Friday Favourites: Archer & Peyton socks, Spoke trousers

Archer & Peyton socks

I've mentioned Archer & Peyton before. Produced in Italy in a wide range of colours and designs, they are well-made and comfortable and among my favourites.

Contact Archer & Peyton for more information and to buy.

Spoke

An update on another brand I've mentioned before. Spoke have returned their manufacture to the UK. Their speciality is not only matching size to waist and leg but also to build/body shape. 

I've tried a pair of their 'Bulletproof' chinos which fit perfectly. The fabric, quality and cut are very good. Highly-recommended from Spoke.

Friday Favourites: Cock & Bull waistcoats, Carlo Pazolini shoes, Headblade body shaver

Cock & Bull

I've featured Cock & Bull here before in the context of their British-made men's underwear. They have now put together a collection of tweedy waistcoats, caps and cufflinks for men. 

Made entirely in the UK, the collection uses Breanish Tweed’s distinctive range of tweeds handwoven on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. ​The linings are a sumptuous blend of durable hemp and luxe organic silk. The caps’ linings are a colour somewhere between a royal purple and a Cabernet wine, while the waistcoats’ backs are a dark chocolate.

For more information, see their website, or visit us in their London store at 30 Cheshire Street (off Brick Lane), Shoreditch, London, E2 6EH.

Carlo Pazolini

Carlo Pazolini are makers of Italian shoes and accessories. I've been trying these Derby brogues and they're stylish and comfortable. Priced at £295, I like the combination of shiny and matt leather on the uppers, giving a subtle twist to an otherwise conventional black brogue.

Available from Carlo Pazolini.

Headblade body shaver

I was so intrigued by this next Friday Favourite that I had to accept an offer to give it a try. The Headblade body shaver is principally for shaving heads, but is also sold as a face and whole-body shaver. It looks like a little toy car, its quadruple blade at one end and two wheels at the other. The blade runs on suspension so that it runs comfortably over the skin. The kit comes with a mildly mentholated shave cream.

I didn't go as far as shaving my head to test the Headblade, but it has many glowing reviews from those who use it for that purpose. As a facial shaver, it was more than adequate.

To buy or to see a list of retailers around the World, go to the Headblade website. For videos showing how it works, click here.

Friday Favourites - John Lewis & Co Donegal tweed suit

In the last twelve months or so I've acquired a couple of suits made from British cloth and retailing for under £300. This Donegal tweed two-piece (a waistcoat is £100 more) costs £250 from John Lewis & Co. The cloth is from Abraham Moon in Yorkshire.

Shirt Milton Green, wool tie M&S, shoes Barker, waistcoat Sir Plus, bag Tusting, pocket square vintage.

Single-breasted with 3-on-a-roll notch lapels in a vintage wide styling, roped shoulders and patch pockets, side vents and even working cuffs, it has a smart bottle green body lining and a cut on the slim side. The jacket has that slightly inflexible feel that cheaper construction brings and, although this is a minor quibble at this price, it seems a shame to lose the comfortable slouchiness of tweed - maybe half-lined would have been better; but then I'm no expert and this may improve with wear.

Working cuffs and a 1955 Smiths DeLuxe watch

The classic style suits the younger or older man and Donegal tweed makes a stylish and adaptable change from the usual business or country-style suit. The popularity of this suit has meant that it has been in and out of stock, so act quickly if you would like one. See the John Lewis Tailored Menswear Edit website.

If you know of any other good value suits, please let me know.

My thanks to stylist Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab for her help with this piece.

Friday Favourites - Quba & Co knitwear, M&S leather hiking boots

I like the rugged outdoor feel to menswear this year so, for today's Friday Favourites, I've selected some reasonably-priced ways of adopting the look.

Quba & Co

I'm seeing and liking a lot of traditional-looking knitwear at the moment. Here are a couple of attractive pieces from Quba & Co, a brand that started as a Devon-based sailmakers and now also makes a range of outdoor/casual clothing, often with a nautical flavour.

For more information, see the Quba website.

Marks & Spencer

I liked the look of these M&S North Coast leather hiking boots. Priced at £69, they're ideal for autumn/winter wear. 

See M&S website.

Friday Favourites - Tobias: ethically-made shirts, Distinctive: washing powder for men

Tobias - shirts made ethically in India

I love it when new clothes arrive well and carefully wrapped to show that the sellers value not only your custom, but also the product itself. So it was pleasure to receive my Tobias shirt in a nicely-made and lined i-Pad case.

Tobias was founded in 2011 by Daisy to make ethically-made shirts and to support The Akansha Foundation which helps to educate the poorest slum children in Mumbai. Ten percent of each sale goes to the Foundation.

The shirts are cotton or linen. The cotton is soft and comfortable, with very Indian floral print behind collar and cuffs; visible if you roll up your sleeves. The cut is regular to slim, but you can buy a smaller size if you like your shirt more fitted. This has already become a favourite shirt.

Prices £65 to £80, with some in the sale at the moment. Go to the Tobias website for more information or to buy.

Distinctive: Washing Powder for Men

And what better to wash your new Tobias shirt in than a rather special washing powder for men? Designed for use at 30/40 degrees, this enzyme washing powder doesn't contain any bleaches or optical brighteners, which can damage clothes.

It's pleasantly fragranced with a mixture of sandalwood and amber which clings subtly to the clothes. As a subtle and non-cloying backup to the deodorant or cologne, this British-made product works well; highly recommended. Just don't tell your wife, girlfriend or it'll disappear. 

Try it for yourself. For a sample pack go to the Distinctive Wash website. 

Friday favourites: Scott Fraser, Jacamo all sizes, next week Buy British Day

Scott Fraser London-made jackets

I haven't featured Scott Fraser for a while, but he's been busy designing his range of British-made menswear and has now added the reversible, zip-up, shawl-collared Campus Jacket. 

They are manufactured to order in London and are made from a variety of short-pile velvet, Melton wool and denim. Inspired by the Ivy Leaguers' blouson/windbreaker/baseball/golf/bomber jacket/Harrington of the 1950s, they would suit any age, worn with jeans or chinos, brogues or penny loafers, button-down shirt and tie.

The jacket's available in navy blue velvet/denim reversible, ochre velvet/blue denim reversible or red velvet/wool check reversible. See Scott Fraser's website for more information and to buy.

Jacamo - a brand for all sizes and ages of man

I receive a lot of questions relating to style choices from men for whom standard clothes sizes don't work and have recently posted advice about this from stylist, Sarah Gilfillan, on these pages. 

I recently went to the launch of the flagship Jacamo store in Oxford Street, London and have found a retailer aiming to stylishly cater for all sizes and shapes of man. To underline this the store was opened by the England fast bowler, Fred Flintoff who assured me that his height and muscular build didn't prevent his getting a suit off the peg at Jacamo.

Chatting to the tall (I'm 6ft), but still Jacamo-sized, Fred Flintoff at the Oxford Street store launch

I noticed that a row of men's suit trousers ranged in size from 34" to 54" and I believe this may shortly include 32" waists as well, so Jacamo must be the first port of call for the larger man.

Buy British Day - Next Friday, 3rd October. 

To mark Buy British Day next Friday and Best of Britannia at the end of next week, I'll be having a Best of British Menswear and Accessories week next week. I've had to select a few brands from the hundreds available (see my list of Made in UK menswear), but I hope it will encourage you to explore the creativity and skills available in the UK. 

Why not buy menswear sustainably and locally, rather than cheaply from abroad?

Buy British Day

Best of Britannia

'Brutus' - Photo Grey Fox - taken at Private White VC in Manchester

Grey Fox's Friday Favourites: socks, hair, boxer shorts, Private White VC

This is the first of an occasional Friday round-up of news and of products I've tried and approved of. If you'd like to contribute your selected tips, news or recommendations about favourite products, please e-mail me.

Archer & Peyton socks

I'm a bit of a sucker for a nice pair of socks, particularly if they come brightly-coloured. I've had to struggle hard to manipulate this image to show the lovely apple-green of these socks from Archer & Peyton, whose products are beautifully-made in Italy. Lovely colour, lovely socks.

Visit Archer & Peyton's website for a range of patterned and colourful socks, with style advice, limited editions, information and a shop to buy your choice of hosiery.

White Hot hair products

I reviewed these products for grey and white hair a while ago. I recently realised how much I'd come to rely on them when I ran out of their shooshing creme, which so effectively keeps my longer Fox locks on place. An urgent message and replacements were rushed to me by the lovely people at White Hot.

I've been using a number of their products, from shampoo to conditioner, and they've been ideal for my grey hair as it becomes whiter, keeping it lustrous and healthy-looking. Highly recommended.

For men and women, they can be ordered from the White Hot Hair website.

British Boxers introduce stretch trunks, made in England

Another brand I've talked about before, British Boxers have added stretch trunks to their range. For those of us who prefer their assets to be held more securely than looser conventional shorts, these provide the very comfortable answer. I'm planning a feature on this brand soon.

Meanwhile, you can buy the stretch trunks online at British Boxers (new website due soon) or at Susannah Hall Tailors.

Private White VC news

It's been a busy time at Private White VC. They've welcomed The Princess Royal at their Manchester factory, refurbished their shop in Lamb's Conduit Street in London, had a successful time at Goodwood Revival and are about to open a second London store. Their AW14 collection contains some mouth-watering products, including gorgeous knitwear and the rather nice cashmere Ashley blazer.

It's good to see their collection developing each year and to see a proud British menswear producer achieving the recognition they deserve.

The Princess Royal pays homage to Brutus, head of Private White VC