Summer-Autumn Ultimate Outfit 2015

So with our new season, we only managed to test out three trends that would perfectly sit within the two seemingly different seasons of Summer and Autumn. However this definitely has not limited the delightful choices we could sample for the Ultimate Outfit. In fact, each trend we tried showed signs of being perfect to accumulate into a show stopping UO, with the seductive length of the two tone tunic, the sun shading rim of the straw fedora, and the elusive elegance of a waistcoat.

The First Summer-Autumn Ultimate Outfit

As you can see above, the UO was teamed with a skinny jean. This was chosen as the slender nature of this jean would complement the close fitting of the waistcoat. 

Celebrity Style
As you can tell, this daring outfit wouldn't be far from norm (at least whatever norm exists) in Hollywood. This was confirmed when I went to relieve myself; once in the gents and squaring up to start procedures, the chap that was next to me looked over and said, 'Hey, you look just like Bruno Mars.' At the time I obviously assumed that it was down to the trendy clothing, however thinking back on the event I cannot be too sure what had caught his gaze during his observation. Albeit, the UO may (or may not) be the kind of outfit that would be chosen for a celebrity soiree.

Basically can't tell who's who

The General Public
It is typical on our nights out that we may see a person wearing the trend we have sported recently, possibly due to our favourable review of that item influencing the perception of style. However this UO night out we saw both the fedora and waistcoat being sported, clearly the two tone tunic is still too fresh for the Cardiff masses. 

The waist coat making an appearance with other members of the public

Classic fedora wearer

It happened that the guy wearing the fedora was a lot more accommodating of the embarrassing reality of wearing the same clothing as another person (A potential disaster for a teenage girl going to the prom). Possibly the happy-go-lucky feeling that a fedora gives a man is only enhanced in its company.

However this was a lot less so with the waistcoat wearer. Decidedly disinterested in the busking band, wearing a trendy waistcoat but ruining the look with a gel band round his wrist that one would find in on a teenage punk band and short sleeved shirt (that is far from a trendy short suit), he was not keen to have his look likened to our more trendy style.

Happy Feelings
The night was full of happy people in Live Lounge giving James and I high fives, thumbs up and even once a cheeky fist bump and sincere comments such as, 'nice hat' and 'crazy top' (clearly that chap was unclear of what a tunic is.

A Tunic - it's obvious really

This happy vibe people seemed to be thriving on was clearly emanating from our trendy garments. It felt as though the UO being held in Autumn, but obviously having a summertime aura due to our choice of season mash-up, was providing people with the happy thoughts of summer.

And really, as the nights start to draw in and the realisation that 6 months of darkness is upon us hits home, can TTC give the common man anything more than that vital feeling of sanguine hope that the sun's warming glow hasn't left us yet?

In spite of much ridicule and people telling us we were shattering fashion's restrictive predefined seasons, it would appear the purpose of the Summer Autumn combination is to help folk on the street get through the  pointlessness of Autumn with some optimism and a brash rejection of fashion's archaic rules.

Please join us in a few months when we fully embrace everything we have rejected this season for TTC Winter 15/16.

we have our reasons (££££££££££)

Floyds Man

Following the unprecedented success of our first true foray into the cut-throat world of bespoke fashion, we thought it best we give it another go, this time trying to evoke warm feelings in the more sophisticated reader while not abandoning our nightlife roots. What we got was actually the day to day look of the Floyd's barman, a man we hold in very high esteem, both a snappy dresser when those around him look revolting and someone who can pour a Jagerbomb like no other (sadly the Floyd's Red Bull substitute is very poor).

This is not him but other than the human body inside the clothes there's little difference

Curating the look

We knew a tie was required to achieve a dapper look, but with a summer club environment a full suit would have been an erroneous choice. It was clear the sweater vest of suits was required; the waistcoat. Wearing nothing but ties and waistcoats, although daringly chic, would provoke an adoration from female fans that would be purely a sexual based emotional response to our bodies and not the covering garments, therefore the choice to add in a sharp white shirt, trousers and varying levels of bicep bulge (see below) was taken.

Regrettably when we went to Floyd's and hit the bar sporting big grins and a certain swagger, we were left underwhelmed when the barman served us our jagerbombs without so much as a batted eyelid, the very least a man would expect. We walked away feeling like phonies, but that was the last time we felt less than 110% such was the adoration afforded towards the outfit as we progressed through the sweltering Cardiff streets.

Buttoned up or not?

Thinking back to our idol, the barman, we realised he is a waistcoat buttoner with no rival, always tightly fastened so as not to knock over a pricey bottle of spiced rum with an out of control waistcoat flap. Torn, we tried both out near some cars, to great effect:

Loose and flappy vs. tight and controlled

 Agreeing that, actually, buttoned up was dumb we never spoke of it again.

The black and white combo provides a striking UV juxtaposition

Difference to a business suit

As readers of this blog, it's not stretching it to picture us as perfectly successful businessmen, but how would dressing in what could be grossly mistaken as business attire fair in bustling Livelounge? This fear was compounded during the walk to Livelounge, when a deeply uneducated neanderthal asked, "why are you wearing suits?", despite the distinct lack of suit jacket. We walked away from this, because obviously the UK's educational system had failed him, how could we have helped now?

Fearing we would be singled out as public enemy number one - CityBankers/England Rugby Team – and wedgied, we kept a low profile, not doing anything that would give a false impression of massive wealth, such as buying bacon flavoured vodka or having overly polished shoes. To great relief we found ourselves embraced in the bosom of acceptance and laddish antics thus demonstrating rolled up sleeves and a waistcoat only highlight your fondness of both a good time and organic bulgur wheat.

Final Thoughts

The only particularly cutting comment of the night was when we were rudely compared to a waiter, other than that the look was warmly welcomed.

A note, there are in fact two Floyd's barmen who dress and look the same, we can confidently say they are twins and not just one man in different ties as we have seen them pouring jager side by side.

The sweet breastage of a TTC blogger

Straw Fedora

It's been said that the straw fedora is the most versatile hat in a modern gents walk in hat rack and this year it is available everywhere in a range a colours that will blow your mind. From the cheap and very pleasant offerings in Peacocks to the lavish charcoal wool offering from Harvey Nicks, there's no reason not to get one.

Pimp Mutha F*ckin' Daddy
When we met in the Gatekeeper, we got our drinks and were heading to find a table to sit. This is where we were stopped by a gentleman who asked us about our hats. Gladly we talked of the straw fedora and its benefits, to which he seemed perfectly agreeable with. At the end of the conversation he asked my name, and when I started to speak he immediately stopped me and said, 'No, now it's "Pimp Mutha F*ckn' Daddy"' as he held his hand up for a handshake. With the shock of my unbeknownst recent name change, I felt more comfortable with the idea of a hearty handshake; but oh how wrong I was. This is where a complicated series of hand shifts and tantric holds started and I came out feeling as though I had just performed some form of rigorous hand yoga. It was unclear whether this chap thought I was part of some secret society in which this was the secret handshake, but whatever had gone through his head at the time, the fedora had clearly been an influence on his thought process.

Shocked I still have the ability to hold a glass after my hand workout

Style and More
The fedora offers classic grace and charm, but not only that, it provides one more key benefit.
Being naturally pasty lumps of muscular goodness, that would only induce mild jealousy at an albino fashion show, we are often victim to the harsh reality of sunburn when caught short of emergency sun block. The beauty of a straw fedora is that it instantly provides us with the protection we need to be able to leave the house between the peak sun hours of 10:00 - 17:00, with only factor 50 sun cream on the tips of our noses.  This is a liberty we were unaware of prior to Summer Autumn 2015, previously resigned to spending the cruel British spring, summer and autumn hidden away, hoping for rain.

What is shocking here is that this guy clearly does not have the traps for wearing a vest in public

Night-time Robbery
As ever with the nights we test trendy hats, this was one trend that was easily stolen. Whilst walking to our final venue (the classic Live Lounge), my hat was removed from my head in one simple swift motion. Providentially, I spotted the rogue a while before crossing his path, so had the knowledge of his planned attack ahead of time. Instead of stopping him taking it, I felt that providing the deviant opportunity to get robbery out of his system early in the evening may save a fellow hat bearer the trauma at a later hour.

Shamefully hatless

This theme continued through the night, with more crafty thievery than could even be conceived by Abu in Disney's Aladdin.


Chomp Chomp

Luckily this didn't deter us, we carried on with our night regardless.

Why do they feel the need to take our hats?

Through the rest of the night, the hats received good feedback, some genuine: "I love 'um" as well as "Love your hats, I really do".

Instead of stealing, this is compassionate sharing

However some was potentially less so when we received what seemed to be a classically legitimate complement: "You've got a nice hat Bro" but then later the same guy, "You're rocking that hat Bro" which basically cheapened everything he had previously said.


Elegance

The real highlight, we enjoyed a whole night out without succumbing to nasal sunburn.

Two Tone Tunic

We decided to do a trend based entirely on the smooth style of Kanye West, the Two Tone Tunic.  While you may find other men wearing such items - where the material goes almost down to your knees but you wear trousers to ensure it isn't a skirt - they all look terrible. We put this down to many an overweight male adorning the so called muumuu (like Homer when he got even bigger), which has many similarities to the tunic, but used solely for comfort and breathability whereas a real tunic provides both style and sophistication. Our aim was to find some items that wouldn't clump us in the same deplorable group, but instead look wondrous as shown below:

I guess if Jesus wore a tunic, why shouldn't Kanye!!!

Now in keeping with the Summer/Autumn theme that we are testing here at TTC, the tunic falls right into our remit. The length provides the warmth that may be required on an Autumnal evening, the colourful mixing gives a Summertime vibe.

Buying Experience
This proved tricky.  Unfortunately our favourite Cardiff boutiques weren't stocking any tunics as they were all still in London and Milan, so instead we had to turn to Primark and other such places to put together a suitable item of our own.  Yes, Trend The Consequences has branched into garment creation.

A sartorial masterpiece

Practicality
Its seems more and more common that as we walk down the highstreet, men are wearing jeans that are ill sized. We here at TTC know that skinny jeans are quite in at the moment, however this is not what we are witness to most of the time. A skinny pair of jeans would still come up around the waist, but what is becoming obvious is that men are not buying the correct waist size jeans with a skinny fit, but going for many sizes too short.

This is apparent as most of these people have the waist of the jeans hanging well below the waistline of their underpants. We have put this down to the type of person sporting these jeans, and my reasoning is thus; basically every person that you see wearing this style is usually a hipster douchebag that most likely doesn't work, as that would obviously be helping "the man", so attempts to sell his pathetic hemp clothing on the streets of camden. This means that they don't have sufficient funds to purchase adult clothing, so buy child jeans as they aren't subject to V.A.T! This is why their leg clothing choices end up both skinny and not able to be pulled up to the correct height.

Alright mate, you may think you're all that, but sell that smartphone and get some clothes that fit!

The big issue is that this is now becoming more mainstream as celebs, such as the Beiber, start taking the style on. Now the common man may feel as though he wants in, but is less enthused about getting his posterior out (reasonably so). The tunic however can bridge the gap, with the wearer being able to adorn the low waisted jeans, but covering the underwear with a colourful tunic. Win bloody win!

Reaction
During the evening, it seemed positive vibes were coming our way, but without any actual praise being spoken. Although one point during the evening, we met a nice Irishman (having clearly been enjoying the black stuff) who was very favourable to the two tone tunic. He seemed fond of the length, and the colours that were provided. This was until he found out that we had put the tunic together ourselves, and that it was not simply a shop bought item. It was unclear where his true distress lied, as his anger made his diction even harder to grasp. However we put it down to his pure fondness of capitalism and not because of the tunic's method of creation.

Verdict
The Two Tone Tunic is a trend that tests the character of a male fashion blogger.  People will say you are wearing a skirt or that no man needs two colours arranged in parallel on their top, these are things that could well turn you back to simple scoop neck t-shirts.  But give the tunic a chance and you will open your world up to a choice of two colours (or more?), interesting folk and a chance to be like Riccardo Tisci for one scintillating night!

Summer - Autumn 2015

Its been a while since we've posted, however we have been working away in the background trying to find new trends. But this is a lot easier said than done. Whilst doing the previous few years at TTC, we've noticed quite a shocking trend, and that is that the fashion websites seem to regurgitate the same fashion tips again and again. Clearly the head honchos that call the fashion trends for the year are about as imaginative as a paedophile choosing his beard style. For example Vogue have given floral as a 2015 Spring Summer trend here, and the eagle eyed reader may even see that they have had a audacity to point out the fact that they've provided this fashion tip two times in a row. Obviously when TTC went on the hunt of peoples view on Floral in 2014, we got great reviews.

Hence why it appeared in our SS UO 2014

So we can't really be surprised when the general public then decide to repeat our findings the following year. But it does make the process of sporting the latest trends a bit difficult when we have already tried the seasons tips out.

This is the reason why we have gone for a new season of our own creation, the Summer/Autumn season. This will allow us some artistic license to take some ideas from Autumn and some from summer and come up with some outfits that would be fitting for the common man during the transition phase between Summer and Autumn, This is even more important in a year where the weather has been crazily mild during the Autumn months.

Autumn Winter Ultimate Outfit 14/15

Winter has left us finally, which means in the usual almost-relevant fashion we better present Trend The Consequences Autumn Winter Ultimate Outfit 2014/2015.

It hasn't been a terribly bracing winter and autumn was probably damp but entirely forgettable.  To compensate for the blandness of the seasons the clothes had to step it up the extravagant, while remaining sartorially appropriate (manket anyone?).  Considering the incredible reactions we've had this season we actually had to think more carefully about what not to include, particularly as we can be sweaty men and so needed to regulate our core temperature during the late-winter thawing.  

As you've probably been able to guess we chose Russian hats on top, orange turtle necks on the torso, accessorised with sunglasses, and finished with sporty but formal shoes. 

Level Of Warmth

In spite of the inexorable February warmth creeping in we were actually very comfortable inside and out.  Due to the now trusted high performance base layer worn with the turtle neck not only were our nipples hidden to prudish levels but we appeared (though weren't) sweat frthey'r all while operating at an extreme level of performance not normally associated with a man in a turtle neck.  

We looked like the opposite of this guy, nipply speaking

Interactions With The Common Man

This happened a number of times, be it to see what sunglasses looked like or because of fluffy hats, they just couldn't get enough of our warming grace.  The common man doesn't notice turtle necks though, which suggests he doesn't appreciate the blank canvas a neck offers for fashionable folded nylon.  Anyway, we met a few men and usually they wanted to try out our items.  As were in the big city we let them without hesitation not wishing to risk "a slap". 

Hand raised to strike me, hopefully he won't ask for the turtle neck as well :(

Clearly the man above is actually just happy to be involved in the trend.  In reality, everyone loved everything we did and we found a number of hug related bruises the next day.  

One man stood out and doesn't deserve to be mentioned under the Common Man heading, but alas there is no way I am creating another section to discuss more men.

What is that draped tastefully across his neck?

Yes, one admirable and handsome gentleman brought his own turtle neck to the party and look how much more content with life he looks than the rest.  It's not often you get someone giving such a sanguine yet understated thumbs up, wow!

Areas For Caution

One lass seemed to hassle us throughout the evening, each time trying to take our glasses while insisting we didn't have a blog (we do though durr).  This was certainly due to the irresistible nature of our nipple free chests; be sensible with your nipple free chests gentlemen.

Clearly the glasses don't work without the sporty formal shoes and fluffy hat

Another unexpected, though obvious with hindsight, thing to consider before dressing as we did is that the AW1415 collection can actually make you inordinately happy. 

They really are fun items to wear

Finally, wearing sunglasses in a night club can make you feel invincible. 

The disconnected feeling of sunglasses in a dark room

This is definitely a seasonal collection worth trying out and only the turtle neck required shopping in a different country.  Watch out for TTC AW1516 as we will probably be wearing all this again saving us money (we seriously need to) and disappointment. 

Sports Formal

It's universally understood that sports shouldn't be undertaken during the winter cold and that if necessary a vicarious thrill can be had following the glamorous lads on TV who for some reason have opted to play during this unpleasant time of the year.  Because of this we are inundated with pleas for help; what to do with all these lovely sportswear pieces during winter?

The answer is, of course, obviously Sports Formal.  This is a dizzying take on run of the mill active wear combined with anything that normally looks good.  Sometimes it is known as Haute Casual Couture, but here at Trend The Consequences we only use words we understand.

The Sporty Item
Following a lot of research, and considering the chill in the February air, we plumped for a Primark varsity jacket.  We hoped this would provide us a pleasant thermal experience and also the chance to represent our preferred sports team.  The jacket was paired with a smart white shirt, smart trousers, trainers and sunglasses (which can be worn on the face or dangled from the V of the shirt).  Shirt and trousers were ironed.

Other sporty options we contemplated included male lycra and scrum caps with pant suits. 

On reflection, we should've done this

Practicality
The varsity jacket proved to be the perfect level of warmth for a brisk walk to town, it was also very soft and enjoyable to feel.  The glasses helped to temper the blinding lights of Live Lounge and the trousers were light and airy.  It was actually pretty much without fault.

The Star Attraction
The jackets were well received by the city folk, with one dashing gentleman coming up to us during an acoustic guitar set and stating that the jackets were fabulous - it is always good to meet people who aren't afraid to agree with us.

The glasses are what set us apart from the regular schmucks though.  At first we were expecting a hostile reaction to shades indoors, particularly in a night club, but there was no need, people adored them.   Ladies wanted to be with them, men wanted to be them, the glasses almost had the charisma of a prominent hat.  The glasses actually made us feel a bit like pieces of meat, useful only for hanging stylish things off.

Most Distressing Experience
Suddenly, and likely maliciously based on previous headwear experiences in Live Lounge, my glasses fell to the floor. This caused two levels of distress, the obvious shock at my frames clattering to the floor, but also the blinding lights blasting across my unprotected retinas.  A frantic inspection of the surrounding floor and they were spied underneath an oblivious man's foot.  Initially I tugged at them gently, then, realising this was the method of a fool I asked him to release them by moving the offending foot.

He was distraught, thinking the glasses were ruined, while the girl he was with considered leaving him. Thankfully they were only severely bent.  Placing them back on my face, I reassured him we were "cool"  and with that I sauntered off with a subtle grace, as only a man in work trousers could. 

Fingerless Gloves

You would be forgiven for associating fingerless gloves with burglars and the homeless, however it seems that in the past, the fingerless glove was actually popular with the wealthy classes. Well now the hipsters are taking them back, with every other trend once extinct and left for the homeless to pull out of a bin.

The Purchase
It may seem that fingerless gloves are everywhere this season, however obtaining ones other than the mono-chromatic tripe found in the local Primark is not that easy. However, when I opened up my boundaries and looked in the kids section of Cardiff's Peacocks, I found the perfect set. It even comprised of two pairs for the price of one so that James and I were both catered for. Yes, the fit wasn't exactly perfect, however the form hugging nature of a child's glove does mean that grip is less hindered. When purchasing, the lady at the till questioned, 'these are a lovely choice of gloves for your daughter?' Flirtingly hoping I would prove my fertility, hop over the counter and flood her fallopian tubes with potent seed. Alas, this was not the case, and I corrected her by saying the gloves were actually chosen as the subject of TTC's latest trend to scrutinise.

The gloves in question

The Night
Unfortunately the night didn't result in much of interest to regale here. There was the usual fun and frolics with convivial lads but with TTC becoming more and more popular, and James' and my personalities being so likable, we find that if a trend is not Super Amazing then we are the stars of the evening and not the fashionable items we are sporting. This is the case for the fingerless glove. Yes, they did provide some warmth to the hands whilst walking between venues, but the punters inside only cared for the people within the gloves:

Case in point: no gloves to be seen, just pure emotion

Most Useful Bonus Feature
A common theme that runs through our arduous evenings in Cardiff is the quantity of sweat produced - a quantity that would disgust the stars of Channel 4's Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners. As we aren't allowed to take man-towels or entire rolls of Tesco's Ultra Absorbent Kitchen Towel into Live Lounge, we usually just accept that we will drip and as a consequence massively increase the risk of an embarrassing slip onto the sticky, lonely dance floor. Not this night though! Our methods weren't complicated, as demonstrated below:

Drying up nicely

A Side Effect
Glove wearing does seem to result in unnecessary hand holding, but maybe that is exactly where friendships are forged!

Orange Turtlenecks

GQ has suggested that 'orange is the new black' and that you should 'protect your neck' and as can be seen from the link, an orange turtleneck will do just this.

Photobombing an Orange Turtleneck; does this person have no class?

Longest Distance Someone Travelled To Speak To Us
Across part of a quiet street, read on...

As we were setting up our street side studio for a quick snap of the 2 necks, we spotted two young ladies, chewing on Filet O' Fish, looking our way and the next thing I heard was "Are they wearing matching turtle necks?". I could have regaled the story of James and I buying the shirts separately online, only to find we had acquired the same article, however it was clear the two ladies were more dazzled by matching shirts and their un-calorie controlled diets than learning the truth behind the question. They came over and insisted we were stupid for not having our own photographer and demanded to take our photo for us before getting on with there semi-mauled McDonalds, and continuing their journey towards the next establishment of gluttony. 

The best was brought out in us by our guest photographer

Our own attempt - perfectly capturing our newest photographers in the middle-background

Warmth - Winter Applicability
We acquired our lovely turtle necks from a mysterious store based in China. They took a concerning about of time to arrive and when they did a greater concern was realised, a severe thinness of fabric.

We are cold

While to the casual fashion commentator these pieces come across as an ostentatious show of winter luxe combined with practicality, they were actually not very practical at all owing entirely to the fabulously cheap material from which they were machine sewn. Put simply they were not warm at all and, as a second side effect of the cheap fabric, they did not mask a male nipple effectively. The luxe ambiance though, was not to be underestimated, just wear an underlayer like we did.

Accessorising
During our time in Live Lounge, there was clear attention being drawn to our choice of trendy gear. People were commenting on the beauty and grace of the turtleneck alone and the way we had chosen a colour of stature.

However there was one chap who saw more potential in the clothing. He had with him a jacket, and decided that James would be a majestic model to try it out with the orange turtleneck. Having explained to the gent that we were simply testing one trend tonight, he was having none of it, practically man-handling James into the arms. Regardless of the fact that we were not after accessories for the turtleneck ,this did not detract from how damn good James looked in the entire ensemble.

James with his jacket donor