Blog

Stores Every Man On A Low Budget Should Shop At

Posted on June 5, 2016August 5, 2020by Hamed

low budget stores strangeness-and-charms.com

I’ve decided to do a post for men who just want to look good but don’t have the money. The last thing I’d ever advise you to do is spend your last £200 on a suit. Make sure you stay in your financial lane, even if that means building an outfit for £60 – it is possible trust me. Always be on the lookout for low budget stores or the next sale at your favourite brand and sign up to newsletters. I know shopping on a budget can be frustrating and annoying but it is what it is, try to remain patient and it will get easier.

All of the stores mentioned in this post are specific to the United Kingdom unless you intend on getting them delivered to you. With that being said there will be near identical stores in your country, exact same products and prices with a different name so be sure to check them out.

[Featured Image Credit: strangeness-and-charms.com]

next shopping centre

I must admit I consider myself to be on a modest income so I definitely am not above shopping in these low budget stores – sometimes.

Poundland

poundland store

As the name suggests, Poundland is a piece of land in which anything and everything on that land is priced at £1. It’s well known in the UK and in recent years has grown from strength to strength, with stores popping up everywhere. They once sold ties, still do sell some underwear and all their stores definitely sell socks. Obviously due to the price, it’s seen as a poor mans store so beware before you brag that your boxers only cost £1.

As mentioned previously, I’m pretty sure every country has their own kind of stores in which everything is sold at the same really cheap price – so be on the look out.

Primark

primark store

Primark is well known in the UK for being the huge cheap shop no one wants to admit they shop at. They are averagely good at everything, you can’t expect too much of their products. They are pretty much everyone’s go to place for underwear and socks. My favourite thing about Primark is their incredibly cheap suits, it’s a well made suit with cheap material sold at around £40 for a two piece. This is no exaggeration when I say you could pick up a full two piece suit, with shirt, tie and some black office shoes all for £60.

Please note that on the weekends the ques in here are ridiculous so I advice going there during the week.

next store

Next is definitely one of the biggest retailers there are, they sell everything, men’s clothes, women’s clothes, children’s clothes and even home furniture. Truth be told, their menswear range is the very opposite to my taste, I find them very basic and standard. They have a very small range of shoes, definitely not their forte. Their clearance is the best time to shop there, you can pick up some amazing blazers for dirt cheap. Usually this is because the trousers would sold out or only have really huge or slim waist sizes. Next also have a really good online store, it’s pretty spot on and they have massive stock.

TM Lewin

tm lewin store

TM Lewin might come as a surprise inclusion on this list as it looks like a very expensive store, well it is. TM Lewin is mainly aimed at corporate lads with navy suits and pink shirts on huge salaries. The average suit here will cost you around £250, with shirts costing £35 and ties costing around £25. With that being said they have earned the right to those price points as without a doubt, they have lead the way in the last 100 years and have almost become the benchmark for quality. If you’re reading this wondering why I would include such a brand on my list, the answer is simple; their change of season discounts. Between the months of April to June and October to December they start to dump all their stock that didn’t sell as they expected and £40 shirts are sold at £15 – bargain!

After shopping here for five years, I’ve loved every purchase except their socks, they lost elasticity within a month, wasn’t impressed.

My Best Buy From Each Store

Poundland

This is going to sound funny but I’m being serious, I picked up three pairs of black socks for £1. I’m actually wearing them now. They are comfortable, have a decent colour and they are cheap as chips, or even cheaper.

3 pairs of black socks low budget stores

Primark

In 2010 I picked up a suit for a work event I went to. Cost me a whopping £35 for a two piece black suit. I also picked up some black shoes for £8. Not bad right?

I have had over fifteen suits from Next, no exaggeration, many of which I still own and its hard to pick an out and out favourite. For the sake of this, I’ll go with one of my go-to suits when I need to impress – the blue pin stripe suit. The suit is a poly-blend suit, nothing special, but looks fantastic, has great colour, I’ve owned it for three years and it cost me a modest £110 for the jacket and trousers.

hamed adefuwa next pin stripe suit

TM Lewin

I have and always will rant about my twill pink oxford shirt from TM Lewin, I’ve had it for over two years and it’s served me well. However it cost £35 so you would expect it too. For that reason my favourite shirt from TM Lewin will have to be my non-iron summer shirts I bagged in the winter of 2015. I remember seeing these online and thinking “what the hell – £15.” Since it was November and no one wanted to wear summery colorful shirts they were on sale from £35 to £15. I grabbed three . Without a doubt; a brilliant bargain, brilliant quality and my favourite buy.

tm lewin summer shirts sale men on low budget

Low Budget Stores

Wherever you live and whatever shops you have available to you, you can apply some of these tips to suit you. When the season changes as it is now, have a look at all the winter clothes, the jackets, scarves, gloves, wool or denim shirts. No one wants to buy thick clothes now when they’re expecting hot sunny days, I’m in England so I wouldn’t bet on it too much.

Also be on the look at in the sales section of your favourite websites. Check in your local “pound shop” and see what they have to offer. Enjoy the budget shopping and if anyone asks; you paid top dollar for it.

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Reviews

Stiffies Review – Magnetic Metal Collar Stays

Posted on May 14, 2016by Hamed

Reviewing anything related to suits is the most arousing thing since lasagne, almost enough to give you a stiffy, pun intended. As much as I like black socks, I can’t be bothered writing about them. New innovations like these from small start-ups is what I’m all about. It’s simple, it’s cheap, its cheerful, just what the doctor ordered. This review I’m going to have some fun with and try something new. In the first half of this post, I’ll review the magnetic collar stays before wearing them, just giving my initial thoughts on the product, idea, price, appearance etc. Then I’ll give them a spin for a week and then write the second half of this review. Which will be my exact true thoughts on Stiffies and if its worth buying them or not.

Before Wearing Stiffies

I recently lost a lot of my collar stays in a trip to the dry cleaners and was planning to buy a pair of metal ones from TM Lewin or John Lewis. So the email asking me to review a pair of Stiffies came at the perfect time. I’d like to thank the guys at Stiffies for sending me these, as always I’ll be brutally honest and mention all the good & bad, hopefully they don’t mind.

The Idea

The concept is simple, they’re metal collar stiffeners, that go into your collar and then you place a magnet under your shirt that pulls your collar towards it and holds your shirt collar firm in place.

Price

I’m a price man, I’m all about price and saving money where I can. I love looking good but I refuse to be wasteful with my money. Thankfully £20 isn’t a painful amount of money. Having metal collar stiffeners (collar bones) is an absolute must for me and should be for you so the fact these are metal is a big deal for me. Never will plastic do as good a job as metal!

Delivery

The delivery was super quick, took two days to get to me. I didn’t pay for my delivery so I’m not entirely sure on the delivery charge but it looks like it is free.

Magnets

I’m not a fan of having a small magnet on me, I just get the feeling it can easily come off throughout the day, if that happens you’d have to buy replacements which are sold by Stiffies. To be fair to them, it looks like they supply some spares in the package. I suppose that tells us they’re aware the magnets may be easy to lose. The idea behind it being magnetic isn’t something that has sunk in with me yet and I’ll go into more detail about how the magnet works and is used once I get my head around it all.

There are actually some health and safety rules about these things which I’d definitely recommend reading; here.

A Week Later

Well what a difference a week makes. I’ve gone from being a doubter to being a possible lifetime customer. I’ll elaborate…

I’m a skeptic, I look at adverts and think, yeah right, does it really do that or is this just over exaggerated. The trick with collar stays is if you wear a cheap shirt with nothing in the collars, then add in some plastic £2 collar stays, the collars would look much better. That’s what I thought was happening here. I’m glad I was wrong.

I took Stiffies to work everyday for a week, except on casual Friday, while wearing my normal plastic collar stays for the first half of the day and then the Stiffies the second half. The results were pretty impressive, here’s an example of one of my shirts;

Me With TM Lewin Plastic Collar Stays - Stiffies Review — Me Wearing My TM Lewin Shirt With Plastic TM Lewin Collar Stays

TM Lewin Plastic Collar Stays Abovetheankles

Me With Stiffies Magnetic Collar Stays - Stiffies Review — Same Shirt Now With Stiffies Magnetic Collar Stays

I had some reservations as all my shirts are from TM Lewin, I know they’re made very well so my collars look good even without wearing any collar stiffeners. I did not expect Stiffies to improve the look of the shirt. With my collars placed firmly in place and me never having to readjust them meant I realized just how much I touch my collars throughout the day. On one day I touched my collar seven times over 3/4 hours. The novelty hasn’t quite worn off yet, so I’m still aching for someone to comment and ask my shirt looks so damn good, unfortunately no compliments or questions yet.

How It Works

How the magnet works is simple. You place the magnet underneath your shirt and then position the collar where you want it to stay and the magnet will click onto your collar from under your shirt, thus holding everything in place. Probably the best bit about this is the fact you can take off the shirt and the magnet will stay attached so as long you don’t lift up your collars.

Silver Stiffies - Magnetic Collar Stays

Was I Able To Lose Any Magnets?

I wanted to see what it would take to lose the magnets so did a few tests to see if they would survive. In my first test, I decided to do some running, not like miles or anything, just sprinted for the bus and stuff. I purposely ran kind of all over the place to see if it would fall but to no avail, 1-0 to Stiffies .

Next I decided I would wear my duffel bag across my shoulder (I normally carry it in my hand.) I fidgeted about with my bag while it was on, I took the bag off and then on a few times expecting for the magnet to fall down my shirt during this process – it stayed put. 2-0 Stiffies.

Third and final test, I decided to leave the magnets on, take off the shirt, roll it up and throw it in the wash basket. Now I would never advise rolling your shirts up, I always hang my shirts up, even dirty ones. Anyways I threw it into the wash basket and needless to say, the test went in favour of the Stiffies. 3-0.

Magnet Strength Fading

In terms of magnet strength fading overtime, I’m not sure if that’s possible. I’ve only had these little over a week so this isn’t something I can comment on.

The Two Sizes

Of the two sizes, I use the smaller ones, the longer pair didn’t work at all. The longer pair looked ridiculous in my shirt. I wear a 15.5/16-inch collar with relatively long collars so I’d expect the longer pair to fit. I’m not sure I’d ever need the longer pair but for now the small ones are perfect.

Silver Stiffies - Magnetic Collar Stays

Metal Quality

To be honest, I’m more of a fabric kind of guy, metals are not my thing so discussing how good the metal used to make Stiffies is, is pointless. I have no idea if it’s strong enough to build a house with or survive extreme heats so if you’re planning on going near a volcano, to be on the safe side, leave these at home. I will however say that they are definitely aesthetically pleasing.

A Must Have Or A Luxury?

I can’t say that an accessory is a must have, the reason why is because your shirt doesn’t need collar stays, especially if you wear a tie. Most shirts come with plastic collar stays so you could just use those. You could also buy normal metal collar stays. Then we come to the question;

Why Should I Buy Stiffies?

I’ll attempt to answer whether you should buy them or not in the most simple way. If you work in an environment where a tie is required, then just pass on these. If the shirts you wear are worth less than £20, then I wouldn’t advise spending £17.99 on collar stays, makes more sense to invest in a decent collection of shirts.

If like me, you don’t wear a tie to work, and you own good quality shirts with decently made collars – then yes, get these and don’t delay. Honestly just in terms of confidence, it’s worth the £17.99. Not to mention you can go about your whole day not worrying about your collars moving, even a little.

I’m incredibly pleased with Stiffies, companies like these deserve the recognition they get. They have found a way to improve every mans outfit without breaking any bank accounts and with little effort. I personally will be ordering another pair myself as a present for a friend. I would recommend you pick some up for yourself.

Hope you enjoyed my review of Stiffies and if you have anything to add from your own experiences then please comment below.

Get Your Own Magnetic Collar Stays Here – Stiffies!

White TM Lewin Shirt With Plastic Collar Stays

White TM Lewin Shirt With Stiffies

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Tips

How Long Should My Socks Be?

Posted on April 29, 2016May 8, 2016by Hamed

No Sock Look? How Long Should Socks Be? Socks Bunched Around Ankles? Let’s touch on some important points here and some not so important points. Here’s everything relating to socks.

1. Should I Try The No Sock Look?

Some could also ask should you wear socks at all, the simple answer is, if you’re employed – yes. The no sock look is great for walking around on holiday or relaxing in a park somewhere but at work, socks are an absolute must. If you insist on the no sock look then give your colleagues their right to odourless air by wearing invisible socks.

2. Whats The Deal With Stretched Out Socks?

Quality is important in every aspect of your wardrobe, from your suit to your shoes. It’s a widely accepted assumption that the more expensive the item, the better the “quality”. Since more expensive materials were used then the item must be better for the user. This may be the case in general but just because your socks cost the price of most peoples shoes doesn’t mean they are actually good quality.

Many socks lose their tightness (elasticity), thus resulting in the sock rolling down your leg and bunching up around your ankles. The sock can also bunch up in your shoe which can easily make you uncomfortable when walking. I’ve found this most commonly in cheap cotton socks but it still definitely happens with the expensive branded socks that are made cheaply.

This can be easily resolved by getting a pair of socks that are a blend of cotton and lycra. It will cost you slightly more in the short term but you will end up buying less pairs of socks thus resulting in everything balancing out.

3. How Long Should Socks Be?

Now onto the discussion of how long your socks should be. If you are going to take anything from this then let it be the following. Keep all the hair on your legs hidden at all times. When you sit, your trousers will raise and your sock should at all times prevent your lovely hair legs from being on show.

How High Up Should My Socks Be

The issue of white socks is well established so I’ll mention it briefly, if you’re an Michael Jackson fan and couldn’t care less what some humans think about you, then go for it.

Regardless to how beautiful your legs are, they are not appropriate for the work place. Save them for the beach when you can really turn some heads.

Also bear in mind, none of these rules really mean anything, enjoy yourself and have fun with your socks. Trial and error is the way forward my friend.

Until we meet again,

Hamed.

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Tips

How To Reinvent Yourself – A New You

Posted on April 7, 2016April 9, 2016by Hamed

Reinvent Yourself

There comes a time in every man’s life where he decides a change of appearance is much in order. Now may be the perfect time to reinvent yourself. Whether it’s for a new job, new love interest, or even a new year, there is usually some sort of driving force behind it. If you’re thinking about shaking up your signature look, check out our tips to rejuvenate yourself.

Look After Your Skin

Women just love skin products. If you have a woman in your life, you’ll know that their serums, lotions and potions take up most of the space in the bathroom and bedroom. Women are usually one step ahead of us men, they already know that looking and smelling good is feeling good too. We should follow suit and look after our skin too. Our skin can be even more prone to dryness and irritation than women’s. If you don’t want to dip into your other half’s strawberry puree, you could get some Nivea cream for men.

mens nivea cream formula how to reinvent yourself

If you have thicker, dryer skin, you might find that thicker balms and creams are more effective for you and leave your skin feeling softer and more moisturized. My all time favorite cream (after Nivea) would have to be Palmer’s cocoa butter, great smell, great feeling and great value for money.

cocoa butter formula how to reinvent yourself — [Photo Credit: emtalks.co.uk]

Whether you’re on a tight budget at the moment, or not, drink plenty of water and get a good nights sleep. These two things are free, and will work wonders for your skin. You won’t get dark circles and your complexion will look clear and healthy.

Choose Your Products Wisely

In order to change your look, you’ll probably need to change your approach to styling and that means trying new products.

There’s a myriad of skin and hair products for men, but choose wisely; sometimes cheaper products are more damaging to skin and do not last as long as the slightly more expensive products. No one’s saying a £50 jar of cream here, but the dubious cream from discount stores is not always worth it.

Quality products generally last longer and actually do what they say on the tin. You can find great ones online, places like Boots, Mankind, and the Body Shop.

Cut Or Restyle Your Hair

What quicker way to reinvent yourself is there other than changing your hairstyle? One of the quickest and most effective ways is to change it to something you’ve never tried before. Even if it was as simple as changing what side you part your hair on, or more drastically shaving off long locks of hair. Believe me, a good trim can make you feel like a new man.

If your hair is short, you could try growing it into a longer style, and if it’s already long, experiment with a few new styles in front of a mirror until you find something you like. You can find inspiration easily on Instagram or even Google images (old school, I know), or ask your barber for suggestions. Look up hairstyles on models who have similar face shapes, hairlines, and hair textures to you. There’s nothing worse than getting a haircut that doesn’t suit you at all.

how to reinvent yourself barber — [Photo Credit: thespa.steigenberger.com]

Wardrobe

Clear out your wardrobe, get rid of those baggy jeans you’ve had since you were fifteen and invest in new ones that will last. You can find designer labels for cheap in places like Tk Maxx and in the sale section of websites and high street stores. A quick way to reinvent your look is by swapping jeans for chinos, and trainers for boots. These two items can be tweaked to look casual or smart depending on your accessories.

Developing a new signature look means not looking like every other guy out there, and bold accessories make it easy to really personalize your style.

Hats, scarves, watches, crazy socks (check out my posts on them) or bold-framed glasses: knock yourself out and make them your own.

crazy socks

Exercise

Getting a new body shape needs a little more work than changing your hair and clothes , but if you feel you need to size down, remind yourself of the old adage – no pain, no gain.

Exercise is free so forget extortionate gym memberships. Go walking, running, swimming or cycling. Whatever you do – stay active. Exercise releases endorphins so you’ll start feeling good and in time you’ll have a body to match.

Learn To Accept Your Body Shape

While you can exercise and slim down, your natural body shape may always remain the same. The solution to this is not to attempt to squeeze yourself into ill-fitting clothes, but identify your body type to pick clothes that compliment your shape and size well.

Find Out What Brands Work Best For You

In order to succeed when reinventing your wardrobe, you need to know what brands suit you. Topman and ASOS favour more slim fitting clothing, whereas stores like House of Fraser and John Lewis are your go-to for more classic men’s clothing.

Build Your Self Esteem

Having high self esteem affects how you see yourself and how others see you. People are drawn to charismatic, confident people. Work on your posture, slouching suggests a lack of self confidence whereas walking with straight open shoulders rather than hunched ones says a lot about you. Also, change the way you think about yourself if need be, from negative to positive. Being positive and confident is the best way to pull off great new looks.

Ask The Ladies

You can find plenty of inspiration online for a new look, but the women who matter the most in your life – your mum, wife, or sister know you and will always have some helpful, unsolicited advice on how you look, eat, dress, sleep, breathe… you get my drift!

Do your homework and see what’s trending, there’s some great free advice and product reviews all over the internet. Experiment with different looks, get creative, be active and in no time you will have reinvented your look without breaking the bank.

Reinvent yourself now and you’ll be glad you did.

how to reinvent yourself - a new you — [Photo Credit: grafhamwalbancke.com]

[Photo Credit For Featured Image: 123rf.com]

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Tips

What Colour Shirt Should I Wear With A Grey Suit?

Posted on March 27, 2016April 5, 2016by Hamed

Figuring out what colour shirts go with what suit can get a little overwhelming sometimes. I learnt mainly through trial and error. Grey suits are fantastic and are now widely accepted as work appropriate. I remember one of my bosses many years ago advising me not to wear grey, as it was “too informal” – ridiculous.

As I stand outside, with no blazer and the sun beating down on my near bald head, I’m happy to say it’s pretty much spring. With spring comes colour, the time for dressing dull and quiet is leaving us quickly. Grey suits make us men look a lot more friendly and approachable. As with all light colours, grey suits are most appropriate when the sun’s out. This doesn’t mean you can only wear a grey suit in spring and summer, however it’s preferred. Which brings me to the colour shirt we should pair with it.

grey suit blue shirt instagram

Quick side note: By “grey suit”, I intend a light grey suit, one that is fashionable and looks great like the above. Not those horrendous dark grey suits some people wear.

The grey suit is almost like the jolly cousin of the firm/strict navy suit. To keep up that joyful look, wear a friendly light colour shirt with the suit. Think of a spring colour palette, all those soft light colours. If you’re thinking, light blue, light purple or pink – you’re on the right track. These shirt colours will keep you looking young, jolly and free.

grey suit pink shirt coffee

For many of us we want to be approachable, we want the world to like us and one great pathway for that is through what we wear. Get the right combination of grey suit, pink shirt, loafers & a big smile and everyone will be chatting away with you like they’ve known you for years.

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- Tips

How To Dress Well As A Man With A Big Belly

Posted on March 20, 2016May 8, 2016by Hamed

Above The Ankles how to dress well with a man with a big belly

Bloated stomach? Eaten a little too much recently and you can now feel the few buttons around your belly on your shirt clinging together for dear life? I know the feeling all too well.

Here are some amazing tips that will help you look great and hopefully feel better.

Of course I could turn this into an article about eating healthy and looking after yourself but I doubt you’d be interested in that. We all are prone to putting on a bit of a belly every now and then, even the sex icons of the world.

Accept Reality

The first step to looking great is to accept you are the way you are. Unless you’re planning on eating healthy meals and exercising you better get used to this belly. Stop trying to squeeze into those old suits or that old pair of Levi’s you haven’t actually worn since 2012. Give them to a charity and accept your thighs are just not as slim as they once were.

This is probably the hardest part of looking good and the thing I struggled with the most. Trust me though everything is onward and upwards from here.

No More Grey

If you already own some great suits then fair enough, you can keep them but don’t buy anymore.

Everyone knows black is slimming and white is fattening, I don’t know the psychology behind it but I know for sure its true. For this reason, as a gentleman aspiring to look good with a big belly, its so important you minimize how often you wear white and grey. If you need to for work purposes then there are some tips that will help.

Wear Patterned Shirts (check, striped etc)

White dress shirts may be the most common dress shirt in the world but chances are you don’t have to wear one everyday. There are some other options available. One great tip to using your shirt to look slimmer is to wear solid colour shirts like blue, purple, pink and the likes of them. One step further is to wear patterned shirts, whether striped or checked.

checkered shirt big belly

Opting for a blue/white/green checked shirt and the likes of it are one of the best decisions you could make. Firstly, they look great obviously and secondly, the patterns remove some of the attention from your belly, thus creating the perfect camouflage.

Wear An Undershirt

Please gentlemen, whatever you do – you must wear something underneath your shirt. Whether it’s a tight fit undershirt, a wife beater vest or a plain t-shirt. The worst thing you could possibly do is show everyone your hairy stomach. Keep the belly button covered lads.

Wear A Waistcoat/Jumper

Adding a waistcoat or a jumper to your outfit will massively boost your look. Anything that covers your belly is a good thing and waistcoats/jumpers allow you to look great and slim at the same time. You will naturally feel better about yourself once you put on the waistcoat or the jumper.

waistcoat big belly

If you’re struggling for breathing space in your shirt, it may be a good idea to open the bottom two buttons of your shirt. As long as you have your jumper/waistcoat on, no one will be able to tell you have your shirt undone. Now you’re free to eat to you are unable to move and still feel comfy.

Purchase New Shirts

If you’ve had your shirt for awhile and they are now way too tight, hang them in your wardrobe and leave them there. Wearing really tight clothes will make you look fatter than you are, they will show every curve and as you eat your lunch, you’ll feel incredibly uncomfortable for a few hours. Go purchase some new shirts, that are tailored fit, so they don’t wrap them selves around your stomach. I’d recommend TM Lewin Slim-Fit range. You’ll feel much better about yourself and people will automatically think you lost some weight.

One Dapper Gent

I hope he doesn’t mind me saying but there is one guy who’s incredibly dapper. The Big Sartorialist is definitely someone who if you are on the big side, can be an inspiration for you.

big sartorialist

If you have any tips that I missed, leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to get it added.

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Tips

Two Fashion Mistakes Some People ACTUALLY Make

Posted on October 1, 2015November 14, 2015by Hamed

business men in shorts - fashion mistakes

You cannot make a mistake when it comes to style, style is who you are and what you choose to do with your clothes, so feel free to express yourself in anyway you see fit. However, when it comes to fashion there are MANY mistakes and I mean MANY. Some of the well known “fashion mistakes” I disagree with and this is evident in my own style. There are on the other hand some mistakes you can’t afford to make.

Two of which I have seen today and want to try and hopefully prevent you from doing them.

1. Badly Fitted Clothes

Badly fitted suits are horrible, whether they’re too baggy or too tight. Clothes should make you feel comfortable and look good. If you’re uncomfortable, your clothes are probably too tight. If you feel like you’re in bed, your clothes are way to big.

I saw some incredibly baggy clothes today. They looked like they were handed down through the generations. I remember when I went to my first interview, I wore my dad’s suit and oh my God, I looked horrible and everyone could tell.

If you find it difficult finding clothes that fit you properly, then either branch out of your comfort zone and try out new stores or build a great relationship with your nearest tailor. You’ll be surprised what tailor’s can do.

2. Short Sleeves With A Tie

Fast food restaurants want their managers to look the part so they ask them to wear ties. Obviously they can’t wear a tie without a shirt so they get them to wear a shirt. The problem arises when you have someone wearing a shirt, getting sauce and oil all over their sleeves. Which obviously leads to this short sleeve/tie combo we see today.

Now unless you’re a manager in a fast food restaurant, why would you ever wear a short sleeve shirt with a tie? Please don’t. The short sleeve/tie combo is associated with low paying jobs and unless that’s the look you’re going for, avoid it.

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- Tips

Men’s Fashion & Style

Posted on September 26, 2015December 16, 2015by Hamed

I’m not much of a traveller really. Apart from the fact I’ve been all over the UK, I have only really had the pleasure of going to Rome, Barcelona, Tenerife, Marrakech, Amsterdam and Lagos. Not many places right. However I am a massive internet user and I’m constantly on some sort of social media and with over 1,600 Instagram posts I’ve seen many outfits from around the world. One thing I’ve noticed is the fact fashion is so different everywhere in the world. I just came back from Marrakech, and you would be insane to wear a three piece suit in that heat. We can look at one another’s pictures and want to emulate that for ourselves but ultimately it’s not what you wear at all, you need to create your own style.

Style is how you wear it, do you wear a great pin stripe suit and look like your going to a wedding or do you look like you wear a blue pin stripe all the time? Wait go back again and re-read that. Seriously the clothes you wear, how do they look on you. Fashion are the individual items you’re wearing, style is how you put it all together and carry it.

Here’s a silly example, those gangsters around the world that carry/wear bandanna’s and walk around with their boxers on show to the world. If you dressed like them, would you fit right in or would you look like Justin Bieber? If you do look natural wearing an XXL white wife-beater vest and tracksuits hanging down your backside, then you probably don’t look natural in a suit, not saying Bieber does either by the way.

Things to consider when trying to look natural and make sure the suit, suits you;

Grooming

Whatever hair you keep or remove, whether it’s your beard, your moustache or your nose hair. Have you removed it all properly, does it look good and the hair that remains, is it looked after? How do you walk and talk? Can people understand you, do you speak clearly and are you polite to people? Are you a mature person?

Budget/Lifestyle

Are you shopping way above your budget and lifestyle? Can you afford to replace those battered year old shoes? Or are you spending all your hard earned money on useless stuff? Do you wash and iron your clothes properly and regularly? When’s the last time you went to the dry cleaners to pick up one of your suits?

There’s two types of suit wearers in this world;

1. “Ooo look at you looking all smart and dapper, where you going today/tonight?”

2. “Where do you get your outfits from? Do you think you could help me pick some stuff?”

Which one are you?

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Secret Sales – Quality Designers – Massive Discounts – Hardly Any Stock

Posted on July 3, 2015August 1, 2015by Hamed

Have you any heard of such a site? You probably have but I doubt one as good as Secret Sales. If you are looking for a quality double breasted blazer, a stunning pin striped suit or the sexiest pair of crisp Armani shoes and want them all at a cheap price – keep dreaming. You can’t get brands like Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Oliver Sweeney and Versace for cheap, they would be 100% fake. If however you want all those top quality brands with 20-50% knocked off the retail price, then Secret Sales is the site for you.

The easiest way to describe them is – an EXTREMELY successful flash sale site. They boast that they sell an item every 15 seconds, which is pretty decent. A company based in the fancy part of London (Notting Hill), they are quite huge (over 100 staff) for a flash sale website and have been going six years now.

You actually have to register/sign up to Secret Sales before you can even view their products, I suppose it creates a feeling of; “members only.”

The way the site works is simple, they buy designer products that are really low in stock off the big brands for dirt cheap, add a profit and then resell it. The reason they get the items for next to nothing is because the product is so low in stock the brand can’t put it out in their stores. Can you imagine Louis Vuitton having a clearance store? It’s bad for brand image!

Secret Sales runs successfully by adding a whole bunch of products together, for example they have a category called “mens formal designer shoes.” Then out of the 40 different pairs of shoes in that category, every design has one or two pairs left in each size. The whole category “mens formal designer shoes” is put up on the site for four days and then is removed and never to appear again. This is their biggest strength and weakness. Every day you go on the site, there are new things added but it also means that the beautifully crafted double breasted tweed jacket you saw yesterday, has now expired.

Top tip: if you see something you like & they have your size – buy it.

Check Them Out Here; Secret Sales

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To Primark Or Not To Primark

Posted on June 14, 2015June 14, 2015by Hamed

That is the question, well at least one that I have been asked a lot recently. It would be very easy for me to brush off this question and just simply say; no don’t go to Primark . That would definitely be a contradiction on my part, as I was in Primark yesterday, I did only buy a towel and a washing basket but none the less, I’m “technically” a Primark shopper.

There are some things that you can buy from Primark that are completely fine and acceptable, such as; homeware and underwear. Primark is fantastic for essentials like bedding, socks and t-shirts and I would definitely go there to buy them. I’m not really one to buy a plain blue t-shirt for £30, but I am happy to pay £4 for one at Primark.

Things You Must Not Buy From Primark

Apart from underwear and things for the house, you should not really be stepping foot in Primark . Items to avoid are the ones that stand out in your outfit such as a suit or a shirt that people would notice often. With Primark you can really see the low quality in items like suits, shirts and ties. When you compare a Primark suit to a suit from anywhere else you get the feeling something is wrong, it looks like the Primark suit has been stuffed into a box and shipped from Turkey to Britain. Take a closer look at the shirts and ties and you will see threads hanging off everywhere and they lack massively in colour.

Avoid: Suits, Shirts, Ties, Shoes, Jackets & Casual Clothing Like Chinos

Unemployed Or A Teenager?

If you are either of the above, then scrap everything I wrote previously in this post. Not having any money spare to have an expensive or quality wardrobe is not a bad thing, it’s just a part of life that most of us have been through. Primark can be a great place to build your wardrobe on a tight budget so feel free to spend the little money you have available on a Primark suit or shirt.

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