Liverpudlian designer Christopher Shannon has teamed up with Activision to produce a range of tees inspired by cult video game Prototype.
Taking his cues from lead character Alex Mercer Shannon has created a selection of printed tees which would please fashion fan and gamer alike. Christopher Shannon came onto the scene with the Topman MAN show, and it’s great to see him get commissions off the back of it.
Commercial as it may be Activision are keeping this exclusive by making it phone order only, you’ll have to ring 020 7693 6985 to get your hands on the tees.
We’re all for giving, but how many times have you been out shopping for someone and bought something for yours truly?
Our Father’s Day gift guide is great if you want to give your dad a push in the right style direction, there’s nothing too out there or kooky, just a few pieces that will give a little panache to dear poppa’s wardrobe. Should the selection be too outlandish for pater then you might even want to snap up some of the items for yourself!
Summer is most definitely here, at least for today and if you’re sweltering under the heat of some office trousers we feel your pain. Actually we’ve got our legs out, sorry.
Take a look at our guide to this summer’s shorts, we’ve trawled the internet for the best in short trousers to keep your legs cool and your outfit stylish without a toggle, cargo pocket or zip in sight. There’s something for everyone from denim to tailored and also floral pair you’ll love, honest!
There’s an urban myth that in London that you are never 8 feet away from a rat, it’s clearly bullshit but you try to get 8 feet away from a pair of Wayfarers this summer- you won’t. The number of companies ripping off the Ray Ban original is staggering with prices and quality ranging from £12 for a cheap pair from Topman up to £115 for a pair of Ray Ban’s from ASOS.
However if you’re like myself then you don’t want to wear this seasons equivalent of vermin but don’t want to spend £115 on some awesome but very breakable/losable/lendable sunny G’s. My suggested solution is these Cheap Monday Night Watch Wayfarers, cheap at 200 Krona (under £17) and looking more than your average Wayfarer with a squarer, more angled structure. These shades come in 3 colours: light turtle (pictured above), grey and black all available at Caliroots and though it is a bit of a snub having to pay the same again in P+P that you have for the glasses themselves (200 Krona) for £34 you have a pair of branded, wellmade Wayfarers that won’t make you cry if you drop ‘em under a bus.
The Times has a feature at the moment detailing the changing size of the common tie as we go through decades of economic change. Apparently John Lewis has announced “a dramatic inch-loss of nearly 25 per cent in width over the past six months” with its most popular ties. Charlie Allen, the famous tailor Brandish recently had an exclusive sit-down with over the new ‘n’ improved England kit, told the Times that “the impact of economic turmoil on tie design can be traced back through the previous recessions of the 20th century. While postwar Britain and the Swinging Sixties embraced exaggerated prints and widths of up to 5in, the downturns of the 1930s and 1980s saw sizes reduce to as little as an inch.”
See after the jump for my Top 5 ‘Skinny Summer ties’- on the cheap for your enjoyment! (They’re all under £10)
Mark Ronson was snapped recently out and about in London looking particularly colourful in a bright cobalt jacket.
Good news for fashion fans on a budget, he isn’t sporting a designer label; after a chat with the paps Ronson apparently divulged that his jacket was in fact from high street staple Topman! Cobalt blue makes a hot statement and is an easy colour to add to an existing wardrobe. What do you think? Tell us on our Twitter or our Facebook wall!
Edited to add -We spoke to the Topman press office and they told us this: “No it is brand spanking new, not even in store yet he spotted it when he was at our New York press day, it is due in store the first week of June”
Topman is great for its designer collaborations and its ‘Priceless’ range, designed by celebrated fashion designer and tailor Antony Price, delivers every season. The range has just gone up on Topman.com and with its wonderful waistcoats, brilliant blazers and perfectly pleated pants (in the American sense of the word,) I can’t wait to get a piece of the action! The look on the left is almost exactly what I outlined in my ‘Will’s Summer Wants’ piece only last month and the peach colour is perfect for summer.
Other standout pieces include the taffeta suits in purple and green as well as the ‘ice grey chintz’ suit. Most jackets are around £140 with trousers at £60. Why not enlighten us as to what you plan to invest in by chatting to us on Facebook?
In the aftermath of the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute Gala, fashionistos/as across the world have been gorging over that turban, Madonna’s wackiness, Rihanna’s brilliant tux and Naomi’s beautiful boycott. However, it emerged today that off the red carpet a fight was on and statements are being made across the fashion universe in response to reports that Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCullough was headbutt by 24′s Keifer Sutherland after McCullough supposedly knocked Brooke Shields over.
Surely not, I hear you cry. But yes, McCullough’s rep has confirmed today that “anyone who knows Jack McCollough knows that he would not hurt a fly…all we can say at this point is that he was the victim of a vicious, violent, unprovoked assault and that the matter is in the hands of the authorities.” How delightful!
The question stands- are you Team McCullough or Team Sutherland?
When my English teacher announced we would be studying ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ I have to admit to a light leap of the heart as I reminisced on John Galliano‘s ‘Blanche DuBois’ collection of 1988 and Marlon Brando in all his retro glory; oozing sex appeal and hard-edged fashion prowess. With these thoughts in mind, and a bit of time spent re-watching the iconic film made in 1951, I set about creating an outfit based on the look of Stanley Kowalski.
I’ve mixed a pair of amazing chino/casual-esque trousers with a bit of a vintage feel and a thin leather belt from with a basic tee from Topman and a pair of roughed up plimsolls from New Look. This is simple and seemingly effortless but the look as a whole is incredibly effective at turning you into a rugged, alpha-male icon. Now, with the fashion bit past, can anyone do a good New Orleans accent?
I know, I know; Topman has become a bit of a regular feature on Brandish but when I noticed this look on the label’s website during my regular internet trawl, I couldn’t resist commenting.
While I’m not too sure about the rather peculiar Alice Dellal haircut (as highlighted in a previous Brandish post.) I think he gets off with it due to his incredible look- brash patter shirt, acid-washed jeans and skinny belt…but messy enough to avoid the overly-manicured style of the 80s fashionisto.
More to come on Topman’s ‘Motel Arizona’ look soon!
(Shirt, £25 on topman.com)
Topman have a new mini-collection on their online shop and the look is ‘Chelsea Arts Club.’ The high street label (beloved by the Brandish team,) tells that “this smart trend is influenced by a sophisticated age where actors, artists and sartorialists mixed in exclusive members clubs…the overall look is quirky.” For me, this translates as unusual textures, subtle details and wow-factor tailoring. My fashspirational men are Bob Dylan, Gregory Corso and Pablo Picasso; men who looked effortlessly awesome in rolled-up trousers and paint-stained tees.
Why not buy basic items from Topman and try your hand at home-made accessories? Prepare yourself for beads on string, paperclip tie bars and old woman’s brooches pinned into buttonholes.
Pick up a Murakami novel, write a poem and carry a wicker basket- this summer is all about your inner artist!
With a month long holiday in India coming up, I knew I had to get some stand-out holiday wear. I thought about the different eras of recreational wear and began racking the (fashion) history books for inspiration- jumpsuits, capri pants, high-waisted slacks, kaftans, tunics, dungarees…the list goes on. But then, as with all moments of fashion genius, America’s Next Top Model came on the telly and I was reminded of the genius that is Jeremy Scott.
As a result I was led to a picture of a friend wearing a pair of Jeremy’s cropped print trousers and I fell in love. In order to recreate the look, I bought a pair of Topman’s cartoon-print pyjama bottoms (£15) and tied bits of string around my lower legs. I then folded the pyjama fabric under the string to achieve a cropped effect.
Because the print is so loud, you should stick to basic items in muted colours. And even if you don’t get the look that you wanted, I assure you that making the trousers is almost as much fun as wearing the finished edition anyway.
Off to a sunny climes for an Easter break? Here’s a head to toe look to get the locals talking and keep you cool. The seersucker blazer from Topman makes a change from the blue or grey fine stripe associated with this fabric. The pink of the blazer sets off nicely the deeper red of this colour-banded vest by Jil Sander. I love these wide-legged shorts (also by Jil Sander), which will definitely air you to the best advantage if you’re heading somewhere steamy but equally, look classic enough to wear in town as well as at the beach. Finally, some classic espadrilles grounding the look with a touch of Mediterranean tradition, in black .
As a final touch you could add a Panama hat – this year’s trilby – casting a shadow over that mysterious (and possibly sunburnt) visage.
Blazer, Topman, Vest and shorts by Jil Sander from OkiNi, Espadrilles from ASOS
Right I found it really tough to come up with something to suggest as my hot tip for the summer because my wardrobe changes very little for the summer months I simply wear less of it, so in that vein I’ve gone for AW09 favorite- the cable / heavy weight knit wear.
If you, like me, have stocked up on this stuff through the cooler months there is no need to moth ball it for the warmer ones, yes when layered wool is hot as hell but if you throw this over a vest or a t-shirt and shorts then it breathes enough to keep you cool in the day time but holds it’s warmth to keep the chill off when the sun finally sets. Luckily for those who have been staying clear of the knitwear the last few season -though I’m not sure why you would have- picking up a few pieces doesn’t have to break the bank, the featured piece below from Topman comes in at a cool £40, so you have no excuse.
Exciting news this afternoon as we’ve just received word of a Topman project called We ♡ the White Tee.
With a roster of designers which includes big names Henry Holland, Philip Lim, as well as Richard Chai, Juun J Topman are really keeping on their toes as far as getting new design talent in is concerned. They’ve also got LFW MAN designers JW Anderson and Christopher Shannon in on the act as well as the Topman Design team so we’re looking forward to seeing it when it hits stores on May 28th.
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