Le Vrai Winston

Outfit

2013-06-09T14:58:00.003+01:00

Chinos - H&M

Linen jacket - H&M

Shirt - Charles Tyrwhitt

Tie - Vintage

Sunglasses - Ray Ban

Tie clip - eBay

Silk blue pocket square - Tie Rack

Outfit

2013-06-02T13:33:00.003+01:00

It's been over a month since I last posted due to being extraordinarily busy but am now back in the groove and on top of things.

Here starts the glorious summer...

Striped jacket - Zara

Pocket square - Banana Republic

Polo shirt - Lacoste (vintage)

Sunglasses - Ray Ban

Outfit

2013-04-28T18:14:00.001+01:00

Flannel suit - Uniqlo

Shirt - Savile Row Company

Cardigan - Uniqlo

Pocket square - Tie Rack

Tie - Tie Rack

Tie clip - eBay

Fabric buttonhole - H&M

Outfit

2013-04-07T12:41:00.004+01:00

Double monkstrap shoes - Jones Black Collection

Houndstooth trousers - Uniqlo

Check blazer - Zara

Polka dot scarf - Boden

Brown v-neck jumper - Zara

Pink shirt - Hardy Amies

How to wear bright chinos: Part 3

2013-03-24T19:24:00.000Z

Another way to wear brights is to pale-up the palette on the rest of the items, for a warm-weather holiday ensemble. Combining peanut colour suede lace ups with a seersucker jacket, light blue shirt, cotton madras tie and linen square, the chinos stand out but do not heavily contrast, unlike the blue blazer. The seersucker jacket is more casual, accentuated by the (optional) rolled-up sleeves.

Shoes - Zara

Chinos - Gant

Seersucker jacket - ASOS

Tie - Ralph Lauren

Shirt - Zara

Pocket square - Massimo Dutti

How to wear bright chinos: Part 2

2013-03-19T19:39:00.001Z

One of the other ways to wear bright chinos is to combine them with a relatively conservative, but still colourful, top half.

Pink works very well with green (think how beautiful ripe rhubarb looks) and this can help perk up the hackneyed and often rather dull blazer-and-chino fix. Throwing a yellow square into the mix means that the jacket has it's work cut out to keep the party at a healthy, comfortable decibel level. You could go ultra-safe and plump for a plain white but you're already playing when in pink and bright green - a bright square looks right at home.

A club-stripe tie is preppy but also a nice balance; they tend to look a little 'clubby' and snooty when worn with bland suits. Wearing them with such a riot of colours makes the stripe less about it's elite identity or meaning and more about the colours on display.

Shoes - Nunes Correa

Chinos - Gant

Blazer - Uniqlo (buttons added)

Shirt - Charles Tyrwhitt

Tie - Ede & Ravenscroft

Pocket square - Tie Rack

How to wear bright chinos: Part 1

2013-03-17T14:23:00.002Z

Bright chinos are not your average man's wardrobe staple. In fact, when it comes to summer trousers, most men play it safe. Very safe.

"Navy blue" is the response I'm most likely to get from one particular friend when I ask him what he is looking for on one of his regular shops for comfortable cotton chinos. He would never buy brights. It just doesn't make sense to him. When last summer I strolled up for evening drinks wearing orange trousers, the look on his face was priceless.

I must admit, you need to be rather blasé about other's opinions to pull off the look confidently. However, men are incredibly boring when it comes to letting go in the (hopefully) brighter spring and summer months. As the flowers burst open confidently and the sun beams down happily, we should be engaging some of that 'Come on why not?' spirit. We should be showing the world that we want to kick the winter cobwebs away with some sockless loafers some sporty élan and a pair of pink chinos.

And these are pink. None of that 'white trousers got mixed up in the wash with a red jumper' pink. Saturated pink. Confident pink.

There is no need to be afraid of a tone this strong. It's actually one of the best ways to inject youthful vim into otherwise lifeless ensembles. Staidness is blown away by such colours; fustiness runs and hides.

One of the best ways to do this is keep it casual with a sporty cricket jumper, a classic striped shirt, polka dot bow tie. With more subtle chinos - khaki or navy - this would be a smart but, let's face it, pleasantly bland get-up.

Finding chinos like this can be tricky. These come from Gant - purveyors of classic American prep - who offer a veritable rainbow of options for spring and summer.

Shoes - Herring

Chinos - Gant

Cricket jumper - Uniqlo

Bow tie - Vintage

Shirt - TM Lewin

Outfit

2013-03-03T20:46:00.004Z

Boots - Zara

Cords - Zara

Gloves - H&M

Jumper - COS

Shirt - TM Lewin

Tie - Vintage

Cap - H&M

Coat - TopMan

Outfit

2013-02-03T13:29:00.001Z

Boots - Loake

Cords - Zara

Jumper - Gant

Shirt - TM Lewin

Bow tie - Vintage

Wax jacket - Barbour

Cap - H&M

Gloves - H&M

Outfit

2013-01-20T15:06:00.001Z

Boots - Zara

Blue cords - Zara

Brown cord jacket - Zara

Cardigan (buttons added) - Uniqlo

Shirt - Savile Row Co.

Tie - Vintage

Coat (buttons added) - Zara

Happy New Year

2012-12-31T16:07:00.001Z

As it is two months since I last posted on this blog, I feel compelled to inform my readers that my absence was due to a combination of unfortunate events.

Firstly my Nikon, new in June, had to be repaired and I was without it for four weeks.

"But why" I hear you cry "did you not use your phone camera?"

The simple reason is that it is difficult to use this alone, even with the splendid apps on offer. There is no way to secure and time it, and the pictures are nowhere near the quality of the Nikon.

Add in to this a hectic work schedule, international travel and the holiday season and you have a concatenation of circumstances preventing good blogging.

Fortunately, January is a quiet-ish month.

I hope you all had an excellent festive season and wish you all a happy 2013.

Boots - Loake

Grey cords - Zara

Bomber jacket - Vintage

Fair isle vest - Uniqlo

Shirt - TM Lewin

Bow tie - Vintage

Dressing for the Interview or One Suit Four Ways

2012-10-28T11:47:00.000Z

I am delighted to say that I won the Marks & Spencer competition to provide various outfits for interview from one staple suit!

The prize for winning is not only the splendid honour of victory but also a brand new iPad.

Here is the link to the M&S Stories blog, showing the result of the competition.

http://social.marksandspencer.com/fashion-2/style-challenge-what-to-wear-to-an-interview/

In other matters...

Here is me on the balcony of a villa I took with friends in Corfu in early October. We had a splendid view overlooking Agni Bay and spent most of our time finding coves in the boat, speeding across to Corfu Town for lunch and a Mythos and ending the day with a game of cards and a glass of whisky.

Shoes - TopMan

Trousers - TopMan

Shirt - Uniqlo

Jacket - Uniqlo

Pocket square - Tie Rack

Dressing for the Interview or One Suit Four Ways: Part Four

2012-10-16T19:32:00.003+01:00

The final week of the M&S challenge is about a career culture change - suitable attire to clinch a career-changing role which will wave goodbye to wearing a suit everyday.

Wearing a suit not as a suit is an intriguing problem. The most important step is to separate the jacket and trousers and consider them as equals. In this example, I wanted to show that the suit trousers are just as adaptable to separate use as the jacket. And, in this scenario, they are probably more appropriate.

Appearing 'smart' without actually wearing a suit is certainly easier in this day and age. Many careers no longer require the uniform of the past. Suits are not required in my office, though I choose to wear one, and many who have been required to wear one as part of their professional life will leap at the chance of a position that offers a more relaxed dress code.

However, this is still an interview, and you still need to get that job. A suit jacket might be a bit too much for this type of position, particularly if you start adding pocket squares and ties, but a pair of suit trousers can drag what is a rather relaxed and homely ensemble up to a respectable level. With a pair of jeans, a shirt and cardigan would appear to be too much of a departure from the expected attire; with a pair of suit trousers, an overcoat, scarf and matching loafers, the overall result is a hybrid of casual cool and respectful formality.

Colour is important here. Adding browns instead of blacks removes the connection to formal suits and makes our interviewee look less like someone who has ditched his jacket and tie on his way to the meeting. The scarf adds playful colour and pattern.

Wearing a cardigan enables the no-tie look to be natural and unforced. A dandy might wish to add a bow tie to this look, which would certainly be eye-catching, but the bow can come across as being as formal as a jacket. This is not an interview at which one should appear, sartorially, to be trying too hard.

Suit trousers - Marks & Spencer

Cardigan - GAP

Shirt - TM Lewin

Overcoat - TopMan

Scarf - Zara

Socks - Uniqlo

Shoes - Herring

Dressing for the Interview or One Suit Four Ways: Part Three

2012-10-11T20:23:00.001+01:00

This week's challenge is about making the first step - with a bit of zest; a first post-University interview for a graduate looking to get into a creative agency.

I know what you're thinking. I don't make much of a postgrad. However, despite my advanced years, I can still remember my early years post-study; firing off applications, sitting nervously in waiting rooms, my stomach playing host to a butterfly ball. As much hell as it was, and it really was, I miss that sense of innocence; that eager stage of self-promotion and optimism; the beginning of the trek; the foot of the mountain.

One thing I do not miss is my comparatively tiny wardrobe. Possessing very few shirts, and with but small funds, my first interviews were an experiment in eking out as much use as I could from a plain white and a sky blue shirt, bought for their practicality.

The key with this challenge is understanding that a fresh-from-the-books grad needs all the help they can get. There's no use putting a combination of fiery colours together if the poor sod is only on the first ticket; what if he has to go to another interview? And another?

No, the staple in this - alongside the M&S light grey suit - is the white shirt. A tad boring, you might think, but the real advantage of it is that it allows our young graduate to play with his accessories (far cheaper than buying a wall of shirts) depending on how many and what type of interviews he has to attend.

As this is a creative role, we can push the boat a little out in terms of accessory colour and pattern, however it is important not to get carried away. With a second hand tie bought on eBay for under £1, I have added a yellow check pocket square (from a pack of three for £5); the obvious and eye-catching idea behind the combination being the yellow square picking up the design on the tie.

Down below, the black shoes offset the merriment somewhat, reminding our graduate, and his potential employers, that he is at an interview.

This provides a sunny, positive and eye-catching ensemble, albeit one rooted in a mature manner; dressing like Willy Wonka won't win you a position in any firm, creative or not.

By focusing on accessories and searching through the sales, second-hand shops and online auction sites, the graduate can add a lot for a little, proving the point that little things make big statements.

Suit - Marks & Spencer

Shoes - Jones

Shirt - TM Lewin

Tie - Vintage

Pocket square - Tie Rack

Dressing for the Interview or One Suit Four Ways: Part Two

2012-09-30T18:45:00.004+01:00

This week's hypothetical interview is all about stepping up the career ladder; a more senior role at a corporate firm.

To accessorise the staple light grey suit, I have chosen a lilac cutaway collar shirt, a subtly patterned silk tie, a sensible cotton pocket square, folded and stuffed, and a malachite tie-clip; a respectable bit of 'fun' in the ensemble.

Whereas the interview for the creative role for the fashion brand was about showing off sartorial inventiveness, uniqueness and individuality, corporate roles, particularly senior ones, demand a sobriety in costume. The lack of an odd waistcoat is a nod to this, as is the choice of darker, oxblood shoes. The burgundy leather briefcase, maintaining the palette of the shirt and shoes, shows a maturity that the role demands and the tie is sufficiently quiet-but-interesting.

However, there's no need to lose all style personality. A lilac shirt is perhaps a bold choice for an interview, but it will be different from the wall of blue and white that the interviewer will be confronted with and the pocket square, despite the restraint, will also set you apart.

Suit - Marks & Spencer

Tie clip - Vintage

Shirt - TM Lewin

Tie - Marks & Spencer

Pocket square - Tie Rack

Shoes - Doucal's

Briefcase - Vintage

Dressing for the interview or One Suit Four Ways

2012-09-28T09:01:00.000+01:00

Marks & Spencer have their eye on the ball.

With an eye on the continuing difficulties in the job market, they have asked 10 bloggers to step up and show what they can offer in creativity and flexibility. Allowed to select one item from the current season ranges (dresses for five girls, suits for five chaps) the challenge is to dress it up for four different job interview situations, expecting nods to the industry and seniority of the role in the style of dress.

Dressing for an interview is tricky. I should know, as I have rarely spent as much time choosing clothing for my own interviews as I have choosing clothing for any other occasion.

You will be judged on the way you dress, there is no doubt about it. For not only is dress used as a psychological indicator, it's also likely to be one of the lasting memories from your interview. The answers you provide, unless you are fortunate in being excessively original, are likely to have been heard before. What is unique is you, and your interviewer will remember you and your appearance more than your anecdotes.

Over the next four weeks I'll be posting my take on these challenges. This week's is an interview for a high street fashion brand. The key here for me is that you can have fun with the clothing, as long as it is logical and coordinated.

The staple suit is a light grey one-button, which I chose for adaptability purposes and because the interview corridor will be packed with black, charcoal and navy, which allows you to stand out in a subtle way.

For this interview, I added a velvet waistcoat, a fashion-forward shirt, a thin polka dot tie and an expressive pocket square. There aren't a great number of interviews to which you should wear such a puff of silk, but a fashion role is certainly one of them. I also opted for chestnut brown shoes as a more expressive option than black.

Suit - Marks & Spencer

Waistcoat - H&M

Shirt - Zara

Tie - H&M

Pocket square - Austin Reed

Shoes - Jones The Bootmaker

Outfit

2012-09-22T19:30:00.003+01:00

Shoes - Herring

Socks - Uniqlo

Trousers - Zara

V-neck sweater - Zara

Wool jacket - Zara

Tie - Austin Reed (vintage)

Shirt - TM Lewin

The Life Aquatic

2012-08-18T19:42:00.002+01:00

Swimshorts - Zara

Linen shirt - Uniqlo

Cable-knit cardigan - Burton

Sunglasses - RayBan

Outfit

2012-07-28T14:43:00.000+01:00

Trousers - River Island

Jacket - Zara

Waistcoat - TopMan

Pocket square - eBay

Tie - Austin Reed (vintage)

Shirt - Next

Outfit

2012-07-21T13:23:00.002+01:00

Jacket - H&M

Pocket square - Ermenegildo Zegna

Waistcoat - TopMan

Tie - River Island

Shirt - TM Lewin

Outfit

2012-07-16T20:03:00.004+01:00

Shoes - Grenson

Chinos - H&M

Linen waistcoat - Marks & Spencer

Shirt - Zara

Cotton tie - Marks & Spencer

Jacket - H&M

Pocket square - Tie Rack

Hat - River Island

White Tie

2012-07-08T10:54:00.003+01:00

An invitation to a 'Gatsby' themed birthday party was the perfect excuse to roll out the all-too-rarely worn white tie.

Patent pumps - Cleverley

Silk socks - Patra

Evening trousers - Clermont Direct (adjusted)

Waistcoat - Lloyd Attree & Smith

Washable boiled front evening shirt - Darcy Clothing

Butterfly wing collar - Darcy Clothing

Vintage evening tailcoat - Savvy Row

Shirt studs - eBay

Pocket watch - Zenith (antique)

Bow tie - Shepherd & Woodward

Outfit

2012-06-30T17:12:00.000+01:00

Suit - Zara

Shirt - TM Lewin

Tie - Tie Rack

Tie clip - eBay

Pocket square - eBay

Outfit

2012-06-24T23:22:00.002+01:00

Suit - Zara

Waistcoat - Butler & Webb

Tie - Market in Italy

Shirt - TM Lewin

Malachite tie clip - eBay

Pocket square - eBay

Outfit

2012-06-21T22:51:00.003+01:00

Orange chinos - H&M

Double-breasted jacket - Zara

White shirt - Charles Tyrwhitt

Brown tie - Zara

Tie clip - eBay

Paisley pocket square - TM Lewin