This book is a collection of the most popular blog posts from January 2012. Featuring; Aztec Prints, Coloured Chinos, Golden Globe and National Television Awards, Exclusive Interviews and MUCH more!
To get the top 20 posts at the tips of your fingers, you can download the Ebook from Lulu.com
For those of you who have seen the news articles in today's Western Mail and Echo or online at Wales Online I would like to take this opportunity torespond to the statement made by the KPMG representative.
On the day that I discovered I had been made redundant from my position at Peacocks I was filmed for a BBC documentary, following the events of my days since Peacocks confirmed it was going into administration. When this documentary airs you will all see that I did not receive a missed call, a voicemail or any other communication from anyone at Peacocks on that day. I discovered that I had been made redundant via a Facebook status update posted by a colleague and wasn't contacted by Peacocks or KMPG until the following day.
When the documentary arrives on your screens you will be able to see the truth.
Despite my disappointment about the handling of my situation, I thoroughly enjoyed my employment with Peacocks and wish everyone there all the best for the future. SAVE PEACOCKS!
You can see my video interview by following the link below...
This catwalk look from Moschino's S/S12 collection is very retro. Their catwalk show took its inspiration from Elvis and this outfit is a perfect example of their 2012 take on 'the King'. The 60's colour palette of red, black and white and the detailing on the jacket is effortlessly cool.
Here is how you can get the look from the high st!
Reality shows were the big success story from T.V. land last year. TOWIE, Made in Chelsea and Geordie Shore seen huge success with ratings and TOWIE even won a BAFTA Award! No surprise then that latest reality show, this time from Liverpool, has seen a similar success.
Desperate Scousewives focuses on the glamour of the city, from the ladies through to the architecture and the history. Much like the reality shows before it, Desperate Scousewives follows a group of people and their often turbulent relationships.
Mansnaps was pleased to catch up with two of Desperate Scouswives leading men, couple Chris and Mark. Whilst the show has seen the ladies constantly dressing to impress, the loved up couple have certainly been representing for the boys! Apart from their style, the show has followed the ups and downs in their relationship as they consider having children, a dilemma which all relationships face, gay and straight.
Here is what they had to say about the show, their relationship and their style!
Hello both! How have you found the filming of Desperate Scousewives
C: At first I didn't want to do the show but mark talked me around to it. T.V. wasn't something I'd ever wanted to get into but now in loving it! It's been hard work and sometimes you want to say "enough" but at the end we've got a great final product and met some great people.
M: It's been one of the most enjoyable things I've done, it's been hard yet we've been offered a great opportunity to show how great our city is and put out a great image for the gay community.
On the show we've seen your relationship go through some ups and downs? How difficult is it go through that whilst being filmed?
C: Filming those scenes was tough and doing stuff so close to your heart is always going to be. Mark and I have a great relationship but even the best has it's flaws! Kids has always been an issue but spending time away made me realise that they're not for us right now.
M: It's been strenuous and challenging but Chris and I are fully commited to each other.
You're often seen with bags and bags of shopping, where do you like to shop?
C: I love Zara , Topman and River Island. I always find something in those stores! I'm definitely a high street guy with the occasional designer splurge.
M: Like Chris, we shop in the same places but ive got to add ASOS too!
Mansnaps is all about fashion for the Everyman and obtainable fashion from the high st. Are you fans of the high st?
C: As I said before the high st is my favourite, you'll always find something there. I tend to buy something and customise it. I love the sales too, you can't beat a good sale!
M: Big fans! When it comes to shopping I'm all for quantity and quality and you definitely get that on the high st.
A big focus on Desperate Scousewives is the glamour of the ladies from Liverpool. Do you feel pressure to keep up with the girls or have you always dressed well?
C: God of course! Wouldn't you? Our Liverpool girls always look über hot and we definitely feel the need to pull out all the stops. In the city we have some amazing boutiques the girls never let the side down. I haven't always been clued up, I think that came in with age.
M: I think Liverpool girls love to experiment with fashion so it's never been a fixed thing. I think personally if you have an eye for the right kind of thing then you can't go wrong! Also, with working in the beauty industry, women love to gossip and with that you learn to look at what's in and what's not so it becomes easy to follow.
Where do you get your style inspiration from?
C: I get my inspiration from magazines, T.V. and from being out and about watching our guys and girls doing there thing.
M: I am quite simple, if I like it I will buy it! I won't go for something every one else has. If it's smart, trendy and a bit different i'll have it.
What's your favourite item of clothing in your wardrobe right now?
C: At the minute I'm loving a pair of black jeans I got from Zara at Christmas. They're funny jeans with small leather panels down the sides, I've called them my "Jodie's jeans"!
M: I love all my winter clothes but my fave thing is my press picture jacket which is a leather buttoned army look jacket. I love it as there are only 5 ever made so it's a find.
What can we expect from you both after series one? More TV?
C: Hopefully series 2, you'll see us out and about. I'd love to stay in T.V. and maybe do Ant and Dec's job!
M: I have huge passion for T.V. and have had an amazing response from the public! Hopefully series 2 but if not, maybe something like presenting or you never know, Chris and I could have a loose woman type of show. Who knows? haha!
It's FRIDAY!! And what a busy week it's been here at Mansnaps!
We took a look back through the history of Peacocks in pictures, lusted over pastel shirts from Burton, introduced our new grooming feature by Adam Bennett, talked about the comeback of shirts, looked at the best and worst outfits from the NTAs and visited Burton HO for their high summer press day.
No time for a rest though, as it's Friday which means it's time for my picks of the week! Check them out below.
This week I talked about the comeback of short sleeve shirts and Topman have some amazing designs. I love the bold pastel stripes on this shirt. I think it's perfect for spring and pastels are coming through as a big look on the high street right now.
I love these Vivienne Westwood Anglomania jeans for Lee!
Here is how ASOS has described the collaboration:
"Vivienne Westwood for Lee Jeans sees the influential British designer team up with denim experts Lee for a capsule collection that draws upon Westwood’s archived collections from the 70’s and 80’s and Lee’s denim expertise."
I know the price tag is a bit steep but for quality denim I think it's a fair price. I love this style because if like my me, you have chunky thighs it means skinny jeans are generally uncomfortable or unwearable. This style offers you the tapered fit at the bottom which looks great with boots and shoes but also gives you thighs room to breathe!
This t-shirt isn't going to lead any trends or break any fashion boundaries but it is a great everyday t-shirt which will be versatile from now through to summer. I love these kind of prints because they're easy to wear. You can just throw it on with jeans, trainers and a hoody or with a pair of coloured short shorts and flip flops in the summer.
On Wednesday I went along to Arcadia's High Summer press day to check out what Burton will have to offer this summer! Although the showroom was dominated by the womenswear brands, Burton's offering was a selective but exciting representation of what we can expect from them this summer!
On arrival I was offered a delicious smoothie and greeted by the lovely Tom, Burton's Press Officer who talked me through their summer collection.
Here are my four reasons to get excited about Burton's summer collection!
I LOVED the Hawaiian prints! They appeared on shirts and t-shirts and the colour palette was muted making it easier to wear unlike the prints usually seen on board shorts. Shirts had short sleeves making them a perfect layering piece over a basic vest or t-shirt. I think you can expect to see a lot of these in the festivals over the summer!
Reverse prints are great for the aztec and Hawaiian prints which might be a bit too adventurous for some of you. It's a simple idea, a bright image is printed on to the inside of the t-shirt which appears on the outside more muted. This works great on shirts and t-shirts making the trends easier to wear.
Burton's take on Ibiza day to night wear was a triumph! The short shorts, slub vests and washed out print t-shirts offer an effortlessly cool holiday look which can take you from the beach, straight to the club. The short shorts come in primary colours making them a perfect match for the printed tops and they also come in cool, stop and repeat prints which will work with a plain vest. Slub vests are perfect for summer, the loose fit and slightly longer length mean you don't get too hot and sticky - don't be afraid to go a size larger than you would do normally to ensure that the fit is loose.
The Olympics is going to be a big inspiration on the high st this summer and Burton are ready to compete. Although nothing in their summer collection comes with the word 'Olympic' it's easy to see that it doesn't need to. Using the colours from the Olympic rings as inspiration, striped t-shirts, hoodies, chinos and shorts create a sports luxe feel. Swim shorts were short, finally showing an end to board shorts which have dominated the high st in recent years. Stripes were the big feature on t-shirts for this look, as were cut and sew t-shirts creating a colour block. The primary colour mix, screams of 80's children's TV presenter but in a good way!
Last night seen a host of British celebrities gather for the National Television Awards. Celebrations were the order of the night as Doctor Who stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillian won Best Male and Best Female in a Drama, Alan Carr's Chattyman won Best Talkshow and Celebrity Juice walked away with Best Comedy Panel Show.
Here are the winners of the Mansnaps Best Dressed...
And here are the winners of Mansnaps Worst Dressed!
Where do I start? Whilst I love it when people try something different at awards show, this is a step too far for me. The colour of the shirt, too many buttons open and no tie? Better luck next year Ricky!
Ok, so this is a bit harsh, I know! However, I am so tired of seeing Peter with his shirts undone and his ties loose! Time to change it up and smarten up!
Save the metallics for the ice!
And then there was Keith Lemon...
Shirts are BACK!
Technically they never left, although it's been quite a while since I've been excited about them. Striped and checked patterns have dominated shirts over the past few seasons and whilst some have been up styled with patches and on-trend colour palettes there hasn't been any new designs or patterns to get excited about. Until now...
Here are my three favourite shirt trends, available now!
CONTRAST
Contrast shirts are coming through on the high street in different colour and fabric options now. The look has evolved from the colour block trend we seen last year and it is due to continue into S/S. I prefer the long sleeve contrast shirt as I think it gives the look more impact when you have a full sleeve which is a contrasting colour from the main body of the shirt.
POLKA DOT
Polka Dot prints can be seen in long and short sleeve shirts and in a range of colours from blue, grey, navy to burgundy. I love this print as it is so versatile. Wear Polka Dots with smart dark denim jeans or smart chinos to dress up an outfit or wear with beige or coloured chinos for a casual look.
Olly Murs looked great in Polka Dots a few months ago, check out his outfit here.
SHORT SLEEVE
Short sleeve shirts spent a long time in check HELL! For a long time, every short sleeve check shirt that I seen had a check print. Whilst there is nothing wrong with check prints I was so pleased to discover short sleeve shirts coming back with some fresh prints. I love the vintage prints from Topman, they will look great with shorts in the summer with sandals. ASOS have got some cool prints too, the nautical inspired Unconditional shirt is great take on the trend.
