Sporting Summer

The invitation arrives, and yes its that time again to get all dressed up and head off to this seasons sporting events.  With the glorious British summer living up to the usual expectations of unpredictability combined with essential etiquette, it can sometimes become a rather daunting affair.  Well don't let that dampen your fun, because the experts at Monsieur Man have come up with a quick round up of the events and appropriate attire to wear:

Royal Ascot: June 18th- - 22nd

If you are lucky enough to be attending the world's most famous racecourse event this week, there are some essential dress codes that must be adhered to in order to conform to her Majesty's wishes.

For general admission: A shirt and tie must be worn, preferably with a suit or jacket. A smart 1-button suit in navy or charcoal, beautifully cut by Kilgour or Richard James, will look perfect with a lavender shirt.

Royal enclosure: A black or grey morning suit, including a waistcoat is essential, but don't forget the all-important top hat, which can be found at Lock & Co, St James.

Wimbledon: June 24th-7th July

It’s strawberries, cream and zero rainfall (yeah right) this year at Wimbledon, so prepare to part with your trousers for this sizzling summer event.

Debenture Lounges - Good news here you can get away with smart casual attire and gentlemen do not need to wear jacket and tie, smart shorts are acceptable.

Members' Enclosure - Jacket and tie are appropriate for members and their guests we're afraid, and maybe an umbrellas too. Opt for a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses and a pocket hanky to accessorise.

The Polo: July 28th

Viewing one of the oldest and fastest team games this summer, at Great Windsor Park's Audi Polo, requires serious smartness.  The official dress code is smart casual, which means you don't need to wear a suit but definitely no jeans, trainers or sportswear.

We would suggest a sharp pair of chinos in grey, navy or a light check from Reiss that will look fabulous with a crisp white shirt.   A straw hat to shade from the sun and pair of brown brogues from Paul Smith will have you looking appropriately dapper.

Father's Day Gift Ideas

From tongue in cheek to the sensible, Monsieur Man has got all the tips you need to get Dad smiling this Sunday!

Wine and salami gift box, £21.95
From Carluccio's

A perfect present for scoffing at home or outdoors of a sunny evening, this gift box contains a delicious Brianzolino salami, some handmade flatbread with black truffle and a great bottle of Piedmontese wine – Dolcetto D’Alba DOC – to wash it all down.

Chocolate gift box, £35
From hotelchocolat.com

Obviously, chocolate is for life, not just for Father's Day. But if you're going down the chocolatey route, this delicious selection from Hotel Chocolat includes a bottle of port, some far-too-tasty-to-resist pralines and a very posh bar of single-estate chocolate from Madagascar.

Stationery gift set, £35
From quilllondon.com

A gorgeous luxury stationery gift set containing a gold-tipped Kaweco pocket fountain pen with a set of black ink cartridges, a notepad with a brogues motif and a brown and gold geometric notebook by Brown Paper. All packaged in a black gift box tied with black ribbon, so you can have it sent directly to your dad.

Personalised Crystal Tumbler and Jack Daniels Gift Set £24.99
From buyagift.com

This drinks set is the perfect gift for any Jack Daniels lover. The gift set comprises of a miniature Jack Daniels and a cut crystal whisky tumbler. Personalise the glass with any message up to 3 lines, 20 characters per line. This lovely unique gift set comes presented in a silk lined gift box.

Tie Bar silk knit tie, £15
TheTieBar.com

In case you can't afford the posh RL style, keep Dad in check with this skinny Tie Bar staple. Whether he can tell the difference says all you need to know about the choice.

This tongue in cheek gift is perfect for any man who lacks some finesse with his manners £14.99 
From buyagift.com

Designed for diners with a gigantic appetite or the dinner table etiquette of a dog, the "Man Bowl" makes a hilarious novelty gift. Perfect for mega breakfasts, piles of pasta and mountains pudding, this microwave and dishwasher safe ceramic bowl can handle any monster portion. Although it doesn't come with a knife and fork, eating hands-free is probably a step too far.

Football & Fashion

With so many football shockers this month…..Sir Alex and David Beckham retiring, Wigan winning the FA Cup, then being relegated a mere two days later , got me thinking about the Life and Style of the modern day footballer. Let’s see if money can really buy you style! After all footballers are not usually known for sartorial elegance and stirring clothing choices, but every now and then we come across a baller who truly kicks it in the style stakes. For example

1. David Beckham: When you think of style and football, nine times out of ten you’re going to think David Beckham. One of the most famous footballers in the world, Becks is continuously setting trends. Whether he’s doing dressed down casual, experimenting with headgear, or rocking a suit, we think it doesn’t really get much better than Becks.  The man can wear the hell out of pretty much anything, but we think he looks his best relaxed and effortlessly styled. A modern family man, Beckham leads the way in current gentleman’s fashion.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo: Over the last decade, Cristiano Ronaldo has emerged as football’s new internationally acclaimed superstar. The Portuguese player has followed in the footsteps of Beckham by becoming the new model of Armani underwear and continuously pushing the boundaries of contemporary male fashion. We think Ronaldo looks best when he is wearing his designer suits: immaculate and dapper.

3. Thierry Henry : The King of Casual. What looks great on Thierry would look questionable  on anyone else, and that’s part of his charm. We love his skater boy style, but he can also dress it up when it counts. Not one to stop caring with just his clothes, Henry’s detail to suave or trendy accessories is dually noted. His red kicks to match his tee– all shows that this man is a natural street-style gentleman.

Best dressed Male at TV Bafta's

Last night on our screens saw television's leading men turn out on London's South Bank, for the TV Bafta awards, 2013. Take a look at our top five best-dressed men on the red carpet…

In first place comes : Jamie Redknapp, in this amazingly fitted  Thom Sweeney three-piece tux, nothing to say other than perfection!

In second place reluctantly to say, because I’m not a fan of his, on Made in Chelsea. But Spencer Matthews, actually has a knack for style, and this blue sheen lapelled tux, is a winner in the evening wear realms.

In third place comes: Our host for the night, Graham Norton! Love the subtle pattern on his jacket.

In fourth place was the dashing Matt Johnson, he looks effortlessly styled in this suit, and nice to see that not everyone was wearing a bow tie.

Finally but by no means least was Dermot O’Leary. He was sporting a well-cut Rake Lounge suit, Emmett shirt, Spencer Hart bow tie and Mr Hare shoes- we love Mr Hare shoes!

Met Gala 2013

Last night all the celebs were dressed to impressed at the 2013 Met Gala, in my eyes it may have been one the swankiest yet. The annual fête, which formally kicks off the Metropolitan Museum of Art's yearly Costume Institute exhibit, always brings in an array of style stars, from models to designers to Hollywood's A-list.

This year’s theme was ‘Punk: Chaos to couture’, so we were expecting to see plenty of studding, black leather and perhaps a few mohawks. The women certainly had this down to a tee, Sienna Millar and Cara D but to mention a few- rocked the stud/punk look. The men however, by the by were less extravert, nevertheless I have found a small selection of outfits from the guys that definitely didn’t disappoint.

 

Tom Brady looked showstopping in this light blue ultra sheen jacket and bow tie. Definitely not one to shy away from the crowd.

 

Gavin Rossdale, made a punk statment in this tartan from head-toe. Very ballsy! 

 Stella's hubby, definitely didn't shy away with this amazing leopard print jacket, don't think I've seen a more flamboyant jacket choice for a while. Absolutely love! 

Grooming for the sun

After months of Vitamin D deprivation, It’s great that summer is nearly upon us! But the down side to this is unfortunately somewhere between hitting the beach and basking in the sun; the heat begins to slowly take its toll. To rescue your skin from the elements and keep you from getting all hot and bothered this summer, we suggest the following  male summer grooming regime:

Shave: Shaving dries out your skin, especially in the sun, so try No 7 Post shave recovery balm SPF 15, £8

Moisturise:  SPF is a must, and we like Korres for Men. An intensive, non-oily anti-ageing cream that offers immediate hydration whilst gradually smoothing fine lines. The high sun protection factor (SPF 15) helps prevent photo-ageing, £21.95

Exfoliate:  If you do suffer from sunburn, an exfoliating scrub will wash away any impurities and flaky skin. We recommend Nivea for Men- Exfoliating face scrub, £4.59

Hair: By using a shampoo that contains UV filters, you can protect your locks from the drying sun.  Try L'Oréal Paris Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo, £2.99

Sunscreen:  Men account for 53% of skin cancer cases, with that in mind, make sure you always wear sun cream whilst out and about in the sun. Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Spray SPF20. Innovative, transparent, non-greasy spray that can be used at any angle, £7.24

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby film is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel co-written and directed by Baz Luhrmann, featuring stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Isla Fisher. It follows the life and times of millionaire Jay Gatsby in the height of the Roaring Twenties.From a style perceptive Monsieur Man has been following the trailers for The Great Gatsby film, (May 16th 2013 release), and we have already spotted some dapper outfits, although the best descriptive words to reflect the outfits as well as their opulent lifestyle has to be ostentatious and flamboyant.

Brooks Brothers, the all-American label known for its preppy polo’s, teamed up with two-time Oscar-winning costume designer Catherine Martin to create the 1920s wardrobe of movie's leading men: Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway and Leonardo di Caprio as Jay Gatsby. Brooks Brothers receives several mentions in the classic novel by Fitzgerald as the ultimate representation of gentleman’s purveyor of fine clothing to the American man of distinction; therefore they were the only choice! Let’s face it, movies can’t be a ‘fashion’ films if there is not a clothing line attached to it. Yesterday saw the launch of Brooks Brothers' limited edition Gatsby Collection at the brand's Regent Street flagship, with windows featuring costumes from the movie. “The Great Gatsby” collection, which includes suits, shirts, ties, waistcoats and formalwear, is an interpretation of the film’s looks rather than a stitch-for-stitch reproduction. After all, no man in the 21st century wants to waltz around town in what is little more than razzle dazzle fancy dress, the collection has therefore been created into a wearable 2013 perfect summer trend  based look. 

With the executive producer being none other than Jay-Z and his beautiful wife Beyoncé covering Amy Winehouse’s classic 'Back to Black' track, the film is bound to have great panache as well as an outstanding sound track and of course exquisite style!

We can’t wait to watch this Baz Luhmann’s epic remake!