BLACK LACE-UP SHOES

Tomorrow we begin the official (Advent Calender) countdown to Christmas! For a lot of you, this will mean one thing... CHRISTMAS PARTY! 

Yes, it's that time of year where you talk to people you have avoided all year, get ridiculously drunk, make a fool of yourself and hope that nobody remembers you throwing up on yourself! Fun times!

Obviously before you get to that point, you have to consider your outfit. Whether your Christmas party is a black tie event, a meal after work or a party with your friends and family, black lace-up shoes are essential. They will smarten up jeans and a shirt and can make or break your tuxedo. 

There are loads to choose from on the high st all year round so for my post I have tried to find a selection of prices and fabrics for you to consider.

ZARA £69.99

H & M £29.99

KG BY KURT GEIGER @ ASOS £90

BURTON £37

LOAKE @ DEBENHAMS £108

NEW LOOK £19.99

ALL SAINTS £120

CLARKS £79.99

MARC HARE @ TOPMAN £90

GET THE LOOK

I love getting requests to find things for people and over this weekend I was asked about a jumper Marcus Collins was wearing on the X Factor:
 

I believe the jumper in question was shown when the contestants went to winter wonderland.

I'm happy to say that I found the jumper and you get it from Topman!

TOPMAN £38

GET THE LOOK

I love this bold look from the Calvin Klein A/W11 show. I think it is very current and easy to wear, especially with coloured jeans and trousers being a big look right now.

Here is where you can get the look from on the high st!

JACKET @ ZARA £79.99

RIVER ISLAND £10

H & M £9.99

SPARKS ANDERS @ASOS £78

ZARA £69.99

LESS IS MORE

If you didn't see JLS on The Graham Norton Show last night then here is what you missed! A complete style disaster!

Although at first glance this picture doesn't look too bad, on the live program it was a mess. It was as if every trend had thrown up all over them. I have circled the key trends not that they are hard to see; tweed, mustard, quilted jacket, drop crotch trousers, coloured trousers, hi-tops and bow tie.

I am all for people wearing what they feel most comfortable in and creating their own style but this just crosses the line. As a group you expect them to be a bit more cohesive in their styling not appear to just thrown on every trend and hope for the best!

Maybe it's time to start again and dig out them hoodies!

TOURIST PRINTS

Tourist print tops are a big trend at the moment. Like a love letter to your favourite city, you can expect to see vests, t shirts and jumpers printed with bold images and print.

As the Olympics approaches I suspect that this will have an impact onto some of the prints as the trend evolves. Next already has some vintage Olympic prints on t shirts.

Here are some of the best tourist prints on the high st now.

TOPMAN £16

PULL AND BEAR £15.99

 

 

 

ZARA £19.99

TOPMAN £14

NEW LOOK £12.99

RIVER ISLAND £16

BURTON £18

ASOS £16

PULL AND BEAR £9.99

RIVER ISLAND £26

 

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Amongst the endless promotions on the high st, there seems to be some new Christmas party looks coming into stores along with new spring/summer lines.

With that in mind, two of my picks from this week are smart/casual Christmas party items and the third is something I haven't seen before...
 

ZARA £29.99

My first pick of the week is this sheer stripe jumper from Zara. I posted about sheer jumpers back in October after I was asked to find a jumper that Frankie Cocozza had worn on the X Factor. I understand that this jumper won't suit those of you who are body conscious, as you can see from the model in the picture it doesn't leave much to the imagination. This a great statement jumper and would be perfect for a smart/casual Christmas party look.

ASOS £35

For those of you who like the jumper from Zara but don't have the confidence to expose so much of your body, this sheer panel jumper from ASOS is a great compromise. The sheer panel across the front of the shoulders will make you appear broader and keep you looking fashionable.

FABRIC @ REPUBLIC £49.99

My final pick of the week is something new to me, an all-in-one tracksuit. "Onesies" as they're more commonly described are a big trend this winter for nightwear and it seems that Fabric have taken a risk with introducing the style to day wear for men. In principle, it's no different to women's jump/playsuits (if you don't know what they are, think Challenge Anneka) however seeing a man in an all-in-one tracksuit just seems wrong. Or maybe it's so wrong, it's right?? 

I can't wait to hear what you all think about this one!

HOLLOWAY ROAD

River Island has gone back to its roots with it's new in-house designed menswear label, Holloway Road. 

River Island was created in 1948 by brothers David and Bernard Lewis and was known as Lewis Separates. Over the years it has been known as Chelsea Girl and Concept Man before becoming River Island in 1988. 

The name Holloway Road comes from the location of Lewis Seperates and the collection digs deep into the brands heritage. Rugged yet comfortable, the colour palette is understated and the fabrics are hard wearing, made for the hard working modern man.

WORKSHIRT £40

SUNBLEACHED TSHIRT £18

DENIM SHIRT £40

RUST JACKET £80

TSHIRT £20

SLIM FIT JEANS £60

TSHIRT £25

HERITAGE BOOTS £80

WINTER ACCESSORIES

Completing #mansnapswinter weekend is the finishing touches to every mans  winter wardrobe... winter accessories!

Hats, gloves and scarves are the ultimate must-have this season. When I'm shopping for winter accessories I always try to avoid anything which has an over busy print, things that are so fashionable that they aren't practical and that the colour can be worn with almost any outfit. 

Here are some of the best winter accessories on the high st right now.

First up is Scarves. Scarves are a great way of adding your own personality/style to your outfit. There are a rainbow of colours available to help brighten up a dull outfit, fairisle and navajo prints are a great way to dip your toes into the trend and there are lots of different fabrics from wool to jersey to suit your requirements. Snoods also feature heavily on the high st still and are perfect for those of you who can never quite figure out if your scarve should be left at the front or it should be wrapped around your neck.

BURTON £20

NEW LOOK £7.49

TOPMAN £16

HOLLISTER £38

MATALAN £7

PEACOCKS £9

ZARA £19.99

RIVER ISLAND £13

PULL & BEAR £17.99

Hats are essential for keeping you warm during winter. It is well known that you lose a large percentage of body heat through your head so it is worth investing in something to keep the heat in. I always find hats difficult to wear as I never seem to think that they suit me and I'm sure plenty of you feel the same. The trick is, to try all styles and wear the one that you feel most comfortable in. After all, the priority here is keeping you warm. There are loads of different styles available, bobble hats, beanie hats, slouch beanie hats and trapper hats (I posted about them previously).

ALL SAINTS £35

ASOS £12

BURTON £5

CRAFTED @ REPUBLIC £9.99

NEW LOOK £9.99

NEXT £12

RIVER ISLAND £13

TOPMAN £12

ZARA £9.99

Personally, I think that gloves have to be practical. I'm not a huge fan of fingerless gloves (my fingers get cold) and I can't be bothered to have to keep taking them on and off all the time. Although I do like my gloves to have a bit of character! Unlike a hat or a scarve, your gloves are generally not as instantly noticeable so you can afford to try a crazy print or colour.

NEW LOOK £5.99

RIVER ISLAND £22

MATALAN £7

PEACOCKS £3.20

TOPMAN £10

URBAN OUTFITTERS £12

ZARA £19.99

PULL & BEAR £9.99

H & M £24.99