London Collections Men: Pauric Sweeney

We have so much content to upload from London Collections Men that its taken a little longer than expected. Mainly down to the fact that there was not only a whole floor dedicated to men's accessories, but there were so many of them on show at the, well, shows.  This is indeed a great, and momentous thing. Not only was menswear representing, but accessories were as well.  Something we were proud to see.

Amongst the accessory floor, we found Irish Designer Pauric Sweeney.  Although originally from the Emerald Island, he can now be found in Italy creating the most beautiful bags for women, and now men.  London Collections staged the platform for the designer to launch his new manbag collection showcasing the most beautiful soft leather ever on every bag.

With a host of international stores already stocking, and a new flagship store in London opening soon, this is one to bag man to watch.

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London Collections Men: Marwood

You know us Brits love a bow tie, and there were plenty on show at London Collections Men. One of our favourite finds were from Marwood, who were showcasing their full collection for the first time.  This included bow ties, ties, braces, and pocket squares.  Spiffing!

Launched in 2011, Marwood’s first collection showcased an exquisitely crafted range of ties and bow ties made with the finest fabrics such as woven silk, wool and traditional English Leavers lace.  The neckties celebrate the traditions and techniques of a rich and distinguished British heritage.

Available from the ‘b Store’ in London, and spreading across the globe to other well known retailers.  Watch this brand fly, just like the Wright brothers.

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London Collections Men: Chris & Tibor bags and The Strong Holdall

What's in your bag these days men?  Well, it could contain the following; mobile, tablet, pen, note book, headphones, hair brush, various skin care products, gym gear, water bottle, laptop the list really does go on. So how do you carry all of these items around?  Often it means carrying around a number of different bags, but Chris & Tibor have different ideas.

They have invented 'The Strong Holdall Collection' for SS2013.  This bag is strong enough withstand the weight of all of the above items, plus much more.  However, the best part is not just in its strengh, it is in its looks.  The brand has stayed focused on creating a beautifully designed bag for the everyday man.

Chris & Tibor also make a number of other London named manbags from The Shoreditch, to The Barbican.   Now we cant wait for the The Angel.

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London Collections Men: Hancock hand luggage

Man bags we love. Anything from Scotland we love. So to mix the two into one beautiful fashion brand got us very excited. London Collections introduced us to HANCOCK, who draw their inspiration from Thomas Hancock, the English inventor who founded the British rubber industry.

Back in the day of 1843, Hancock took out a patent for the vulcanisation of rubber using sulphur, 8 weeks before Charles Goodyear in the USA, and the rest was history.

Hancock Vulcanised Articles are hand-made at a factory in Scotland, to create their iconic pieces, and are very much a modern day twist on a old school luggage classic.

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Thomas Sabo Press Day at The Langham Hotel

From its origins of the 80's in Germany, Thomas Sabo has grown to become an international known and loved brand. I was invited down to their latest press day in the grand location of The Langham Hotel, to see the latest offering.

We were greeted with quaint hot scones, cream and jam and a glass of bubbly.  Then the understated bling of the products caught our eye, and we moved over to the men's collection.  Rings, cuff-links, bracelets and watches were on display all with the classic Thomas Sabo markings.  Our favourite piece has got to be the inter-locking chain ring, which reminds us of our own Celtic heritage.

To top off the day, we finished with handmade cupcakes, which were adorned with an actual crystal! Now that's now to do an impressive press day, we have to say.

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London Collections Men: #PGGroomRoom with Michael Douglas

During the madness of London Collections whenever the men attending needing 5 minutes to themselves, P&G came to the rescue.  On the 3rd floor of the Hospital Club they had set up the #PGGroomRoom, which was an oasis of calm for the weary fashion follower.

In the lovely space you could find massages, celebrity hair cuts from none other than Michael Douglas, and of course lots and lots of amazing P&G goodies ranging from Gillette, Shock Waves, Oral B, Head & Shoulders plus much more.

I took it upon myself to take full advantage of the celebrity hair cut, and chop off my long locks. To say I was a little nervous, would've been...... well, very true!  The cheeky chap did a sterling job, and I love my new style.  So thanks to all the team behind the scenes for making it happen.

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London Collections Men: Mr Start

Our favorite Shoreditch tailor, Mr Start, presented a more relaxed version of his suit collection at London Collections. There were a number of first for the brand with accessories making an appearance on the catwalk. Leather bags, and also hats were the most notable feature illustrating a forward looking approach to tailored casual-wear, whilst retaining throughout what Mr Start does best.

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London Collections Men: Have a Hanky Hat summer

Of all the things that I thought I would find at London Collections, I didn't think I would find a Hanky Hat. I did though, and it was a craze that swept over every chap at the weekend, and will continue over the summer.

The history of a handkerchief hat can originally be found from the UK industrial age, when workers first started having holidays but couldn't afford special summer clothing. Later it became a comic cliche with Monty Python rocking the look. Today, it was been resurrected by the chaps at Dashing Tweeds and modernised for today's dandy.

The new hat is a cross between a flat cap (at the front), and a knotted handkerchief (at the back). The craze is set to continue with the Hanky chaps recording a cheeky song this week, to be released on iTunes. Watch this space for an update on when you can download the full track and watch the video.

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London Collections Men: Stephen Webster

Our jewellery designer guro, Stephen Webster, launched London Collecions Men with a presentation in the basement of Hix's restaurant in Soho.  Stephen presented his new Spring Summer 2013 collection ‘Highwayman’ together with a retrospective of his iconic men’s collections spanning the last 10 years. Taking inspiration from the highways and byways of the United States, the ‘Highwayman’ collection draws upon the raw and masculine feel of the road

Joining him for the presentation, and instead of a normal catwalk show the 'models' strutted across the top of the Hix bar, with jewellery front and center. London icons Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp and Nicky Clarke were the chosen models for the day strutting across the bar to a soundtrack including ‘Gold’ by Spandau Ballet.

Styled by Jessica Punter of GQ, with clothes from British brands Spencer Hart, Paul Smith and Hayward; the models carried bags created by Stephen Webster in collaboration with Bill Amberg. In quintessentially British style, HIX served a full English breakfast together with a choice of builder’s tea or Gin tea created by Beefeater.

‘This collection is inspired by the road trips I take each year with my friend Jeff in our fully restored 1959 Thunderbird. Jeff and I have driven across the whole of the US including Route 66 and twice into Canada. During each trip I write a diary logging the experiences and the adventures we incur. This is a man's jewellery collection inspired by these journeys. The base of the collection is silver but many finishes and gems have been used, resulting in a slick modern collection to suit the speed freak, the Sunday driver and even the back seat driver. The one thing in common is the enjoyment of the open road and escapism.’

Stephen Webster

For more pictures of the presentation, check out Maketh-The-Man's Facebook page.

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London Collections Men - The Outtakes

London Collections Men finally hit our streets this weekend.  During 15th to 17th of June 2012 London's most fabulously dressed men came out in the droves to celebrate the inaugural menswear event.  The Hospital Club took center stage and was home base for the majority of the action.  With brands such as Matthew Miller, Oliver Spencer, Katie Eary, James Long and Barrtmans & Siegel all showing it was a weekend to remember.  For more of our outtake pictures of the weekend, check out Maketh-The-Mans Facebook page.

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