To celebrate the BAFTAs, House of Fraser have asked me to create a formal look book, and Lee chose this wonderful blue striped shirt by Ted Baker. The 2015 BAFTAs takes place tomorrow evening, and you can watch all the action on BBC One from 8pm, and of course, being the title sponsor, House of Fraser will also be covering the gossip and fun over on their website.
It's normally the ladies that get the media coverage at award ceremonies, but if you look closely, there are some fantastic OOTN (Outfit of the Night) walking down the red carpet. In a sea of the usual black suits, there some influential chaps flying the fashion flag. To the MockingJay film premiere, Joey Graceffa wore sparkly loafer-style shoes, and Jim Chapman looks amazing when he adds a complimenting waistcoat to his red-carpet appearances. The men at the 2015 Golden Globes didn't disappoint, with Eddie Radmayne donning a stunning black velvet jacket, and Jarod Leto going monochrome in a white suit with black trim. And we can't forget David Oyelowo in that dark red suit for the 2015 Oscars.
How handsome does my Lee look? He looks amazing all scrubbed up! Now, for the first time ever, I'm passing the keyboard over to Lee to tell you about his red carpet looks!
Recently, I've been thinking that I need to update my casual look. I think I've reached that tricky age where I'm probably a bit old to be wearing jeans with a T-shirt all the time, but not old enough to go and collect my old-man outfit. I've always admired the Italians who seem to have mastered the casual look with their chino-pastel shirt combo's perhaps with a bit of stylish knitwear thrown in, but I worry that if I try it I'm going to look like that smug twonk that steals George Clooney's shoes in the Nespreso adverts. So, when House of Fraser got in contact with us, I saw it as an opportunity to give a new look a go.
The shirt was from Ted Baker and at £65 its a fair bit more expensive than I usually wear. My day job requires me to wear a shirt and tie, so I tend to wear the kind of shirts you can get from the major supermarket chains at around £15 for three shirts. That's fine for work, but they don't look at all good with jeans.
The Ted Baker shirt features a strong striped pattern with an understated floral pattern on the inside collar and cuffs. It has a good weight to the material and feels high quality with good structure around the collar. Despite that, the 100% cotton means it feels light and cool to wear and doesn't crease easily so it looks as good at the end of a heavy evening as it does when fresh on.
I also liked it with a suit and it doubles up very nicely as a dress shirt for a job interview, family wedding or indeed to the BAFTA's (not that I've been invited!).
So, is it worth the price? Undoubtedly, yes. I will wear the shirt in a totally different function from my work day shirts, and therefore the comparison isn't valid. As a casual shirt I felt confident wearing it, and not at all self-conscious which I think is important when trying something new. I'll definitely look at House of Fraser's menswear range with a view to adding some more items to my wardrobe, as it was really hard to choose which shirt I'd like.
A big thank you to House of Fraser for this amazing collaboration! Lee was thrilled to be asked to be involved with my blog and with such an amazing brand.
You can find House of Fraser on their website, Facebook and Twitter.
House of Fraser's range of formal shirts can be found HERE
Will you be watching the BAFTAs tomorrow evening?
Ciao
xVx
