Men of London, you can now be groomed before or after work thanks to a new male grooming service recently launched by Neville. The City Slicker service is the first male grooming service offered by Neville that is exclusively dedicated to men. You can enjoy a range of treatments from Indian head massage to a male manicure.
Neville is open from 7.30am - 7.30pm and is located at 5 Pont Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 9EJ. Prices start from £70. For more information call ++44 (0) 20 7235 3654
We post images that we receive from emerging photographers regularly on reFRESHLITE, so its about time we posted some articles from emerging writers too. This entertaining featurette is penned by Andrew Pearson (pictured left) who I'm sure you'll be seeing more of as a writer in the future...
We all know how we like it. Sugar in our morning coffee, our choice of music at the gym or our favourite flavour at the bar. Our taste in men is usually just as rigid; we find one type of man ticks all the boxes. Some of us prefer the rugged manly type, whereas others are more partial to the fresh faced, clean-cut variation.
There was once a time when men jumped out of bed at the crack of dawn to pull a shaver across their face. However, over time, some of us have evolved into increasingly hairier beings whilst others have kept up this morning regime, creating a distinct difference. So the big question is – does a baby face make your heartbeat pace or are the rough more than enough?
The smooth man (illustrated by Ryan Seacrest)encompasses all that is good and proper. His shoes are shined, his shirt freshly pressed and his crew-cut hair is flattened into a side parting. There are variations of the smooth man, from a Fred Perry-style man-about-town, to the young professional; seeking to scale the rungs of the career ladder. Some jobs require a close shave and attention to detail which some guys are more than keen to adhere to. His style and attitude are never out of sync and his composure will never falter.
A significant portion of these clean-cut office bunnies have created the ‘closeted’ rugged man. These men spend all week closely shaving and pressing their trousers until the weekend is upon them and they proudly spend the weekend strutting around with their hastily grown facial hair. Then, come Sunday night, the joys of the weekend will be washed away down the sink, the sleeves unrolled on their shirts and a comb re-introduced to their barnett.
The rough ’n’ ready man (illustrated by Colin Farrell) on the other hand eludes all conceptions of formality and properness. When Clint Eastwood arrived on our screens, the world embraced his abrasive exterior and shaver manufacturers sighed and binned the file marked ‘Christmas bonus’. The modern-day rugged male is carefree and seemingly un-phased by others’ opinions of his unruly hair and yesterdays’ 5’ o clock shadow. His style is casual, yet never messy encompassing brawn, not brains. Take note: there’s a very clear difference between a rugged man and a man who doesn’t care for his appearance. Whilst both will likely have facial hair, the rugged man’s will be at a carefully selected length and will be subtly shaped to emphasize his cheekbones. The rugged man will work to obtain the ‘I just threw this on’ fashion sense and his hair will be ruffled and messy but would have taken no fewer than 10 minutes and three products to make it that way. The slacker man will wear anything that fits and may not have even used a towel on his hair. In essence, the rugged man will show all the qualities of a man who hadn’t spend time on his appearance, but will look equally as dashing as the clean-cut smooth man.
Of course, the pro to being a rugged male is that you reek of independence, giving the impression that you’re much too valued in your workplace to be told to change your slightly less-than-professional appearance. But there’s no avoiding it, the level of smartness lies directly in proportion to a man’s level of ruggedness. This doesn’t work well for the male who is to be expected to dine in upper-class restaurants and mingle with high-class professionals in his daily routine. While the ‘carefree look’ may work wonders to appeal to the opposite sex, it’s not going to sit well when in Claridges or with anyone who works on a broadsheet newspaper.
Both looks require a certain amount of attention to detail and cross contamination is unfortunately too common and rarely successful. The bearded ‘pretty-boy’ look may have worked for Justin Timberlake but it’s unlikely that most of us will be able to pull this off without a full time personal stylist. There’s also the hideous effect of the boy who is born to follow in a line of clean-cut office types but attempts to jump the fence into Ruggedville and land on his own two feet. This results in short and skinny wannabes with a face full of wiry pubic hair throwing their shoulders around as if they’re Russell Crowe. The rugged man is supposed to be exactly that – a *man* - and if the shoe doesn’t fit, stick with what your genes have given you.
Extremes need to be avoided when fitting into one of these categories. A man too formal and neat can give the impression of someone with OCD who may have to leave dinner early to run home and make sure all his coffee-cups are equidistant from each other with their handles pointing due North. The rough ‘n’ ready male can take their look one step too far and end up looking like they’re likely to smell a little stale or as if place they call ‘home’ is actually a pile of newspapers in a doorway. Moderation is key!
When dating, cross pollination should generally be avoided although this certainly isn’t set in stone. A large rugged guy hand in hand with a smooth boy may scream ‘father and son’s day out’ as well as a smoothly shaved, immaculately dressed gentleman with a rough looking stud may give the impression that they’re helping the homeless. It’s perfectly acceptable to blend the smooth and rough though, providing the age difference isn’t too great. A word of warning to all the closely shaved guys out there, beware of stubble rash ;)
30 years ago, the unshaven man in the work place would have been sent home from the office with the contents of his desk in a cardboard box. Luckily, the world is evolving and many of us are now able to gleefully step outside of our front doors and welcome each morning with a bristly grin and unkempt hair. Hopefully, the world won’t continue to evolve until we begin to turn back the evolution clock and step out of our office lift closely resembling an ape...
Facebook has a strange habit of making the world a smaller place. I recently hooked up with somebody I knew very well over 10 years ago and hadn't properly chatted to in an age! Lee Dahlberg, entrepreneur, model and now editor used to work with me when I was running a business travel magazine (long before reFRESH Magazine even launched!). After Lee left London he headed back to the USA where he's pioneered Rock Bands (a great jewellery accessory that is much favoured by celebrities on the West and East Coast - modelled by Lee in the bottom pic) whilst continuing to model and develop new business ideas. I was delighted to receive this set of shots of Lee (taken by Lyall Aston) which I am duly sharing with all of you!
From personal and bespoke tailoring to ready-to-wear and shirts and ties, its no surprise that Ede & Ravenscroft is the first choice for the English gentleman! This season they continue to maintain their heritage whilst also offering today's man classic menswear with modern styling.
Hemp is the perfect material for a shoe because it’s soft, super breathable and ultra durable. It’s also quick growing and doesn’t require the use of pesticides or herbicides. As soon as it comes out of the ground it is cut and woven into a pair of ecoSNEAKS.
The featured shot shows the Men's Tuba in tan and charcoal which is manufactured using organic cotton Uppers, Hemp, Recycled PET laces and a recycled car tyre outsole (RRP £60)
Chosen for his sporting brilliance, quintessential creative style and confident swagger on and off the pitch, Kevin has that certain something that makes him a perfect fit for the iconic British brand. Kevin will join the illustrious ranks of some of Britain’s most revered sporting icons such as Denis Compton, Johnny Haynes and David Beckham.
Still the UK’s best known men’s styling brand after 80 celebrated years, Kevin is the face of Brylcreem’s re-launched range of products that have quality, performance and style at their core.
The new formulation Brylcreem range has been restyled with a clean, classic and timelessly sharp look. On shelf in September/October 2009, the range includes three brand new offerings – including Brylcreem Cream, unique in the market: the multipurpose styling product that has been created to give a strong, invisible and truly re-mouldable hold.
We are fans of the pinstripe here at reFRESH, so we were delighted to hear that top fashion brand Jaeger are putting this classic right at the centre of their Autumn/Winter collections.
"This season, the pinstripe has been developed and cleverly incorporated into modern, graphic knitwear", says Stuart Stockdale, Jaeger's Design Director.
In tailoring, the pinstripe adds a sharp feel to Jaeger London's modern, double-breasted suit in rich, deep grey. Another Jaeger London highlight is the black one-button suit crafted from a raised pinstripe cloth which boasts added texture. In Jaeger collection, alongside the quintessential two-button navy pinstripe suit, sits an elegant two-button suit in charcoal with a fresh lilac stripe.
Featured look: Jaeger 125 pinstripe v neck sweater (£120), Jaeger London textured shirt (£90) and Jaeger Collection roll neck (£99). For stockist information call ++44 (0) 845 051 0063
Launching a new brand is never easy, particularly when it involves underwear and swimwear for men. The stakes are high, the expectation great and the look essential for success or failure. So newly launched3rd Beach, from Cape Town have their work cut out for themselves.
However with a range of products and accessories available alongside swimwear and underwear, all inspred by Cape Town, they have made an impressive start and we certainly liked their sexy slick photography as well.
Founded by four South African entrepreneurs with backgrounds in fashion, design, retail and finance (Mira Blumberg, Dylan Leone, Jacques Oberholzer and Jaco Gunter) they are certainly a brand to watch!
For more information visit www.3rdbeach.net
With the launch of Sport & Leisure on July 26th, Debenhams is set to become a destination for the active guy with a whole host of top sportswear brands, including Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reebok and Speedo being housed in their new sportswear division.
Sport & Leisure will be rolling out to 41 Debenhams stores this summer, and will include items for general sport and leisure, technical outdoor clothing and accessories. The department will offer the very best in high performance and stylish clothing and accessories for anyone who wants to Ski in the Winter and Surf in the Summer.
Currently sold in Urban Outfitters throughout the country, Farah will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary next year.
Their key styles at the moment are the classic 'Mills' trousers available in Black (a plain front trouser with back yokes and scoop pockets). The fit of the trouser, as you would expect from Farah is great, slim fitted and really retro in feel and retails at £50.
Also available is the 'Cartwright' long sleeve v-neck jumper, made from 100% fine gauge pima cotton. It comes in a stunning array of brights including yellow, red, pink, purple, sky blue, green and midnight blue and is priced at £59.
Another key piece to mention would be the 'Merriweather' polo shirt, a short sleeve button down collar polo, available in white, black, pink and midnight blue, retailing at £36.
Ed Westwick, one of our favourite stars on Gossip Girl is one of a number of stars to be selected by K-Swiss for their K-Space campaign to celebrate the return of the K-Swiss Classic. Shot by photographer Zach Gold, the images feature athletes and celebrities engaging with sport and lifestyle props. Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald) maybe hot but you just can't beat the edginess of a bad boy. Westwick scrubs up particularly well, so thanks to our friends at K-Swiss PR for sending over these shots. The campaign debuts globally next month and will run in print, web, broadcast and outdoor venues.
Hot men, sexy swim shorts and great locations go together to make an inspirational new Spring/Summer collection for Orlebar Brown. The popularity of this brand in the UK is growing and it is about to confirm its third main stockist in London soon. Not bad going considering they only launched in March 2007. New colours have been added to their palette (dark navy, forest green, slate grey and sand) and for the Spring/Summer new collection they have four styles in 3 lengths and in 5 sizes and whoever picked the hot guys to model their new looks deserves a gold star.
Accomplished tailor Tom Baker started his career at Hardy Amies before opening his own Soho bespoke workshop where's he been for over 10 years. He recently opened his first store in Soho where his stunning ready-to-wear collections which also include millinery. As you can see from the featuring designs, he is flamboyant, creative and anarchistic - no wonder his designs caught our eye! His signature cut is the single breasted, 1 button, peak lapel suit, based on a classical English silhouette, with clean lines and sharp edges..perfect work, play or a civil partnership ceremony perhaps!
Sir Tom Baker is located at 4 D'Arblay Street, London W1F and Tom Baker Bespoke is located at 83/84 Berwick Street, London W1F
Did you know that when the weather gets cold your skin gets hungry? Frigid winds, grey drizzle and undetected winter UV all contribute to the elements that ravage your skin in the colder seasons. New from clean, green New Zealand comes Skinfood to counter the dullness and dryness attacking your skin. This range of paraben-free skincare products contains soothing vitamin A & E packed natural coconut palm, a blend of food and plant-based ingredients such as nourishing manuka honey, aloe vera and avocado oil and essential oils extracted from orange, lavender and tea tree oil... Dig in!
Priced at £4.99 it’s sure to strip away the winter blues and give you yummier-looking skin. Now available in all major retailers.
Take advantage of a whole host of ticket offers for theatre productions and shows available exclusively for reFRESH readers
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