Top Five Wardrobe Essentials for the Well Dressed Gentlemen

The rise of the metrosexual has meant that it’s more important than ever for men to take care of their appearance, which is why Luxe Models has decided to share its top five wardrobe essentials for the well-dressed gentleman, to help you on your way.

At Luxe Models We Know Life is Hard for the Modern Gentleman

Being a modern man is hard. Gone are the days when you could buy a one size fits all kind of suit for work and jeans and t-shirt to slob around in on your days off. The modern gentleman is well-groomed, expertly dressed and magnificently quaffed – it’s enough to give you a head ache.

If you’re the type of man who’s never going to read Vogue or follow what’s happening on the world’s runways, wardrobe staples are investments – they allow you to pull off the modern gentlemen look without actually putting too much thought into it. Stocking your wardrobe full of male fashion staples is like the sartorial version of cheating on your school exams – but no one will mark you down for it!

The Top Five from Luxe Models

Saying that, there are some staples that your wardrobe just cannot do without, and in Luxe Models considerable fashion experience, these are the top five:

1)      Black Blazer: A black blazer with quality tailoring can turn a slobby casual look into an elegant evening look, sure to melt the hearts of ladies across the four corners of the bar, lending you an understated professional air.

2)      Patent Leather Black Dress Shoes: With a pair of patent leather black dress shoes on you’re always ready for a long day ahead. They provide the perfect touch to finish off the professional look, but also work well for a casual night out, teamed with the black blazer.

3)      Statement Scarf: Statement scarves are a wonderful thing. They have the ability to turn the drabbest of looks into a bona fide hipster hit, making them a staple that simply must hang in your wardrobe.

4)      Dark Wash Boot Cut Jeans: Jeans are easily the most versatile item in any wardrobe, but if you want the perfect pair to sport on a night out, or lounge around in on your day off, go for dark wash (always slimming even when you’ve had a few too many pints) and boot cut, which never goes out of fashion.

5)      Plaid Shirt: Plaid is probably the most flexible pattern in existence.Teamed with frayed levis and classic boots for the laid back look you can rock in your free time, or match with the black blazer, statement scarf and patent leather black dress shoes for a night on the lash!

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What Top Five Timeless Classics Hang in the Luxe Models Wardrobe?

At Luxe Models we know that some pieces simply never go out of style, and you should do everything you can to cling onto them; what are the top five staples you should keep in your wardrobe?

Some Clothes Just Never Go Out of Style

The nature of fashion is change; trends come and go, pieces flit in and out of style and you’re often left in a daze simply keeping trying to keep up! That’s because a trend is something that seems interesting at the time, but eventually looks stale and dated.

However even in fashion there are some styles of clothing so vaunted, so beloved, that they simply never go out of vogue. They’re pieces that are versatile, that you can match with just about anything, and that always come in handy when you have no idea what to wear.

The Top Five from Luxe Models

So that begs the question, what in your wardrobe will never go out of style? It’s a hard thing to pull off, but these top five pieces definitely work as timeless classics that you’d be an idiot to throw away:

1)      Little Black Dress: We couldn’t have had a conversation about wardrobe staples without mention of the Little Black Dress (LBD). The LBD is suitable for just about any occasion, can be matched with every accessory under the sun and always looks fabulous!

2)      Dark-Wash Boot Cut Jeans: It’s amazing what you can do with a classic pair of jeans; wear them for work, jazz them up with a sparkly top for a night out etc. It comes no more classic than dark-wash, always slimming, and boot cut, which is neither slim enough, nor wide enough, to make you look as though you’ve fallen victim to the latest trend.

3)      A White Dress Shirt: A staple of any work wardrobe, the white dress shirt defines simple elegance, however it also works on a more casual basis, if you lightly roll up the sleeves, untuck it and leave it un-ironed for that sexy ruffled look.

4)      A Black Blazer:  A classic black blazer looks good no matter what. Sharp, simple and elegant, you can wear it in the summer, winter, at work, on a night out, to a coffee date etc., it never not looks good!

5)      Ballet Flats: When you get sick of heels you’ll want a pair of ballet flats, and the best thing about them is that they really do look good with anything. Wear with jeans for a classic look or team with a cocktail dress and tights for a night on the tiles. Glamorous, yet so amazingly comfortable!

There’s a rule to remember when thinking about what pieces your wardrobe can’t do without; if it’s versatile, comfortable, yet can be accessorised to look glamorous, it’s a timeless classic you should never let go of!

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The Luxe Models Guide to Matching Colours

Every women (and any fashion conscious man) has felt the fear of wearing a mismatching outfit. Banish this worry forever, with this week’s Luxe Models guide to matching colours.

Get to Know Your Colour

You open up your wardrobe and it’s all like Sophie’s Choice up in there! You have a top and a skirt you love, but you’re not sure if the colours complement or clash. Rather than taking the risk, why not get to know your colour.

As far as fashion goes, colours generally fall into several categories; neutral colours (black, white and grey), cold colours (blue, green and bluish shades of purple i.e. lavender), warm colours (red, orange, yellow, pink and pink tones of purple i.e. plum) and last, but not least, warm neutrals (cream, beige, and brown).

Combine Your Colours

Once you’ve gotten familiar with the colours on offer, use these as a benchmark on how to match. From here, there are general rules that you can follow to make sure you've got colours that complement each other:

• 2 colours, 1 neutral: green and yellow and white
• 1 colour, 1 neutral: black and red
• 1 colour, 2 neutrals: purple and black and grey
• 2 or 3 neutrals: black and white

Luxe Models and the Two Ways to Wear Colour

For the actual colours themselves, remember that there are two ways of wearing them. The first is by wearing complementary colours. These are shades that stand opposite each other on a standard colour wheel. They are complementary because they bring out and emphasise each other. Examples of complementary colours include blue and orange, purple and yellow etc. Try wearing a lighter shade of one colour with a darker shade of another, for the best effect.

The other way to match colour is to use analogous colour. These are shades that are next to each other on a standard colour wheel. Essentially, because they are next to each other, the subtlety is pleasing to the eye. An analogous combination would include light blue, dark green and light green. A good tip for wearing analogous colours is to either limit yourself to three, or two with a neutral thrown in.

Luxe Models knows that it’s not always easy to know which colours will complement each other, and we hope this guide helps, however we would also remind you to rely on your intuition. If something looks wrong, it probably is!

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Luxe Model’s Salute to the Wrap Dress!

With the news that legendary designer Dianne Von Furstenberg has collaborated with Google on their latest glass project, at Luxe Models, we thought we’d honour the fashion trendsetter with a salute to her signature piece – the wrap dress.

A Truly Admirable Woman: Diane Von Furstenberg

Diane Von Furstenberg is a pretty inspirational figure as far as fashion designers go. Born in 1946 in Belgium, to a Jewish mother who survived Auschwitz, she ended up marrying a Prince (who gave her her now iconic last name), before divorcing him and making a name for herself back in the seventies as one of fashion’s global brands.

That brand was built on the wrap. It became her signature piece, one that has featured in practically every collection since. It gave her name recognition, a seal of approval from famed Vogue editor Dianna Vreeland and even landed her the cover of Newsweek magazine in 1976, in place of American President Gerald Ford.

The History of the Wrap Dress

Whilst Furstenberg is often credited as the creator of the wrap dress, she isn't.  It was actually quite a common feature in American sportswear and had been for years. However, Furstenberg is the one who can genuinely be credited as the woman who took this staple of sportswear and made it a fashion mainstay.

It wasn't that hard of a job really, considering what she had to work with. It’s a funny little fact that some of fashion’s most daring trends come from masculine origins – think of the military coat that has become so pervasive in society you can’t walk down the street without seeing one, or the boyfriend tee that graces the torso of every ‘non-mainstream’ celeb on TV). Therefore, it really was only a matter of time before the wrap dress became a thing.

Why do Luxe Models Love the Wrap Dress?

For those readers out there who aren't familiar with this sartorial mainstay, the wrap dress is a frock with a front closure formed by one side wrapping across the other, with a fastening to secure it in place. It’s a clear favourite in the celeb world, and is known to be a favourite style of iconic First Lady Michelle Obama.

That’s because it’s timeless. Elegant, classy and easy to wear, the wrap dress is perfect for the woman who wants to exude demur glamour underlined by a sense of practicality. Considering Michelle Obama’s position, it’s clear why the wrap dress would appeal to her. That’s the best salute to the wrap dress Luxe Models could possibly give! 

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Luxe Models’ music festival checklist

Here at Luxe Models we love a good music festival. The music, the atmosphere, the wellies, the mud - actually scrap that last one - we love it all!

As summer slowly but surely approaches, and we gradually say goodbye to short days and long nights, it’s finally time to start getting excited about those weekend breaks. And what better way to spend a weekend in the summer, than in a messy tent in the middle of a field.

The British music festival has been around for a good while now, growing in popularity to the point where it’s almost impossible to choose. There’s Glastonbury, Leeds & Reading, V Festival, T In The Park, Bestival, Green Man, Isle of Wight, Wireless, Hop Farm, 2000trees, Global Gathering and Parklife – and we still haven’t even scratched the surface. There’s just too many to choose from.

But if you do manage to pick a weekend, then perhaps it’s time to start thinking about the important things, what on earth are you going to wear? What are you going to take? But before you go into a blind panic and find yourself hours later crying into a pair of your old hot-pants, here’s a few tips to make your 2014 festival experience that little bit easier. Here’s Luxe Models’ must have festival supplies…

Wellies  

Let’s kick off with the obvious one. Wellies. You don’t always need them, but if the rain starts falling and you haven’t got a pair, then you’re in for one bumpy festival experience. But wellies aren't just a necessity, they’re also a fashion must have for festivals, so making sure you've got a good pair is the first port of call. By taking a look at what clothes you’ll be taking and what goes with what, you will be able to choose a pair of boots that match your summer style. Sure bright pink ones might look cool in the shop, but they also might stick out like a sore thumb.

We suggest checking out Joules.com for some of the best wellies we've ever seen.

Sunglasses 

You've got a pair somewhere. Hidden in a draw or at the bottom of your bag. But just how nice are your sunglasses really? We've been to festivals in the past only to find a smashed pair of shades in the bottom of a ram-packed rucksack. And you don’t want that, trust us! We whole-heartedly recommend buying a couple of pair of inexpensive sunglasses and getting a case to keep them in. A back up pair is not only a life saver if you lose one in the arena, but they’re also a brilliant way to change up your look.

We suggest having a look on ASOS. As their range of great-value shades is just amazing. 

Bag

Although having a large backpack might not be the most luxurious fashion item ever, having a way to transport your supplies and secure your valuables is not something you can ignore. But then again, luggage needn't look too bad.

We suggest checking out Surfdome’s extensive collection of unique backpacks and bags.

Speakers

Music is everywhere at festivals, it’s unavoidable. But sometimes it’s nice to have a little more control over proceedings. Perhaps you want to pump the breaks a bit and put on some relaxing Barry White, or even just put on some tunes in the morning to get you in the mood, either way, having some speakers is a great idea. But being short on space, size is of the up-most importance. That’s where Bluetooth speakers come in handy. Ranging from £10 to £200, Bluetooth speakers are wireless, very small and depending on the product, normally produce great quality sound. We recommend the ‘Pill 2.0’ from Beats by Dr Dre (£169) for the very best portable music experience or the Goji Stryder wireless speaker (£19.97) as a more affordable alternative.

Visit Currys for more portable speaker options.

Phone charger

Staying in touch with your family whilst at the same time uploading those festival photos to Facebook without power can be infuriating. But it needn't be. You should be able to get in contact with your friends if you get lost in the dance tent or phone up your sister when your favourite song comes on. But sadly there’s only so much battery life. For all you iPhone users out there who struggle to get through the day without running out of juice then listen up, because all is not lost. Portable charge devices do exist and they are an absolute life saver. Take the Techlink Recharge 10000 for example. After powering up before you head off, the Techlink can charge up to two apple devices at once and can be used multiple times - making sure you don’t get cut off.

Find a full range of iPhone portable chargers via the Apple website.

We hope this music festival guide has been in some way helpful and has given you a few ideas before you pack your tent. But just remember, mud sliding is never a good idea.

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