London Collections: Men has come to a glorious end and this edition of Fave Fives is all about essentials during menswear season – whether you’re rushing around, being driven to the shows and parties or in fact have absolutely nothing to do with fashion and just lead a busy life.
In a nutshell, there’s lots of beauty (as grooming is pretty key). With a little something for women – a fab haircare brand and campaign featuring fashion icon and Noisettes lead singer Shingai Shoniwa as its face.
Mark Thomas Taylor London (MTT)
Mark Thomas Taylor is a menswear designer who can take the crazy out of fashion week and put in effortless cool. The kind that you rarely see at fashion week these days, we all try so hard, some of us way too hard. MTT designs are in his words ‘streetwear without being ghetto’. I love his style, designs and philosophy. His designs are ‘honest’. He handpicks the fabric in Thailand and manages the whole process – 100% hands-on creating responsible and organic clothing that is not mass-produced. MTT delivers unique quality all in a laid back way. The SS13 lookbooks are called lifestyle books because that’s what Mark Thomas Taylor is representing – the real world. Guys can layer up his shirts (£65) with tees (£35) and rock the jeans (from £65) in comfort with. MTT is an essential way to counterbalance the avant garde and crazy looks we see in street fashion especially around this time. www.markthomastaylor.com
Czech & Speak
A quintessentially English brand, that is now very fashionable in this age of men’s grooming. The Vetiver Vert cologne is perfect to keep you refreshed and fresh during fashion season. Spicy green and citrus notes make for a very masculine but not an overpowering scent. It won’t make people sitting next to you (in the front row) choke, it’s just a lovely smell. And the bottles in the traveller set (£75) are just the right size for your manbag or hand luggage.
This Neroli bath oil (£45) is the ultimate present or precursor to a big day or week ahead. This is great for the summer and smells so inviting. It’s relaxing and a sexy scent on a man if used as a moisturizer – double usage from one product is always a good look and layering the product just gives the staying power needed during the long days of shows.
Available online www.czechandspeake.com or at their flagship Jermyn Street store.
Clayspray
Clayspray literally is what it says on the tin – it’s a clay masque in a spray. Again, perfect for men and women. This beautiful product is made from the purest clay from the Iberian Peninsula, formed around 100 million years ago and is mega-rich in minerals. This will remove all the impurities and toxic free radicals (and I don’t mean some people in the fashion industry). There is a choice of clays: white (potassium, calcium and silica for moisture and anti-aging) and red clays (iron and magnesium for healing and circulation). Sold online at www.feelunique.com and www.clayspray.com for £44.50. You get 17 facials in the pump, which is more enough for pre and post fashion week to get your skin camera ready for the street style photogs. From the packaging to the product, groundbreaking innovation is what makes the Clayspray range unique – the qualities so many designers each fashion season are striving for…
SAMPAR Cosmakeup
Men have been wearing make up to fashion week for as long as I can remember. Every time I see supermodel David Gandy at the shows or events he has foundation on (it’s true). In everyday life a lot of men are wearing tinted moisturisers etc. This particular product is great for the guy or girl who doesn’t want any detection of make up on their skin. It’s targeted at women but is perfect for men (please don’t be put off by the pink packaging). This has universal transparency so is for every skin tone and type out there. There’s a science behind it that smooths wrinkles and evens out redness and skin tone – encapsulated Hyaluronic Acid is the hero ingredient here. SAMPAR is sold online at www.feelunique.com and www.marksandspencers.com for £34. It really works and is the best airbrush tool.
Mizani Haircare
Last but by no means least, L’Oreal’s Mizani is one of the best hair care brands for natural/textured/curly hair. This luxury suite of products gives the user choices to change their hairstyles with ease and create gorgeous styles. Mizani styling products soften frizz and give you moveability with hold – the ultimate aid during fashion weeks. It also makes unruly hair do what you want it to – from pre care to styling. This range is a must own for those of you like myself that have this varied hair type.
Style icon and singer; Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes is the first celebrity and British ambassador of this major US brand.
The campaign shots are spectacular and could easily be mistaken for a designer fashion campaign. Hairstylist to the stars Charlotte Mensah created the ‘catwalk-like’ looks as well as a how-to guide (using the styling range £9.50-£12.95) that can be used to create various looks. www.mizani-uk.com
Needless to say everything featured can take you way beyond fashion season, to any special or every day occasion. It’s about your own needs. And that’s what’s really important and…essential.
Onward to Milan…Until next time…
Stay karma, stay happy.
– Camille Adomakoh
