That Dapper Chap: HM

Wednesday, 18 November 2015

What I Wore Today #40 - Autumnal Shades

Craig of That Dapper Chap shows us what he wore today, taking inspiration from the changing autumnal landscape and showing off his new boots from Chatham Footwear

Autumn is well and truly here, the leaves have turned a mixture of stunning ochres and deep reds, the nights have got darker and colder and it's time to pull out your winter coat.

I bought this coat last autumn from Zara while on a trip to London. It's still great for this year with its slim fit and classic military shape. As often with Zara they added a twist to this classic, and used a very contemporary fabric, making it stand out from other coats on the high street. Unfortunately it isn't available this year but there is an equivalent in a large black and grey check. It's also available in a blazer too, and it's something I've added to my Christmas list.

Think of layering I chose a floral shirt with a very autumnal colour scheme and wore this under a cardigan with hues of burnt umber. The tie is vintage and helps to bring the colour scheme together while making a bit of a statement against the floral shirt.

Footwear has to be substantial at this time of year so I opted for these beauties. These are the 'Stornoway' tan leather and tweed boots from Chatham. I recently listed my top five pairs of shoes and boots from Chatham and these were number one in my list. See the article HERE

Where It's All From

Stornoway Leather and tweed boots - Chatham

Wool check trousers - Topman

Floral print shirt - Burton

Brown cardigan - H&M

Vintage diamond check tie - Ebay

Coat hanger tie clip - Stitches of Style

Wool check coat - Zara

Leather gloves - Zara

Sunglasses - Primark

Leather suitcase - Vintage

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What I Wore Today #38 - The H&M Camel Suit

Craig Shows us what he wore today, sporting his latest suit and a dapper bow tie from General Knot

So, Date Night has come around again, do you just go with jeans and a T-Shirt? After all it's been years and s/he doesn't really care what you wear right? Wrong! They care, and they care a lot, even if they say they don't, they do, trust me!

If you're going to make an effort to keep date night a 'thing' you also need to make an effort to make him/her feel special and that means taking the time to dress appropriately to show her that she's still worth making an effort for. It matters, don't ever think that it doesn't!

So, that said I chose a new 100% cotton suit from H&M. The material is a heavier weight and feels substantial and of a higher quality that you may think. It also doesn't crease like you think a cotton suit may.

Letting the suit be the center of attention, I kept things simple with a plain white slim fit shirt. To elevate the look so something a bit more special I added a new bow tie from General Knot & Co who are a US based brand specialising in unique ties and accessories made from vintage fabrics. This tie is the 'Pendleton' Tobacco Shadow Plaid & 1950s Wheat Grass Reversible tie, priced at $78.00. I have checked online to see if it is still available for you but it looks to have sold out. So, if you do see anything online that you like, I recommend that you snap it up before it's gone for good as they are all limited edition!

The pocket square and beaded trouser chain maintained the colour scheme and told an Autumnal story, which is compounded by the richly coloured leather gloves, briefcase socks and shoes.

Overall this is a classic and very vintage style look which is obviously enhanced by the bow tie and the other accessories, such as the pedal bike lapel pin. The over sized glasses also help to keep this look cohesive.

Our date night was a success. We ate as ASK Italian and shared an Antipasto starter before digging in to meatballs and a seafood risotto. After a chocolate Lava Mountain we made our way to the cinema to see Solace, a thriller staring the talented Anthony Hopkins. We had a great night, I'm not saying that this suit made that happen but it most definitely contributed.

WHERE IT'S ALL FROM

Brown Cotton Suit: H&M £85.00

Slim Fit White Shirt: H&M £9.99

Vintage fabric Bow Tie: General Knot & Co $39.00

Leather Gloves: Zara £25.99

Pocket Square: Ebay

Watch: AVI-8 Hawker Hurricane £280

Glasses: London Retro 'Goldsmiths' from Glasses Direct £90.00

Shoes: Bordo 'Brooksby Grain' Leather Apron Toe Shoe £69.99

Briefcase: RJR By John Rocha at Debenhams £55.00

Dark Red Ribbed Socks: Uniqlo £2.60

Bicycle Lapel Pin: River Island £5.00

Beaded Trouser Chain: Home Made

Belt: Primark £3.00

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What I Wore Today - Grey Check Three Piece Suit

That Dapper Chap shows us what he wore today and tells us about this grey check three piece suit on this bow tie Tuesday.

Todays look, rolling up my sleeves to feel the sun

What a beautiful day today was! Spring is most definitely here! With daffodils and tulips bobbing their colourful heads in the light breeze, and the warmth of the sun tempting us into removing our blazers. It's now that the warmer weather gets us hunting for those sunglasses that were put somewhere very safe last September! Have you managed to locate yours?

The suit jacket and todays bag

I've only worn this suit once before, actually that's a lie, I have only worn the trousers and waistcoat once before. That's because I have only very recently bought the matching jacket. I wore the trousers and waistcoat for my shoot with Antoni Manuel and I'd totally forgotten how well it fits and how much I liked it! You can see an image from that shoot on the blog banner above.

The entire look with the three piece suit

The suit is 70% wool but it isn't a heavy suit, in fact it's quite light and very easy to wear. It is predominantly grey with a brown windowpane check. While I do not generally champion mixing grey and brown as I feel that they come from different colour families and don't compliment each other, I'm happy that this works.

A close up of the vintage bow tie and lapel pin

As the orangey brown check is quite prominent I decided to embrace the colour clash and chose a vintage clip on bow tie in a classic paisley design. It gives a very vintage look, particularly with a three piece suit and matches the colour well.

Taking time out to enjoy the delightful spring weather

Continuing with the vintage theme I wore my vintage pocket watch with a new chain. It's just a cheap replica but it does the job. It was just £7 from Ebay. I'd been looking for a more elaborate chain for sometime and while I could find plenty they were a little out of my price range! I'd love a genuine vintage silver chain, maybe that will go on my Christmas list!

My new pocket watch chain with elaborate charm

Stepping out in style

Again keeping with that slightly orangey theme, I went for orange socks. This adds a real shock of colour and a bit more personality to the look. I continued that colour story with the bracelets.

Todays shoes are a vintage style brogue, again this maintains that overall theme. While they look good, they are not leather. They're now a bit worse for wear, particularly as I tripped on these steps and virtually ripped the heel off the right shoe! Time for a new pair I think!