Shop - London Sock Co

The London Sock Co offer the first stylish sock subscription brand. Inspired by the ambition of making stylish socks more accessible to the modern gent. The unique subscription service is ideal for those of us that have a busy life, as stylish socks will conveniently arrive through your letterbox each month, so you can constantly have that great feeling of putting on a new pair of socks. Subscribers can choose how many pairs you want, and you also have the flexibility to cancel and pause at any time. 

I have tried a couple of these socks for myself and am a big fan. The socks are of the highest quality, using the finest materials and workmanship in Europe. Each product is developed in close partnership with London designers, as well as quality family sock makers with over 100 years of expertise. The current range blends classic British style with superior fit and comfort, made with vibrant, luxury Scottish Lisle Thread cotton. 

The London Sock Co also have a social commitment and is a brand that is determined to make a difference. With their Pull Your Socks Up campaign, they are helping homeless people in London stay warm. 

Take a closer look at the current range below:

Burgundy - £12

Dark grey - £12

Light green - £12

Mustard - £12

Pink - £12

Purple - £12

Red - £12

The subscription packs are Lord of the Manor (shown above) which is 4 pairs for £45, the Earl of Westbury which is £65 for 7 pairs or the The Duke, a six pair box set and a 6 month subscription for £99. 

Shop my picks of the current collection and the rest at London Sock Co.   

Shop - Sauce and Brown

New brand, Sauce and Brown have created a range of shirts and T shirts that hope to be something different from the High Street. With their One of One Hundred collection, they limit production of each design to just one hundred pieces - an exclusive item without the exclusive price tag. 

The current range is a collection of 7 items, consisting of 4 T shirt designs, and 3 shirt designs. The quality is spot on - T shirts are made from 100% certified organic cotton which are incredibly soft and comfortable to wear. They are also manufactured solely using renewable energy from wind and solar power. Designs are simple and subtle - drawn prints of swallows and hearts on a navy or white canvas. 

The printed shirts are available in vibrant and clever prints - flowers, daisies and my favourite piece of the collection - the water pistol shirt which would look great dressed up with a black or grey jacket, or worn with a pair of selvedge denim. All shirts are 100% cotton. 

I was lucky enough to be sent the heart T shirt a few days ago and it is a piece that I will be wearing again and again over the Summer. On this occasion, I wore it with Nudie Jeans denim, and a Topman borg collar denim jacket. 

Shop my picks of the collection and the rest at Sauce and Brown. 

Lookbook - Stighlorgan

The new collection from Irish accessories brand, Stighlorgan called "Chasing The Sun" features a wide range of completely new styles with a great mixture of fabrics and prints. 

The Conn laptop back is a key silhouette in the new range, and is the label's laptop ready backpack. The flap top, capacity adjustable style is inspired by current issue Irish military packs. A hardworking performance silhouette, the bag is also adapted for the city with key details like external side loading laptop pocket, top loading quick access stash pocket and internal zip pockets. 

The Conn also features all of the Stighlorgan trademarks - the D ring shoulder strap system which suits any shoulder width, the twisted rope grab handle and high quality leather detailing. The new bag comes in three colourways - navy with black trim, vintage baseball strip linen canvas with black tarpaulin trim and black with tiger printed canvas trim. Take a closer look at the three new bags below:

The Conn Navy 6x9 ballistic nylon main body with black tarpaulin trim (£95) 

The Conn vintage baseball striped linen cotton canvas main body with black tarpaulin trim (£95)

Black 18oz cotton canvas main body with tiger printed canvas trim (£95)

Shop the Conn bag and more at Stighlorgan 

Best Dressed of the Week - The Franco Brothers

This weeks best dressed are the very stylish Franco brothers. Both of them were in attendance at the opening night after party for Of Mice and Men starring James Franco, Leighton Meester and Chris O' Dowd. Both rocking black suits, James opted for a simple two button black suit with white shirt, smart shoes and black silk tie. 

Younger brother Dave, also looked great in black - opting for a snuggly fitting black herringbone weave, peaked lapel, double breasted jacket , sky blue shirt and black bow tie. A preppy, clean and classic look. 

Images courtesy of Just Jared

Look of the Week

This weeks illustrated image, by the great Stacey White is inspired by the great red carpet style of Jared Leto, who rocked some great looks during awards season, particularly in Balmain Homme at the Golden Globes, and in Saint Laurent at the Oscars. This is the third illustration that Stacey has done for The Rakish Gent. She is a recent graduate of the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design in Visual Communication. She mainly works in pencil to create her illustrations. 

To get the look, styled by me, you need to get your hands on this dark green tonic suit from the Topman Lux range, of which I am a huge fan. Pair with a plain white shirt (Zara have some great ones) and a rakish printed Givenchy scarf. A pair of statement studded Valentino shoes complete the look. Both the shoes and the scarf are available at Matches Fashion. 

A big thank you to Stacey for the illustration. You can find out more about her, and her work at her website Stacey White Illustration. 

New articles for Chasseur Magazine

Two new articles that I recently contributed to Chasseur Magazine are now online. The first is my review of the SS14 collection from new label Koli, and the second is a look at the new range from Belgian designer Krjst called Feeding The Ghosts. Links to both articles are below:

Koli SS14 collection 

Krjst AW14 collection

Shop - The Gentle-Man Range

The Rakish Gent likes to look and feel good. What you wear is key to looking good, but how you feel, smell and how well groomed you are, are equally important. I recently came across a brilliant new grooming range, which offers a complete package of products for your every need, from The Gentle-Man range. 

Harking back to a more dapper time, the range is inspired by the style and etiquette of the gentleman. The range features an array of luxury grooming products for the modern gent, formulated using fantastic ingredients and bespoke fragrances. 

The range has been created by Dr Paul Byrne, a former producer of luxury fragrances, who was left twiddling his thumbs after retirement. Curious about the world of male grooming, he transformed his large shed into a home lab and carefully began to source gentle ingredients and working on formulas. The result of his work is The Gentle-Man range, which are simple, gentle on the skin but effective in their aims. The range really is an example of the best of Britain - the simple design, smart packaging, manufacture and formulation of the range was all made in Great Britain. 

I was lucky enough to be sent a couple of products to try for myself and cannot recommend them highly enough. They are exactly as described - simple and straight forward, never harsh on my skin or complicated to use. I was impressed by the light but not overbearing fragrance as well as the old school sophistication of the packaging. Below is a closer look at some of my favorites of the range:

Rather splendid sandalwood body wash (£13) - I loved the sandalwood scent on this body wash which felt really luxurious when lathered up in the shower. 

Decidedly invigorating peppermint body wash (£13) - a great luxury alternative if sandal wood is not the scent for you. Great for the morning shower before work. 

Aloe Sweet Cheeks shave cream (£15) - rich in natural olive and shea butters, and natural aloe vera, this will soothe your skin against the effects of a razor. 

Super Soothing Post Shave Balm (£16) contains anti-inflammatory properties to soothe your skin after a shave. 

Highly hydrating daily moisturiser (£18) provides maximum protection and benefit. 

Frightfully fresh pomegranate face wash (£15) is a light, refreshing and gentle face wash. 

Gentle-Man Eau De Toilette (£30) - a refreshing and contemporary scent with basil and cardamom, bergamot and lemon and a woody undertone. 

A huge thanks to the team at The Gentle-Man for the fantastic products that they sent over. I am a big fan of the range and will definitely be coming back for more soon. You can shop my picks of the collection, and more at The Gentle-Man.