YOUR SAMPLES COLLECTIVE

There are plenty of things that tell me that i shouldn’t like this ASOS find, but if i’m really honest, there is an overriding voice, which tells me how damn cool it is. 

SS12 as we are well aware, is full of somewhat obnoxious brights and prints for modern menswear, and if you are one of the chaps who are brave enough, infact, cool enough to wear them, then this is the one for you.

Short sleeves, a small enough collar and a button down front, are simple enough to let the Karmakula dark blue Hawaiian print do the talking, and it’s a bargain at only £32.

You can pick from what seems to be a range of 8, which are equally print heavy and fun, but don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ll instantly fit in with the East London cool set wearing this, we’d suggest that you style with simple shorts or jeans and footwear that doesn’t outshine the shirt. 

All i can is that my finger is working its way toward the purchase button right NOW!

YSC - Your Samples Collective

Jean Shrimpton and David Bailey - Iconic for the world of magazine

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Stars, Stripes and a few Spangled Minotaur elements formed the basis for Ricardo Tisci’s, Givenchy AW12 Men’s show.

It is evident season after season, that Tisci has found a theme, and for now at least, he is making sure to stick to it…this is something that i wouldn’t discredit him for, but instead i’d go as far as to commend him, for knowing his customer and sticking to his guns of creating a collection, that revolves around the houses now signiture elements, such as the kilt, or the bomber jacket and reinventing them through colour and fabrication.

As with all menswear brands this season, it was evident that suiting was key, especially in the form of a double breasted number. Opening looks of full black suiting and outerwear were paraded down the runway, paired with some rather interesting nose jewellery, that had a feel of punk stamped into it.

The stars and stripes that customers have come to love, were given their usual outing, in shades of red, blue, black and the rather warm addition of chocolate brown. Although we see these elements every season, team Givenchy manage to make them seem fresh and a covetable item, fit for any fashion forward man.

The standout piece from this collection for YSC, has to be the full red suit, a look that is so sharp, there should be a limited run put in place. Top to toe red for AW12 here i come! And speaking of toe, the shoes were an outstanding piece of craftsmanship, almost trainer like, with brogue detail and finished with a light dusting of red beads.

All in all, it’s easy to see why there are a legion of fans, with numbers growing every season, the brains behind the operation, Ricardo Tisci, firmly has his finger on the button for making items that the cool kids want to wear.

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If facing the dilemma, like YSC, of choosing a new coat to see you through the unpredictable weather of London this spring and beyond, then look no further than #Burberry, who design with the elements in mind.

Under the watchful eye of Christopher Bailey, who sits at the creative helm of the luxury powerhouse, the brand have redefined modern military wear, fit for any style conscious man.

On the YSC radar, is the army green, Raffia Trimmed Parka, made from a beautiful cotton twill. This piece comes with all of the beautiful additions that make a Burberry coat stand out from other brands…what also helps this coat to stand out, is it’s incredible Raffia trimmed hood, which is one of the many hand crafted items which adorn the piece.

Available now on the Burberry website or alternatively from Mr Porter for £1,695.

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The clever folk at #Vogue have shared these comical sketches of animations first family, the Simpsons. Our yellow friends, have been reincarnated as some of fashions biggest names.

Case 1: Mister Homer Simpson, styled as much loved fashion hero, Alber Elbaz, from heritage house #Lanvin! He comes complete with trademark huge bowtie, specs and a new feature, the humble doughnut! 

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We all have our ways of going about and getting our day started, for me it can usually involve a man sized mug of #twiningsearlgrey or #coffee, a dose of #frasier and his tv ramblings, jotting down of the days to do list, a soak in the tub to relax my mind for 20mins and then onto a cheeky cigarette…Boom and the day is ready to begin :)

Happy Wednesday chaps, halfway there!

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With most of us wishing away the winter blues, YSC suggest that you embrace a little touch of Africa in your life, by pre-buying into one of the biggest trends, set to storm our wardrobes for SS12.

Many brands for their Spring / Summer shows, chose to add a slice of ethnicity to the proceedings, one of the brands to do this well, was of course Burberry Prorsum, who had an army of looks which lay it’s roots in tribal finishes. 

We decided to get a little creative, and set about working on our own interpretation of the coming trend…take 1 part African fabric and 1 part white cotton, and voila! 

Presenting the YSC - A1 Shirt

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The Monk Strap shoe, is definitely one of those items that are hard to make look sexy, not only by the person who wears it, but also the designer.

Typically regarded as a member of the formal shoe family, the Monk Strap is usually worn by those who are suited ‘n’ booted in the business world. In recent years, the fashion councious sartorial lover, has adapted his daily uniform to include it’s strapped detail for a finishing touch.

The new love affair with Mr Monk, has been allowed to come about, as shoe designers such as the talented Mark McNairy, have set about redesigning this footwear classic. McNairy’s attempt is not only practical but delivers heavily on the style front, our new brand ambassador and self confessed shoe devotee Mr.P, agrees to loving this option found on the Mr Porter website, as the “crepe sole takes the edge off” allowing for the shoe to feel “casual and formal” at the same time.

Available in a dark oxblood, full grain leather, for £305, this British produced shoe is set to turn heads, as you pound the London pavements.

We’d encourage you to dress down in order to let the shoes do the talking when you wear these, simple clothing details like dark blue Acne skinnies, and a white crew neck, finished with a traditional Burberry trench will certainly have you looking rather dapper.

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What does your notepad / notebook say about you?

This of course is a simile…the pages like a tapestry, weave the journey that you lay down in ink form and second to this, the type of book that you choose, goes on to give a visual representation of who you are.

I got to thinking about the type of notepads that i favour, be it ringbound, leather, spiral, lined, graph paper etc, and came to the conclusion, that for many a man in this modern day and age, the notepad you use, really does say a lot about you.

You used lined, to keep you on the straight and narrow…

Leather bound, because it looks slick…

Ringbound, for ease of being able to jot down and turn the pages at a quick pace…

I’ve found that going around London town from meeting to meeting, you can often spot a well dressed chap, who will coordinate his Smythson monogrammed, or Moleskine lined pad with his outfit and why ever not i ask?!

Our pick of the best at the minute, is made by Smythson and available to buy from their website or Mr Porter.com for £45…

As we make our way through life, the humble notepad is in many ways a diary, a way of accounting what you have done with your days, so why not pick a jazzy one that is just as bold and as courageous as you might be. 

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I’m slightly lost for words when it comes to reviewing the Thom Browne AW12 Men’s show…as the first few looks emerged, I felt trapped between a parallel universe or perhaps that should be a multiverse, that of the Adams Family, a Marvel comic book, The Incredibles, The Sex Pistols and an all singing and dancing episode of Glee.

Studs, spikes and huge shoulder pads, were sewn into grey tailored jackets, outerwear and shorts, perfect for the build of an all star jock. It felt weird to watch models with shoulders so raised, that you could barely see where they begun and the clothing ended, but it made for an interesting spectacle.

This was Browne at his peak of creating the weird and pretty wonderful! Whilst the runway pieces are evidently not for the likes of you and I to wear down the pub on a Friday night, you can quite clearly imagine a scaled down version of this luxe nod, to punk and jazz hands.

Throughout all the humour, trademark Thom Browne colours were on offer, along with the cute but masculine prints that we have come to know him for. Anchors and images of dogs, played an interesting shape against varsity jackets, green and pink gingham suits, along with the odd skirt.

This show was certainly not for the faint hearted, it was a play on texture, shape and stature…

Team Thom, came up to the batting cage and certainly knocked this out of the park and into some very select, but cool retail spaces for AW12.

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Whilst the sound of a Vogue festival might not instantly appear to be for every man about town, Alexandra Shulman and her team, are busy prepping a long line of events, seminars and talks, that will give it’s readers and fans a deeper insight into how the fashion bible ticks over.

Other than the September issue, the general public are very rarely granted access to Vogues archives, let alone the people that go into making it all happen, and with an abundance of photographers, writers and designers, this 2 day event in April, will definitely deliver for anyone that attends, who knows, you might even bump into a top model or two boys!

Shulman has promised the rare opportunity, to ask industry experts the questions you’ve always had first hand, as well as engaging in “many interesting issues that fashion and style raise”

Although tickets haven’t yet been released, guests are invited to sign up for alerts at http://voguefestival.co.uk/tickets.html.

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The team at Bathing Ape are returning to London Soho, for another instalment of their hugely successful Pirate Store concept.

Shopper will be welcome to shop the store for 9 days, starting on Friday January 27th at 12pm and wrapping up on February 5th.

Shelves will be stocked with past season want items, factory seconds, along with a limited edition run, of exclusively produced T-shirts, which are priced at £50 each.

Head on down, for some BAPE fun and stock up on the items you know are worth having!

Log onto the Bathing Ape website if you need more details :) 

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My MacBook Pro and I are putting in the hours today, as i research potential brands to take part in a London Sample Sale…

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The age old question of do brown shoes go with black jeans / trousers…YSC would say yes, get involved, and pair your brown and black together. It’s hard to ‘F’ this up, but i guess some people still manage to tread the line of looking like they’ve just stepped out of a dark room, without colour matching effectively!

Whats your take on #brownshoesandblackjeans???

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It’s a great day for UK menswear brands and their designers, as the British Fashion Council announce plans to showcase the talents that we harness, in a dedicated schedule this June, entitled LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN

Chairman of the BFC, Harold Tilman, made the announcement today following the recent men’s shows in Milan and now Paris “The menswear industry has been growing from strength to strength in past years and this is true testament to this, London Collections: Men will not only be a showcase for brands and designers but will form a cross cultural programme creating a festival for Menswear in what will be a truly exciting year for the UK. I would like to thank Dylan Jones as Chair of the newly formed Fashion 2012 Menswear committee and all of the members, designers and brands involved in making this work.”  

A stellar team are being put in place to ensure that we are represented by the best of British, the likes of Dylan Jones, Tim Blanks and Tom Ford, will come together to decide how best to showcase designers such as James Long, Matthew Miller and Richard Green, all of which have previously benefitted from the support of NEWGEN MEN and MAN.

I am very much looking forward to how this unfolds and cannot wait to find out more details, as we draw closer to the 3 day showcase :)

http://www.britishfashioncouncil.com/news/392/London-Collections

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I can put my hands up, and quite clearly say that i am no action man! I guess the main reason being that if i were the wall scaling, canyon jumping type, i’d end up being that poor SOB, that would fall, and end up trapped #127hours style…not fun unless your James Franco or unless you were kitted out in a pair of heritage Diemme boots!

I get a little excited at the sight of a pair of the Roccia (VetTermola Tomahawk) boots…handmade from full grain Italian leather, you are certain to be placing your feet in a boot fit for exercising your inner action man.

This style in particular has had quite the revival in recent years, with the fashion concious man opting for this boot, as their shoe of choice. Ready for purchase now from oki-ni, i’d definitely say that these were a bargain at £390 (but you may be eating lentils for that month)

YSC - Your Samples Collective