Mens Clothing, Essentials and Accessories

Since the dawn of time men have been running around in their undies. The simple loin cloth was quite possibly the first item of clothing to be fashioned by man, and was likely soon followed by more substantial garments as tribes moved north and out of Africa to the colder, temperate zones of Europe, Asia and both North & South America. At this point, what had been outerwear became underwear, worn beneath tunics and other items of clothing made from animal hide. Through the following millennia, mens underwear changed very little, being a simple length of cloth wrapped around the genitals or a triangle of cloth secured with twine or string.

It was only in the 1970′s the concept of designer underwear for men came about with brightly coloured materials being used in place of the plain white cotton boxer shorts, or boxers, as they’re more commonly known. However in this period much of the focus was on colour and pattern rather than comfort, but that was all due to change with the advent of the highly engineered Calvin Klein boxers. Through the 1980′s and early 1990′s, these mens boxers became highly sought after as for the first time in the history of mens underwear, it was comfortable.

These days thankfully, the main focus is on comfort first and style second as most fashion houses try to compete with the Calvin Klein range of mens designer underwear. No matter how funky and fashionable a pair of mens boxers are, they wont be desirable unless they’re comfortable. In fact the secret of all mens designer underwear is in the actual cut of the fabric as no man would wear Calvin Klein boxers or any other brand of designer underwear if they quite literally cramped their style.

More recently however, mens designer underwear is hard to avoid as too many people under the age of thirty have a tendency to wander around with the waistline of their trousers far below that of their underwear. Maybe belts are out of fashion, or in short supply. Whatever the reason, some of the best advertisements for mens boxers are the wearers themselves as they ensure that all and sundry can see which brands they’re wearing. This brand obsession has reached an all time high, with many garments having their brand name emblazoned upon the garment in unmissable lettering It’s almost as if history has repeated itself as underwear has once again become outerwear to a certain extent.

By carl Liver and Barry Summers

The Delsey brand was founded in 1945 after two independent luggage and bag manufactures joined forces; namely Delahaye and Seynhaeve. Delaheye previously specialised in camera cases, typewriter cases and other styles of travel luggage designed to protect delicate items whilst in transit. 1972 saw one of the first major innovations which gave the Delsey luggage brand it’s reputation for manufacturing high quality luggage; being the worlds first rigid suitcase on wheels.

Delsey suitcases have continued to be industry leaders with the creation of injection moulded polypropylene suitcases which offered unrivalled strength and lightness; a concept many other luggage manufactures have imitated but never bettered. Whilst manufactures such as Samsonite are busy playing with bright colours and patterned plastic casings, Delsey suitcases continue to excel in reducing weight, increasing strength & security and designing beautifully understated bags and suitcases.

The company was founded in France which continues to be home to their head office. Their customer base is worldwide, having over six thousand Delsey outlets across the globe. Over the last sixty seven years, Delsey luggage has been at the forefront of the travel luggage industry and the envy of their rivals, and there’s no signs of them stopping any time soon. 2010 saw the launch of their innovative Zip Securi Tech, a patented security device which makes the vulnerable zips of suitcases, travel bags and rucksacks virtually impenetrable.

By Carl Liver and Barry Summers

These days it is common for both a husband and wife to wear a wedding ring at the base of their ring finger. However traditionally it was only the bride who was given a wedding ring as a symbol of the husband’s prosperity, and this is the reason why womens wedding rings are made from a precious metal such as gold and often feature a diamond or other precious stones. The concept of the ‘band of gold’ being a symbol of eternal love and devotion came much later, as did the ‘double ring ceremony’ where both the bride and groom were presented with a gold wedding band during their wedding ceremony.

Womens wedding bands, as they are more commonly known in the United States and Canada were a great source of revenue for the American jewellery industry. However at some point around the late nineteenth century, they began introducing the concept of the male wedding ring for no other reason than to try to double their revenue from wedding rings. Initially this didn’t catch on but advertising campaigns continued and by the late 1920′s, the male wedding ring was just and so beginning to catch on.

A more successful marketing campaign followed the second world war and by the early 1950′s, some 80% of all weddings were double ring ceremonies, as opposed to less than 15% before the Great Depression. Usually the male wedding ring is a simple gold band whereas womens wedding rings are either the simple band of gold or one adorned with set diamonds or other precious stones. It is still rare for a mans wedding ring to feature such adornments in spite of the popularity of mens wedding rings today.

By Barry Summers

The cravat originated in 17^th century Croatia and is the forerunner to today’s tailored neck ties and bow ties. At the time, the ‘ruff’ was more common, being a starched and pleated band of linen designed to keep the collar of a shirt or chemise clean. The cravat served exactly the same purpose but was far more casual and convenient than the ruff. Originally brought to western Europe when Croatian mercenaries were enlisted by Louis XIII of France, their curious neck ware was quickly adopted by Parisian fashionistas of the period. At the time, anything that was not a ruff was simply called a neck band,  the term ‘cravat’ comes from a corrupt French pronunciation of ‘Croat’; being of Croatian origin.

With a plethora of elaborate knots and ever more expensive fabrics being used, the cravat pin became popular amongst the middle and upper classes in both England and France. Cravat pins were made by jewellers using precious metals and precious stones. They were made especially for the individual and were a sure sign of high social status. Over time, the cravat became more and more popular. There were a great number of different knots one could use to tie the cravat, and for this reason, it soon became known simply as a tie. As the cravat became the ‘tie’, cravat pins also became known as tie pins.

The modern tailored neck tie came about during the industrial revolution as working men wanted neck-wear that was easy to put on, comfortable and would last an entire day. So out went the pure white cravat/tie and in came the darker, thinner,’long’ tie. Due to the wearer of the ‘long’ tie being mainly working class and operating machinery, the tie pin was commonly used to hold the ‘long’ tie on place. However by the 1920′s, tie clips became popular, so much so that the old fashioned tie pins were rarely seen. Tie clips are made from a narrow piece of metal, approximately four inches in length and no more than half an inch in width. When folded back on itself it is used to clip the tie to the shirt, keeping it safely out of both machinery and soup.

By Carl Liver