How many belts do you own? It's common for me to find just one or two when I go over to a client's to do a wardrobe edit. And it's usually black, brown or tan.
There's nothing wrong with them, but the reason men book me to help with their wardrobes, is to introduce some interest and shake things up a bit! So I find myself regularly suggesting that they add some alternative belts into the mix. If we don't buy them on our shopping trip, I often send links afterwards, when I'm putting together their outfit list, of belts that give the finishing touches to the outfit and pull it all together.
Most men will have shoes in black or brown, so I thought it would be helpful to put together some suggestions on what belts to wear with them that aren't plain black or brown leather.
One of the things I often suggest to clients when we go on a personal shopping trip is a raincoat. They haven't necessarily requested we look for one, but more often than not, they're open to the idea and realise that it would be really useful to have in their wardrobes, perhaps as a smarter alternative to a more casual cagoule style.
Here are some of the ones I've bought with clients or seen whilst out and about in the shops. I've also included some umbrellas because it's that attention to detail, which of course includes accessories, that can make all the difference to how good you look.
The fashion industry is getting a bad rap recently with shocking stats coming out about how fast fashion is ruining the planet.
Oxfam have decided to address this with Second Hand September which encourages people not to buy for a whole month or only to buy second hand.
Now obviously men are not nearly as guilty as women at buying tons of clothes, and it's aimed at those who are buying things constantly and wearing them a handful of times before discarding them, but as a personal shopper it's something I feel a little responsible for and would like to address:
Whilst recce-ing for a couple of clients I had last week, who were looking for blazers, I noticed there was a lot of burgundy coloured ones around. So I thought I'd show you a few of them here, if perhaps you're thinking you could do with a new blazer for Autumn Winter and would like to make a change from your default navy or grey.
You may have some hesitatation about getting something other than a neutral, but I bought the Reiss one below with a client and even I was surprised at the amount of outfits I was able to make with it! Here are some suggestions:
The tech world is well known for being very casual with a "wear what you like" dress code.
However, when you get promoted in a tech job, though you can continue to wear what you want, I find that many men actually want to smarten up a bit - to give them authority and mark the change in their role. It would look odd though if they suddenly turned up to work all suited and booted - so it's smaller, more subtle changes that are needed.
If you've recently been promoted in your tech job (or any job that has a very casual dress code for that matter), here are my ten tips on what to wear to smarten up your wardrobe without looking like you don't belong in the office anymore! Many of these suggestions are things I've bought with clients whilst on personal shopping trips that had this brief.
I've been thinking about dark brown brogues and Derbies recently whilst with clients, as the perfect thing to go with summer suits.
I find that suede looks more summery than leather, and the dark brown goes better with navy than tan which can be too light and too much of a contrast with dark trousers. If you buy them to go with a suit, they can also been worn easily with jeans or chinos in varying shades. Here's some of the ones I've chosen with different clients for various outfits & occasions:
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When was the last time you updated your swimwear? If you usually go for plain fabrics, then why not try some pattern for your next pair of shorts?
It's not like you have to worry too much about what to wear them with as you'll be wearing them on their own or you could easily put all of the following with a plain neutral t-shirt, polo shirt or linen shirt. The only thing to take into consideration then, is that it goes with your skin tone.
This is a question I was asked last week on a personal shopping trip and one that I frequently get asked by clients. So in an attempt to make it easier for you, here I'm going to dissect it and go through some points to take into consideration when deciding to tuck or untuck.
Most of the time, I'm making subtle changing to client's wardrobes. It's not necessarily about having the big "ta-da....male makeover moment" but about introducing you to small changes that make a difference. This could be by using more colour, pattern, different shapes or a better fit.
Here I've picked out 3 shirts with slightly different collar styles that you may not have tried before, but which may add some variety to your wardrobe and not just feel like you've bought yet another generic pale blue or white shirt.
Is this changeable weather confusing you no end as to what to wear? Yep, me too. The answer though, is layering and I find a lot of the guys I take on shopping trips, like the ease of a cardigan so they can whip it on and off as the sun goes in, out and shakes it all about.
Though I frequently buy navy and grey with clients, I thought I'd step away from the defaults for a minute and take a look at some at the lighter brown end of the spectrum. They lend themselves particularly well to cotton and linen textures which is what I've chosen here, and it also means they'll be warm as an extra layer but still breathable and won't look too wintery either
As fashion turns towards the 70s for inspiration, there's been a lot more 'brown in town' and particularly this rich tobacco shade. It works perfectly when crossed with a "Talented Mr Ripley" style of higher waist trousers, cool linens and knitted polo shirts.
It also complements the pale blue and white that fills most men's summer wardrobes, making a welcome contrast without being too 'out there'. And of course, it looks excellent worn with other earthy tones of khaki, beige and cream, which will look particularly good on you if your colouring is a little softer (ie: you don't have much contrast between your hair, eye and skin colour.
