THE WHITE SHIRT OF THE SUMMER




Evening all, what a post I have for you tonight. I've stumbled upon the white shirt of the summer! I know this shirt is going to become one of my go-to white shirts of the season! Let's kick things off with why this particular item caught my eye. I don't have to say anything else other than just look at that Cuban neckline. I love everything about this shirt and think everyone should have this in their wardrobe this summer!





The shirt is one of my favourite styles, the cut is very relaxed and oversized which makes for the perfect holiday shirt. Just imagine, a warm summers night abroad, gradually developing a tan, then being able to throw this killer shirt on your back and button up in an effortlessly cool way. It's going to look pretty damn cool. It's made from a super smooth, lightweight viscose which drapes over the shoulders which in my opinion looks a lot more expensive than it actually is.







Getting back to that pointed collar, I love the sharp angles and its wide open neckline, I always wear my shirts in this manner, but  this collar design is more prominent and has a lot more structure than loosening a couple of buttons. I mentioned across on my YouTube video this week that this sharp collar would look amazing under a fitted suit jacket in a contrasting colour, which again is a major style this SS19.




You may not notice on my photographs but the chest placket detail is also quite a nice small detail. The double viscose layer where the shirt fastens up gives a stronger white to the chest placket which frames the shirt nicely when wearing. The shirt was only £22, which as you can see for the inexpensive price looks pretty good if you ask me. The shirt also comes in a short sleeve version for even less, and is also available in black. The only two colours I need in my wardrobe!






This weeks YouTube is all about the shirt, head over and check it out by clicking below -


Shop the long sleeve shirt I have here: Asos Shirt
You an also get this shirt in Short sleeve by clicking here: Asos Short Sleeve Shirt

Cheers,




THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH




Hello guys, how are you all? I've had a pretty good week this week, and to make it even better I came across this beauty of a jacket! Last Friday the boss took our small team out of Manchester to a vintage emporium just outside the city to pick up a few props for a very exciting up and coming shoot (I'll tell you about it soon). So Friday afternoon was spent searching for items at a huge warehouse of old antique items and second hand goods. THE DREAM situation.



Deep in the middle of the warehouse was a small rack of jackets, I spotted two that were military style and I've been looking for a navy military jacket for a long time now. So, as soon as I saw this little guy I knew it was the one for me. I took it delicately off the hanger and tried it on - it fit perfectly. Normally when I find a vintage jacket I love the only thing stopping me taking it home is the size, they're always either too small or too big! This one however, felt like it had been made just for me!






Next stumbling block - the price. Normally if I've found a jacket that I love the style of and that actually fits me the next downfall is the cost. In my head I was already thinking I'd definitely pay £80 for this killer jacket! This was met by sheer horror when I told my work colleagues as they thought the whole thing was falling apart (we'll get onto that later). After a pep talk on pricing strategy, the bargaining began... "How much is this mate?" The guy in the warehouse replied "I've got £40 on it" (already half of what my top budget was in my head). I put on my best poker face and said " How's about £20 mate"? The art of the bargain, you can never go less than your original price you first say, so you may as well make it as low as possible. The guy "£25". I couldn't shake his hand fast enough.

Me - 'Can I have the hanger too? Guy - "cheeky bastard". The deal was done, the jacket plus a fantastic hanger for £25. BARGAIN!






Getting back to the falling apart bit, if I'm being honest the jacket wasn't in the best way when I shook hands. The seams were splitting, the lining was falling apart and the chain mail epaulets were just hanging on by a few stitches! I looked past all that as I knew this jacket had something special about it. Looking at it through rose coloured glasses it was great but I knew deep down this vintage piece was going to need a lot of TLC before I could wear it. Job number one - take the jacket to a tailors, get it back looking its best. Done £16.






Job number two - get jacket dry cleaned. Done £15. I picked it up Friday just gone and wore it for the first time out yesterday. The all in spend was £56, not too bad if you ask me for one of the coolest jackets I've ever seen! Buying vintage can be a little pricey but If you do get a steal it's definitely worth spending a little cash on getting the piece fixed, meaning in the long run it will last a lot longer plus look a lot better! I just love the idea of saving something which without your help, could be lost forever.





I styled the jacket on top of a Breton long sleeve t-shirt, inspired by a Saint Laurent catwalk show. I love the look of this jacket when it's on, it's got such a cool vibe to it. Yes, it's a standout jacket but believe it or not I have never had chain mail in my wardrobe but this individual piece is just something I couldn't walk past! I want to wear this jacket as much as I can, it has the look and feel of something very expensive and it reminds me of a classic Dior jacket or even a Hedi Slimane, Saint Laurent piece with its art nouveau sleeve embellishment and high, rounded collar with broach pins.



I had a lot of DM's when I posted this across on my Instagram of where had I found it. I would strongly recommend checking both this place and the vintage store opposite (another huge antique warehouse) out if you're ever in or close to Manchester. It really is antique heaven!

📍 8 Wrigley Head, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BL

Watch this weeks YouTube here where you can see the jacket in much more detail plus a whole lot more.



Cheers,




LEOPARD FAUX FUR JACKET




Evening guys, how're you all doing this fine Sunday night? Tonight I'm back talking fashion and I've got a pretty cool jacket to show you. Sadly the weather here in Manchester this weekend has been a total wash out, meaning the photographs are not as dry as I'd usually like them. No one looks good when slightly damp, but hey - I've tried my best with the weather not being on my side.





The jacket (even though a little wet) looks pretty sweet, don't you agree? To be fair I've been struggling seeing anything I like on the high-street or online recently which has been a little deflating. However, when this happens I always refer to searching for patterns or prints I know I'd love rather than actual pieces.

I always start the hunt by typing 'leopard print', 'western' or 'cowboy' in the search bar of places like ASOS and ZARA, then see what comes up in the filtered results. After searching for these styles it's then just the case of a lot of scrolling to see if anything takes the eye. Sometimes this doesn't pay off, or in this case it's come through with one killer jacket.





So what did I find? Well, It's a faux fur jacket with a thin pile meaning it's great to wear for the transition from winter to spring. I've styled it on top of an old black denim, which I think looks good as it definitely acts more a standard fit over-shirt. I bought the leopard print jacket in a small, but it's not the most tailored fit, it's more of a boxy shape. You may think it's a negative, however layered up in an outfit it's the perfect size.






Since this jacket has such a striking pattern (head across to my YouTube to see it close up and in more importantly in colour) the all black outfit counter balanced the power of the print. I also rolled my denim cuffs up and over the jacket to break the strong pattern even more in my outfit. Classic accessories followed, chains, belts, rings and hat - OBVIOUSLY.





The jacket has a classic silver zip up front and rounded collar. As you all know animal prints my bag and this jacket does not disappoint. To take a closer look at the jacket over on ASOS click the link here: ASOS Faux Fur Leopard. Thankfully the shoot wasn't all wet as we also hired a studio for BOYGIRL meaning I was also lucky enough to snap a couple of photographs in there too! 

Thanks to CJ for braving the weather with me and taking my photographs. LEGEND! Take a closer look at the jacket by viewing this weeks YouTube video below.


Cheers,