Take a jolly good look

At this time of year it’s important to know what was good and what was just hype – especially for men.

Some of us care, certainly a lot more of you than there used to be – but for the most part, men just want shop where: a.) there is stuff that looks appropriate, fits well, lasts and is going for a reasonable price; b.) there are lots of attractive women shopping for boyfriends they don’t have.

Here we show you some of our favourites, some essentials and others you really should look up. We’ve split this into formal, casual and some sporty looks. We’ve also added some looks from the mass fashion providers because we’re aware that inflation, amongst several other things, might prevent you from spending everything you’ve earned this year on gifts at the bespoke stores. For the casual looks refer to page 70 and for mass fashion refer to page 90.

Some key points to remember:
• Bespoke suits should cost you a month and half worth of your wages, regardless of how much you might earn a month. It shouldn’t matter because there are bespoke suits from places like the Meena Bazaar and then there are bespoke suits from Bespoke tailors, at Zegna, Ozwald Boateng and, of course, Brioni. If you want a suit and you have spent a lot of time in the gym, or you aren’t a classic shape, investigate this option because you should find it just fits better than anything you buy off the rack.

• Grey is a strong corporate theme this season and it’s timeless. It’s also one of the few colours that’s almost as versatile as black.

• Mix and match to your heart’s content, particularly if you can wear orange and yellow. The influence of designers such as Etro, Paul Smith and Raf Simons is clear this year.

• Shiny shoes or gold and silver shoes or boots, oversized sweaters, bomber jackets and shorter pants – glitterati that Dolce & Gabbana started with in earnest are also in.

• The 70s-with-a-twist theme continues this season as well, with the materials like the James Brown-esque velvet shoes from Louis Vuitton and other velvet jackets from Alexander McQueen, Armani, YSL.

• Blatant branding, like the Yohiji Yamamoto inspired Y3 collaboration with Adidas or Giorgio’s Armani Jeans label. Ralph Lauren and the iconic polo horse on your polo shirt is another obvious choices, as is anything from Lacoste.