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So if you are at a stage where you don’t really have a lot of suits and you read my blog looking for bargains and grabbing some cheap but quality suits – I’ve done a post you are going to love! Well to be fair I don’t know if you will love the post but I know you’ll love the suit.

Blue Super Slim Fit Cross Hatch Suit

So when it comes to buying suits from retail stores, it doesn’t really get better quality at a lower price than Marks & Spencer. When buying a suit, there are so many aspects that come into play and it’s pretty fair to say M&S have most of the boxes ticked.

The Blue Super Slim Fit Cross Hatch Suit comes with a one button, slim lapel suit jacket. The colour of the suit is a navy blue that looks dark but professional at the same time. If you have less than five suits then you need this suit in your life. It’s priced at £99, which is an absolute steal.

This suit isn’t one of those cheap suits you can only wear a few different ways. Because of the style and colour you could wear this suit with black or brown shoes, you could also throw on polka dots, or different coloured ties and pocket squares.

Blue Super Slim Fit Cross Hatch Suit

Monday (02/03/2015) M&S have a 20% off sale which would last 24 hours. That knocked off £20 dropping the price down to £79 from £99 for a M&S suit, I’ve seen shirts more expensive than that in M&S.

So it’s pay day, and in the spirit of spending money for no logical reason what so ever, I have the perfect buy for all of you. What’d you think about Ted Baker? Love it right? Well, ever thought about owning a designer umbrella?

Sometimes buying designer socks, scarf’s, hat’s and other accessories including umbrellas can be cheesy and tacky. I absolutely hate when people wear designer clothing or accessories that are just plastered in the designer’s label or logo. Gucci or Louis Vuitton are great quality products yes, but when their items are covered in the LV badge or the Gucci ‘G’ it just looks cheap. There are other designers that aren’t as expensive but look better with their simplistic look. Obviously you want people to know you are wearing something designer, so you still want the brand to be visible enough for everyone to know just not too obvious. Ted Baker are great at doing that and this umbrella is a great example of it.

Ted Baker Umbrella

So guess what? £20 for a designer Ted Baker Umbrella, what’d you think?

Well the umbrella isn’t anything flashy, it’s just a simple compact umbrella that closes up into one of those pouches combined with a basic plastic handle. So as you can imagine it’s pretty easy to carry around and you can just leave it in your draw at work for that unexpected shower at 5pm on your way home form work.

To keep things simple and elegant; the umbrella is plain black with a Navy/Purple Ted Baker logo on one side. On the inside lining are light purple polka dots.

If you own some nice shirts, some decent shoes and some dapper suits then this umbrella is for you. It completes you!

However, if your wardrobe isn’t up to scratch yet, then don’t waste £20 on an umbrella, go invest that on the necessary items like suits, shirts & ties.

Ted Baker Spotted Print Umbrella

I say this all the time and I will continue to mention it constantly, look after yourself, your clothes and your shoes. If you don’t care about how you look, how your clothes look and how your shoes look then you should go play on miniclip.com. The shoes you wear are so imperative towards looking dapper that they can actually ruin your whole outfit. Seeing a guy in nice fresh shoes brings a smile to everyones face. You love nice clean shoes and so does everyone else in the world. Look after your shoes and people will notice.

To be fair to some of you, I know you don’t really care what others think which is fair enough. So I’ve got another reason why you need to take care of your shoes…

Looking after your shoes means that they will last longer. Longer lasting shoes means you will buy less shoes over a period of time. Less buying of shoes means more money for you. Sounds good? Definitely.

Quality shoes are no doubt, expensive and as with everything expensive we own, we want to look after them properly. A good pair of quality shoes should ideally last you 5 years or so, some even last and look good for 10-15 years.

This is where shoe trees come into the picture nicely. If you want to look after your shoes and keep them looking fresh, there are a few different tips to do so. The most important tip that outweighs all other tips is the use of shoe trees.

What’s The Logistics Behind It

Most shoes are made from leather and as with leather or leather lining they absorb moisture from the sweat from our feet throughout the day. They also absorb the moisture from the rain and other bad weather. Over a period of months or years you will see the quality and look of your shoe begin to fade rapidly. Generally the lining of the shoe will start to rot, your shoes might start to smell and the leather will crack over time.

The shoe trees aid in drying out the shoe correctly by forcing the shoe into its proper shape and holding it there. It keeps the leather from cracking and get rid of the moisture. 90% of shoe trees are made from wood so that they absorb the moisture from within the inside of the lining to stop them from rotting from inside the shoe.

Price

Are shoe trees expensive? Some are, some aren’t but at the end of the day a pair of shoe trees are always going to a lot cheaper than a new pair of shoes. Not to mention your shoes will just look better for much longer.

You can choose to buy cheap shoe trees or expensive shoe trees, it’s up to you really. You just need to avoid plastic shoe trees at all costs and get yourself some good cedar wood that have not been varnished. If your shoe tree looks ugly and isn’t shiny – perfect!

The better of the shoe trees will have ventilation slots at the toe and they should also have a longer heel and have more wood. Remember, the more wood the better the drying will be. If it has a knob or a handle, great, you can easily polish your shoes as well.

How Many?

You won’t need more than one pair of shoe trees realistically because you only need to put a shoe trees into shoes you just finished wearing. You should leave your pair of shoes for 24 hours after wearing them but if you only have one or two pairs of shoes then try to rotate as much as you can.

Buy These

Grab yourself a bargain by buying one of these.

I don’t believe there is a person on the planet who doesn’t like tweed blazers. If you happen to be the exception then please leave a comment below. For the rest of us, we love wearing tweed and we love looking at others in tweed also. The problem is most tweed blazers or even tweed suits are generally quite expensive. Here’s where my budgeting skills come into play.

After having a look around I found the perfect one – ASOS Slim Fit Blazer In Tweed!

The Blazer

If you have any doubts about ASOS and the quality of their clothing, remove them asap by buying this blazer. This blazer is made from a mixture of wool, acrylic and polyester to create the perfect tweed blazer. The inside is lined with polyester to ensure you have comfort while wearing it, I mean it’s not just about looking good is it? This blazer is designed the same way as your normal slim fit blazer with notched lapels, back vents and flat pockets.

What To Wear It With

Tweed blazers are fantastic for the simple reason they are ridiculously versatile. One of my favourite looks of the tweed blazer is to have a crisp white t-shirt underneath with some black jeans and plain black trainers or shoes. It’s so casual yet so smart and absolutely perfect for the weekend day and night.

Another look is to go smart and wear it with some plain trousers, a white shirt and if you want, throw on a skinny tie and some brogues or oxfords.

Which ever way you choose to make the ASOS Slim Fit Blazer In Tweed work is entirely up to you. Make it your own!

Grab this from ASOS for £75 and complete one more missing piece from your wardrobe.

ASOS Slim Fit Blazer In Tweed

I found these a couple weeks ago and instantly fell in love. I love money, I’m pretty sure that you all do too. What better way to show your love of money by wearing a £1 or 50p coin on your cuff. My absolute favourite thing about the cufflinks is they are actually made from real coins. Designed by a guy called George Sebastian in London they really look and feel like they have been tailored made for you.

Code for 10% Off

Enter ATA10% to receive 10% off your order. This is available for any orders you place from the coin collection of cufflinks.

Here’s the link; Order Here.

I have a lot of people who often ask me how to pick out a good pocket square. I often come up with some basic tips but really and truly my real answer should be – I have no clue. I have some great pocket squares that go amazingly well with my suits and my ties but I still wouldn’t say I know how to pick a good one. For myself personally I just buy random pocket squares and then I eventually make them work.

I remember a few years ago I bought a bright blue pocket square which I wore because everyone in my company was going to wear blue to an awards ceremony. Then after the ceremony was done I didn’t touch that blue pocket square for about 18 months. Since then I have now probably worn it at least once every week. I find that when deciding on an outfit to wear it’s all about experimenting, taking risks and sometimes a bit of copying.

Moss Squares

So I decided to prowl through Moss and select pocket squares you can buy and use to experiment with.

The Moss London knitted handkerchiefs are a stylish addition to your outfit and are a this season must have. Pop into one of our on trend jackets and wear one of the Moss London shirts opened necked. Alternatively, looks super smart in a slim fit suit with a contrasting shirt and tie.

Enjoy looking dapper!

Moss London Navy With Red Border Knitted Handkerchief

100% Polyester
24cm x 24cm
Dry Clean Only
Knitted Design
Other Colours Also Available

Moss London Navy With Red Border Knitted Handkerchief

Moss London Navy Stitch Border Handkerchief

100% Polyester
24cm x 24cm
Dry Clean Only

Moss London Navy Stitch Border Handkerchief

Moss London Red Stitch Border Handkerchief

100% Polyester
24cm x 24cm
Dry Clean Only
Other Colours Also Available
Stitch Border Detail

Moss London Red Stitch Border Handkerchief

Moss London White Stitch Border Handkerchief

100% Polyester
24cm x 24cm
Dry Clean Only
Other Colours Also Available
Stitch Border Detail

Moss London White Stitch Border Handkerchief

Discount Code

Dont forget to enter the code: AST20 at checkout to receive 20% off all these pocket squares. Expires on 03/03/2015!

Accessories make the outfit, we all know that but not many of us are actually bothered to add the different accessories. So to give you a bit of motivation to go out and get some pocket squares and ties Moss Bros are giving 20% off all accessories. To get this deal all you need to do is enter AST20 at checkout and you’re winning. Expires on 03/03/2015!

Here’s the link; Extra 20% Off Accessories & Ties

My Recommendations

I’d recommend going for some of the simple accessories like pocket squares and bracelets.

Moss London Navy Stitch Border Handkerchief – £7.00

DKNY Black Full Grain Leather Logo Buckle Belt – £40.00

Moss 1851 Wine Velvet Bow Tie – £30.00

Moss 1851 Black 2 in 1 Braces – £22.00

Moss London Silver Playing Cards – £20.00

Moss London Teal Skinny Tie With Tie Clip – £20.00

Moss 1851 Silver Metal Collar Stiffener – £15.00

Moss London Black And White Houndstooth Bow Tie – £12.00

Moss London Black 3 Loop Braided Leather Bracelet – £12.00

Moss London Navy With Red Border Knitted Handkerchief – £12.00

Remember to enter the code: AST20 at checkout. Expires on 03/03/2015!

We all, without exception own a pair of plain black shoes that are absolutely essential to our wardrobes. One thing more important than owning a plain pair of black shoes is keeping them looking fresh and clean. There’s probably nothing worse than having muddy shoes or scuffed tips of your shoes. Keeping them looking brand new and shiny isn’t always as easy as people make out and if you are anything like me then you will probably need to buy a new pair of shoes every 2-3 months. Looking for the right pair can be a little annoying.

Here’s where I come in;

Shoes are just as important for men as they are for women. You want something classy and simple. With black shoes you want them to have that solid black look with a slight shine. The ASOS Oxford Shoes in Leather have that shine and much more. Oxford shoes are a timeless classic with great shape and great colour.

You want a 100% leather shoe and once again the ASOS Oxford Shoes fits the shoe perfectly. Complete with an almond toe finish you are probably thinking this shoe will cost in the region of £60-70. Well you would be wrong on that account. Designed by the ASOS team these bad boys are being sold for £36.00. Bargain? I think so.

ASOS Oxford Shoes in Leather