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Home » Writer's Blogs » fashionstylexs Fashion accessories, silk ties & cufflinks Patrick (891) Patrick McMurray Illusive Gifts For Men Posted Saturday, November 14, 2009 (7 days 19 hours ago.) Viewed 1 times. It's a common complaint; women find it difficult sourcing suitable gifts for their husbands, boyfriends or male family members. You can go down the road of gadgets, gizmos and novelties, but sooner or later the novelty wears off and these items will end up in the next garage sale, and that's a disappointment all around, and quite honestly a total waste of time, effort and resources. Functionality, durability, value, are three things to consider when choosing, after all, you want him to appreciate your efforts for the long term, so something that holds value will be more satisfying than novelties. Your efforts will also be rewarded with each appreciating moment over time, so value is across the board. I don't want this to sound like a solution to a business plan, or a jumble of clichs, just pointing out some important steps worth consideration in your endeavours to locate suitable gifts year after year, without the risk of boring repetition. Try to avoid the obvious choices of socks and hankies, these are more like disposables and can be bought any time with out much thought. Sure they're functional, but offering as a gift will only portray your lack of effort; "I didn't know what to buy you, so I got socks and hankies" he's heard it all before. Organising and documenting thought; think in terms of categories, i.e., work, office, home, hobbies, favourites, interests, function. Once you have listed some keyword categories, you can start sub-listing descriptors, i.e. Work Office Desk Clock, time, photo, pen, security, picture, card, holder, silver. It' s always best to make lists in an organised manner, you'll save a lot of time in the shopping malls and the whole experience will be more enjoyable, rather than a laborious obligatory task. The pleasure of giving should be equal to receiving. Working with your organised lists, you can do a little research online, over the phone or cruise shops the old fashioned way. Your effort is more focused because you have direction and set goals. Let's take a look at one scenario on the list; work, office, and desk. A thoughtfully designed clock will serve much useful anonymity. If your man is the boss then perhaps a ships clock will suffice. " Put yourself at the helm with a ships clock, "tell the time don't be told", "you're the boss". "Strategically positioned, you can discreetly keep an eye on the time during closing minutes of meetings". "The rest of the time this stylish device will add a little sophistication to any existing collection of desk top decoration". You could even dream up similar quotations to insert in the gift box. Or a bright enamel swivel clock, with matching card holder; Portray your business with style and confidence, an elegant flip lid business card holder engineered to with stand the rigors of every day use. These little boxes make ideal corporate or individual gifts and come in colours purple, blue and green. These are just three functional, stylish gifts we found via organising thought and making lists, it only took a few minutes and opened up a labyrinth of different kinds of office desk time pieces. Often overlooked are two very obvious items, silk ties and the first choice of jewellery for men, cufflinks. The styles are infinite and one size fits all. They'll become little treasures with your name imprinted, how can he forget? By not wearing, would be one way, but you're the boss, so insist. Oh and finally lets pay homage to one of the most functional accessories for men, the trusty old leather wallet, a place to capture memories of family and loved ones, secure notes and coins, organise credit cards, drivers license, smart card, receipts, train tickets. There are some lovely choices available now that wallets have been brought out of the dark and into the light. Permalink         Comments (0) Cufflink Designer Reviews Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 (14 days 7 hours ago.) Viewed 3 times. New styles of cufflinks and seasonal ties start hitting the streets around this time of the year as we head into serious autumn, so a few reviews and recommendations won't go astray. We've noted some of our favourite brands and their contributions to celebrate autumn and approaching winter. Inventive Cufflinks Heart and Kiss cufflinks, created in kindness, a special gift for remembrance, special occasions, or reaffirming your vows, there can be a thousand reasons for offering, or just a spontaneous action, a pleasant surprise. And cufflinks of this sort are not reserved for men alone; women too express admiration for these miniature pieces of jewellery. Autumn Celebration Beech Leaves Silk Tie Seasons come and go; styles evolve, spring forward, fall back, shorter days. There is always something new to temp your desires. Burnt Umber reflects the hues of autumn as it covers the ground. The silver skeletons of beech leaves as their colour fade into the bleak grey winter. Nature is constant inspiration. Classicism This deserves the label "classic style" a description phrase too often used out of context. Inspect closely the form, colour and geometric pattern, do they not bring to mind classical form. Merely the choice of materials does not warrant classification, a combination of all, gold or silver, and, enamel, but not forgetting form, taken from Greek and Roman architectural embellishments and transformed into jewellery. From Badge To Button The London Badge And Button Company, still making buttons, still making badges, there is ribbon and gold naval lace too. Now in residence in the Famous Birmingham Jewellery district, they're churning out award winning cufflink designs, softly, softly. We have featured many styles, and the styles just keep coming, so there is plenty of things to write about and lovely images of beautifully formed cufflinks. Michelsons Silk Ties Michelsons London has been making fine neckwear since 1937. Times have changed, but stylish qualities remain constant thanks in part to high tech mechanics that just add precision. Although the human hand still plays a roll in making each piece, it is the machine that deserves praise, and is responsible for the accuracy and consistent quality of Michelson's ties A Golden Cufflink Gold, conjures opulence, purity, wealth, stability, exotic. Captured then in this miniature item of fine jewellery, the hands of time, knowledge and craft passed down over centuries through many generations concluding in modern day bespoke. All that you expect of the inheritance of gold is combined with the other age old tradition in jewellery; Enamelling. Sunburst Cufflinks Bespoke Cheerfully vibrant and truly Bespoke, if you're prepared to wait 6 to 8 weeks you can own a pair of these sterling silver enamel cufflinks, made to order, individualized. Or a pair of laser cut cufflinks, still hand enamelled, but produced more on mass without sacrificing quality. What ever you choose, cufflinks are ideal gifting, one size fits all. A New Silk Tie As An Add On Before we return to the feature on Alluring Cufflinks, here is one of our own new styles that compliment any collection, and, perfect companions for Ian Flaherty Cufflinks, especially the ones below. Handmade in England from English silks. New Cufflinks Important Notice We thought to interrupt our special feature on Lbb London, because the new range of Ian Flaherty Cufflinks has just arrived and a worthy interruption to any tail. We have so many new styles that our blog could become and epilogue. This aside there is ties to compliment. Inspiration can come from anywhere, at any time, ask any designer. The Classics Cufflinks espouse centuries of: art deco at the end of 19th century, extravagant in the period 1940-1950, eccentric in 1960 with Hollywood stars and whimsical today. Fashion/Style contrary to a revolution, it is a constant evolution and the classics always return to centre stage. Colour In Cufflinks The second in our special feature on alluring cufflinks: The finite detail of hand enamelling is evident in this little gem. It's reassuring that in a world of more, faster, quicker and mass production, skilful hands are still at work creating treasured works of art in all forms of jewellery: "Precise, colourful and cheerful". Gunmetal Cufflinks The second in our special feature on alluring cufflinks: Solid metal portrays a degree of masculine strength; using gunmetal adds a sense of power, and, for depth and subtly, rhodium. We can only assume the designers intent, and like songs we read in to them what ever we feel at the time. It's just nice to elaborate a little and express our views. One thing is for certain this cufflink conjures rugged and subtle beauty, as depicted in its dramatic shapes and contrasting textures of black and silver. Permalink         Comments (0) Trials Travels And Tribulations Of A Silk Tie Designer Posted Saturday, October 24, 2009 (29 days 1 hour ago.) Viewed 3 times. Finally I was navigating across the English countryside heading South East to the M3 interchange, then onto the M25 which paved the way off the downs and onto the grassy lowlands of Kent the garden County of England . Back onto the byways I would be able to release the tension of my hands wrapped around the steering wheel, far removed from the madding Lorries to the left, fast cars to the right, caravans ahead, flashing lights behind. And all the time inches away from death, split seconds of space between the vehicles aside, ahead and behind, a sudden burst tyre and a dozen lives are spent. When I was eleven I pushed and pulled around with me a trolley made mobile with old pram wheels and makeshift axles, peddle power is traded for horse power. My 1983 Fiat Uno, is pushed and pulled around by a hot 1.3 litre petrol east west engine, maximum speed 85 MPH . Unbalanced wheels, but like my trolley knew only too well, I'm in control, with peddles at foot and wheel at hand, quickly shifting through the gears through roundabouts and rousting the trucks and vans just like sheep to the coral. On this subject, it was the lure of earning many dollars by collecting Marino wool from deceased sheep that lead me down a dusty track to outback paddock tinder dry, shimmering heat haze, and hay stacks under tin roofs. It seemed like another life, far removed from the searing heat, bush fires and bush flies, now cruising across English fields of green. But still with a childish hunger for adventure and still motivated by my youthful introduction to business and textiles dead on a sheep's back. Business is a road well travelled by me in youth and in grey hair; the paths have been rough and smooth, through dips and dives of profits and losses, from dusty dirt tracks to six lane freeways. Accompanied by a set of principles handed down my Mum and Dad, a road map, some teachings from school, dreams and wishes, and, a dogmatic desire to succeed in all attempts, I've made all that seemed difficult, simple, its changing states of mind. Powered by adrenalin, as a typical adrenalin junkie without the guts for hang gliding, abseiling, sky diving, white water sport, rock climbing, mine is produced by pursuing more passive adventure, but not with out the fuel that fires adrenalin, fear; as singer song writer Michael Nesmith wrote in one of his obscure songs, which is found on music critics A list of all time worst concept album, "prison" Mike, after being dubbed this award, with tongue in cheek followed up with another turkey, "The Garden" Nesmith was merely pursuing idea's end, he was a great innovator and just did what he wanted to. I align myself with the lyrics in the songs and his philosophy too. Perhaps the critics over looked the inspirational aspect of Mike's concept. The words of just one song are descriptive enough to understand his motivation; "Confrontation conquers fear, hope arises, truth unfolds, fear has no substance of its own". What was Mike implying through his thought provoking lyrics, well you have to read closely to deduce; "we are imprisoned by our own minds and hold the key of release, but ironically are too afraid to unlock the door to the unknown" so we choose to live in fear. Fear of failure is the fuel that ergs me onward in pursuit of elusive successes. Driving down the A roads in county Kent all kinds of wild imaginings going through my mind, philosophising, analysing, planning, pumping adrenalin. On the subject of fear, I imagined what was going through Mohamed Ali's mind when confronted with the awesome power of Big George Foreman, rated as the hardest punching heavy weight in history. Later Ali admitted that fear motivated and guided him to an unpredictable success over this fearsome opponent. The pain of loosing and the thought of humiliation after many months of talking up his fight predictions, insults, dispersions and taunts kept him upright against the ropes, while George pounded his body with one bomb after another. What makes a man fight 12 rounds after having his jaw broken in the second round? What makes a fighter strike a blow that could kill an ordinary man? "Fear". So I was hurtling down the motorways, A road and byways, confronting fear, venturing the unknown, playing a new lead role, acting out a dream, setting the stage, living an adventure and conquering fear, the exhilaration of freedom is greater felt. Meanwhile in Clifton , Margate , Shane McCoubrey, my first appointment is preparing to exhibit his designs, waiting eagerly to be part of this new adventure. By the end of two and a half days the first of a collection of hand made silk ties and cufflinks would be listed for my proposed online shopping service due to be launched in September 2006. And Shane the designer became an anchor brand online; while we watched his products expand across a broader retail market. And he became inspirational to the eventual creation of our own stylised brand. A relationship still inspired and foundationally sound for more three years there is still a long way to travel. After downing an English breakfast I said farewell to the bed and breakfast over looking the channel waters and headed back to the West Country. The first leg of my new adventure was almost complete, there would be many such legs as I scoured the English country side meeting and interviewing designers, weavers, textile printers, leather workers, jewellers, tie makers, fashion agents, PR agents, copywriters, web designers. Permalink         Comments (0)

Archives: November 2009 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30           « Oct     Previous Posts: Illusive Gifts For Men Cufflink Designer Reviews Trials Travels And Tribulations Of A Silk Tie Designer The Silk Fabric Design Expedition Chronicles Of A Man Of Silk Ties Fashion Critiques A Silk Tie Designers Reviews The World Is Flat All Posts by Patrick Related Posts: Too Much, Too Much: When Bling Overload, Overloads Allure and Style in the 60s Fashion + Eco-Friendly = Fierce Fall Fashion Trends: 7 Hot Styles that Won't Break the Bank Fun Fashion Guide For Larger Women. Hemlines Soar in New York Fingernails Gone Wild Redheads: Fading to Black?

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