A Stylish Coat

One item of clothing that every stylish man needs is a good quality coat.



I'm not talking about anoraks or other types of waterproof (with one notable exception), I'm talking about a proper coat that keeps you warm and dry in the worst of weather, yet looks fantastic when you arrive at your destination, whether that destination is an office, church, the theatre or a high class restaurant.



Lest we forget, this blog is all about style on a budget, and the kind of coat I'm thinking about can be expensive.  Nevertheless, it is certainly possible to buy a very good quality coat for very little money, and I currently have four in my wardrobe; two of which cost less than £10 and one of which was free.



My personal preference is for long coats, which I always feel look for elegant, especially if you are fairly tall.  I favour mid-calf to ankle length, but some prefer knee length or even shorter.  Must be the influence of The Doctor again, although Pierce Brosnan's James Bond also wore a very classy long coat in "Tomorrow Never Dies".



My first long coat was black, 100% wool, single breasted and and bought at British Homes Stores over 13 years ago.  It cost £120 and it's the only time I paid full price for a coat.  Even then, at a cost of less than £10 a year it's more than paid for itself and it still looks good!



My second long coat was free, as it was given to me by a relative who no longer wanted it.  Again 100% wool and single breasted I t is warm and comfortable.  However, not many of us are fortunate enough to be given a free quality Gentleman's coat.



My third long coat is again grey and of a slightly different style, being double breasted with wider lapels and a belt.  It's a heavier coat too and great on really cold windy days.  I paid the princely sum of £5 at a charity shop.  You really can't get better value!



My final long warm coat was purchased this weekend for £10, again from a charity shop.  It's darkish beige, single breasted, nearly ankle length and a wool / cashmere mix!  I've worn it today and received several comments about how smart my 'new' coat looks!  Got caught in a heavy downpour too and it kept me warm and dry!



Finally, I must mention my Burberry trench coat, again from a charity shop for £15.



You may notice that several of my quality coats have one thing in common, I bought them at charity shops!  If you are on a very restricted budget for clothes charity shops are one way to buy really good quality clothes at very reasonable prices.  You may have to shop around a little, but eventually you will find just what you are looking for.



For now, my coat collection is complete, but who knows what I may be tempted by in the future!

Cultivating Your Own Personal Style On A Budget - An Introduction

I suspect that many of my family and friends will be amused that I have decided to write a blog about clothes.  Seriously surprised, if not alarmed and wondering what form of madness has possessed me this time.

Well, partly the inspiration came from a wonderful blog by a very stylist and well-dressed man, Rev Dr Calvin Samuel whose blog ‘The Five Year Project’ can be found at http://5yearproject.wordpress.com/ and is, I think, essential reading for anybody looking to build their own gentleman’s wardrobe.  I know Calvin personally, and he is one of the best dressed men you will ever meet.

Partly the inspiration came from the fact that I have also let my personal style slip overt the past year.  I am currently coming to the end of my first year as a Probationer Presbyter in the Methodist Church, which means that the two previous years I had been a Student Minister, with the emphasis on the word ‘student’ in that I have pretty much worn jeans for the past three years, in combination with an open necked shirt and jacket.  Those of you who know fashion will know that this look is known as a ‘Jeremy Clarkson’, not a man generally known as a style icon!

I have therefore taken the decision that I have to get back to my own personal style.  I still have most of the clothes, though some are a little on the snug side and will need temporary replacement until I’ve lost weight.

So, by way of introduction to the blog, what is my own personal style?

I am, it has to be admitted, not a gentleman; at least not in terms of the way I dress myself.  I have a loathing of personally wearing ties, with the exception of bow ties, which are cool!  Neither am I a slave to fashion, indeed I spit on fashion, fashion is for sheep who don’t have minds of their own.   I like to think I have a unique style of my own, influenced by the way several of my personal fictional and real life heroes have dressed over the years.

I guess the earliest influence, and indeed on going, influence on my personal style is that renegade Time Lord from Gallifrey known only as The Doctor.  Not all 11 of them, but the 3^rd,  4^th, 5^th, 8^th , 10^th and 11^th Doctors.

Now I have to emphasise that I never dress in an exact replica of any of the Doctor’s many costumes, but the way they have dressed has had an influence on my personal style.

Other influences on my personal style include Elvis Presley, Hawkeye Pierce (Hawaiian shirts) and Pierce Brosnan’s version of James Bond.

That’s my personal style influences, and I’m not for one minute suggesting that you would want to copy them in any way, you almost certainly wouldn’t want to.

But perhaps you might like to reflect on who your personal style influences are.  If you are cultivating your own personal style, as opposed to following the rest of the fashion sheep, who has influenced you?

In my next blog I will be looking at how you begin to develop your own personal style on a restricted budget.