The allure of Mulberry

The manly accessories brand

Mulberry is the go-to brand these days for the London commuter; if you just look around the train compartment on any given weekday you're bound to catch a glimpse of at least 1 lady toting a Mulberry bag. Whether it's the Alexa (cross-body bag)or the Bayswater (shoulder bag), they're out there in their hundreds. And it's now high time that men cottoned on to the quality of Mulberry products at their achievable price tags, well it may make you hold off buying another bag for 3 years but still just about achievable.

Mulberry's appeal lies in the feel of the leather, no-one can deny the quality of the soft, buttery buffalo leather they use. The other part of the brand's popularity is the practicality of their products and the ease with which they'd slot into your life, from iPhone cases, to passport cover and briefcases that'll fit a Apple iMac.

Mulberry started out, humbly, in the rural county of Somerset (hence the tree logo) in 1971. The brand became popular for its quintessentially English style and personality, which drew inspiration from the country pursuits of hunting, shooting and fishing. Helped by the emergence of the 'It bag' in women's fashion, Mulberry became super popular over the last decade, thanks to designs like the Bayswater and the Alexa.

Mulberry may evoke traditional English styles but the brand is throughly contemporary. Their photography is cool, edgy and eye-catching; this season they went to Brighton with a bunch of oversized confectionary props for a unique take on a Spring/Summer campaign. Their website is also cool, with lots of fun functionality that they've also converted into to a iPhone and iPad app (they may well have an android app but I only have Apple products so wouldn't know, sorry!). I should apologise that once you've taken a look you'll soon be sucked into the Mulberry world, yes it's a little aspirational but it's unlikely you'll ever look back to other accessories brands.

Summer prints

Summer in menswear is all about brightening up your outfit with colour and flaunting some prints. Of course some are easier to wear than others, see my run below of the top 4 prints you should consider for additions to your wardrobe:

Stripes

The obvious choice for the man wary of prints. Stripes and summer go perennially hand in hand thanks to the sunshine associations of nautical and Riviera style. Nautical is generally quite a wide stripe and is all over the high street so you can't miss it. A Riviera stripe should really have a smarter note. A new stripe to consider comes in a seersucker fabric and is generally a softer shade than nautical or Riviera. Just wearing seersucker shorts or a shirt will conjure up images of beach huts and sand dunes.

Hawaiian

My personal favourite! Who doesn't want to wear a shirt that'll have everyone thinking of tropical paradise?! A note of warning though - if you're going for a Hawaiian shirt and don't want to look like an old man on the Florida coast, please make sure the shirt doesn't swamp you and has more tailoring to it than the average tent!

Checks

Phew, back to an easy one of the previous controversial print! For the last few years, checks have been everywhere in menswear, you probably already have 3 checked shirts in your wardrobe. If you're a classic check, in the style of a cowboy kind of guy, maybe branch out into gingham this season. It's a tad smarter than the American Midwest check but it's got a fresher look to it.

Tribal

A little bit more daring as this one is a recent introduction to the menswear prints repertoire that's spilt over from womenswear. I know they look a little scary but I think these trousers from H&M are perfect for summer holidays! They're 100% cotton, they have a soft comfortable waistband and a relaxed fit, what more could you want?! And they look just like Burberry's Ikat trousers (on the right) at less than 10% of the price! Just pair them with a plain jersey top, grey or navy would work well, and sandals. When they're on, they'll feel just like your comfiest sweatpants so hopefully you'll realise they're nothing to be scared of!

The onesie 'dilemma'

I'm just going to come right out and state where I fall on this divisive subject (if you couldn't tell from the post title): no, no, no, no. Seriously, no. Yes they may be the comfiest thing since Abercrombie sweatpants but trust me, they won't do anything for your sex appeal! And frankly, I'm confused why a grown man would want to take style tips from George Dawes. I mean it was the nineties and he was trying to look ridiculous; is that what you want from an ensemble? If your answer is yes then go ahead, be my guest. I'll just be sniggering at you from afar.

I am aware that Brad Pitt has been snapped recently strolling about in his onesie and the entirety of One Direction love theirs (although they were photographed wearing them at the same time - screams sponsored endorsement doesn't it?!). If you've not seen the photos of Brad, look them up; even he, who is undoubtedly one of the biggest male sex icons of the last 20 years, can't pull it off.

I can see that a onesie may be useful in the Nordic countries they originate from where it's cold and they don't get a lot of sunlight, so no-one can really see what you've got on. But in Britain? It's still light at 5.30pm here right now and it's never going to be cold enough to regress back to when you were a baby crawling around in a romper suit.

And how do you go to the toilet? There may be a very simple action for this but that's what I think every time I see someone in a onesie. Is that the first thought you want to provoke in people?

If I've not convinced you with this post, seriously, look up the pictures of Brad Pitt. Then put the onesie back on the shelf or hanger (I'm unsure how you'd merchandise such a garment) and step away. Maybe treat yourself to a nice new pair of baggy sweatpants instead, and successfully maintain your credibility and your dignity.

Best of British

With the Olympic Games and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year, it seems everyone on the high street is rolling out the red, white and blue. This is across home, gifts, womenswear and menswear. Of course, the American designers have been doing this for years, what with America's penchant for the Stars and Stripes, but we Brits don't really celebrate our flag - except perhaps in an ironic way!

The Union Jack is an easy bandwagon for the high street to jump on. We saw it in the 1990s when Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls wore that dress and we seeing it now. I guess the aim is to turn even the most sceptical into an enthusiastic Anglophile. So how can you get into this trend without looking like a walking cliché?

• Vintage flag T-shirts - You'll find these in lots of assortment as they're the easiest way for brands to celebrate ‘Britishness’. Look for rockstar style graphics with fading and blurred edges. Note - this isn't the most stylish way to work the trend but it is the simplest!


• Celebrate British design - This seems to me like a very middle class sort of trend; akin to people wanting to know exactly which farm their steak was sourced from. But it does seem to be a concern on the high street right now with brands shouting about their British/English credentials and bragging about working with the likes of Abraham Moon or Harris Tweed. Over the years, British manufacturing has been dwindling as it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the prices offered by manufacturers in China and the rest of the far east. This is a real shame because it means we lose whole ways of working and manufacturing processes. There are now few wholly British brands, there are quite a few high end ones; go to Savile Row and you'll find a few; but not so many on the more affordable end of the scale. You can try John Smedley who makes beautiful knitwear at a fairly reasonable price. Or up and coming brand, Cro'Jack who have quite a unique offering of outerwear, tops, knitwear and accessories - all made and designed in the UK.


• Combine red, white and blue in an outfit - The stylish way to wear the trend! There are loads of pieces out there, just waiting to be put together in your own homage to the Union Jack. The vivid combination makes these colours perfect for summer, see my Pinterest board for how to put an outfit together. Look for a combination of stripes and block colours. Plus, quite conveniently, you can wear blue jeans! Although I'd recommend bright blue chinos instead so you can incorporate this season's obsession with the colourful chinos.

Screen and Style

Over the past few seasons, thanks to a preoccupation with retro and vintage styles, popular TV shows and films with distinctive style from a bygone era are frequently celebrated in designers' and high street collections. It started with Mad Men and sixties tailoring, then we got to Boardwalk Empire and the double-breasted suits of the twenties.

This season's style revival? The bomber jacket. Heavily featured in Ryan Gosling's critically acclaimed film, Drive, the style is having its moment again. It's just a shame you'll be hard pushed to find Driver's satin jacket complete with an embroidered scorpion on the back!

The history of the bomber jacket, as so often with popular men's styles, has military routes. Sometimes referred to as a flight jacket, the bomber was originally created for American pilots to keep them warm in the cockpit. It started with the ubiquitous shearling aviator and then progressed to a style like today's bomber jacket. Originally the jacket was sage green with a contrasting vibrant orange lining.

A bomber jacket is an ideal choice or spring - it's lightweight yet warm enough for the clement weather. Plus it'll add a cool confidence to your look, akin to the film's Driver.

Summer blues

Summer blues is one of my favourite trends this season for menswear. From nautical to preppy to brights, the runways couldn't get enough of blue this season. Blue is so easy to wear as it matches well with bright chinos or you can create a tone on tone look by matching a blue top with denim jeans. Plus it suits pretty much every skin tone so it'll never make you look bad! Blend your patterns by starting with a gingham shirt and then choosing a tie with a pattern on a different scale to the shirt.

Designers must be inspired by the sea and the sky in creating this trend, it just makes you think of summer holidays and sunshine!

First post!

So the first post is a little nerve-racking; I'm sure it can only get easier! I love writing and have thought about starting a blog for a long time but kept waiting for inspiration to strike. Here goes then!

As it says in my introduction, I'm a copywriter for a big fashion in retailer in the UK, writing product copy, articles and editorials for menswear and sportswear. And I've found that I've really gotten into men's fashion! It may not be as exciting as womenswear at times, and trends may repeat themselves over and over (another season of nautical?! When isn't it 'on-trend'?) But I think it can be a lot easier to get right than women's style and there are so many inherited conventions that are fascinating - who decided a suit should be made just like that and how has such a complex design survived so well?

My main idea behind starting this blog is to write about and explore menswear trends and my favourite pieces that I find online or in stores during my everyday job and shopping trips. I read a lot of menswear blogs myself and sometimes struggle to find a comprehensive list of trends for the current season and there are no-where near as many men's blogs as women's so thought I should add my own voice!