Menswear heroes: Catfish and the Bottlemen

Everyday effortlessness is a lot more challenging than it seems, particularly for menswear. A well cut suit always looks sharp but is hardly inspirational for guys who don’t regularly grace the red carpet or attend formal suarés. Catfish and the Bottlemen, however, seem to have the casual formula down to a tee. Black on black, fitted t-shirts and skinny jeans optimise the rock band uniform, but subtleties and details pull their outfits together, with more than a hint of libidinous attitude.

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Heavy leather jackets, ripped denim, scoop necks and delicate jewellery are matched with chelsea boots and unkempt hair for CATB. Setting them apart from the bland, brogued hipster bands of today, all black ensembles keep the focus on the music (which is as good as they look). As one of the hottest new bands of 2014, I’m sure Catfish and the Bottlemen will not disappoint as award ceremonies require their attendance. Their agonisingly hotly anticipated album ‘The Balcony,’ is set to be released on September 15th followed by a UK tour, which can only mean more great outfits and even greater music.

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The guilt-free handbag – Lost Property of London

Lost Property of London is the kind of company that restores your faith in the fashion industry. Not only are their designs stylish and practical, but also environmentally friendly. Lost Property of London use discarded fabric to create their bags, with traditional techniques and delicious vegetable-tanned leather.

My beaten-up old satchel simply couldn’t be patched up or glued together any further, it was time to move on. After seeing a Lost Property of London handbag advertised in The Sunday Telegraph’s ‘Stella,’ I went online and I fell in love with the tan coloured ‘Wilson Bag.’ Big enough to cradle all my essentials but small enough to throw over my shoulder. After ordering online, the bag only took two days to arrive. It came wrapped in tissue paper, along with a free canvas tote emblazoning the company’s logo. I unwrapped the tissue to reveal the soft leather underneath, sealed together with a rose gold zip and a skinny strap. It was perfect.

Lost Property of London have everything from travel bags to rucksacks. Although they are a little out of my regular price range, each bag is unique, great quality and worth ten of it’s high street rivals.

boot-ylicious.

It all started while on a street style spot. Of course it’s expected that every autumn, boots make their come back, but this time around they’ve picked up a little something more. When standing on the streets looking for stylish students to snap, I was focussing on accessories, and saw that some of the boots stepping past me were different. They were bright. They were colour blocked, some of them even had sequins! Out of the bottom of woollen coats, on the end of legs encapsulated in thick tights, was a new breed of boot. And they were definitely eye-catching.

Upon further investigation it seems that Ugg have a number of variations on their original pale brown design, including an ‘I do,’ collection, made up of wedding themed boots! Dr. Marten are another brand that have always led the way when it comes to customised and stand out versions of their footwear. Their autumn/winter collection featuring quilted pink leather, hounds tooth and tartan definitely doesn’t disappoint. Topshop are my top pick for high street shoes and this season I am all over their cut out ankle boots. To get involved with this trend  I want to get my hands on a pair of their mental metallic ARGO heavy straps. Find yours before the snow falls!