This green gets me every-single-time. The shape of this is pure Italian Mod knitwear. The floppy pointed collar and the ribbed diamond knit pattern will look great on its own, buttoned up, or over a T-shirt or shirt.

Expensive, yes, but you can wear this instead of a jacket until the weather gets too cold.

Left & Below - Prada - Point Collar Ribbed Knit Wool Cardigan - £560 from Matchesfashion.com

If somebody said they could make you any suit you wanted, that fitted perfectly, simply by sending a few photographs of yourself, you’d be sceptical, right?

That’s how I felt when “The Drop” got in touch. The Drop is a startup that allows men to create their clothes, in their sizes at a price which suits their budget. 

I’ve seen many apps, come and go, that allow you to take a picture of an item you see in the street. Like Shazam for clothes, they let you know where you can buy it from. Unfortunately, this only works for clothes in season and available in your size, so can be a disappointing search. It also doesn’t allow for you imagination or dream item.

Left - TheChicGeek smiling in his finished suit

The Drop business was founded on the premise that lots of men know what they want when they see it (whether on Instagram, Pinterest or on the street) but often find it hard to locate it in stores, in their size - a fundamental disconnect between supply and demand.

Right - Inspiration - Burberry - But I wanted it cut like a Tom Ford

The Drop enables customers to submit an image of their ideal suit (from styles they've seen online, in store or on the street) along with images of themselves so that correct measurements can be assessed. Their suit is then made & delivered in their size in under three weeks. Prices start from around the £300 mark.

They can make a single item in Asia, and then they allow a small budget for you to take the finished item to be altered, if it needs any additional work, at a place of your choosing.

I wanted something different yet also something that I knew they could make. It would be pointless going all out Gucci if they didn’t offer those kinds of fabrics. 

I wanted a brown flannel suit as it’s really hard to find a good chocolate brown suit. I found an old picture from a previous Burberry campaign, but I wanted a longer jacket and wider lapels.

I also wanted the fit based on a Tom Ford suit that I already own. After a couple of e-mails, swatches were sent through, which is difficult to choose online admittedly and they said they didn’t have brown flannel, so I just asked for a plain chocolate coloured suit.

I sent three pictures - front, side, back - of me in fitted clothing and then chose the lining and other details on the suit. I went for a peaked lapel two button wool suit with a pink lining.

They may get in touch to ask a few further questions and just to clarify the order.

Far Left - Tailored Made - Chic Geek - Pink lining with green lettering

Left - The Edward Sexton/Tommy Nutter/Tom Ford lapels that I wanted

A few weeks later the suit was ready. It was shinier than I envisioned, but not detrimental. The lapels were good, very Tom Ford/Edward Sexton like - move over Harry Styles! As for fit, the waist on the trousers and the jacket was too tight. They kindly had this altered for me, when in reality you would do this yourself and then bill The Drop.

Overall, the suit is good, I know I couldn’t buy another brown wool suit with a pink lining for the price they are asking.

Verdict - For the price of a high-street suit you get something individual and one-off. You could get something for a special occasion or if you find it hard to get standard suits to fit, but at these prices you could use this service everytime you want a new suit. This concept has the potential to play around and copy designer items quickly if the choice of fabrics allows. 

I think The Drop needs to brand their name more on the items, as I couldn’t remember the name throughout the process, and they should also offer more inspiration and fabric choices to capture the more experimental and directional customers or for those guys who know what they want, but want a few images to base it upon. It would also be good to photograph the suits they make to give you more of a feel of what they do and create a community of passionate guys wanting something individual.

Left - Brown & pink suit from The Drop from around £300

https://thedrop.co

See the full The Drop OOTD here

News in that Gucci is going “Fur Free” starting from SS18. President and chief executive, Marco Bizzarri, announced the move at a talk at the London College of Fashion, yesterday.

Mr Bizzarri said: “Being socially responsible is one of Gucci’s core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals.” The brand will no longer use any type of animal fur including, coyote, mink, fox, rabbit or karakul - aborted lamb foetuses.

The fashion house’s remaining fur clothing will be sold in an auction with the money donated to the animal rights organisation "Humane Society International” and “LAV”, an organisation that initiates legal actions to assert animal rights.

Left - Gucci Intarsia Mink - £28,340 from Mytheresa

Gucci will also join the Fur-Free alliance. This is a group of international organisations that campaigns for animal welfare and encourages that alternatives to fur are used by the fashion industry.

I respect Gucci’s decision and being the world’s second largest luxury goods company this will make an impact. It will also influence people and other brands. Any company wishing to be more “sustainable” should be encouraged. (Just how sustainable a business selling US$ 4.3 billion (2016) worth of product is debatable BTW).

But, what I never understand is the double standards on animals. You either use animals or you don’t. Gucci will no doubt still be using snakes, alligators, crocodiles, goats, lizards, ostriches, the list goes on, to make accessorises and clothes. 

I’ve seen this many times before. I’ve been at Ralph Lauren where they proclaim to be “fur free” yet I’m standing next to a large crocodile “Ricky” bag. If brands really want to minimise their footprint then they should go completely vegan. Department stores stating they don’t sell fur, yet you look into a felt hat and it’s made from rabbit.

The fur industry doesn’t have to be “cruel” in the same way the meat industry doesn’t. Skins such as sable are shot in the wild and don’t live in cruel conditions. Coyotes are shot as pests in North America. You regulate for welfare standards and promote compassion in farming and every animal regardless of the product should be respected and cared for. 

The fur industry can be sustainable and faux-fur, usually made from synthetics, is also detrimental to the environment and doesn't negate the desire.

Net-a-Porter group recently announced it was going fur free too. Admittedly, due to the prices, fur is only bought in small quantities and by very wealthy people. It’s interesting that Italian companies - Yoox/Net-a-Porter and Gucci are going “Fur Free” as we know those Italians like their furs, so this is definitely a shift in attitudes.

These things usually go in two ways - fur trims start to sneak in and the thing gets quietly shelved or companies continue to be "environmentally friendly" and really try and do something about the wasteful fashion cycle that currently exists. Banning "fur" isn't really touching on the real environmental impact of the fashion industry.

Read ChicGeek Comment - The Real Reason Brands Are Dropping 'Fur'

We haven’t had a big fabric trend in menswear for a while now. Gone are the days when colours or fabrics would become ubiquitous for that season and every store and brand would toe the same line. But, there are exceptions, and corduroy is having a good stab at bringing itself back.

Lead by Prada, corduroy, in all its brushed softness, is perfect when coming in the reds and rusts of autumn. A tactile fabric, corduroy is hardwearing and can flit between casual and smart in all its bookish charm.

I love the fact the Germans called corduroy “Manchester” which was the home of “Cottonopolis” and a major manufacturer of corduroy for many years.

Left - Prada Menswear AW17

Corduroy can add bulk so be carefully when choosing a shape or style. For something cooler and more casual look for jeans jackets with matching trousers. I really like what the Spanish brand Lois are doing.

Below - Good News - Rhubarb Tan High - £60

Left - Lois Jeans - Jumbo Cord Brown Corduroy Jacket - £95, Dallas Jumbo Brown Corduroy Trousers - £65 from Stuarts London

Below - Vetements - Darted-Knee Cotton-Corduroy Trousers - £1200 from matchesfashion.com

Left - Drake’s - Single-Breasted Green Cotton Cord Jacket - £595, Green Cotton Cord Suit Trousers - £255

Below - Junya Watanabe - Cotton-Corduroy Baseball Cap - £130 from matchesfashion.com

Left- Prada - Slim-Fit Leather-Trimmed Cotton-Corduroy Suit Jacket - £1805 from MRPORTER.COM

Left - Jigsaw - Garment Dye Corduroy Button Down Shirt - £79

Below - ASOS - Tapered Cord Trousers In Rust - £30

Left - Marks & Spencer - Straight Fit Corduroy Trousers With Stretch - £35