It’s fair to say it’s supposed to be summer now and even though the weathers not amazing, it is still loafer season. In the spirit of loafer season a couple weeks ago I bought some loafers from Zara and last Thursday I wanted to wear them to work with my blue pin stripe trousers. I took seven or eight steps out my door and realized my foot was flipping out the back of the loafer like sandals. Then it hit me, I bought the wrong size.
I’m a size 8 in every shoe and trainer except loafers. It’s important when buying anything that you try on a small size first to see if you can wear that size comfortably. If you can without feeling like you’re about to burst out your clothes and shoes, then go for it.
Everything looks better a size smaller and that is definitely true when it comes to loafers. Don’t ask me why, it’s just how it is. Size 10 shoes look better than size 11.
Next time you go shopping online or in-store, try goes a size down, if it doesn’t fit well you can always return it.
Continue reading if you want to hear how my returning experience went this weekend. I took my loafers back to return them and found that they were now £39.99 down from £59.99. Good news, to swap a size 8 for a size 7, I had to return the size 8’s for a full refund and then buy the size 7’s. I’m now £20 richer.
I’m a proud owner of some beautiful TM Lewin shirts. So proud I’ve ordered some for others and told ample amounts of people to get them. Then out of nowhere – my shirt ripped right above my elbow, the fabric just decided to split and tear. I was so shocked I thought maybe I put on one of my old cheap shirts by mistake. I always thought only cheap shirts rip and quality/luxury shirts last a lifetime. In all my previous jobs I was always out & about and now working 9-5 on a desk, I’m a victim.
If this has not happened to you, then I’m guessing you probably don’t have an office/desk job.
Why?
You may be asking – Why Do My Shirts Rip At The Elbow? Does This Mean My Shirts Are Low Quality?
Why they rip is pretty easy to answer, the area under your elbow will be the most worn out part of any shirt. Every time you bend your elbow, you stretch all the fabric and the shirt will get more worn out as the day goes on. On top of this constant flexing, everyone that sits at a desk puts their elbows on the desk. Using a mouse or typing on your keyboard requires some movement which will slowly ruin the elbow area of your shirt.
To answer the second question, does this mean your shirt is low quality? – it’s a bit more complicated. I find TM Lewin to be among the best quality shirts on the high street and still my shirt ripped. The problem isn’t the quality, it is how thick the material of the shirt is. All fabrics rip after some time, unless it’s some indestructible military fabric. Thin fabrics will rip and tear faster than thicker fabrics – that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
How To Stop It?
It’s too late for my beautiful blue shirt but it doesn’t need to be too late for yours. Preventing your shirts from ripping at the elbow is not too difficult, you just need to be conscious of the fact this can and will happen to you if you sit at a desk or table often.
Blazer or Jacket – Easiest way to stop it is to keep your blazer on, your blazer will be able to handle a beating much better than your shirt will.
Elbows off – Keeping your elbows/forearms off of the table/desk is a sure fire way to stop them for tearing. All you have to do is adjust your chair and keyboard/mouse so they are on the edge of the surface and your forearms are in the air.
Roll your sleeves – I always roll my sleeves up, mainly because the people I work with live in the 1800’s and haven’t discovered air conditioning yet. Rolling up your sleeves will mean that your skin is free to rub against that table as much as you want it too. Just make sure you have your sleeves rolled up high enough.
How To Fix It?
Easy answer will be take it to the tailor and they’ll get it stitched over, it won’t look perfect but it’s better than having a hole in your shirt. You could also get your shirt converted into a short sleeve shirt but I don’t see why you would! Or you could be like me and attempt to stitch it yourself, however, I strongly advise you don’t unless you know what you’re doing. I did a horrible job stitching mine up and tomorrow I’m taking it to the tailor. (Lesson Learnt – I can’t stitch.)
I found a great article from this blogger, Eileen, on how to fix your shirt – properly! Click Here.
Twill Shirts
I’m a massive fan of TM Lewin as I’ve mentioned a million times and I’ve decided to order myself some more of their Twill shirts. My blue shirt that ripped was a Poplin shirt which like their Twill shirts it’s made from 100% cotton. The difference however is Poplin shirts are great for summer as they are thin and light. The Twill shirts are a lot thicker which is great for me as I know they’ll last a lot longer. Considering my blue Poplin shirt only lasted me five months, I’m hoping to get a good eighteen months out of my Twill shirts. Only time will tell.
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.
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.
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;
This is a strange tip because everyone knows how to tuck in their shirt, we have been doing it since we were kids. I guess the right title for this tip is; how to properly tuck in your shirt. You might be thinking what exactly do I mean by properly and who can say which way is the correct way. The correct and most proper way of tucking in your shirt is the way that looks the best and smoothest.
So here we go;
Tuck In Your Shirt | Avoid The Muffin
Let me make this clear; muffins are amazing but looking like one is horrible. When your shirt puffs out and kind of hangs over your belt you look like a muffin. This must be avoided at all costs, but how?
This usually happens for two reasons, which are both easily fixable. Usually because your shirt is too baggy and loose fitting or you are wearing a t-shirt underneath your shirt which is causing your shirt to puff out, making you look like a muffin.
Oversized or Loose Fit Shirts – Military Tuck
Whatever you want to call it, a baggy shirt simply isn’t pleasing to the eye. If like me you have a bulging belly sometimes you still need to wear a well fitted shirt, even if it means you got to cut down on dessert after lunch. If you currently can not afford to purchase some new slim fitted shirts then you can use the military tuck.
This, simply put is an easy way to tuck in your shirt by grabbing and pinching the sides of your shirt and folding them over and tucking your shirt in. It’s really simple and works like a charm, just follow the image below.
The Military Tuck
Wearing A T-Shirt Underneath – Underwear Tuck
Even if you have a well fitted shirt, if you wear a baggy or loose undershirt, it will cause your shirt to look messy and if the undershirt is not long enough in length you will get the muffin look. You have two options; wear a very thin, well fitted and long undershirt or do the underwear tuck.
Undershirts are amazing but finding a quality one is quite difficult. I prefer something light with a v-neck cut so if I wanted to wear my shirt without a tie, the undershirt wouldn’t be shown. Wearing one that can’t be seen underneath and is so soft and comfortable you can’t even feel it – is a real gem. I own and recommend this uniqlo undershirt.
The underwear tuck is fabulous, when getting dressed in the morning simply tuck your undershirt into your boxers/briefs. It might feel a little weird at first but trust me it works like a charm. As the day goes on you’ll get used to it and you’ll realise your undershirt hasn’t moved place.
I hope this has helped, these are the techniques I use and if you have any of your own feel free to drop me a comment below or send me over an email. Good luck with the military and underwear tuck.
I’m in London for the weekend visiting my parents and considering it was just pay day, obviously I had to do some shopping. After spending all day on Oxford Street, I decided I would compile a list of all the great clothes and accessories I saw throughout the day. Most of this list, I either already own or just bought today and I’m hoping you will find as much joy and benefit from these products as I do.
Things Every Man Needs
1. Easy To Carry Cufflinks
On my trip down to London I realised I left my cufflinks at home in Birmingham, considering the only shirt I brought with me was double cuffed, I was screwed. Thankfully the weather on Saturday was fantastic so I just rolled my sleeves up and went shopping. I found myself in TM Lewin looking at cufflinks and then I remembered they sold those silly pretend cufflinks and figured for £4 – why not? So these are now my easy to carry cufflinks.
Navy Pink Knots – TM Lewin – £4.00
2. The Perfect Undershirt
If you wear a dress shirt to work then you know how useful undershirts are, not only do they stop your shirt from being ruined by your sweat in the summer, they keep you warm on those not so hot days. The problem is if your undershirt is too loose fitting or not long enough, it can cause your shirt to look cheap and baggy. This is easily solved with the best undershirt I’ve ever owned and seen. Uni-qlo’s undershirt is literally the thinnest item I own, its so comfortable and tight fitting I barely know I’m wearing it. The length is amazing dropping right down pass my boxers meaning it will never become un-tucked no matter what I do. I bought mine in white but it’s available in about eight different colours.
MEN AIRism V Neck Short Sleeve T-Shirt – £9.90
3. Loafers
With Summer basically here you really have no excuse now not to be rocking some dapper loafers. I’d definitely go for a slip-on loafer with the tassels. Loafers are fantastic for looking casual in a suit, especially when worn without socks. On Saturday I grabbed myself some decent loafers for £60 from Zara.
Blue Zara Loafers – £59.99
4. Replacement Collar Stays
Us gentleman that wear shirts all the time and look after them properly know that you have to take out your collar stays whenever you wash or iron your shirt. Just incase you don’t know, if you don’t then you will ruin your collar and possibly melt your collar stays into your shirt. So since we are constantly removing our collar stays it is very possible that we may lose them. I’ve lost about five in the last three months. As an aspiring gentleman you should look after your clothes and buying some replacement collar stays is a great insurance item for you.
Collars Stays – £ 1.95
5. Base London Black Base Power Gibson Shoes
Black shoes are few and far between. Many men just wear any sort of black shoes and just expect them to go un-noticed. Your shoes are ridiculously important and every that cares about you will notice them. This June it is probably best you put away those battered black shoes and get yourself a new professional pair. Schuh is a great company to buy from, they have some good brands under their belt and are definitely a great retailer to check out. Base designed these shoes and they are both comfy and very stylish with a slight bump along the front of the shoe to create that perfect work look.
Base London Black Base Power Gibson Shoes – £68.00
6. TM Lewin Shirts
Buying a new shirt is something you should do every so often, at least once a year. I love shopping and summer is a great excuse to buy a new shirt. As it heats up you spend more time with your jacket/blazer off and more time showing off your shirts. Since people are going to see it a lot more the next couple months, it makes sense to wear fresh shirts. TM Lewin is a heavyweight in the luxury shirts industry and definitely without a doubt my favourite shirt retailer. Grab your next shirt from them, you will not be disappointment- I promise.
Slim Fit Light Blue Stripe White Cutaway Collar Shirt – £29.95
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.
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
As a big Manchester United fan I was not going to miss an opportunity to watch all my favourite players dressed up for a black tie event. Thankfully it was a delight to watch, I won’t bore you with the details of who won what but the players looked great. You can really tell that their talents are on the pitch and not in the wardrobe. Their outfits were really plain but they all had their haircuts, they all wore decent suits and their shoes were pretty dapper as well (especially Falcao’s.)
If you are someone who doesn’t really wear suits, why you reading my blog? Ha I’m joking, if you don’t really wear suits then even just owning a quality black suit with some black shoes will mean you can shock people will your dapper style scrub up. Have a look at some of the players;
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.
