GUIDE TO A MANLY CHRISTMAS

‘A man’s christmas’, by Emma Salter

 Xmas shopping for men is one of the hardest and most stressful task’s a girlfriend, friend or parent can be lumbered with. But with this comes a humungous contest, which is why this is my favourite time of year. 

I love a good bargain, but when Christmas comes along it is time to pull out all the stops and dare to challenge mens fashion, putting my feminine skills to the test to dress the men in my life exactly how I want. Luckily it’s a time for giving and receiving, so with this good spirit means I can escape criticism of my choices!

Stockists:

Sweatshirt hoodie
£75 – topman.com

Nike
£50 skatewarehouse.com

Casio watch
£30 – asos.com

River Island Green Corduroy Stretch Skinny Trousers
£20 – riverisland.com

Lighweight Beanie
£15 urbanoutfitters.com

Navy Wool Mix Plaid Rucksack
£32 – topman.com

I got inspired by the Off-duty Menswear post on Arteecollage wordpress and decided to use the versatile graphic tee as my starting point to this Christmas ensemble. As part of the Arteecollage collection of graphic T-shirts, this righteous design features a retro tattoo print by contemporary artist Paul Engeris. In a regular fit, the short-sleeved grey and black print Tee shirt is ideal for updating any man’s wardrobe. Not shying away from my bargain hunting ways I am pleased to say this high quality tee is a fantastic £5 on the amazon site and is said to be heavenly comfortable.

Being the girlfriend of an amateur bmx’er I’m constantly reminded of his lack of high street fashion style, I’ve decided the best way to tackle this is to dress him with the help of Arteecollage for a stylishly modern look. And, as most skate parks are outside it is great to know this Arteecollage soft grey tee will adapt to the seasons by being cool in the summer and easily worn with multiple layers in the winter!

My favourite autumn material is corduroy and these green stretch skinny trousers from River Island go perfect with the graphic tee from Arteecollage. A matching lightweight beanie from Urban Outfitters will also keep my man warm whilst he’s out riding, warmth and colour co-ordination is a necessity!

A passionate bmx’er has his signature urban casual look and is not to be confused with skater boys, which is why this Topman sweater is perfect! I know he’ll appreciate the effortlessly cool slogan! These Nike Blazers are also a sure-fire hit and an urban alternative fashion that’s been seen all over Tumblr.

To complete this outfit with the addition of accessories, every bmx’er needs a statement rucksack and this navy wool plaid rucksack is in tone with the colour co-ordination as well as the classic tartan autumn/winter trend. Finally, the Casio watch from Asos is unisex, which means I’ll definitely be stealing it from him as soon as he takes it off!

Arteecollage offer some of the coolest street-wear online. Whatever you opt to do, one thing that’s certain is that the super soft, 100% cotton qualities of the printed t-shirts will make for a supple edition to any guy’s weekend wardrobe. Plus, the Amazon site has got a 75% off sale!

- Emma Salter