Mankets

After a year and a half of quality and lengthy TTC posts we have reached the Autumn Winter 14/15 series, and hopefully when this is posted onto the blog it will still be the cold dark depths of Winter and not Spring.  To celebrate we've decided to sharpen up the posts, everyone knows the deal with the classic venues including Floyds and CBUK but it's time to focus on the key fashionable details.  Getting straight back into it at the TTC office, we fired up our inbox to trawl through the much numerous suggestion emails and so Autumn Winter 14/15 was begun.


The Trend
Mankets - A refreshing trend that has made a stratospheric rise up the must have lists this season.  Described in the Telegraph with such convincing passion, we knew a draped rag across ample shoulders was the exact piece we needed for an exciting and rewarding start to the season.

Welcome back to Trend The Consequences

Mankets are probably the answer to the ultimate Autumn Winter question; how does one stay stylish and warm whilst living life always on the go? The charms are clear to see; targeted warmth to your chosen body part - be that head, one shoulder or lower calf; and a classically commanding look usually associated with a powerful leader. The proof is below...

Most Appreciative Lad

During the acquisition phase of this trend I happened across a most jolly young man serving behind the till at Topman.  When I handed him the mankets he immediately gave me verbal respect as I would be  "nice and snuggly in these blankets".  Happy to engage in dialogue I let him know he was actually holding a brace of mankets and that they were the height of Autumnal Sophistication.  Very excited by the word manket and the thought of me strutting down the street and out to the countryside, he recommended a picnic that'd be proper romantic.   Needless to say the buying experience for mankets is a very positive thing.

One of the many ways to wear a manket

A Massive Manket Fan

Whilst enjoying a full and thriving Floyds experience, Rob and I heard a loud shout of 'Scottish' from behind, and upon turning a large man was hurtling toward us with outspread arms. He was a massive fan of the Manket, albeit thinking it was a tartan article. He wanted to try it on, and was thoroughly enthused by the whole ordeal. It seemed as though the single piece of fabric brought us together in some way. However after a little dance with the Manket, he then started using it like a lady lasso, and hooking his female entourage with it. Not knowing whether fabric could become a carrier of chlamydia, I was wary when he returned the item (but touch wood, no symptoms as of yet!)

Trendiest Feature

Effortless chic

GAM (Get A Manket)

You definitely should - It should be noted that it will still be called a manket on a lady, as the alternative is not terribly endearing. No one should wear a blanket out to a social situation (and I am not going to lower the tone to suggest a Woman's Blanket).

Russian Hats

The Trend
Russia is often said to be a cold place and as we believe often-said stuff, we thought there was no better winter hat than a Russian one.  Luckily these hats are easily found in most cheap supermarkets, meaning a stylish proposition was also the one that required me to go the least out of my way to acquire.  Don't worry TTC is not abandoning its epic work rate and drive, we just aren't willing to go out in the rain in the hope Peacocks will have all the answers to Autumn Winter 13/14.

But as this is a brief introduction to the trend I best carry on; Russian hats have a nice faux fur element (the fabric of Winter 14 no less) and the old floppy ears with button to reduce the likelihood of hat stealing incidents, and as is suggested, this winter we can perfectly capture the essence of a Russian doll - that most handsome and manly a male look.

Worst Experience

This seemed to be one of the wettest evenings we'd encountered on a TTC night out. On my way to meet Rob, I was soaked worse than talking to an elderly gentleman who couldn't control his oral secretions. Luckily the hats were keeping the most important parts of our bodies dry during the point to point walking process.

Soaked

To increase our soakage CBUK was closed and possibly abandoned, meaning we had to traipse around looking for another suitable (read classy) night club that would allow gutsy characters in for free. We ended up making a snap decision to enter 411, the closest club to CBUK, which gave the impression of a classy underground venue with expensive cocktails. Whilst drying the externals of our hats, and being the only people actually inside this club, we obtained suitably fruity flavoured drinks, got them down us and scampered off into the torrents pouring from the sky.

These smiles aren't genuine, it's raining so heavily - we just wanted to be let in to Floyds

Exciting Features 

Not only did these glorious hats warm the tops of our heads and our ears all at once but they also:

1) Attracted interest from businesswomen (a business card exchange was made). We bantered with the mentioned business lady for a while, and when we asked, 'do we look better with our hats or without' she replied both are good. Usually this would be a negative point to the trend, however when it comes to Rob and I, it is hard to sport any trend that improves on perfection, and therefore the fact that the hat didn't detract from our muscular beauty is probably a large accolade.
2) Absorbed sweat beautifully (unlike bucket hats). With the (faux) furry nature of the inner material, the hat wicked away sweat like nothing else.
3) Didn't get dirty from sweat (unlike baseball caps). The deep pile of the Russian hat could take a lot more than either Rob or I could produce.

Lads?

If you like lads, Russian hats are the perfect accessory to sport.  Within seconds of arriving in Live Lounge we were targeted for banter and cuddles by every man in there.  It was that rare night where every guy in the building has impeccable, progressive taste in street-wear (just not in their own) and is willing to show it in the form of talking to you while you're using the toilet and then continuing said talk just outside the toilet.  It was great! 

The girl was passing by, she wasn't part of the ladfest

There was a moment when I was asked to converse on a mobile phone. But this wasn't simply a conversation with a known acquaintance, a random girl thrust the phone into my hand. It seemed the Russian hat had given me a trust worthy look. I took the phone, unwillingly, apologised for no real reason before trying to return the phone to the girl that had provided it in the first place. 

Should you get a Russian Hat?

Obviously a going out hat of any sort is the priority, as it is hopefully clear when reading our extensive back catalogue of posts (on the right), the four evenings we have experimented with hats have delivered the best response by some distance (Leopard Print the only lower body option to come close).  It’s very possible that the adventures and emotions experienced when sporting a Russian hat have been the pinnacle of our time indulging in the TTC lifestyle.  Make of that what you will, but you should understand you need to buy one immediately and get to Live Lounge before it gets warm again and people think you are a weirdo.

You may not get to wear it that much

The Post Christmas Fashion Nightmare

So it's January, and not only is the depressing realisation of a whole year till the festive season, but everyone is now wearing the horrid clothes that were gifted to them for Christmas. You know the ones, that repugnant jumper that your aunt thought was 'in' right now, or that hipster skinny jeans that your mum thought would make you one of the cool kids.

This guy has clearly been bought these jeans, as he cant have tried them on before!

So how can TTC help... well we can't. Unfortunately your family and friends' poor choice in trendy gear is no concern of ours. However we'll soon be delivering the trendiest attire for the Autumn/Winter 2014/15 season. Keep your eyes peeled for the posts within the next coming weeks,