Menswear Trend Bold Argyle
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but where does that leave argyle? This classic Scottish diamond pattern beloved of golfers is seeing a style renaissance. This bold and often colour print is great way for men to add both colour and pattern to their spring wardrobes.
The argyle pattern derives from the tartan of Clan Campbell of Argyll in western Scotland. The 11th Duke of Argyll was recently played by Paul Bettany as a volatile aristocrat in the BBC drama, A Very British Scandal. He was even seen unhappily seen advertising argyle socks to pay the castle bills.
Here are TheChicGeek's handpicked argyle pieces of the season with a smattering of vintage inspiration:
Left - Burberry - Monogram Motif Argyle Intarsia Wool Cashmere Cardigan - £890
Right - Argyle looking 1950s innocent in a cardigan
Left - Marni - Argyle Mohair-Blend Sweater - £730 from MRPORTER.COM
Left - Beams Plus - Argyle Cotton-Jacquard Polo Shirt - £125 from MRPORTER.COM
Below - Burlington - Manchester Men Socks - £15
Left - GANT - Argyle V-Neck Sweater - £135
Left - GUCCI - GG-Argyle Cotton Sleeveless Sweater - £600 from Matchesfashion.com
Below - ASOS DESIGN - Knitted Argyle Tank with Floral Pattern - £25
Left - Duke of Windsor sporting argyle socks
Below - Argyle colour combinations are limitless
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Menswear Product Of The Week Tim's Beaded Vest
The harness is the new waistcoat - you heard that here first! - and this beaded number, surprisingly from H&M's main brand, is a stylish and quality evening item that could easily pass as Dries van Noten or something much more expensive. Made from 100% recycled polyester and embellished with recycled plastic beads, it is part of H&M's party-like 'Innovation Circular Design Story'.
Instead of doing boring 'sustainable' clothes, H&M, thank god, has really gone for it with some dressy evening pieces. This narrow-cut vest top in twill and mesh made from recycled polyester with a round neckline that has a concealed hook-and-eye fastener made from recycled metal at one side. All textile materials are mono fibre to further enable recycling.
H&M even have a matching jacket with a cut-out at the back to reveal the beading. This is the best collection I've seen from them for a long time.
Far Left & Bottom - H&M - Bead-embellished Vest Top - £79.99
I think they still have some left in the H&M Oxford Circus branch.
Right - Timothée Chalamet in Louis Vuitton
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Menswear Trend Art Deco Shoulders
Raf Simons' latest menswear collection for Prada took a new direction for AW22 leading with the shoulders. The austere and strong shouldered leather coats are graphic and cartoony in their geometry. Raf Simons always does a good coat. Looking very villain-in-a-Gotham City/Art Deco-way, it brought to mind the art deco portrait of artist Tamara de Lempicka's husband.
Surrounded by 1930s skyscrapers, this brooding and moody portrait features Tadeusz de Lempicki in a strong shouldered double-breasted coat. The long Prada AW22 version looks protective, and much like armour, with the reflective leather giving it an even more intimidating feel. Start saving, this will be big £££.
Far Left - Prada FW22, Left - Portrait of Tadeusz de Lempicki (Portrait of the Artist's Husband), 1928
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Umbro/Cabourn Rugby Shirt
The British king of vintage workwear, Nigel Cabourn, has teamed up with Umbro to produce some classic looking sports kit. Signalling Umbro's recent step into rugby as Official Technical Kit Partner to England Rugby, this capsule collection gives a contemporary update to rugby styles from the late 1940s and early 1950s.
This Sky Blue horizontal and vertical striped rugby shirt features an oversized ‘C’ back patch, and, like all rugby styles, looks good on any body shape. Add some wide leg trousers and classic plimsolls and you have a timeless Hockney look.
Left & Below - Umbro X Nigel Cabourn Regiment Rugby Top - £90
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Trend Vincentmania
Vincentmania isn't new, yet it never gets old. The famous ginger Dutchman has become a modern day deity with his artworks treated like contemporary relics. With the Courtauld Gallery newly reopened at London's Somerset House, we get to re-see his famous painting, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. Painted in 1889, it will be centre stage of a new exhibition of van Gogh's self-portraits in early 2022. While we shouldn't celebrate anybody cutting their ear off, it just adds depth to his image which seems to be on everything these days along with a few of his artworks.
Left - The first ever exhibition devoted to Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits across his entire career will take place at The Courtauld Gallery from 3 Feb – 8 May 2022
Left - A bandaged Vincent Christmas decoration - £18 Liberty from Rocket St George
Below - Scotch & Soda - 'Vincent' Optical Frames - £165
Left - Topman - Vincent Van Gogh Sunflower Shirt Print In Ecru - £30
Left - ASOS DESIGN - Van Gogh Relaxed Revere Shirt With Artist Sketch Print - £28
Left - National Gallery - Sunflowers Watch - £28
Left - Etsy - Van Gogh UNISEX Knit Sweater Jumper - £53.45
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Menswear Product Of The Week The Tom Ford Gucci Red Velvet Reissued
The sign of a confident and secure designer is one who acknowledges the strengths and triumphs of their predecessors. If you were into fashion in the mid 1990s, then there would have been no avoiding Tom Ford’s first collection for Gucci and its luxe and louche velvet suits. This collection was almost as significant as Dior’s New Look in 1947 at catapulting a brand into the spotlight. Tom Ford’s Gucci was sexy as hell.
Over 25 years later, and in Gucci’s 100th year, designer Alessandro Michele has paid homage to this pinnacle of the Tom Ford’s Gucci era and it's looking as timeless as ever. Though it would probably be cheaper buying a 90s original from a vintage seller or auction, not to mention a better investment.
Left & Below - Gucci - Stretch Velvet Jacket With Padded Shoulders - £ 2,250
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Tried & Tested King C Gillette Style Master Hair Trimmer
The King C. Gillette Style Master is a simple tool offering 3 combs to help you sculpt an individual look, 4 cutting elements designed to trim different hair lengths, and a pivoting head that adapts to the face’s contours. The Style Master is said to give you the flexibility to master your stubble style with ease.
The slim, compact handle comes with a 360° rubber surface for great grip and control, and it’s also fully waterproof for easy cleaning under running water. With cordless power, one charge providing 45 minutes of trimming time.
Left - King C. Gillette Style Master - £39.99
TheChicGeek says, “This is priced slightly higher than the market leading Philips OneBlade - Read TheChicGeek review here - and looks slightly anonymous without the ‘Style Master’ name on.
It's made by Braun, which is respected in electrical, and works well enough with the stability of trimming against the skin. What it can’t do is trim hair around the mouth etc. in the air. It doesn’t have the strength.
The head is fairly small so clogs easily and looks pretty grubby quite quickly. Though it can be rinsed clean.
This is fine for a quick tidy up, but not much more than that.”
Disclosure - A sample was sent free for review
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