Author: The Chic Geek

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Umbro X MTV

Written on March 19, 2023.

Umbro has teamed up with MTV. Tracing a path back to Umbro’s home city of Manchester, the Umbro X MTV collaboration celebrates a time when working class kids, football fans, and students came together in disused warehouses, abandoned office blocks and country fields to rave together. For Spring Summer ’23, Umbro and MTV revisit the Second Summer of Love with a collection that combines casual sports-inspired silhouettes with a range of graphic prints and colours inspired by the ‘80’s and ‘90’s rave scene. 1990’s visual markers include a fusion logo, intertwining the Umbro and MTV brandmarks alongside a warped all-over checkerboard print. Fabrics too nod to the ‘90’s with a shell suit inspired nylon crinkle plus a polyester micro-let fabric which has been a long-time go-to for Umbro kits...

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Label To Know Perte D’ego

Written on March 15, 2023.

Lose the ego, or meaning ‘ego loss’, Perte D’ego is a new Indian brand using the best skills of Indian craftsman and creating pieces rather than collections. The website is a scroll of colourful and often embroidered men’s and women’s items, some matching, some not. Cameron from White Lotus was wearing a Perte D’ego pattern shirt in the latest series. Left – Saw this amazing dandelion jacket by Perte D’ego on Instagram, but can’t see it on the website Founded by designer Utkarsh Mithas, it has two core principles, create one of a kind, ‘Euphoria’ inducing pieces in a sustainable and ethical manner and preserve traditional techniques and craftsmanship and promote them globally to provide them a secure future. You’ll already know how much I love Indian embroidery...

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Tried & Tested Calecim Professional Serum & Cream

Written on March 15, 2023.

Calecim Professional is a stem cell skin and haircare specialist developed by scientists to rapidly increase the growth of skin cells, dramatically improving elastin and density. The hero ingredient, PTT-6, is ethically derived from the growth factors, protein and cytokines of red deer’s umbilical cord lining stem cells. They have the patent on using stem cells taken from umbilical cords for beauty products. TheChicGeek says, “I was given a box of the range to try and opted for the pink serum – it’s pink because it contains phenolsulfonphthalein (a pH indicator) which is reddish/dark pink – said to have the highest concentration of stem cell derived growth factors and proteins, and the Multi-Action Cream, which I thought I’d use as a standard moisturiser over the serum. I stopped...

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Retail – The Best Changing Room In The World!

Written on March 7, 2023.

Changing rooms, remember those? Those badly lit places that saved us from ordering online, trying things on at home and putting any returns in the post. Well, on my recent trip to Antwerp, I stumbled across, what could be, the best changing room in the world. A literally breath of fresh air, and who cares it’s the middle of January and freezing with the door open when you’re looking out onto this. It was other worldly. You had to remind yourself that this was real and you were looking at it. How very un-Web 3.0. The Ann Demeulemeester – I always have to look up the spelling – store in Antwerp, her home town, is a strict 90s monochrome palette until you get to the changing room, where the greatest of nature is laid out like a picture before you. What could easily be a nothing...

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Get The Look Pedro Pascal’s Summer Crochet

Written on March 3, 2023.

While not exactly red carpet dressy, Pedro Pascal, star of The Last of Us, looked kinda cool in his brown crochet top. Crochet has been bumbling under as a men’s summer trend for a couple of years now, thanks to the hands-spun look of brands such as Bode. The waffle knit clings to the right places while letting in maximum ventilation and is ideal thrown over a vest top for day or just as it is for the evening. British brand, King & Tuckfield has this relaxed ladder-stitch version in timeless navy. Left – Pedro Pascal on The Mandalorian red carpet Left – King & Tuckfield – Ladder-Stitch Camp Collar Shirt – £245 Buy TheChicGeek’s latest book FashionWankers – HERE Check out TheChicGeek’s new shop of fabulous plants &...

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Splash or Cash? The Embroidered Linen Shirt

Written on February 21, 2023.

This is more splash and less splash looking at the two prices, but with embroidery you’re paying for time. Harago’s embroidery is all handcrafted in India, while Percival’s looks like a 17th century sampler. These are the kind of pieces that look like new vintage and as such will slip seamlessly into your summer, warm-weather wardrobe. Left – Harago – Village Narrative Embroidered Linen Shirt – £335 from Matchesfashion.com Below – Percival Tapestry Cuban Linen Shirt – £199 Buy TheChicGeek’s latest book FashionWankers – HERE Check out TheChicGeek’s new shop of fabulous plants & books – Give me Penis Cactus!

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AW23 Menswear Fashion Weeks Winner Saint Laurent

Written on February 20, 2023.

Beyond chic! It’s official, the Saint Laurent men’s show won men’s fashion weeks. I was waiting for the Burberry show, for Daniel Lee to pull a checked rabbit – we got a duck – out of his hat, and while it was a strong start and had much more interest than the Tisci years, it was Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent collection that won the latest AW23 round of menswear shows. Chic, retro and contemporary, this was pure YSL. The YSL of Helmut Newton; monochrome and achingly stylish. It was a masterclass on being completely on-brand while feeling fresh yet referencing the past. Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent hasn’t made controversial waves, but instead has stuck to its black and white palette and stealthily built up a cult following over the years, taking over the brand from...

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Menswear Product Of The Week The Sailor Cap

Written on February 19, 2023.

Move over bucket, goodbye baseball, sayonara beanie; the headwear-du-jour is the sailor cap. Setting sail on the good ship S.S. Daley, the new collection from the British designer starred national treasure, Sir Ian McKellen, and, also, these rather fetching floppy sailor hats. While not available from the brand just yet – I really hope he follows JW Anderson’s lead and starts selling those branded underpants to bankroll the rest of the brand – there are a few alternatives, designer or surplus. From Patou’s achingly Parisian style to Charles Jeffrey Loverboy cheeky sailor, it adds a playful innocence to any look. Left – Sir Ian McKellen on the S.S.Daley AW23 catwalk Left – More S.S.Daley AW23 Bottom left – Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY – Sailor...

Menswear Trend Ribbing You

Written on February 15, 2023.

A ‘social x-ray’ was a term coined by American writer, Tom Wolfe in his cult 1980’s book, Bonfire of the Vanities. Very thin/anorexic, usually female socialites, were noted for never being too rich or too thin. Thanking you, Duchess of Windsor. Translating that look to menswear, without the calorie counting, is the Belgian designer, Walter Van Beirendonck. He showed clever rib cutaways in jackets in his most recent AW23 catwalk, as well as rib-like designs in his current SS23 collection, now available. Figi Studios has this stunning short sleeved shirt in black tulle giving the impression of a full torso x-ray. Left – Walter Van Beirendonck AW23 Below – Figi Studios – X-Rays Shirt – $340 Buy TheChicGeek’s latest...

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Menswear Product Of The Week The Sailor Collar Track Top

Written on February 2, 2023.

Browsing the stores in Antwerp, and wow, what a fashion-loving city that is, I walked into Verso, a large, luxury multi-brand store in a beautiful heritage building and happened upon this sailor-type tracksuit top from Kenzo. Kenzo’s new Artistic Director is Nigo of A Bathing Ape fame, who is taking Kenzo back to its Japanese roots and bringing out Kenzo’s famous boke flower. The oversized collar falls over the back shoulders to form a sailor-type bib and could be a reference to the Japanese tradition of wearing sailor uniforms to school. The back is cooler than the front, but this handsome green gives the top an innocence and playful feel, especially with the large elephant on the back. Left & Below – Kenzo – Elephant-Print Varsity Jacket – £645 Buy...

NA-KD puts recycled materials on the board for their 2023 swimwear collections

Written on January 25, 2023.

In the depths of winter darkness, many start looking forward to the summer heat and beach vacations. While doing so, trying to find the perfect bikini is one of the first step in trying to prepare for take-off. Swedish fashion house NA-KD has decided to become the green option on the market with a large range of zero waste swimwear. In 2023, many customers look for earth-friendly swimwear options, such as a bikini from recycled materials. That’s where NA-KD has stepped up to the plate. Amongst other policies, the brand has set a goal to have 100% of their products made more sustainable, including using more organic materials, natural dyes, and recycled materials. By doing so, they are aiming to reduce their absolute emissions by 50% from 2020-2030, setting a clear precedent for the...

Pitti Uomo Menswear AW23 Gnomes Scrapbook

Written on January 19, 2023.

Minus the fishing rod, and pond, the fashion gnomes were out in force at the recent Jan 2023 Pitti Uomo. Florence was a buzz with folkloric fortezza folk who seem to have fixated on the beanie with a slightly pointier top. Gnomecore has become a major trend and it’s easy to see why. All you really need is a baggie beanie. The men’s industry, including, buyers and brand managers, like a trend that’s easy and you can make your own. With Italian temperatures plummeting, it’s also practical. There’s no trend like gnome! Left – The daddy image of Gnomecore – Christian Bale in GQ Below – All the fashionisto gnomes out at the recent AW23 Pitti Uomo Fortezza in Florence