Closing Gold
The final flourish of Team GB gold was left to Tinie Tempah and model David Gandy in the Olympic Closing Ceremony last night. Dressed in Burberry Prorsum and Paul Smith respectively, they were flying the flag for Britain's creative industries.
Gold or metallics are a big trend for next Spring 13 but are quite a difficult thing for men to pull off. Gandy wore a tailored suit with matching tie, which was the correct tone of gold; too shiny and it starts to look tacky and too 'entertainer'.
Tempah played his down with dark top and trousers, just having one blinging item, the bomber, with a darker base balances the look and manages to tone it down. The two-tone body and arms makes it less Jimmy Savile and more chic designer.
Above - Tinie Tempah in Spring 2013 Burberry Prorsum Bomber Jacket
Hackney 2012
Mention the word Hackney to the majority of Olympic visitors and they'll probably stare at you blankly. Designer store Goodhood has decided to reclaim the games for its home borough with this snappy Hackney 2012 T-shirt. Should keep the hipsters happy.
£35
Olympic Ready - Get Involved!
The music festivals have been usurped by the Olympics this year. With Glastonbury having a year off and the Olympics on every commercial and product in the supermarket, the only thing we can do is get involved. The pink Olympic stickers have gone up all over town and many people are camping out or staying out late as part of their pilgrimage to Stratford. So we thought we’d look at a few stylish things to make the Olympics the enjoyable experience it should be.
Oliver Spencer has taken all the pain of being organised with his Olympic Survival Kit, exclusive to Selfridges it contains a special Oliver Spencer X Seil Marschall back pack containing K-Way cagoule, A-Z, T-shirt and everything you may need, especially if you get stuck on the Underground!
Above - Oliver Spencer - Olympic Survival Kit - £400
Adidas - Team GB Olympic replica men’s suit - £90
Body Shop - Tea Tree Cleansing Wipes - £4
Poler The Napsack - £99.99
This has something of the early Westwood’s about it.
I Dream of Wires - Cape - £110
Links of London - Team GB bracelet - £20 WIN yours here - Enter now
Backpack with solar power to charge handheld device everywhere you go.
Crosskase Solar 15 Backpack - £139.99
Body Shop - Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz - £8
Esemplare - Cagoule - £385
H&M's Olympic Sport Store Pop-Ups
To celebrate the H&M Sport collections and a summer of fitness focussed fashion, H&M are excited to announce the opening of two H&M Sports stores. Launching in Covent Garden on Friday 6th July and in Westfield Stratford City on Saturday 7th July, the stores will be open for a period of ten weeks.
“We’re very excited to be opening the UK’s first pop up store in Covent Garden and concept store in Westfield Stratford, it’s a nice surprise for our customers and a new twist on the H&M business concept of fashion and quality at the best price.”says Magnus Olsson, Country Manager H&M UK & Ireland.
The Covent Garden pop up store draws inspiration from a school sports hall. Reclaimed furniture and retro gym equipment is used to create a unique shopping experience. The Westfield Stratford concept store is contemporary; with clean lines the directional design elements.Exclusively for both stores and in celebration of all things athletic H&M Sport will be launching a limited edition collection in patriotic colours.
The H&M Sport stores open for ten weeks, from midday on Friday 6th July in St Martin's Courtyard, 9 Mercer Street, Covent Garden, WC2 and on Saturday 7th July in Westfield Stratford City.
To celebrate the launch, a retro sports locker room will appear in Covent Garden Piazza on Friday 6th July. Every locker contains a prize/reward, ranging from H&M Sportswear and annual gym memberships to luxury spa weekends. All prizes are redeemable in the new Mercer Street store on day of launch. H&M Sportswear ‘key masters’ will be circling the Covent Garden area distributing locker keys to luck members of the public, who must find the matching locker to find their prize. The Locker Room will be open from 10:30am to 07:00pm so don’t miss your chance to seek out a key master and win!
Stella's British Team Kit
Over 2 years in the making, adidas, Official Sportswear Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, proudly presents the team kit that will be worn by the British athletes at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Designed by British designer Stella McCartney, who was appointed by adidas as Creative Director for this project, the kit is the most comprehensive range that’s ever been supplied to a national team, combining the best in performance technologies and style.
McCartney’s design of the kit focusses on the Union flag, breaking down the iconic design and reconstructing it, creating a modern and contemporary twist.The result is a bold design that features on all items of the kit to ensure the British athletes stand out in front of the home crowd as a unified team.
Stella McCartney said: “The first place to start on a project like this is to look at the Union flag. For me it’s one of the most beautiful flags in the world and it was important for me to stay true to that iconic design but also to modernise it and present it in a contemporary way.Ultimately, we wanted the athletes to feel like a team and be proud with the identity we created.”
adidas will supply over 900 British athletes across the 26 Olympic and 20 Paralympic sports producing a total of approximately 175,000 items of clothing. This is made up of 590 individual articles that have been created to ensure the British team will be the best equipped nation for the Games.
Replica ranges of the British team kit will go on sale in April, including football, tennis, cycling, basketball, athletics and swimwear.
See the pictures from the launch on TheChicGeek's Facebook Page
Bring It On 2012
The one we've all been waiting for, 2012 is nearly here. A year full of sporting events and anniversaries; Euro 2012, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and of course the Olympics, 2012 will shine like a beacon of optimism through the doom-and-gloom of 2011. Despite the state of the economy, there is so much to look forward to. Style never sleeps!
Films
The Great Gatsby - Baz Luhrmann's remake of F.Scott Fitzgerald's novel is eagerly anticipated for two reasons; firstly the visual deco-fest which no doubt will be camped up to the nines by Luhrmann and also how it compares the Robert Redford/Ralph Lauren wardrobe of the 1974 movie. Starring Leonardo Di Caprio as Jay and Carey Mulligan as Daisy we're expecting a lot of tears over those shirts.
December 25th
Skyfall - The 23rd Bond doesn't open till November but the clever marketing will no doubt be dropping images throughout the year. A Tom-Ford-wearing Daniel Craig and all the other various sponsors or brands involved will seep into our subconscious no doubt. While Bond may not break the menswear mould he has a massive influence in this 2 hour advert.
November 9th
Collaborations
Marni/H&M - This doesn't have the same visual signature as the Versace collaboration, which H&M are continuing with in 2012, and won't appeal to the masses, who may not even know what Marni is. But Marni, founded and designed by Consuelo Castiglioni, has a cult following, usually the arty crowd who like her way with print and colour, this is will bring Marni's to a wider audience.
March 8th
M&S/Richard James - You know you've made it as a tailor when you get the call from M&S. Richard James, the master of the coloured sock, is teaming up with Marks & Spencer with a new collaboration. M&S are so serious about this new Savile Row focus that they are opening an office on The Row. Combining James' eye for colour and shape with M&S quality mass manufacture has resulted in an exciting new addition to the high-street.
Spring 2012
Labels to Watch
Berluti - Touted as the 'new Hermés', Italian shoemaker Berluti is launching ready-to-wear. Having poached designer Alessandro Sartori from Zegna, LVMH owned Berluti unveiled a few taster pieces this winter but the true test will the presentation of a full collection in Milan in January. The prices are certainly Hermés level but let's hope they add excitement to the luxury. LVMH may not need to chase Hermés in 2012 if they can create their own.
Carven - French couturier Madame Carmen de Tommaso established Carven in 1945 with an atelier on the Champs-Elysees, and her clientele quickly grew to include screen stars and royals alike. Carven has grown a strong women's following in recent seasons with former Givenchy designer Guillaume Henry at the creative helm. Now they are turning their hand to menswear with a skinny boy collection of clean and chic pieces. Sold at Matches, Harrods and Mr Porter,
Jigsaw Menswear - (Left) It's back. After a decade long hiatus, Jigsaw Menswear returns. It's not quite as fashion forward as the Jigsaw Menswear of the 90s but it's contemporary, smart and handsome at prices which offer good value. Pieces made in England, socks from Wales, it's first showing in over a decade is a very promising start.
Burberry - Burberry is focusing on London during this Olympic year. Showing the world its British roots in its own back yard, Burberry are keeping most of the details close to its chest. The new megastore on Regent Street, in the old Victorian cinema, will be full of the latest innovations and concepts from this fashion and digitally leading company.