So the 87th Academy Awards have been and gone with Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore, Patricia Arquette, J.K. Simmons and Birdman walking away with the main awards.

The ceremony was hosted by showbiz Swiss-Army knife Neil Patrick Harris (thank god How I Met Your Mother is over) and saw performances from the Lady Gaga and Best Song Winners John Legend & Common.

One of the big issues on the red carpet was Reese Witherspoon's (Best Actress nominee for Wild) campaign #AskHerMore which encourage the presenters and paparazzi to vary their commentary from the usual "Who are you wearing?" superficiality.
Well, call me superficial but I like to know who is wearing what. The actors have more than enough opportunity to voice their opinions on their hot topics so let the rest of us live vicariously and pretend we are in the know on the night's best dressed.

Anyway, politics aside, the red carpet saw some fantastic suiting that pushed the boundaries of black tie.

Here are some of my favourite looks that broke away from the usual black tuxedo.

Just when you thought the fuss of the books had finally died down (the shelves of every charity shop I have visited in the past year are crammed with the 3 volumes) the infamous "love story" Fifty Shades of Grey hits the big screens on today, just in time for Valentine's Day. How romantic.

I've never read the books nor do I plan to. I'm not prudish, however, I do like a good book and supposedly these are nothing like good book, filled with grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and a GCSE level of writing ability. (Plus a series of books spawned from rejected Twilight fan-fiction should be approached with caution in my opinion) That aside, the author has made a fortune capitalizing on tapping her readers/frustrated sexpots secret desires and fair play to her.
Apparently B&Q staff have been given notice to expect a surge in sales of padlocks, rope and cable ties after the release of the film. I just go there for my paint and plants...

Anyway, this is too good a bandwagon not to jump on but rather than filling your screen with 50 must-have menswear pieces I thought I'd opt for a more manageable 15 Shades of Grey (see what I did there?)



1. Uniqlo grey Oxford button down shirt
2. Next grey swirl pocket square
3. Samuel Windsor grey fisherman's jumper

The 2015 awards season is now well under way, culminating in the Oscars later this month. Last night, focus was split on award ceremonies on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean as London held the BAFTAs and Los Angeles hosted the Grammys.

The BAFTAs, the British equivalent of the Oscars, saw Eddie Redmayne lift the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, He is tipped to repeat his success at the Oscars too.

Britain dominated the Grammys too with Sam Smith picking up 4 awards including song & record of the year for Stay With Me. Not a bad achievement considering it was only 9 months since the release of his debut album In The Lonely Hour.

All back-patting and hand-shaking aside, let's move on to the important matters of what the best dressed men wore!


This is a black-tie affair but there is always a bit of variety that sets the stylish chaps apart from the standard rented tuxes.


The biggest award ceremony in the music industry, the Grammys court controversy on an annual basis with some sort of political statement or publicity stunt usually happening during the course of the night.

1. 1.       A good pair of black jeans is a must. I wear black jeans a lot and I don’t think I would change this if I were to swap gender. There’s not much more to be said here, black goes with everything and jeans are a wardrobe staple for both guys and gals!
2. 2.       Brogues of course. The smart/casual shoe that compliments any outfit. I couldn’t write a post for Ian without featuring a good strong pair of brogues.
3. 3.       A classic cool watch. I picked this Daniel Wellington style before I saw that Ian had already featured it in a previous post! Great minds.
4. 4.       Checked shirts never date. I have to admit that when selecting this I was looking more at the model than the shirt. If I were a man, I would definitely want to look like him.
5. 5.       Barbour jackets are the bomb-diggity. Expensive but worth the investment. I personally love the textured shoulders.

There you have it, the items that I would opt for if I were to morph into a man. Thank you Ian for letting me be a part of your ‘If I were a boy’ series!

Anyway, this isn't a yay-for-me post but more of an interview wardrobe edit. This is what I wore to my interview.

• A dark grey Strellson suit I've had in my wardrobe from my Carter days. The classic 2-button shape will never go out of style. I added a vintage waistcoat in a matching cloth to give it a more considered sartorial twist.
• I paired it with a plain navy shirt from H&M. I knew the situation did not call for a tie but remember to only leave the top button open; this isn't Vegas.
• Completing my executive realness, I popped on my new Cooper brogues from Last Shoe. I got them for Christmas and have been looking for the perfect opportunity to debut them. To ensure a sharp finish, ensure you choose a belt to match your shoes and I have a favourite tan belt I picked up in Zara many moons ago.

Horses for courses dictates that the job you are applying and interviewing for will dictate how formal you need to be but always bear in mind that you need to impress. You are an unknown quantity to your potential employers so you need to be memorable for the right reasons. Be yourself of course, but maybe curb some of your more experimental or outlandish attire until you know you've got the job. Inject some character with perhaps a pocket square or an interesting wristwatch  and cufflinks; interesting NOT novelty.

To those going through the recruitment process, I offer you this classic RuPaul-ism as a motivational mantra...

This is my 100th post.



I'll admit that taking 18 months to write 100 posts may seem unproductive but slow and steady wins the race. I know some prolific bloggers who can post almost every day and I tip my hat to them. I decided when I started my blog I would only write when I felt I had something worth writing. I never wanted to burn through a series of posts for the sake of it - it's not my style to be too busy.

I would like to thank all the bloggers, PRs, companies and friends who have supported my little hobby. What began as a secret blog that I was too shy to share,  I am immensely proud of what I have achieved.

Here's to my next 100 posts!