This outfit is composed of a casual double breasted blazer with wide lapels and a black and white checked shirt. This is combined with smart slim-fit tracksuit bottoms, casual Chelsea boots/trainers and a watch that really stands out. It’s perfectly fine to wear a bold watch with a muted outfit. In case you didn’t know already, this Monaco based Instagram great is Tom Claeren, with one hundred and fifty-four thousand followers, he’s definitely among the most popular men’s fashion bloggers.
The blazer is made of a thick warm material perfect for cold spring mornings and evenings with deep spacious pockets. The trousers, although slim fitted, are not restricting and allow for a smart comfortable look without looking too dressed down. The shoes are a cross between Chelsea boots and trainers, once again allowing for a smart look without looking too casual. The watch is a nice finishing touch and makes the outfit complete by drawing the eyes to an otherwise simple everyday outfit you could wear it if you have a relaxed dress code for work, a day out shopping, a work event or even a casual night out with your other half.
Have a go at this outfit and you will look smart enough for most occasions but casual enough to to jump around on a park bench with some friends.
Where To Get The Look
Zara Navy Blue Double Breasted Wool Crossover Blazer – £99.99
Spring has finally rolled around, yet all I can think of is summer.
You can’t really blame me though, the past week here in England has been glorious in terms of sunshine, and I think all of us are dreaming of the summer holidays already. Before the beautiful weather fades away, I thought I’d write a post on sunglasses, and where they should go once you head inside again.
For example,you could always hand them to your nephew so he can clean them for you.
What else is he good for anyways? They could also go in your chest pocket or a jacket/blazer pocket like so:
gearpatrol.combusinessinsider.com
Or better still, into the Pandora’s Box that is your girlfriend/wife’s handbag (that’s if you never want to see them again)
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You could also put your sunglasses in between your shirt placket- the bit of fabric on your shirt that your buttons are sewn onto, or just leave them on your table if you’re at home. They could also go in your workbag or briefcase if you use one, or just on the top of your head.
Now we head to the faux pas in order of decadency, no fashion article would be complete without them:
✘ Putting an earpiece through a belt loop or waistband
✘ Putting an earpiece through a trouser pocket
✘ Putting your sunglasses inside your cargo shorts pocket (burn those ghastly things if you own a pair)
✘ Around your neck on a chain or cord, if librarians can’t get away with it then neither can you
✘ Attempting a Masaai warrior look by putting an earpiece through a gauge earring (seriously?)
✘ Keeping your sunglasses on indoors
✘ Keeping them in a fanny pack, or even having a fanny pack in the first place
✘ And finally, having them on the back or your shirt or head like this:
Waistcoats aren’t worn nowadays as much as they should be. With six months of cold ahead of us, layering up makes sense and wearing a waistcoats is a great idea. How do you know your size?
How do you know your waistcoat size?
Is the waistcoat size the same as the blazer or jacket size?
Waistcoats are sized by our chests, the same as the suit jacket sizes. If you wear a size 40 blazer then you should follow suit accordingly with the waistcoat size. There are a few things to consider before purchasing a waistcoat.
Waistcoat & Your Stomach
If you have a large stomach then you need understand that unlike the suit jacket, the waistcoat will be done up all the time. It’s best to order one size up in the waistcoat if this is the case. It will give you more room to breathe, especially if you’ll be eating.
Copy The Suit Cut
Many suits come with waistcoats however some don’t. All suits and waistcoats are cut in different sizes. If you’re going to be buying a waistcoat from a company your not used to, go one size up to be safe.
A pet peeve of mine is seeing things, like a sandwich, stuffed into the outer pockets of a man’s blazer. I feel like just slapping them on the spot. If you do this please stop, leave the pockets alone. Some blazers now come with fake outer pockets, where there’s just a pocket flap. However, most blazers have real outer pockets that are usually tacked together with a bit of thread but can easily be pulled open.
The question then arises what do you use them for and in fact, should you use the pockets at all? Well there isn’t really a right or wrong way – it’s completely a matter of opinion. The way I see it, pockets are functional and are meant to be used. There is however a right and wrong way to use them – putting a sandwich in them is definitely a wrong way.
The breast pocket on the blazer is obviously for pocket squares in order to decorate the outfit. The other outer pockets – the side pockets and ticket pockets are intended to carry small flat items that do not create a bulge in the pockets. Anything ranging from receipts, cinema tickets, shopping list & other notes to your favourite brand of tea bag.
I have seen pictures of some celebrities with their hands in their side pockets, using them for the purpose of keeping their hands warm. Notably you’ll see pictures of JFK with his hands always stuck in his pockets – I actually looked into it and turns out he used to use them as ashtrays.
The stitching used to keep the pockets sewn together are put there to stop potential customers trying on the jacket in the store and sticking their hands in the pockets and ruining the shape. When you buy a new suit you should ideally remove the stitching so you can use the pockets but if you’re the type of guy that will stick bulky things in them – it’s best you leave them closed.
Apologies Gentleman for not updating my blog recently. I’ve been working on the back-end of things and have not forgotten about all you stylish men. I’ve recently joined The Student Room and I’m really enjoying speaking to all these young students who have a million questions. I found one that really shocked me, it was from a young man who wanted to know if he should remove the stitching left by the manufacturing company in his clothing.
If you don’t know why this is done, it’s basically to prevent bits of the clothing from getting caught in any of the machinery or getting folded over and being creased in an awkward way for 6 months while in storage – thus potentially ruining the clothing.
Removing The Stitching
To answer the question; should you remove the tacking from your clothing? Yes.
The most common tacking done to suits would be on the lapel and on the vents. Sometimes you will find that the manufacturer has stitched down the lapel through the lapel pin hole on the left breast. The vents on the back, whether it be single or double vented, would also be stitched together in an “X” shape. It is absolutely essential that you remove both of these, no ifs no buts. Unlike most fashion rules, this one is agreed by everyone that it can not be broken. The moment you get that suit home, remove it.
Removing The Stitching – Optional
There are some common spots on your suit that are most likely to be stitched together as well. The back pocket of your suit trousers, the breast pocket of the blazer and the receipt pockets on the front of your blazer. These are optional and should only be removed if you intend on using those pockets.
I use my trouser and breast pockets every day so this is a must for me. The problem is if you open up the front receipt pockets of your blazer then you may be tempted to fill them. If you cram a coke can in them one night, you could potentially ruin the shape of your blazer permanently so be aware.
Tinie Tempah is well known to us for his many talents and recently he has become a bit of a fashion icon in London, for good reason too. He is very well dressed and is never afraid to express himself in his outfits and wear things others probably wouldn’t. This weeks Get The Look is one of Tinie Tempah’s more simpler outfits but still lets people know what he’s about. If you’re looking to dress casually smart on the weekend, this outfit and it’s many variations will serve you well.
The Look – Tinie Tempah
Considering we are well into spring now and approaching summer it just makes sense that we start adding more colour to our outfits. The colours of spring are warm, bright and light. What this look does extremely well is take all those spring colours and turn them into a pretty decent outfit without looking like a toddler wearing flowers.
The blazer, the main piece of the outfit, is a warm salmon colour. The spring colour scheme continues from the blazer onto the pastel jade trousers, combined with brown suede tassel loafers. The outfit is completed with a darker tie, white shirt, lapel pins and a watch.
The Suit
You have a few options in the suit department in regards to which colours you want to work with. With the blazer you can go with MOST of the different colours in the spring colour palette shown below (avoid the dark colours.) The only rule you need to follow is that to you should either wear matching trousers or trousers that are lighter than the blazer. I recommend pastel teal trousers like the ones Tinie’s wearing or plain white ones.
In terms of material then I would go with Linen or Cotton. Both these fabrics are fantastic for summer and letting your skin breathe. You don’t want to be walking around in a wool blazer sweating all over the place. Choose how thick you want the clothes to be as well. Even though it’s now Spring, it still can be bloody cold here in the UK.
ASOS Slim Fit Blazer In Summer Tweed – £65.00
ASOS Slim Fit Blazer In Jersey – £55.00
ASOS Slim Fit Blazer In Washed Cotton – £55.00
Burgundy Oxford Skinny Fit Blazer – £70.00
Light Blue Texture Cotton Blazer – £70.00
ASOS Slim Fit Suit Cropped Suit Trousers – £40.00
United Colors of Benetton Mini Puppytooth Trousers in Slim Fit – £35.00
ASOS Slim Fit Cropped Trousers – £25.00
Shirt & Tie
This part of the outfit is basic, you can swap these for anything really. It’s really easy to just stick to white shirt and any dark tie. The dark tie works really well as a balancing act between looking super summery and looking smart. The only important point to make is that you should keep your tie skinny. Thick ties don’t go well with the casual looks and will result in you looking quite odd – keep your tie thin.
Loafers – don’t we just love them? Tinie Tempah certainly does, he’s always seen in these funky cool loafers. The loafers in this look are a dark chocolate brown suede completed with small tassells. Loafers are easy to find online but it’s important you decide whether you want to wear casual loafers or work/smart loafers. Suede is quite versatile and depending on how you wear it and what you wear it with, for example with or without socks, you can really swing your suede shoes from work-smart to smart-casual very quickly.
If accessories aren’t your thing, don’t worry the outfit won’t fall apart without them. However, if like me, you love accessories, then you’re in for a treat with this outfit. Firstly the watch; any watch will do but ideally you want to match your watch to your shoes. Your belt should also follow suit with the watch strap and shoes, all dark brown will go perfectly with this outfit. The lapel pins are can be what ever you want really, I’d probably wear one of my charity badges on my lapel.
That’s it, you and Tinie are now identical twins. As always let me know what your thoughts are on this look from the wonderful Tinie Tempah. Leave a rating up top on how many stars out of five you would give this outfit.
I can’t believe I’m actually writing about this one but it’s something I’ve seen a few times in my short life and I must say, it is annoying! Those temporary brand labels left on the sleeves of suits as if they are supposed to be permanently part of the suit. I’m going to guess most people do it out of ignorance.
I do however get how they make the mistake; they go to the store, grab themselves a bargain on a quality suit from a big brand and they want to show it off. Well there’s many ways to do that, they could take a picture of the inside label of the jacket so everyone knows they have an DKNY suit. Another option would be to tell everyone they come in contact with. Whatever way they choose I don’t mind but one way no-one should ever do, under any circumstance is leave that label on the jacket sleeve on.
The moment you get home with your new suit, remove all labels! Don’t think about it just do it. It’s cringy and really weird to leave it on. Unless of course you are planning on returning the suit and getting a full refund. Which is a bit weird, why buy the suit in the first place?
Next time you see someone with a label on their sleeve, let them know that it’s tacky, please.
I’m sure the majority of you will click on this one just because the Lamborghini looks amazing. Unfortunately I don’t know many places to get one so I’ll leave that up to you. You could probably try lamborghini.com. The flashy car aside, this weeks look is an extremely basic but extremely useful look especially for summer. You can tweak this outfit just by switching the trousers and the outfit will look different every time.
The Look
The main piece to this outfit is the blazer, this is the centerpiece, the main event if you like and if you get this right then its pretty much impossible to fail in the rest of the look. The blazer is a solid navy blue, not too dark so it will look perfect for those sunny days and won’t look like a black blazer on those dark nights out. Being a double breasted blazer, it is very easily converted from a work blazer by adding a shirt and tie although nowadays the double breasted is usually more associated to smart/casual events and weekends. Pair this beauty with some white chino trousers and a white cutaway shirt and you get the perfect summer casual outfit. To complete the whole outfit, grab some shades, slap on a watch, stick a white pocket square in the blazer and add some bracelets.
Sounds simple right? It is.
So where would you wear this? Anywhere – whether out shopping or off to the beach. I’d probably wear this look with some loafers or boat shoes, but you can even throw on some trainers.
The Blazer
So for this look you need a blazer with a solid blue, which isn’t too dark and not too bright that it looks like you can only wear it during the day. On top of that it needs to be double breasted and have a nice slim fit to it. I recommend grabbing this beauty while it is in stock at House of Fraser; Corsivo Redi Double Breasted Peak Lapel Panama Jacket for only £72.99. If you want a slightly darker or lighter one then I’ve added three nice blazers, each of different shade.
When it comes to quality white shirts I just can not seem to fall in love with any shirts as much as I love TM Lewin shirts. If you want another shirt aside from TM Lewin, then I recommend Moss Bros or GANT. Personally, I own TM Lewin shirts and nothing beats them on price or quality. Here’s my two favourite white shirts.
White trousers are pretty unique and you generally have an option between going for some white chino’s which are quite thick but are generally pretty comfy. The alternative to that is to get some white formal trousers, which are designed to be suit trousers, they look and feel like suit trousers, generally quite light and great for summer. Which ever one you choose won’t matter too much, they look the same its just about your own comfort.
To complete the look, add your favourite watch, some sunglasses and a bracelet or two, check out the bracelets I posted on the last issue of get the look. Finally to finish things off, you need a nice white pocket square. You can opt for a plain white one or even a polka dotted one, entirely up to you. Might not seem like much but trust me, a white pocket square works wonders.
Hope you enjoyed this weeks get the look, please feel free to rate the look at the top of the post and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Blazers are the main talking point for any outfit and this Antony Morato blazer is no different. There’s so many different fabrics to choose from, everyone should really own a variety from wool to cotton. This blazer is made from 100% cotton meaning it’s useless for winter but perfect for summer.
Really, every man should own some blazers that he never wears to work. A Blazer that’s unique, that not many people own. That piece of clothing that can be thrown over a white t shirt and black trousers and make it look like you spent an hour getting dressed this morning.
Priced at £140 , I’d say the Antony Morato Check Suit Jacket in Slim Fit does a pretty good job at all of the above mentioned areas. I suppose £140 is kind of a lot of money but it wouldn’t exactly break the bank.
I’m not going to say this blazer is special because it’s not. I could pick out a few different blazers you could buy that would be unique and not many people would own. So whether you buy this one or not is up to you. However, make sure you get one. What ever blazer it is, this summer you will need a quality checked blazer that is neutral, can be worn with different outfits and looks fantastic.
So a million people on Instagram have completely fallen in love with double breasted suit jackets, me included. The problem all of us face when trying to find a double breasted suit is they are just too damn expensive and not enough places make them. Here’s a happy ending for us all..
Double breasted suits are show stoppers. They are there to make you stand out, to make you look different, to add show everyone your personality. Everyone owns a suit but very very very few people own a double breasted suit. Ask your friends who owns a double breasted suit, some of my friends wont even know what one is.
ASOS are fantastic at designing products that the rich and famous would wear, I suppose that’s why it’s ASOS – As Seen On Stars. Over the years I have really come to rely on ASOS for their quality and their price, sometimes it almost seems too good to be true.
What makes a great double breasted suit is the ability to use it both for work and of course for those days when you want to look absolutely dapper. What contributes massively to looking great on the weekend is some stand out features and all you have to do is glance at the blazer and you will notice what is the standout point with this blazer.
GOLDEN BUTTONS!
The buttons on the blazer are beautiful, the slim fit cut of the blazer is sexy and this is a absolute must buy that deserves to be in your wardrobe.
