In the Daily Mail 5th August 2009

Why real macho men are proud to wear pink

THE Daily Mail wrote: What is it about men and pink clothes? As soon as a man reveals a liking for them, the rumours start to fly that he’s a bit too keen on musical theatre, if you know what I mean.  The new Oxford English Dictionary even defines pink to mean ‘of or associated with homosexuals’, as in ‘the pink pound’. Schultz reply “We love and adore pink and so do our customers men and women alike love wearing quirky and exclusive PINK designer underwear - it’s original and sexy as well as fun and flirty so what more could any one want man or woman.”

In the pink: Brad Pitt wears a blush coloured suit at the Cannes Film Festival and David Beckham teams his masculine biker jacket with a pink scarf to soften the look.

The latest victim of this colour prejudice is Peter Spencer, Sky’s political correspondent - the one with the mane of white hair, given to expansive hand gestures - who often appears on telly at the weekends.  He likes to wear a cloak over pink shirts and ties, and even has a pink BMW, and two pink houses, in north London and Cornwall. Yet Spencer is very much a ladies’ man.

The camp connotations come from the fact that for much of the 20th century pink has been considered a girl’s colour, as favoured by Barbie. But if you look back a bit further, it was considered strong and manly, while blue (associated with the Virgin Mary) was seen as delicate and feminine.
To this day, the strapping male rowing teams at Westminster School wear a fondant-fancy coloured kit; legend has it that they had to beat their arch-rivals Eton in a race in 1837 for the privilege of wearing the fashionable colour.

The link between pink and ebullient masculinity has, in some quarters, persisted. When I was a banker in the mid-Nineties at merchant bank Flemings, I was told on my training course not to wear a pink shirt for fear of looking too flash.

In other words, the opposite of the pretty-in-pink, girly-man cliche held true: a little splash of pink was thought far too red-blooded and testosterone-rich.
(I wonder what they’re wearing in the City these days - something in an eye-catching shade of sackcloth and ashes perhaps?)  The same robustly macho associations go for pink handkerchiefs and socks; and I mean screaming bubblegum pink, rather than the dark red, discreet version.  Lurid pink accessories imply a certain type of devil-may-care dandiness - and that’s Rex Harrison/Prince Philip/Errol Flynn dandiness, by the way, not the John Inman/Noel Coward variety.  Full-throttle pink outfits, however, are best left to Hollywood pretty boys such as Brad Pitt.

Schultz love pink all you have to do is read any of the pther articles I have written to know that so regardless of who ou are PINK is a great colour and wear it with pride and enjoy.

Reported in The Telegraph

Headlines

There seems to be a pattern developing in the Obama marriage. Michelle has been widely lauded once again — this time for her new haircut. Meanwhile, her husband, the 44th President of the United States, was pilloried across the Internet for what has been dubbed his “Mom jeans”.Obama was throwing the first pitch at a baseball game in St Louis, and wore a pair of faded and baggy Levi’s blue jeans. Asked to defend his jeans recently, Obama said, “I’m a little frumpy. I hate to shop; those jeans are comfortable. For those of you who want your president to look great in his tight jeans, I’m sorry. I’m not the guy.”

Thank the Lord for that. I think Obama’s blue jeans are great. In suits, he looks so svelte and boyish it’s easy to forget he’s approaching his fifties. If he once had slender hips, he’s inevitably got sturdier. He can’t wear skinny jeans. He is wise to avoid anything overtly fashionable. The Levi’s that he wears are perfectly boring — and that is a great compliment.

Obama is actually at the vanguard of a blue jean revolution which is about to hit menswear. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, wore jeans like an old man wanting to get back into a suit; Obama wears jeans because that’s just what he does. There are men in their thirties and forties, like Obama, who have matured with the denim revolution of the 1990s. Back then, the addiction was for expensive Japanese denim and jeans that were dry-clean only from brands like Evisu and APC. Since the millenium, labels such as Diesel have been purposefully dirtying their denim and introducing new cuts, from wide to ultra-skinny. In the process, jeans have become an obsession.

Just because these men are ageing doesn’t mean they have to give up their jeans habit. But what they have to do is adapt their jeans as their bodies go through the inevitable slackenings. Treatments and washes should be avoided, with more focus on the subtleties of cut and the flattering inkiness of the blue dye. Fortysomethings in jeans will no longer look like they’re trying to be young.

If middle-aged men in jeans turn your stomach, you’d better get used to it. Blue jeans on older men are here to stay.

Denim diktats

Perennially thin men, like Kate Moss’s boyfriend Jamie Hince, are the only ones that can get away with skinny jeans. ( But don’t forget about the tingle factor - Read about skinny jeans and what can happen if you wear them all the time.)

Men with a defined body but more bulk, like Daniel Craig, should wear straight-leg jeans —close-fitting but not too tight.  (Such as the brilliant Schultz jeans Blouberg narrow cut jeans in dark denim - which fit superbly.)

Baggier jeans with a low waist work for younger men like David Beckham, who want a casual look that shows off their body. Crossroads jeans and Cobra jeans fit this bill brilliantly and are a superb fit.

For men like David Cameron, who want to hide their body, a roomy cut is best with high waist. - sorry David !!!!!

Barack Obama’s denim misstep is nothing compared to the position Gordon Brown finds himself in. A man who makes no claim to style whatsoever, Brown seems uncomfortable even with the sort of clothes that should be his salvation. And so comes the depressing annual holiday press call, where he fails miserably to appear relaxed with the aid of a pair of chinos.

To give the Prime Minister his due, this year’s stiff outfit isn’t as bad as last summer’s, where he made the mistake of wearing a navy chino and a beige jacket. That combination, in particular the dark chinos, made him look like he wished he was still in the office, which is probably close to the truth.

This summer, Gordon Brown seems to have realised that on holiday, he should at least look like he’s off-duty. His pale chinos, white shirt and navy blazer would never be worn stepping out of No 10. But the way he wore his chinos yesterday betrays another message. They are high-waisted, and the dark belt that holds them in place destroys any sense of relaxation and lightness. He has still not let go. It is no accident that he was photographed not relaxing on a beach, but making a visit to an ecology centre in his constituency. For him, this holiday is still work.

The uncomfortableness of Mr Brown’s chinos is thrown into even starker relief when compared to the current crop of fashionable chinos being worn by men across the land. These chinos are seen as a viable denim alternative — a trend begun by the understated style of Swedish label Acne and the mass-utilitarianism of Japanese brand Uniqlo. These brands cut their chino as if they were a jean, and often without a pleat, giving the once-fusty cloth a 21st-century appeal. The cotton cloth of the chino still has its rugged, practical appeal, managing to appear respectable while also being hard-wearing. But the new cuts, now found all over the high street, make the chino a viable modern option once more.

These new chinos are in the wardrobes of men who know how to enjoy themselves, and look good while doing so. Which only serves to widen the gulf between Gordon Brown and the electorate, with whom he is so desperate to connect. It’s a tough call, trying to be both Prime Minister and man of the people. But it’s a call that Gordon Brown has tried to answer, and which he once again fails.

Undies

What’s your Underwear style?

Underwear is an essential piece of clothing, however some people do like to go commando and some even more than that as a visit to beach in France proved when I was young and impressionable! Underwear has developed over the years and now there is a design, style and colour to meet the exacting requirements of the fashion conscious buyer. From the early days of long johns or Union suits underwear is more comfortable and engineered to deliver eben more than ever before. Calvin Klein saw the underwear market as one to explore and developed several decades ago and others have followed building on the designs that have adorned the bottoms of many, including bthe rich and famous.  Who can forget the famous David Beckham in his Armani underwear with the question is that padded or is that real?

Today underwear can be found in a variety of styles so many styles that you could feel spoilt, briefs, y-fronts and boxers to name but three which are available in many exciting colours and patterns from luxurious white cotton underwear to the whimsical and witty undies and therefore appealing to all generations. Changing designs in fashion clothing allowed a more relaxed approach to undies with urban wear hitting the streets and the more relaxed designer undies appealing to the younger generation.

The Urban undies design allowed the fashion conscious a chance to flash their undies, to the horror of some across the world! Undies can be found in luxurious cotton to silk all cut to perfection to be comfortable, flatter and compliment. Today boxer shorts can be found in the longer leg length or shorter leg length which are often made is stretch fabrics that fitted snugly to the body and ideal for all types of jeans as they are not bulky or show through.

A man of style a celebrity with a very fit and toned body and also a man that likes to relax in his jeans, all his boys enjoy wearing jeans as well.  But as the photo below shows the Beckham boys look great looking relaxed, comfortable and at ease and then check out Posh a different story.

The Beckham Family

Looking relaxed David wears casual jeans - make could be Victoria’s range, or PRPS or the like, a white tee, leather jacket, hat and a jumper tied round his waist.

To Get the look - from Schultz

Schultz men’s “Redhill” - Jeans fits the bill styled for comfort and casual fit.

• Stone washed in vintage blue denim
• 5 button fly
• Exclusive Schultz strap x 2
• Casual fit
• Made in Europe