Above The Ankles

I was out shopping on the bank holiday just gone, it didn’t go very well, I was looking for some loafers and couldn’t find anything decent enough. I found myself in Moss Bros glancing at some ties and I asked the saleswoman if any of the ties were polyester. She looked at me a bit confused and then her manager recommended I have a look at Slaters. Thankfully I did and I’m now the proud owner a beautifully made light blue tie, which damaged my bank account by a whopping £5. I now have another pink paisley tie on the way.

If you don’t know much about Slaters, they are a nationwide menswear store which is run by the Slater family. The unique thing about them is each of their stores actually have tailors and offer free alterations on most of the stuff they sell. I actually used to call them the “backstreet shop” as they only have their stores on side-roads and back-streets. Here’s a snippet from their site;

Can we let you into a little secret? We don’t have main High Street stores. There, we’ve finally
said it. There is a good reason to this decision – we don’t want to pay extortionate rents and then
have to pass on the costs to our customers

In the middle of writing this post my pink tie arrived in the post and I was quite excited. I do feel like I bought two fantastic ties for only £10. These are my first two purchases from Slaters ever so I can’t comment much over the rest of their products. However, I’m very happy with the company and definitely will be ordering again so I’ll be sure to keep you guys updated.

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.

FCUK Powder Blue Suit

powder blue suit fcuk front

powder blue suit fcuk rear

Me and a suit are never far away from each other, I love wearing my suits on the weekend but as men we need different outfits. I only wear three outfits, gym, smart and smart/casual. My gym outfit is really basic – A Superdry hoody, tracksuit bottoms and Nike Roshe trainers. My smart outfits are what I wear to work pretty much everyday, all the suits and shirts I write posts about daily.

Smart/casual is one that I actually don’t wear too often but strangely enough is probably my favourite type of outfit. The smart/casual look is perfect for all those occasions when you know no one else will be wearing a suit or you just want to be a bit more comfortable for the day. There are so many different options when going for a quality smart outfit, you can really add and mix up the outfit every single time you get dressed. The two main variables that are most important in your outfit are not what’s on top, it is what you wear around your legs.

Jeans Or Chinos

Choosing which one to wear is entirely down to personal preference, I personally prefer to wear jeans during colder weather and chinos during the warmer weather. Jeans are reliable, they last a lifetime and as long as you don’t gain or lose too much weight – it’s worth spending more money on quality jeans.

Chinos are fantastic for going out in the heat, you won’t get sweaty in them and your legs will be able to breathe nicely. They look great with a blazer and a shirt, while also fitting well with just a plain white t shirt. You can get chino’s for pretty cheap, however they won’t last you as long as jeans and lose their colour a lot quicker as well.

Levi’s

Whether you want to wear chinos or jeans, it really doesn’t matter, what should matter is the brand you wear. Levi’s are known all around the world for one thing – quality. Everyone loves levi’s, they last a long time, they look great and won’t look washed out. Levi’s aren’t expensive, you can get most for like £50-£80. If you don’t already own a pair of both chinos & jeans that look and feel amazing, then you need some Levi’s.

I picked out two from mainlinemenswear.co.uk, have a look;

LEVIS 501 CUSTOMISED AND TAPERED JEANS BLUE

LEVIS 751 STANDARD FIT CHINO TROUSERS BEIGE

Although the weathers heating up its not exactly leave your jacket at home kind of weather and I find spring is generally the best times to buy winter things like jumpers & coats, as they are always cheapest coming up to summer. If you go shopping in london often then you definitely know Uniqlo, mostly popular in the asian countries but have grown massively in recent years. Generally known for their lightweight clothes and rainbow like colours. Sounds like a great company, it is, I bought a jumper from them 4 years ago and still wear it often these days and hasn’t lost it’s colour or shape, unlike my Zara jumper I bought for double the price two months ago.

Wearing jumpers is a fantastic way to look dapper and add a layer onto your outfit. They can be worn under your suit or over a t shirt with some dark jeans, great for smart & smart/casual outfits. This Uniqlo jumper is actually fantastic, made from 100% fine merino wool, which may not sound that nice as the wool we think of is the itchy one people wear on TV. This wool is really fine, compact and really thin making it feel exactly like a cotton jumper except when you stretch the fabric it will bounce back into shape unlike cotton ones which just stay stretched out. The jumper feels soft inside and out so feel free to give your belly a rub after lunch.

The V-neck neckline allows you to wear this over a shirt with a tie on without the jumper covering your beautiful windsor knot you spent 5 minutes getting perfect in the morning.

Priced at £24.90, ranging in sizes from XS to XXL and in every colour under the rainbow, you really can not fault this wonderful jumper. I would definitely recommend grabbing a few while you’re at it.

Uniqlo Extra Fine Merino V-Neck Sweater

MEN Extra Fine Merino V-Neck Sweater 5

MEN Extra Fine Merino V-Neck Sweater Black

MEN Extra Fine Merino V-Neck Sweater Grey

MEN Extra Fine Merino V-Neck Sweater Blue

MEN Extra Fine Merino V-Neck Sweater Navy

It was only a few months back that I discovered Antony Morato and it turns out that not many people actually know about this wonderful brand based in Italy. So considering its summer time and everyone keeps asking me where they can buy a quality double breasted suit from I figured I’d show you one of my favourite blazers from Antony Morato – The Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose.

The Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose.

The reason why this suit is my favourite is due to that it is notably a simplistic and well crafted suit. I am not a fan of over exuberant outfits for myself although I love them on other people. This suit is designed with fantastic italian tailoring and look top dog – good job to Antony Morato. The material used is a blend between polyester & viscose, which is not a top quality material but will last you a couple years. The viscose material will give the suit a slight shine to it making it look more expensive than it is.

The sizing with the suits designed by Antony Morato are done in EU sizes so please check this size guide before you order yours. Even though there is free returns you don’t want to be sending things back and forth.

The double breasted design is perfect for work or play and can be worn either as a full suit or with some chinos/dark jeans. If you don’t already own a double breasted suit then this is definitely a great starter to your wardrobe. The blazer will set you back £149.90 with the trousers adding £69.90 on top of that, totalling £219.80.

The Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose.

Get the matching trousers here – Blended Viscose Trousers.

Slim Fit Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose

Slim Fit Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose

Slim Fit Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose

Slim Fit Double Breasted Jacket In Blended Viscose

classic slim fit blended viscose trousers