and the release of the film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which both inspired classic cuts and heritage fabrics. 300 years of Royal Ascot makes an appearance for showcasing the best in morning dress year after year, and of course, Mad Men also features for inspiring 1960s style clothing over several seasons and for main man, Don Draper’s penchant for a sharp wool suit.
There is always something wonderful about listening to master craftsmen discussing their trade. The passion towards their craft is often contagious and gives us a new appreciation for familiar objects.
One video that recently caught my attention was the making of the Herring Shoes Oak Bark belts in the Tanner Bates factory. The video walks us through how this beautiful belt is made. John Hagger’s attention to detail and sourcing local materials is inspiring. Using the same leather often used by harness and bridle makers, the belt features a solid brass hand made buckle hammer riveted and is hand-stitched with Irish linen thread.
With the worst humanitarian crisis in the world currently unfolding in the Horn of Africa, Threadless, BBH New York and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF have partnered to launch GOOD SHIRTS: a unique clothing line with 100 percent of the donations going to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to support relief efforts in the famine and drought-affected region.
We love the idea behind the Good Shirts collection, as each shirt represents aid items urgently needed in the Horn of Africa and is available at the cost of those items. So if you make a donation of $18.57, the exact cost of three insecticide treated mosquito nets, you will receive a t-shirt featuring a foiled mosquito. One generous individual donated $300,000, the cost for UNICEF to transport aid from Copenhagen to Nairobi, and in return received a shirt featuring a cargo plane. Its a simple yet effective way of creating awareness of the humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Africa.
The Manchester-based brand, Stone-Dri, are back with their first collection since the 1960’s. Despite the lengthy hiatus, the new collection sits confidently amongst other contemporary brands.
The Autumn/Winter ’11 collection, clearly pays great attention to the importance of functionality, utility and comfort using traditional outerwear fabrics such as blended wools and waxed cottons in a masculine colour pallet of gun metal, burgundy, traditional green and navy blue.
This simple attention to detail not only means it is a collection made up of timeless and heritage styles, but offers an uncomplicated and understated style, all fundamental to the restoration of this classic brand.
We absolutely love the collection and hope to see a lot more from Stone-Dri in the future.
Supreme fans get ready… on Thursday September 22nd, Supreme will be opening its London shop. This will be the first Supreme shop in Europe and will carry the entire collection including skateboards & footwear, in addition to special releases such as the Supreme x Levi’s 2011 Fall/Winter Collection.
The store will be located at:
2/3 Peter St.
London
W1F 0AA
United Kingdom
A few weeks ago the guys over at Woodzee got in touch to tell us all about their beautiful handcrafted wood sunglasses.
We have seen a few wooden frames around recently and love the concept, but for the most part they have been vastly over priced. Woodzee, on the other hand have managed to maintain a high degree of quality, while at the same time making their glasses incredibly affordable, starting at just $85.
The 100% wood shades currently come in two different styles, Aviators and Wayfarers. Each pair is hand-made with either original bamboo, stained bamboo, Zebra wood, or Pear wood, making no one pair identical. To top it off, for those eco-conscious Woodzee will plant a tree for every pair of sunglasses sold.
We might be heading into winter, but I absolutely love these glasses and plan on picking up a pair next pay day.
Woodzee ship internationally and all styles are available for purchase here.
Its no secret that we are big fans of ASOS here at Brandish, and we can’t wait to see what they will be rolling out for their Fall/Winter 2011 collection.
To launch the collection they have created a brilliant new interactive website called ASOS Urban Tour, exploring street trends in London, Paris, Berlin, LA, and New York. The Paris video (above) follows an in-line skating crew taking the viewer on a city tour, while showing off some key pieces from the collection.
ASOS consistently demonstrate a fantastic understanding of the current fashion landscape and trends, which once again is reflected in their diverse seasonal offering. Anyways make sure to check out the rest of the campaign here.
Raf Simons shows off his Fall/Winter 2011 collection through this rather interesting video. The behind the scenes video of a fitting, sees models rotate in a 360 fashion, showing you every detail of each piece.
Although I am not feeling those awful PVC looking trousers, the collection does have some great pieces, consists with the designer’s signature approach of redefining classics through new interpretations.
With summer days numbered, we have been looking at some of the trends we expect to see this coming fall/winter. One trend that continues to stand out for us, is the focus on the ratio between the softness and volume of garments. Expect to see everything from slick tailored pieces juxtapose with slouchy long cardigans to skinny jeans and warm chunky knits. One brand that is really owning this trend is Avelon.
Avelon was first discovered by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana for their multibrand boutique Spiga 2 in Milan. It is now listed among the 3 bestsellers, and it is not hard to see why.
The collection has a really urban industrial feel, and plays beautifully with shapes and proportions. Leather features heavily through out the collection and appears on almost everything from denim to knits, shirts and tops in the form of elaborated detailing and patchworks. This dedication to detail, is what really makes this collection really stand out for me. I love all the subtle details, such a their signature metal zip lined with bright blue satin.
The label has built its philosophy around the idea of constantly mixing different materials and textures in order to create the most unusual effects, this collection does exactly that.
I predict that Avelon is a label we will be hearing a lot more from in the future.
From:What David Gandy Can Do For Your Style