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.
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.
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.
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:
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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:
There are many rules to dressing well, one of them is making sure that you match. Another rule is to make sure you do not match. Whichever you choose to follow, I won’t judge you. The rules of fashion are there to be broken – or at least bent a bit. Wearing the right suit, for the right event is a must. Equally so are waistcoats. Showing up to a board meeting in a navy pin-stripe suit and a grey checked waistcoat might not be a good idea. It’s probably best to stick to the waistcoat that matches the suit for all formal events/meetings.
In every other circumstance out of the boardroom, wearing a contrasting waistcoat will work wonders.
The History Of The Waistcoat
The history of the waistcoat is quite boring, some English King (Charles II) decided that men were not dressing correctly in the monarchy. He decided in 1666 that all men must wear a vest. It started off as a colourful royal vest and then eventually ended up over the years as a really formal waistcoat. When they became formal, they lost their colour and generally just became black or navy.
Matching Waistcoats
Up until recently, it was unheard of to wear a waistcoat that didn’t match your suit to the T. It would have been considered scruffy. Matching your waistcoat is still very important in this day and age. If you’re attending something formal, then it’s polite to match your waistcoat. It’s a way of subtly looking head and shoulders above all those two piece wearing people without making it look like you tried too hard. Here are some great examples of men wearing waistcoats as they we intended to be worn – matching.
Contrasting Waistcoats
Thankfully for us, times have changed and people now use fashion to express themselves. Everywhere you go, every Instagram page you visit, you see people breaking fashion rules all the time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it looks horrible, live and learn. Gone are the days of plain waistcoats. Tailors are now expressing themselves with massive lapeled waistcoats and double breasted buttons. The outcome: pure beauty.
I, like most, can’t afford to pay £250 for a waistcoat. Instead of me buying expensive double breasted waistcoats or amazingly crafted checked waistcoats, I keep it simple. I buy a black three piece suit, a blue three piece suit and a grey three piece suit. Then I simply mix and match them as I wish. This ALWAYS results in a ton of compliments by shocked colleagues and friends who consider me as some fashion innovator. The problem is they only see the mannequins in the store windows and they see movies of wall street actors in the fully matching three piece suits. When they see something in contrast to that, it’s overwhelming. Thankfully in a good way.
Marrakech, Morocco September 2015 – Booked! Once I booked my plane ticket there is only one thing left to do, go shopping! Packing the right clothes on holiday is about as important as remembering to book the holiday itself. What you pack will depend completely on where you’re going and what you intend on doing while you’re there. A lot of thought goes into planning a holiday and the same amount should go into planning what you’re taking along the journey.
Travel Guide For Men
Here are some questions you should be asking yourself or google;
– Hot or Cold?
– Rain or Shine?
– Swimming?
– Partying/Raving?
– Fine dining?
– Getting Muddy/Dirty?
If you’re plan is to relax by the pool and check out the markets then shorts and vests will do. However if you’re going to leave the hotel at 10am and get back for midnight, you’ll be out in the cold after sunset so might be worth bringing a jumper and/or trousers.
Going out to eat in nice restaurants? Bring along a dress shirt and some smart trousers. Want to stuff your face with kebabs and burgers on the market stalls – leave the dress shirt in your wardrobe and pack a polo or printed t-shirt in it’s place.
Raving? If you’re one of those that will be going out at night and getting messy, then you probably won’t be able to wear the same outfit again on that holiday so you better make sure you pack a few outfits. Similarly if you plan on going on a camel or quad biking through the desert, you definitely won’t be wearing that outfit again.
What I’m Taking On Holiday
Although this is supposed to be a travel guide for men, I’m going to instead take you through what I’m taking to Morocco. As it’s a hot country and to be honest quite sandy/dusty one, I’m only taking a few things. I have no intention to go to any fancy restaurants or to any events that require a shirt and tie. I don’t plan on going to the beach or going out partying. My plan is to go around the markets, haggle with some Moroccan’s, ride a camel, do some quad biking and eat loads of fresh Moroccan food. With this in mind I plan my outfit around all these things and if you’re going on holiday soon you should be thinking carefully about what you intend on doing.
Jumper/Jacket
No need for a jacket as hopefully the weather will be amazing and if it isn’t then I’ll prob buy a waterproof jacket or something while I’m there. I won’t be packing a jumper, I don’t want to waste suitcase space but I will be wearing one on the way to morocco, you just never know with UK weather.
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T shirts
The obvious and easy choice for me here is white t-shirts, I’m going to take two crisp white t-shirts from ASOS. I want people to know I’m around and no better way than blasting the sun’s ray off my t-shirt and into their eyes. There’s a natural love for a fresh white T that exists in all our hearts.
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As I’m going quad biking and will be getting acquainted with a camel I can’t always wear a white T so my next option are the wonderful printed logo t-shirts. I managed to grab two bad boy t-shirts from Primark for £3 each. I’ll also be taking my favorite UCLA T-shirt with the huge logo on the front. You always need a branded logo t-shirt wherever you go.
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primark t-shirt for £3
Trousers
Who needs trousers in morocco? Well strangely enough I do. I’m bringing along my Zara trousers and my grey H&M tracksuits. I’m a big track suit fan and I love lounging around in tracksuits and my H&M tracksuits are the just thin enough for me not to burn in my hotel room.
Shorts
Probably the most important part of my luggage is selecting which shorts to take. I’m going to be walking around in the hot markets and I’m not looking to get pick pocketed so 3/4 length shorts with solid pockets (zips and buttons.) Needless to say, I plan on doing a lot of swimming so I need some good shorts. I learnt from my previous experience with swimming to bring quick dry men’s 3/4 length swimming leggings. They’re amazing, you wear them under your shorts and 5 minutes after getting out the pool they’re dry. I’ll also be bringing along 2 cotton shorts to wear just to be comfy and keep my legs cool.
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3/4 length shorts from eBay for £6
primark shorts for £5
Accessories
Accessories make the outfit so you better have some good ones. Well as a standard I’m bringing my smartwatch with me. However I also need a cheap waterproof watch for the days I know I’m going to be around water.
Hat’s are incredibly useful on holidays, especially when that baking african sun is on your head sucking the life out of you. What better opportunity to pull out a snap back. Funnily enough, I don’t own one so I went a bought a cheap one I wouldn’t mind losing in the desert or leaving by the pool.
Fanny packs, yeah I said it. No I don’t own one. Yes I will be buying one. As much as I don’t want to and I think back to how ugly my dad looked wearing one when I was a kid, they serve a purpose, a very important purpose. As much as I want to go morocco, I don’t want to stay there and likewise I don’t want my phone staying there. I’m going to be grabbing myself a cheap, thin & waterproof one from eBay to hold my passport, hotel key card and cash.
Wash bag! Don’t know what that is? It’s a small bag you keep all your wet products in. I.e your toothbrush, you’re hair gel, toothpaste, sunscreen and anything else you might need on your journey to keep you feeling at home.
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Pack Nothing
It’s important to make sure you pack a whole bunch of nothingness into your suitcase to make sure that you have space to actually bring some stuff back with you. Great thing about packing nothing, it’s free.
I try not to be one of those bloggers that just writes about a bunch of stuff that I don’t like just for the sake of “content.” This can result sometimes in me going through websites and just thinking; “blah – I hate all this stuff.” For that I do apologise for not writing as much as I normally do. Thankfully Moss Bros came to the rescue with some really nice suits at a really decent price.
Moss Bros is one of those companies that seem to always have a sale, which can get a little annoying because I usually can not be bothered to flick through the racks in store or search through the online catalog. Especially because most of the time you find the perfect suit colour, style and fabric but then they don’t have it in your size. Thankfully I did manage to find four suits I would definitely own and wear regularly, one I’m actually buying.
I don’t really agree with owning “summer suits” just because in UK, its only really summer a couple days a year. If you don’t believe me it’s rained twice this week and it’s now 8th of July. Although you could certainly wear all four of these suits throughout summer pretty much anywhere in the world, I would not label them as summer suits. They are all season suits which is great for us normal lads that can’t afford to own fifteen different suits.
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Moss 1851 – Tailored
Each suit is from the Moss 1851 Tailored Fit collection, which probably doesn’t mean much to you but I’ll shed some light on it. Negatives first; each of the suits come with a fixed size trouser waist which is based on the size jacket you select. Generally waist is six inches smaller than our chest and that’s how they work it out. If you are oddly shaped like me then you can get the trousers tailored or it might be best to opt for their mix and match suits.
Please also note that although I normally post slim fit suits, these are tailored fit meaning they will be a bit more loose fitting. I think as I’m getting older, I’m slowly moving away from tight fitted suits and more into a nice tailored cut.
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Wrong Size – Returns
Moss Bros are quite good in regards to returns, I’ve returned and swapped a few things before and they never have any problems. There are two return policies, one 28 day return period for any non-sale item and you can return it for any reason, even if you don’t like it.
Their second policy is a 14 days return policy on all sale items. This is perfect and something I use often. I buy something even if it’s a bit of a gamble and then if it doesn’t fit, go into the store and get them to order me another one in a size up/down and get that delivered to my house or if they have one in store, even better.
I’ve been meaning to write this post for awhile and have just been putting it off for so long. I was approached awhile ago by Sioux Couture (I have no idea how to pronounce it) and they asked me to have a look through their site, pick some socks and review them. Obviously I weren’t going to turn them down so I figured I would give them a try and then write a review on their socks. I would just like to apologise to the guys and girls at Sioux Couture as I’m going to be brutally honest and say exactly what I love and don’t love about the socks.
Sioux Couture Review
In this review I’m going to go over five different areas; my first impressions, the look, the comfort, the practicality and the price.
First Impressions – 8/10
On first opening the package, I thought thank God it’s finally here. As its made in Italy and shipped from Spain it does take awhile to get through customs. So expect a week or two for delivery. Once opening the package I was quite impressed with the packaging. Each sock is packaged in a pocket like cover, which I now use them for other handy stuff around the house.
The Look – 10/10
The socks look amazing, when you wear them you literally draw compliments toward you. The colour is fantastic and vibrant. I enjoy standing out with my outfits and these socks really help me be seen a mile off. I have two blue socks, a red one and a purple (see below) and they are absolutely stunning. I’ve worn them and washed them each between 5-6 times so far and they still look brand new. Sioux Couture have done an amazing choice in picking the correct colour combinations, my favourite being the purple/pink.
The Comfort – 9/10
The feel of these socks can easily be described as incredibly soft and comfortable due to them being made from egyptian cotton. Once you put them on you can really feel the difference in quality compared to your normal five navy socks you got for £3. Wearing them throughout the day is refreshing as they aren’t too tight and you get the feeling that your feet are being allowed to breathe. I also walked around the house in them and they did the job of keeping my feet warm in my not so warm flat.
The Practicality – 6/10
Here’s where the socks lack in awesomeness. What do I mean by practicality? How well they do their job. The job you expect from winter socks is to keep your feet warm. The job of invisible socks aka ballerina socks, is to be invisible when worn with trainers. The job of colourful socks is to look great and be seen. The colour of the socks are fantastic but where Sioux Couture have slipped up is how well the socks stay up throughout the day. I find myself every hour or so pulling my socks up, which considering I sit down at my desk in a call centre all day, it’s really unexpected. To be fair to them, this is a problem a lot of socks companies have, my TM Lewin socks are even worse than them, but regardless – it’s still a problem. Socks really don’t look attractive on a smart or smart/casual look if they are rolling down and getting bunched at the ankle.
The Price – 7/10
How much will one of these bad boys set you back? £10.73
Nope not for two pairs, just one pair, £10 for a pair of socks is a bit steep. I have owned a fair amount of socks in my time and these are among the most expensive. I do own socks that are much more expensive than Sioux Couture’s but I still get the feeling their over priced.
Overall – 8/10
Well in all the four areas I covered, you must say, Sioux Coutures fancy socks did a pretty decent job. I wouldn’t say they are the best socks in the world. However, they are pretty damn good and paying £10.73 for pretty damn good is in my opinion – worth it. I don’t recommend these if you are only just dipping your toes in the big pool of colourful and playful socks. On the other hand, if you’re a seasoned veteran in this sock game, then you really don’t have any excuse not to grab four of these beautifully crafted socks.
To sum it all up, if you want compliments and socks that will grab people’s attention and don’t mind paying a premium for them or having to pull them up every so often, then grab yours here;
With summer well on the way the Ray-Bans are fully out in waves to protect our lovely eyes from the dangerous Sun. Even though realistically none of us really wear sunglasses to protect our eyes, sunglasses still have a great use and I hate going out for the day in summer without my Ray-Bans. Do I recommend you to buy sunglasses? Absolutely! They are a great fashion statement and take good care of our eyes.
So what’s the two step rule then?
Sunglasses – The Two Step Rule
It’s simple; when you walk into any building anywhere, you take two steps into the building and take off your shades. Why? Well before I answer; let me ask you, Why would you wear sunglasses inside if the Sun is outside? Unless you are a vampire, it looks weird. Always take them off and hang them off your neckline on your shirt, hold them in your hand or put them in their case.
Maybe you are wondering why two steps into the building then taking them off, it’s quite simple really. I like my Ray-Bans, I look pretty damn good in them and I still want people to see me wearing them. Two steps is enough for people to see my shades on my face but not enough time that they’ll start seeing me as some wanna-be celebrity avoiding paparazzi.
If you are wondering what sunglasses are best, well I’ll discuss that at a later date but I would definitely always recommend Ray-Bans. Known as the biggest and most popular brand out there, originally designed for the military and now worn by politicians, movie stars, sports people and even casual folk like you and me.
Ray-Ban Folding Wayfarer Sunglasses – Matte Blue – 50mm
Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer Sunglasses – Tortoise – 50mm
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.
This week I wanted to do something more casual but still very classy, while also being very easy to copy and alter to fit your style. Most of us wouldn’t actually have to go out and buy anything to create this look as we all own a suit, a hoody and trainers. The look itself is simple, it is combined of a very slim grey hoody designed for warmer months, a decent light blue suit, a dark blue pocket square, a watch, some shades and a pair of crisp white trainers. Sounds simple right? Absolutely!
The Look – Suits & Trainers
The Hoody
The hoody in this look is actually the most important part of this outfit, even more important than the suit. The reason why the hoody is so important is because it really dictates how people see the outfit. If you use a thick hoody with a logo then the outfit will look cheap and actually quite “gangster boy gone to court.” Keep the hoody thin, use a light colour and the hoody will fit nicely under your suit.
The Suit
The suit is a slim fit suit made from linen, which is perfect for all those hot summer days. I would suggest wearing one of your bigger suits so you can move around comfortably (also why wearing a thin hoody is important.) The suit in this look has beautiful wide lapels, 2 buttons for fastening the jacket and the trousers are cuffed (rolled up.)
The Pocket Square
Pocket squares are fantastic always and in this outfit they are no different. Simply add any colour pocket square you want to this outfit and it will fit, here’s a few I like from Moss Bros.
The Trainers
Without a doubt, the item I love in this look are the trainers. For summer, we all should own crisp white trainers that just reflect the light into everyone’s eyes and make us look fantastic. You have so many options when it comes to white trainers but I would keep it as simple as possible. My favourite is definitely Vans.
Shades & Watch
For the shades and watch, I don’t actually want to recommend anything for you guys. These two things are not important to the outfit and what you choose to wear is completely down to personal taste.
Let me know how you get on with this look and let me know what you think below in the comments.
We all know FCUK, they were particularly big 10 years ago when everyone was wearing their white branded t-shirts. Now they have lost their hype amongst most of us but still remain a very popular brand in the world of fashion. I’m not the biggest fan of the brand, they are more expensive than Topman & Zara but to be fair to FCUK, they are definitely a band above most retailers in terms of quality. I’m not really a fan of the whole controversial branding variation of “f***”.
Branding name aside, have you ever tried on a french connection suit? They feel great. This powder blue suit is exactly what you would expect from a £250 purchase. Its comfy, the fabric breathes and is quite flexible. The annoying thing about french connection is most of their suit blazers are paired with trousers, meaning you don’t get to pick your size. What happens is; you pick your blazer size and they automatically give you a trouser size six inches smaller than your jacket size.
Aside from the annoying picking of trousers I can’t fault the FCUK Powder Blue Suit. Three piece suits are fantastic for dressing up or dressing down and can be worn in so many variations. Made from a mixture of wool and polyester the suit shouldn’t be too hot during the summer, while also keeping you warm during the winter months. Obviously tweed and cotton would be better for winter & summer respectively.
Pair this with a plain t shirt or jumper for a casual look and a dress shirt and tie for a perfect formal look.
