#brandfeature

I may have become slightly obsessive with glasses this year, now owning four pairs of prescription glasses and one set of prescription sunglasses. I wouldn't say I was particularly blind either - my prescription is -2.25 in one eye and -0.25 in the other, and apparently I have different levels of astigmatism in each eye (according to Specsavers), which as serious as it sounds it apparently "isn't all that bad". Saying that, living in the generation we do where we're surrounded by digital screens and "forced" to look at the computer and our phones from dawn till dusk, it's wise to take care of your eyes and opt for glasses if you need them, and considering I'm the only person in my family who doesn't wear them on a full-time basis, I'd very much say I should care for my eyes as well.

glasses and sunglasses: c/o Cheap Monday at Specsavers, top and bottoms: Cheap Monday, trainers: Nike via Urban Outfitters

Specsavers got in touch to take a look at their Cheap Monday range, and I think I was drawn in by my previous admiration for Cheap Monday (unfortunately my ex girlfriends have stolen all my favourite t-shirts by Cheap Monday so I seldom get the chance to wear the brand anymore). The style is particularly quirky and something you can imagine to come from Cheap Monday. The shapes are by all means very wearable, but I think what differentiates the collection is its very sleek, metallic frames which seem to have some futuristic vibe around them. The sunglasses are definitely a highlight however, as the kind guys at Specsavers keenly lectured me on. The reasons why Ray Bans are as expensive as they are (aside from the branding) is due to the polarising lens, which reduces glare and retains vivid colour that'd you'd lose from a pair of essentially "coloured lens". The Cheap Monday lens are from the same breed, and while I've always thought prescription sunglasses were pretty unnecessary, I feel like I could see through walls with these things. Everything is clear, slightly muted and better looking. Like I'm looking through a permanent Instagram filter.

I was going through a grey obsession when I took these photos (unaffiliated to 50 Shades) so the glasses came around the perfect time. Cheap Monday has built their reputation on skinny jeans and even skinnier jeans, but they've had some really nice sweaters and parkas in the mix as well. The trousers were a bit of a hidden gem which I found on ASOS, and although they're drop-crotch, you can actually pull them above your waist to replicate high-waisted trousers. You'll need a relatively tight belt or take them in at the waist to emulate the effect, if high-waisted trousers are your thing. 

If you wear glasses and haven't considered prescription sunglasses before, I highly recommend it. There are no reasons at all why you should be squinting behind sunglasses, and when you ones big as these which cover your whole face, you'll never want to wear others again. I even wear these on the tube, because I'm extremely cool like that. (Hint: that was sarcastic).

Thanks Specsavers for opening up my eyes.

- Mr. Boy

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As I'm writing this brand feature, I'm listening to the Lost In Translation soundtrack, which is pretty fitting for those who know where I'm coming from - the film is based in Tokyo, which is where Japanese brand Bedwin & The Heartbreakers originates from. I haven't felt the real desire to write a brand feature in a very long time, but after being introduced to the brand last month, I've gone mad for them. For those who have not heard of Bedwin & The Heartbreakers, the brand draws their influences from streetwear and music subcultures, adopting a very much "school boy" aesthetic. By that I mean it's neither too casual nor smart, and incorporates a very playful style catered for both men and women. For this post, I snagged a few pieces to wear for the shoot, venturing out with Joe Harper to one of London's post-apocalyptic-like Paradises.

all: Bedwin & The Heartbreakers SS14

Japanese fashion is a topic I've always wanted to delve into and learn anything and everything about. The fashion scene, from my foreign interpretation, is very much built around culture (not necessarily Japan's) and context. I imagine the fascination with American culture originates from the fact that Japan is very much a segregated island all the way on the other side of the world, and although we live in a world where everything is available on a whim via the Internet, it's hard to forget that it wasn't always like that (and yes, the minutes where I have no battery are probably the most stressful - I'm also, really that sad and modern). I see Bedwin as very much a Japanese brand: it adopts elements from both East and West, showing an appreciation for American culture but retaining this playful-like preppy aesthetic that I believe the Japanese do so well - very few guys can pull off a tie and cropped trouser combination without looking like an overgrown school kid.

The brand has a good blend of tailoring and casualwear, with their latest SS14 collection incorporating single-button shawl lapel jackets (which is what you'd normally find on a tuxedo) with cropped trousers and skinny ties (which is what you'd normally find watching Seth Cohen on The O.C). There's plenty of chambray and denim which the Japanese have become so prestigious for, but there's also suit + suit shorts combinations and varsity jackets, to provide a very diverse collection that would cater to anyone with a playful bone in their body. Footwear is also on the agenda with even flip-flops as an option (with a very cool brogue print on the sole if you ever take them off to show off). What brings this diversity together is the quality - it feels very good, and rightly so, as the brand's slogan is "BEDWIN & THE HEARTBREAKERS: PARAMOUNT QUALITY".

The pieces I'm wearing are from their SS14 collection, and while I've never really been the Hawaiian-print type daredevil, the shirt is probably one of my favourite things I've worn in 2014. I find cropped trousers quite hard to buy in the UK as people are still very much obsessed with rolling up their tapered/skinny trousers (which I like, don't get me wrong), which means if you're looking to get something cropped you'll have to head to the tailors instead. And while Joe (the photographer) might have pointed out that I looked like I stepped out of a Japanese kitchen, cropped trousers are a great summer alternative for shorts, and those with recent fascination of going sockless will very much enjoy cropped alternatives. 

Their spring/summer collection will be disappearing shortly but they do have an online store if you're interested in purchasing. If you'd prefer an insider tip however - their PR agency Number of Names are holding a sample sale commencing on the 25th July at the Old Truman Brewery. Good luck though - I'll be there when the doors open clearing out the Bedwin rail.

- Mr. Boy

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Brands that stock your classic leather shoes are a dime-a-dozen these days. Designers and corporations have caught on to the fact that men simply love their footwear, and if they're going to fork out on anything, it's shoes (or suits, but that's another story). Whether you're a sneakerhead, drooling desperately over the sneak preview at Nike's new colourful creation, or in my case, a leatherhead (which I've just made up), bashing the table at the excitement of a shoe collaboration between a British favourite and London designers (hint: Grenson), you'll join me in acknowledging that decent footwear is pretty essential. The saying goes that women will often judge men by their shoes, and furthering that saying, I'll let you know that most guys will notice them as well, and I'm not one to shy away from complimenting some well looked after sneakers or brogues. However, as is the case with all good products, we as consumers have much choice to choose from considering the standard leather shoe is ultimately not that varied, and I could name a fair few shops that will stock your "on-trend" single monk strap shoes. So with that in mind, I introduce a very solid, British option that'll keep your feet well planted and looking classic & swish. Grenson.

(image courtesy of Grenson) 

I find it surprising that most people haven't heard of the Northampton-based shoe brand Grenson, which is something I've mentioned to their in-store team. "We tend to get a lot of returning customers. The Grenson follower is a bit of a cult-like worshipper". I've noticed with many individuals that they tend to remain devoted to one footwear brand, with Nike followers shunning the likes of Adidas, or someone who I met the other day, swore only by Prada men's leather shoes. In Grenson's case, those who know the brand, love the brand, and hopefully with the introduction of their two new stores on Meard Street (Soho, London) and Lambs Conduit Street (Bloomsbury, London), their "cult-like" following will continue to grow. The Meard Street shop represents a rustic-like appearance that remains true to Grenson's old roots which date back to 1866, while the Lambs Conduit Street shop parallels only with the shoes they both stock, and instead incorporates a much more modern vibe, with a design that would make the average Monocle reader shed a single tear of joy. The best thing about both of these streets are they aren't ones you would typically walk down, and if you happen to stumble across the rare-to-London quiet streets, the lingering smell of leather in the air is sure to pull you in to view Grenson's offering.

Now talking about the actual product - what makes Grenson stand out from its competitors? In central London it's very easy to see some of England's best offerings, which I believe are championed by the likes of Church's or Barker, who have been worn by individuals I've met nearing their late years of 70+ years old. Grenson does exactly what these aforementioned brands do: they product classic footwear which you know will last and is certainly worth repairing, on top of being easy to. What they offer in addition however, is beautiful modern takes which will be gladly appreciated by the eccentric, providing a service within their Bloomsbury store called the "G-Lab" programme, where the customer can create a truly unique shoe by choosing different materials and colours for alternate parts of the shoe. This means, if you're crazy like some (hopefully none), you can go for a pair of gold, silver and red lace-ups, or alternatively, those black and blue shoes you've always wanted.

the introduction of their G:Lab at Liberty last year

Their non-G:Lab offering is separated into G-ZERO, G-ONE and G-TWO, which indicates where they are made and what sort of materials are used. Their G-TWO range is the most common of the three, featuring the more playful styles with thick white Vibram soles, or two-tone brogue suede lace ups. The G-ONE range applies more to the working professional, providing solid, weighty black shoes that are instantly noticeable within the boardroom. The G-ZERO are the finest of the bunch, made in their Northampton factory and detailed with small, hand-crafted aspects. It's worth heading in-store to pick up the product as you'll be surprised by the weight of some of the shoes. Some of the boots may feel as if you're wearing dumbbells on your feet, but rest assured it's more of a sign of lasting quality, which can be repaired by the Grenson themselves.

Grenson have gone from strength-to-strength in the last year, providing a formidable, well-received shoe range for women as well. On top of that, Grenson collaborated individually with several London designers to produce an exclusive range that was stocked on Mr. Porter, including personal favourites Agi & Sam and Matthew Miller. It's no wonder the brand has gathered so much positive press, as they've wisely played upon their British card, combining their story and heritage with current, relevant designers and modern, playful styles. If you haven't checked out the brand yet, it might be worth heading over to one of their stores or their website to view the impressive offering. My favourites include the Dylan styles and the Hadley boots. Mmm.. the Hadley boots.

- Mr. Boy

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Electric commerce, also known as e-commerce, has rapidly moulded the shopping habits of individuals from all over the world. For those who aren't aware of the trillion Euro industry, e-commerce is essentially the buying and selling of products over electronic systems such as the internet. In terms of how this affects little ones like us, e-commerce is part of practically everything we buy online, and the clothing we unwisely throw our money at, funding websites such as ASOS, Mr. Porter, MATCHES or Oki-ni, who's "e-fashion" dominance attracts top tier brands from all over the world with hope to be stocked by these online giants.

With the rapid rise in e-commerce it's becoming increasingly hard for standalone stores to make a real dent on the market. Personally I still love walking into a store, playing around with the props and scanning the visual merchandising efforts, just as I'd like to feel the pages of a book rather than use my Kindle, but nostalgia unfortunately doesn't pay store bills, and the market opened up by adapting to e-commerce allows brands to literally interact with any potential customer in the world. 

Business aside, I was recently approached to review Cockney Rebel's new website. The family run business has various humble stores located throughout Worksop, North England. While it may be somewhat small when compared on such a saturated market, the business' charm certainly derives from its roots as a family organisation. The website currently stocks your typical but trustworthy denim brands from Diesel to G-Star, as well as British favourites such as Barbour and Fred Perry. I thought I'd pick out two casual outfits from their very British range for your every day outings.

Barbour jackets have been known for their British wax jackets and corduroy collars for over 100 years, and are a safe investment for those looking to purchase a jacket interested in trustworthy outerwear. Finish off the blue look with a Fred Perry shirt or one with their other brands such as a Henri Lloyd shirt. Cockney Rebel have made the wise choice of stocking Adidas Originals, which I personally like due to their simplicity and classic vibe. The black pair is versatile for your casual requirements, but if you keep them nice and clean, they'll fit well within the smart-casual criteria. 

I wrote about Lyle & Scott during my Carnaby street shopping guide, praising the brands in-the-works revival with stronger, defined collections and their time invested into visual merchandising. Their mountain parka makes a suitable choice for London's more rainy season of the year, paired with denim from Diesel for a very casual look. Persist with the blue on blue look with Adidas originals in the blue colour-way. 

If you find yourself getting bored of the supersize websites, Cockney Rebel summarises some the very casual staples you might need for 2014.

- Mr. Boy

The concept of tailoring usually brings three words to mind: fitted, unique and expensive. Expensive being the keyword of course. While everyone would love to have a wardrobe filled with made-to-measure suits and shirts with a monogram here or there, the daunting associations that bespoke clothing has with high price points tends to put the casual shopper off very easily. Those that have invested though can understand why people do - nothing feels better than something which was made purely for you, with suggestions if not total control from your inner-designer. While I'd love to go through the ins-and-outs of made-to-measure clothing, today I'd just like to introduce a cheaper, accessible alternative in the form of Tailor 4 Less. 

should have gone for the white socks, darn it.

Online tailoring has become a recent phenomena. A few companies have tackled the concept,  (which you'll hopefully be reading about in the near future) so when Tailor 4 Less got in touch to check out their shirts it only made sense to see the pros and cons of the modern-age of tailoring. 

I'm actually a huge fan of tailored and made-to-measure clothing. You really learn to appreciate the fit of a suit or a shirt, and you can't really blame the clothing not fitting properly when you're there every step of the way confirming whether something feels or looks just a bit too tight. The idea of online tailoring came across as a completely foreign concept. You don't get to see those materials or feel the quality, and more importantly so you don't even get measured, which sort of defeats the point of being made-to-measure. So how has Tailor 4 Less adapted to this? The answer is a very handy, easy-to-use website with 3D modelling.

The first page you're greeted with is choosing the style. There's collar styles, there's sleeve length, there's cuffs. And everything you click will alter the 3D model. If all of this is foreign to you, you can chat to someone in the bottom left who can guide you through the stages. While there's definitely a variety in what you can choose, anyone looking to make something extravagant will have to head in-store. I personally was looking for a long collar with a very narrow gap - but these are generally pretty hard to find and Tailor 4 Less has all the essentials you'll ever need for day-to-day. It's a very simple interface and watching all your choices appear on the model is strangely satisfying, granting you that same feel of control within tailoring, creating something which you hope to be wearing in several weeks. 

So you've chosen your cut, the next thing you want to do is choose the design. For this example I wanted something blue. I've opted for the cutaway collar to show something different (and something I'd actually wear). Stripes are always a safe option, and they don't necessarily always look like pyjamas. The rectangle box shows a close up of the material so you can know what to expect when you see it in full size, since the model is obviously digital you won't get an exact replica of what you can see. It's very well designed - and while I'd love to imagine myself to be as filled out as the 3D model, it does provide a good indication of what your final product may actually be. 

You then get to step 3 where you can choose the final details. Whether that's the lining of the cuffs and the collar, or the thread you use to stitch the buttons. It's all very intricate and the level of customisation is actually quite surprising - allowing you to truly make a shirt that hopefully no one else will be wearing (and we all know how we take pleasure in that). As you can see above, with the 5 letter limit I decided to use "mrboy" - in white because I still wanted it to remain subtle. It's a nice touch and further accentuates that feeling of bespoke luxury, as all forms of personalisation tend to reinforce. 

Now at the end of it you'll end up with a charming shirt from your design, with you choosing to be as outlandish or safe as you desire. The hardest part is now getting the measurements...

I tried to be as accurate as possible.

If you don't know your measurements you can input your height, weight and an estimate of your body shape into the relevant gaps, and the calculator will then guesstimate your measurements. Because I wanted to test how accurate this was, I ordered my shirt based on these estimated measurements rather than use those dotted around my room on random pieces of paper. It's definitely quite accurate - nothing will beat getting measured and then inputting the digits, but it does still provide the tailored feeling. Those looking for that true bespoke feeling though should definitely get measured before ordering, because if it doesn't feel quite as snug it's easy to be disappointed. Mine wasn't bad at all - while I'd have liked it to be tighter around the sleeves and slightly less narrower on the shoulders, that's all I can expect from instead choosing to estimate the values.

After the measurements and the designing is all over, you're inputting your details and payment options. And a bespoke shirt lingering around the £45 mark is incredibly affordable, as long as you're willing to wait the weeks required. It's a great service and something I'd strongly consider using again as there's so much flexibility with design. Personally, I don't think online tailoring has won the battle versus heading into the actual tailors. But on accounts of price and convenience, it's a very clear winner. If you're looking to adventure, try it out. The price of one shirt isn't going to significantly dent the wallet, and it's worth trying it out as your initiation into the tailoring world. You can find them here! Stay tuned for more online tailoring reviews.

If you have any questions concerning fit, size, recommendations or even terminology. please fire away. I'm more than happy to try my best to help.

- Mr. Boy

Stutterheim (pronounced stoo-ter-hyme) are the rain coat masters hailing from Sweden, led by the friendly (and very busy) giant Alexander Stutterheim. Inspired by his grandfather's rain coat he remembers from when he was just a little boy, Alexander wanted to recreate and improve upon the old coat with a modern, quality feel, and thus the Arlhoma svart rain coat was born. With a sturdy feel and impeccable style, I think that's exactly what Stutterheim has done.

The style I'm wearing above is the Stockholm svart (svart meaning black), which is the 'baby' version of the Arlhoma. The Stockholm variety currently comes in six colours, but if you take a peak at their Instagram feed you can see that they've always got a variety in the works. What I do love about the brand is how interactive they come across on all of their social channels, with a healthy feed of what's to come and how their coats are worn. The handmade coats comes in the standard variety of sizes; perhaps it has something to do with the Nordic genepool but the sizes are pretty perculiar. The XS fits me perfectly (which isn't something I should be bragging about) and I dread to think how large the medium or small may be - luckily, Stutterheim have clearly taken this into consideration and their lookbook shots all have the model measurements and coat sizes in clearcut bold. This was very handy when I was choosing my size, and it's kind of comforting to know that the models taller than me were also wearing XS!

Fit aside, you can definitely tell it has that rugged made-for-utility feeling. Whether it's the distinctive smell of the rubber, or the slight-yet-noticeable weighty feeling on the shoulders, you know it'll get the job done of keeping you dry. Luckily with the heat we've had this summer, I haven't quite needed the coat, but the few evenings I've worn it it does keep you pretty toasty; somewhat of an essential for the notoriously wet and cold Autumn/Winter seasons we have in the UK.

I'd been looking for a rain coat for a long time and I'm very, very happy to have come across these guys. When I was at Jacket Required, one of the rooms was ram-packed with rain coats. While I did my mental shopping taking notes of each brand, I was really pleased to see Stutterheim was showcasing at the back of the room on the stage. Aside from offering rain coats, they also offer umbrellas, capes (which I'm dying to get my hands on) and boots and socks. The brand has certainly got themselves in the spotlight with good quality clothing, as well as friendly staff and an even more friendly social media.

I'm definitely developing a thing for European brands and it's great to see products like this earning their exposure in the UK. Hope you like the read, I'll be putting a few outfit features in the near future of how I like to wear my rain coat. I actually did a few shots jumping in the shower with it yet remaining surprisingly dry; luckily all of those turned out blurry. Darn you camera. Check out Stutterheim here.

- Mr. Boy