I Wear I Post: Zatchel Satchel

We jump back into the fray with a review of my brand new Zatchels satchel. I’ve been after a smaller bag for a while now enough for a laptop, tablet, phone, keys and some hand cream in these winter months. I’ve been looking at clutches and even iPad sleeves that have either been too big or too small. I did find this lovely Alexander McQueen laptop bag, in black or tartan, but missed out on it in the sales. Boo hoo hoo!

The One That Got Away

I had looked at the satchel market, Cambridge in particular, but discounted them as the one I wanted, the slightly different Music bag, was far too big.

Nice But Big

Zatchels popped up on my radar, for scandalous, lawsuit reasons but any press is good press and low and behold I stepped into satchel heaven.

Bags, Bags, Bags, Bags, Bags.

I’ve gone for a toned down distressed leather satchel in 14.5” size. It gives a timeless, vintage look and works as much for fully suited and booted client meetings as it does for business casual and even dress down Friday. I opted against having the bag personally engraved but opted for the additional top stitched handle and cross body strap slider for added comfort.

Even at a relatively small size the bag does look big at first but it fits my laptop and charger, iPad and a notebook in the main compartment, keys, wallet and phone in the smaller front compartment all without looking overly stuffed. Simples. It comes in an environmentally friendly dust bag which doesn’t mask the ‘fragrant smell’. Thankfully this fades with use! The buckles are a bit fiddly at first but soon soften with use and provide good security. All in all I love it. And I know, given the quality, it will only get better with time. Go and get one. Go on then!

Content In…

Wardrobe Staple: The leather Jack Purcell

I managed to pick up a Wardrobe staple this past week. A leather pair of Converse Jack Purcell trainers. I had originally been planning to pick up a navy pair for £70 but jumped at these pair on Secret Sales for £30!!!

Antique Leather Oxblood Jack Purcell by Converse

I’ve been looking at several bits in the sales that I could pair with them and found the following in my travels

The slim fitting ‘Hanning’ quilted jacket from AllSaints. Hopefully I can pick it up for a bargain during the sales!

AllSaints Hanning Blazer in Oxblood

I was thinking of pairing it up with this waffle knit jumper from GAP

GAP Chunky Textured Sweater

And these garment dye chinos from Reiss. On sale at the moment!

Reiss ‘Exmouth’ Garment Dye Chino in Sand

The Jack Purcell’s are definitely a wardrobe staple. Versatile, classic and practical. What more could you want. The leather pairs come in a variety of colours but my favourites are Navy blue, black and vintage brown as I feel these lend themselves to the most wear, along with my pair of course!

Certified Wardrobe Staples – The Jack Purcell

H&M Rebel Slim Fit Chinos

As part of my A/W wardrobe staple I have been on the lookout for suitable rebel pants. What do I mean? The trousers that fly in the face of the damp miserable British winter and harp back to the summer fun we had on holiday. Abroad of course.

Our scouring the net and pounding the high street led us to a brilliant find. The H&M slim fit Chino. Available in a fine array of colours we were able to bag, not one, not two, but three of the beauties for our winter wardrobe.

Colourful Like a space rocket ice lolly!

First off there feel great on with a soft cotton feel and a vibrant hue finish to the fabric. The cut is indeed a slim cut, tapered on the leg. Often I find slim to actually be more like a straight cut so this was good. H&M use comfort fitting so don’t be surprised to drop a size to get the best fit.

I went for the Bright Blue, Mustard Yellow and Rust coloured chinos all at the bargain price of £10 each! The yellow was a must, but the colour is a hybrid of canary and mustard as opposed to just mustard I would say. The rust and blue are extremely versatile.

The 33 Borough Triplets

So far I have had to wash the yellow pair but am pleased to say that the colour has remained vibrant. In fact there was no real loss of colour at all. Something we cannot say for other premium high street brands.

For £10 you really cannot go wrong. I’ve had plenty of comments regarding all of them with one person saying the rust pair made them ‘smile’. I hope that was a compliment! I didn’t think to ask actually!

Tried and Tested: 111 SKIN Collection

I was lucky enough to get my sticky little mitts on the luxury skincare range from Dr. Yannis Alexandridedes of the 111 Harley Street Clinic. As a Dr. of plastic surgery and member of no less than 3 Surgeon boards, Dr. Alexandrides knows his stuff, from the inside out you might say.

He has pioneered the use of NAC (n-acetylcysteine, obviously!). NAC stimulates increased production of glutathione, which in turn blocks free radicals the main cause of skin ageing (obviously). Let face it “black don’t crack!” is cool and all, but I won’t say no to a little help along the way.

I’ve been using the Lift Off 111 NAC Y2 Essential Facewash Cleanser followed by the Daily Orbit NAC Y2 Energising Youth Toner and finishing up with the Astro Aqua Physics NAC Y2 Day Moisture H2O Infusion System. Quite a mouthful and quite a daily undertaking for the wash, dry, cream and go guy that I am.

3 Step Daily Process

The results? A massive thumbs up. My skin tone is visibly more even and my face feels hydrated even now at the end of the day. This is after a 90 minutes exposure to freezing winds in Borough Market this lunch time. My skin is smoother to tough and feels tightened.

This does come at a price however. The cleanser retails at £35, the toner at £40 and the moisturiser at £90!

The products are available to buy at Harrods or at the 111 Harley Street Clinic directly.

Seasonal Layering: Chunky Knits

During the cold weather it’s all about layering up for the daily commute; wherever that may be. For me its home to the station, on a train, walk again then in the office. The office is usually hot and stuffy so I always try to layer up just so I have the option to strip down when it gets too warm.

Today’s I’m focusing on the chunky knit. I managed to get a few great pieces in Banana Republic New York last year that are really coming into their own now.

The first is this luxurious looking grey knit from the Soho store. I remember spotting it on sale at $71.99 (£45) down from $119 (£80). It’s reassuringly heavy yet feel like silk to touch. I have teamed it here with AllSaints slim fit black jeans and an old t-shirt. As it is ridiculously warm therefore you don’t need as many layers.

Next up is this BR waffle knit jumper I picked up from Woodbury Commons BR outlet store. To be honest the store was a bit disappointing and this was definitely the best thing in there. It’s a small yet still quite big but that is just the design. I teamed it with my rebel coloured chinos from H&M and a blue denim shirt from Levis.

Next I have this TK Maxx purchase from Frederik Andersen Copenhagen. It was a gamble as the jumper is too small but at £20 I couldn’t leave without it. The appeal was the flecks of colour. They just jumped out at me! Reiss have a similar styled jumped called Flecky for sale at £89. If this reduces I’ll probably cop it! I teamed this up with mustard yellow H&M slim fit chinos.

Last but not least is this chunky knit cardigan from AllSaints. Heavily reduced in their summer sale it’s become a staple piece due to its versatility. I wore it with a suit the other day! I teamed it here with a J. Crew flannel lumberjack shirt and grey slim fit jeans also from AllSaints.

There are of course plenty of bargains to look out for in the upcoming sales but I’ll feature these later on in the month.

Mr Porter

How much are we loving Mr Porter right now? So Cool!

Mr Panchoo! Mr Panchoo!

Style Crush: Etro Clutch

Accessories are key pieces for me. Like many I am a firm believer in the 20:80 rule: 20% designer matched with 80% high street. Like many I also long for the day when I can break the ratio! Accessories are perhaps the best way to meet the 20% quota and can really enhance an otherwise ordinary outfit.

My latest obsession is an accessory piece. Men’s clutch/ pouch bags. I have seen them more and more of late and I love them. Perhaps not the best accessory for winter (I’d prefer to keep my hands hidden) but now may be an ideal time to buy with a view to next spring/ summer

I am currently crushing on this Etro Pouch available for sale at Mr. Porter

Etro Leather Clutch – £540 Mr Porter

French outfit Ssense have this stunning croc embossed piece from Mr Marc Jacobs. Very reasonably priced also.

Marc Jacobs Croc Embosed Laptop Case – £160 Ssense.com

My favourite of find is this Benedetta Bruzziches Woven Leather Pouch. I think it is a women’s piece but true sartorialists can rock it with style. Gutted the grey has sold out. Still this ‘natural’ coloured one is just as nice.

Benedetta Bruzziches Natural Clutch – £129 darkroomlondon.com

What do you think? Are you feeling this as an accessory?

Reiss Sample Sale

An avid fan of Reiss for many years now I tend to get overly ecstatic when I receive the details of their latest sample sale. Held in the Music Room space on South Molton Lane, W1 it all boils down to a matter of timing. The exclusive event is open to VIP holders first and commences around midday so it’s a lunchtime mission. You have to time it to avoid the initial queue to enter and the queue when the music room is full to capacity.

Once inside it’s all about the strategy. Have a plan. Decide what you need and head straight there first. The structure hasn’t changed in 3 years. Menswear is on the right and women on the left with a centre isle of accessory boxes (scarfs, bags, pocket squares, ties, socks etc).
Furthest right are the suits and blazers, then leather jackets the next rail is dedicated to waistcoats, and outerwear, then knitwear and casual trousers followed by jeans and shirts. The final rail is stocked with formal trousers and faulty/ returns type stock. A good couple of minutes spent here can reveal some real gems. For example last season Winchester DB trench retailed at £295, on sample sale at £90, on returns rail at £40. The fault was holes in the garment. A thorough inspection revealed these to be minor.

I managed to grab 2 suits. The first a navy blue cord, single breasted, 2 piece, which appears to be the sample for this seasons Shroader mixer suit also available in Navy and additionally in grey. The suit £120.

I also grabbed one of several 3 piece suits on offer, a salt and pepper single breasted suit. It has a linen look but is 100% wool. Still it remains light and the colour is great for mixing trousers and accessorising. A steal at £120 also!

The sales usually happen twice a year. To get ahead of the pack sign up at Reiss.com and they’ll make sure you get your exclusive invite.

Loving Lanvin Fall/ Winter 2012 Campaign

Its had a fair amount of Exposure but we LOVE the new Lanvin campaign featuring “Real People”. The shoot was executed by the great Steven Miesel and the campaign the mastermind of Lanvin resident designer Alber Elbaz. The shoot features a selection of men and women aged between 18 and 80.

Lanvin Fall ’12

Lanvin Young Black Male

We Love the campaign. Don’t You?

Double Breasted Tweed

I’ve been looking for a decent Tweed jacket for a while now. There seems to be plenty out there both vintage and new of late but the new look, well… too new and the vintage, too vintage. Am I making sense?
The only way I would buy a new tweed jacket is if it were part of a suit, 3-piece of course or, if I had cash to burn and could afford to buy bespoke or high end designer. Neither of which are viable options I tell myself through the tears.

Hackett POW Check 3 Piece Suit £850 – Handsome Chap, Isn’t He!

So I turn to an old but dear friend, eBay. It soon becomes evident, as my eyes start to mist over, that vintage may not necessarily cut it either. Most jackets look loose, garish and all round horrible!

But persistence, scrutiny and a 2 year hunt FINALLY pay off. I find a vintage (80’s) Paul Smith double breasted tweed jacket. I always test the waters and ask the seller for a quick sale to which they state they are willing to do for £25! A bargain! But my gut tells me to hold off as bids are not, thankfully, flying in. And I congratulate my gut when I secure the jacket for a cool £16!

Paul Smith Tweed Double Breasted – £16 eBay. SIXTEEN POUNDS!!!!

The cut is impeccable, hugging my underarms reassuringly, a sign of good tailoring. I’m amazed at how well it has been preserved even if it does smell like unseasoned, cooked chicken. The peak lapels are gorgeous, current and are perfect for accessories like these crocheted boutonnieres that sit alongside pocket squares.

Crocheted Boutonniere – £6 from Wugylees on Etsy. Pocket Square – £8 from Reiss

The neutral colour really provides the base for a variety of accent colours and makes it versatile for dressing up for formal wear, or down, especially with bold vibrant chino or my favourite selvedge denim jeans.

Shirt and Trousers both Reiss. Waistcoat, Topman. Tie, TM Lewin. Shoes, Poste.

What do you think?