Look of the Week

For me, A/W '14 is all about crisp tailoring, clean lines with a great print thrown into the mix. Look of the Week, illustrated by new artist to The Rakish Gent, Gill Button exemplifies all the key features of a great autumn wardrobe. Based in London and a graduate of Kingston University, Gill has a fantastic list of clients so far that include British Airways, United Nations, The Times and the BBC. It is an immense honour to be included on that list. Everyday, Gill draws a different man for her "Sketchy Men" blog which features some really cool, dapper looking dudes. 

The look that Gill has illustrated, styled by me, features items that look great when worn together or worn as individual pieces. The shirt from Acne Studios could not be any more "autumn" if it tried, with a great decorative, floral print. Also, being short sleeve, means it is perfect for these weird weather conditions. Mr Porter currently have this shirt, along with a great selection of other pieces from the brand. A great pair of tailored trousers are a menswear staple and these navy textured ones from Reiss will never go out of style. Neither will a pair of brogues for that matter, and I am a big fan of the current range from Topman, especially these Howes black leather ones which will pretty much go with everything in your wardrobe. Finally, a  document holder can be a great way to cart around all of your random pieces of paper, and I love this one from Bonastre at The Corner. Smart, black and unlined which gives it a great slouchy quality. 

A huge thanks to Gill for her very cool hipster style illustration. You can find out more about her work on her website, as well as follow her on Instagram. Be sure to also check out the brilliant Sketchy Men. 

Best Dressed of the Week - Mr Orlando Bloom

The Burberry Prorsum A/W '14 show was one of the best received shows of LC:M way back in January this year. Inspired by the prints of David Hockney, and constant source of inspiration; London, the show features bold but dark floral prints, silk scarves for men and the introduction of the manket. This week, Orlando Bloom attended the premiere of his new movie Zulu in Tokyo wearing a great shirt from the Burberry collection. 

Simple but luxurious, the shirt features a striking navy and beige floral print and dot pattern with mother of pearl fastenings. It looks great when paired with simple blazer and denim, just like Mr Bloom has done. You can get your hands on the same shirt at Matches Fashion. 

Images courtesy of Mail Online/ Style.com 

Pick of the Week

Too cold for just a T shirt but too warm for a coat already? You need to invest in a Harrington jacket. Not only is it a menswear staple that evokes the cool Steve McQueen it is the perfect outerwear choice for between seasons. 

This red one from Reclaimed Vintage at Asos is one of the best on the market - vibrant colour, good fit, retro check inside and featuring all of the Harrington trademarks including the knitted rim hem and cuffs. Best of all its only £50. I also love the styling with the all black basics and a great pair of Dr Martens. 

Shop the pick of the week red Harrington jacket from Reclaimed Vintage at Asos. 

Shop - new range from British Boxers

Several months ago, I posted on The Rakish Gent about a new range of underwear from British Boxers. Whilst the initial range focused on classic boxer short designs, the most recent collection features stretch trunks and a more boxer brief design. 

The new collection, designed by Deborah Price features of all of the same trademarks as the initial range - the classic elasticated British Boxers brand logo, with premium 95% cotton. Having roadtested a pair of them for myself - I can vouch for how comfortable and supportive they are. 

The range is currently offering in 6 shades - blue jeans, fire engine red, coal black, natural white, cobalt blue and Manchester grey. Each pair is only £18.00 and is available from sizes Small to XX Large (the boxers come true to size). 

As well as developing a whole new range of underwear, there is also a small collection of new lounge pieces on offer. The men's robe from Double Dapper are made from exceptional two-fold cotton twill, generously cut and really rather dashing. Prices are from £85 for the gingham pyjamas and £105 for the robe. 

Find out more about the range and shop the entire collection at British Boxers. 

Look of the Week

This week sees the introduction of yet another new, very talented illustrator to The Rakish Gent - Sarah Fuller. Sarah began her work as an illustrator in 2011 and uses her blog to showcase her work an ideas around her fashion based projects. Born in Portsmouth and now based in Liverpool she is particularly inspired by the contemporary dandy and the print heavy, hedonistic 1960s. I really love her interpretation of the look that I styled. Just take a look at the detail on these shoes and the way in which she has really captured the idea. 

The look that Sarah has illustrated, styled by me, is centered around this frankly awesome red suit by brilliant new brand Noose and Monkey, which is currently stocked at Topman and Asos. The brand is developing a following for its 60s style slim, cropped suits that are cut close to the body. With such a strong suit, a classic white shirt from River Island is all you need, but feel free to go to town on shoes, just like I did when I picked these incredible Guiseppe Zanotti embroidered velvet loafers from Luisaviaroma. 

A huge thanks to Sarah for her vibrant and creative interpretation of my styling. I cant wait to work with her again. In the meantime, you can find out more about her on her blog, as well as follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

Best Dressed of the Week - Mr Brooklyn Beckham

As Brooklyn Beckham attends the premiere of the new movie If I Stay in LA earlier this week, it is almost like his father David is handing over the baton when it comes to red carpet dressing. Looking at ease in front of the flashbulbs and dressed up in a navy tuxedo, he looks the spitting image of his stylish parents. 

The look is kept youthful with box fresh white sneakers, rolled up sleeves on the tuxedo jacket and the replacement of a classic white shirt, with a darker T shirt. This man will go far. 

Images courtesy of Mail Online. 

Pick of the Week

Every season, the menswear from Reiss gets better and better and this autumn is no exception with the high street brand offering some of the best outerwear I have seen so far. 

High on the wish list for this season is a great leather jacket and this one from Reiss fits the bill - crafted from pure leather with a fine caviar grain finish, it comes in a dark brown shade, fits like a glove and is both comfortable and a luxury item. 

Shop the pick of the week Victor brown leather jacket at Reiss. 

Lookbook - Lyle & Scott x Jonathan Saunders

The iconic British menswear brand, Lyle & Scott has just launched it's new collection, a collaboration with the Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders. 

The new collection brings together the brand's 1960s golfing heritage (evident in the emblazoned diamond pattern knitwear) with the designer's signature use of bold colours and graphics. 

The 30 piece collection has everything from polo knits to V neck jumpers, chinos and even a range of snazzy shoes. All knitwear is made in Scotland, from merino wool made in Italy. Each piece in the collection feaures the brand's iconic eagle logo in the four main colours of the range - cobalt blue, gold, grey and light blue. 

Having seen this range first time around at London Collections: Men in January, it is great to see that it is finally hitting stores. 

Prices start at £70 for a T-shirt (awesome polka dot print with bright contrast sleeves) to £275 for the golf Harrington jacket which is a classic. Here is a closer look to some of my picks of the new collection:

Roll neck jumper in royal blue - £150

Polo neck jumper in green - £155

Stripe and dot T shirt - £70

Light coffee chinos - £155

Connell Argyle Plimsolls - £105

Regal blue Harrington jacket - £275 

Available now from Liberty, Oki-Ni, Present and online at Lyle & Scott. 

New articles for Chasseur Magazine

After a short hiatus, I am thrilled to be back contributing articles to the brilliant Chasseur Magazine. 

My latest two articles are my thoughts on the new autumn collections from Wood Wood and Skin by Sade English. You can read both articles in full by clicking on the links below:

Wood Wood AW14 Collection

Sade English AW14 Collection 

Look of the Week

When, several weeks ago I came across the work of Mario Gomez online, I was really keen to feature his illustrations on The Rakish Gent. I am thrilled to finally be able to share his amazing work with you. All of Mario's illustrated men have deer antlers which adds a whimsical and I think rather cool feature to the hipsters and intellectual types that he draws. Based in Madrid, Misterabsurdo is the alter ego of Mr Mario Gomez  whose talents stretch from illustration and painting to photography. With such a distinctive feature in his designs, it is obvious to me that Mario is an illustrator to watch. 

With V Festival this weekend, and Reading and Leeds just weeks ago, this weeks look is without a doubt the most stylish dandy in the mud. The Dries Van Noten full length floral trench is a standout piece that is currently on sale at The Corner. With such an overwhelming print  it is best to keep everything else simple and this weeks look, styled by me is a case in point. A longer length Topman T shirt and denim shorts from River Island are affordable and comfortable festival wear and of course, a pair of Hunter boots from Mr Porter are pretty much essential when attending a music festival in the UK. 

A massive thanks to Mario for his incredible illustration, which is one of my favorite ones that have been featured on this site. You can find out more about Misterabsurdo on his website as well as by following on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Best Dressed of the Week - Mr Ansel Elgort

It was only two weeks ago that Ansel Elgort was best dressed of the week on The Rakish Gent, and the young actor has done it again. 

Out of the Prada suit that he sported for the Young Hollywood Awards and into a fetching blue leather jacket from Kent and Curwen for the Teen Choice Awards, this is another faultless red carpet appearance for the actor who is only 20. Love how smart the checked trousers and dark brown double monk straps look and the blue leather jacket is a great shape and variation from the classic black. 

Pick of the Week

I am sure that it is not just me that thinks that River Island gets better each season. Their autumn offerings are some of their strongest pieces to date, with this smart trench being a particular favourite. 

A mac is a classic menswear coat that will never not be cool. Short, navy and with a double breasted fastening you can't really go wrong with this one, especially considering that the price is just £70. 

Shop the pick of the week navy smart short mac at River Island.