In Topman this weekend, a Leather Harrington jacket caught my eye. Check out the pics of this garment below.

It’s a classic cut - elasticated cuffs and waist, raglan sleeves and a semi-separated yoke at the back. At £130, it’s one of the more expensive Topman jackets, especially as the one I tried on wasn’t particularly well finished, with some rouge threads protruding from the button holes and a rather unimaginative lining. Nonetheless, it’s cheaper than an alternative from Baracuta and does have a really nice fit to it. Find this jacket at the Topman website here.

On browsing the Topman site for some nice images of this Harrington, I came across the below Denim Biker Jacket from what Topman are calling the ‘Denim Jacket Project’ - a collaboration between the retailer and some top designers to updated a classic.

There’s perhaps some unnecessary additions to this design, such as the double zip at the front and breast pocket but it’s certainly a nice jacket and will stand out amongst the crowd.

This jacket is available for £70.00 and is designed by Oliver Spencer. I didn’t come across this denim jacket in-store, so head over to the Topman website to find it right here.

Thanks to Topman for the images.

Denim is something that is not covered enough on this blog. There is a rich and interesting history behind this material that will be discussed in length at some point. Try to think of someone who doesn’t own a pair of jeans. Chances are, you can’t, or if you do, that person is probably of very old age. Denim jeans are a wonderfully universal piece of clothing, appealing in some fashion to almost all of us.

In recent years there have been some debatable denim looks. Any denim that is ‘faux vintage’ or intentionally distressed is not suitable for this blog. It’s fake and has no place here. Unfortunately, this sort of look was very popular for about five years and still lives on in some high street stores.

It is for this reason that I am refreshed by a seeming commitment from Topman to promote ‘raw’ denim.  Raw, or ‘dry’ denim is material that is not washed after the indigo dying procedure. It’s a process that creates clean, smart jeans that will eventually take on their own character through continued wear.

These pair of raw denim jeans are very affordable at £38.00. It looks to be the case that they are only available from the website, rather than in-store. If you’re interested in a pair I would recommend trying on a similar pair of Slim & Straight in the shop before buying online.

Needless to say, they look great. Nice and smart, in a very suitable and versatile colour. Roll them up at the bottom or get them altered to the right length. They may not last you five or ten years, but I’d say they’re a healthy investment.

You can find them from the Topman shop here for £38.00.

Thanks to French Truckers for the heads-up and Topman.

Movie Monday: Nicholas Hoult’s Glasses

As a homage to the excellent website Nerd Boyfriend and inspired by a lovely pair of specs from American glasses retailer Warby Parker that I spotted over the weekend, I decided to feature Nicholas Hoult from X-MEN: FIRST CLASS in this edition of Movie Monday.

Now, I’m going to cover X-MEN: FIRST CLASS in much greater detail in October, as it’s being released on DVD and Blu-ray on the 31st. There’s a lot to be said about the clothing, but we’ll save that for later.

In the meantime, here’s Nicholas Hoult, playing Hank McCoy / Beast in the movie. If you dig this style, here’s how to do it on the cheap.

The shirt is from Edinburgh Woolen Mill and will cost you £18. EWM is not a young man’s retailer and I’m not a huge fan of this shirt, but it’s pretty close to Hoult’s costume. The shawl neck grey cardigan can be found at Bank Fashion for £38.

The retro woven tie is available from Topman for £14 and finally this great pair of glasses are sold by Warby Parker for $95.

Warby Parker commit to producing excellent spectacles at an affordable price and provide a pair of glasses to someone in need every time you buy a pair of their specs. At the moment, they you can only find them in the US, but I believe they ship internationally.

Thanks to these for the pics: Edinburgh Woolen Mill, Bank Fashion Topman and Warby Parker.