Fashion Forward: TOMS Shoes

Lightweight, practical and versatile – espadrilles are the stand out spring/summer footwear choice for guys. But for TOMS Shoes, they represent so much more than just fashion.

In 2006, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by TOMS customers.

The TOMS Shoes movement is such a simple idea. It’s a fashionable idea. It’s an idea that sets a very high standard to other retailers. But most importantly it’s an idea that supports the biggest trend of them all: giving. So for anyone – guys or girls – thinking of investing in a pair of espadrilles, please don’t opt for a 2 for £20 high street bargain, visit the TOMS Shoes website and do your bit.

French Connection S/S 2011 – You Are Man?

It was around this time last year that French Connection launched their ‘The Man’ advertising campaign, showcasing a series of slick adverts that depicted the survival skills of a ‘real man’.

This Spring/Summer French Connection have taken things a step further, exploring how gender and society dictate behavior with powerful, thought-provoking shots entitled “You are…”.  Questioning what it means to be a man or a woman in today’s society, French Connection have kicked on from the award-winning 2010 campaigns to pose some more provoking questions – confronting the viewer by asking; “You are Man?”

Man or not, this is one striking campaign.

For more snap shots and videos from the campaign head over to the French Connection website.

H&M – Pretty Green?

I’ve seen a big rise in Organic Male Grooming products in the last year, and now the natural trend seems to have made its way on to the high street as one retailer is giving shoppers the chance to get the latest fashion and save the environment.

Sounds too good to be true? Well it’s only a few selected items, but H&M have launched a line for men, women and children with all items made totally from organic cotton. This jacket is my favourite, and at just £24.99 its a steal as well as being sustainable style.

The range is available now, both online and in store.

Trend Watch: ASOS Williamsburg

Not since The Strokes inspired a New York fashion invasion in the early noughties has men’s fashion in the UK been so smitten with the Big Apple. As ASOS’ latest fashion fix showcases – it’s all eyes across the pond this spring.

Williamsburg is a trend inspired by the Brooklyn neighbourhood, famed for being home to New York’s creative community and most stylish men and women, and its effortless thrift-store meets Ivy-League look. Over the next few weeks you’ll be looking to incorporate some Spring style into your wardrobe, phasing out the chunky knitwear and opting for some US inspired layering. Whether you favour a cherished thrift-store find, or an off the rail piece from the high street – these are my picks straight from the ASOS hit list…

Everyone’s Talking About: Mario Balotelli’s Hat

After delving into football’s latest fashion fix with my recent post on snoods, it seems Man City’s playing staff have served up another gem. Before last night’s Premier league clash with Everton, City’s Italian bad boy Mario Balotelli arrived wearing a very questionable piece of head gear (see below). Whatever you think about snoods, this is one football related fashion accessory that definitely isn’t going to catch on.

Everyone’s Talking About: Snoods

It’s not often that catwalk models and Carlos Tevez would have anything in common, but with the rise of a certain fashion accessory Carlos and his fellow professional footballers are very much – if not contriversially – en trend.

While as a fashion accessory I think they have real credibility, as a football accessory I’m struggling to see the point in the snood. In all my years of playing the beautiful game I’ve never once suffered from a cold neck – hands yes – but never a cold neck. Needless to say I’m not the only one with an opinion on the subject, with Mr Roy Keane expressing his distaste in his normal poetic manor earlier this week.

“Don’t get me started. I don’t know how they do it. It’s very strange. Gloves, scarves, I think somebody came on a few weeks ago for [Manchester] City who had a hat on. I don’t know how they do it and focus on the game, it’s weird. That’s the way the game’s gone.”

So it’s a no from me and Keano as far as football goes (despite most of the Arsenal players trying to convince us otherwise) but in style terms the snood is on fine form. I’ve picked out these five fan favourites for ‘Snood Of The Month’…

Everyone’s Talking About: Snoods by Pour Homme on Polyvore.com

Winter Knitwear & Accessories (Part 1)

Unless you’ve been living in a box with no windows and the heating turned right up, it won’t have escaped your attention that the temperatures in the UK have plummeted the wrong side of zero. Yes it looks Christmassy, but we Brits don’t deal with this snow and ice lark very well do we?

To help you avoid the same mistakes I made this week (incredibly under prepared brogues with no grip and thin cream chinos in the snow!?) I’ve picked some of my favourite winter warmers to help guide you through to spring.

Menswear Winter Knitwear & Accessories by Pour Homme on Polyvore.com

Movember Style Icons

While it’s a charity event with some real credibility, the Movember concept uses the humour of growing a moustache to its advantage – as you’ll have gathered by my recent posts. But growing a moustache shouldn’t always be viewed as a novelty concept embraced by 80’s throwbacks and Ned Flanders enthusiasts, it can really add some individuality and credibility to your style. Don’t believe me? Well than take a look at some of the world’s most stylish men, sporting facial hair that adds sophistication, masculinity and a certain flair to their already accomplished styles.

Gaz7etta: The New Men’s Mag In Town

Grazia, popular women’s fashion and trashy celeb gossip magazine, is set to launch a men’s version into the frankly sparse men’s mag market. But before you imagine headlines of “Becks: My Diet Hell” and “Brad: My Style Secrets”, let me tell you what ‘Gaz7etta’ has to offer us gents…

Well, according to Grazia “Gaz7etta is the perfect mix of news and style, with a healthy dose of business, politics and sport. Like Grazia, this is all about making the news work for you.” Makes a change from boobs’n’beer doesn’t it – clearly, this is a men’s mag, not a lad’s mag.

The first issue features Roberto Mancini, Joy Division, Brad Pitt’s stoner architecture, The Inbetweeners’ Iain Morris, the real Mad Men, and a chance to win one of ten iPads – oh and Lemmy from Motorhead giving his life coaching tips! Quite an eclectic line up I think you’ll agree. But as the old saying goes – the proof will well and truly be in the pudding. In a world where twitter delivers our breaking news and fashion trends side by side, print publications have to work even harder to keep the readers attention. Even though they get to use more than 140 characters, this is still a tough market to crack. Only time will tell whether the world is ready for Gaz7etta, or whether Gaz7etta is ready to take on this ever changing media world.

The first issue of Gaz7etta is available with this weeks Grazia, but if it goes down well we can expect Gaz7etta to feature heavily on newsagent shelves of 2011.

Fashion News: ASOS Go Mobile

While it’s hardly up there with the invention of the wheel, or even sliced bread, the launch of ASOS mobile will inevitably change the way I shop. My shopping habits have changed so much over the last year that even online shopping seems archaic to me. If I can’t buy it on my Amazon, Tesco or Ebay mobile apps then it isn’t worth buying, if there isn’t an app for something, then searching the internet is simply too much effort – such is the world we live in today.

So imagine my excitement upon discovering that I can now do all my clothes shopping, with one of my favourite online retailers, anywhere I so choose. No doubt that 6 months from now I’ll be an iPhone obsessed internet zombie, but hey – at least I’ll be well dressed!

To shop on your mobile simply visit ASOS.com from your phone’s web browser where you’ll be able to search, browse and buy from the full range, even syncing your account from your phone to PC and back again.