Christian Louboutin

Ask any girl with a little fashion sense and they would love you from the bottom of their heart if you gifted them a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. These trademark red soles occupy a high throne in every wardrobe with lots of love, care and pampering showered on them. The brand has been in the news lately. Firstly, for claiming the rights to the red soles when they were used by another very fashion forward brand. And more recently for the launch of their first ever men's store in Paris, bang opposite the flagship women's store they've had for two decades. To celebrate this new step here's a peak of their Fall-Winter 2011 Men's shoes. Beware! They are kinky, very high fashion and need lots of courage to wear. If you have that in you, Louboutin's the way for you!

Smart Work - Part 2

Last week By The Collar started a series on 'Looking sharp and smart at your work space', debuting it with the basic trousers. Taking this forward this week we bring you the basic tips to keep in mind for work shirts.

The idea is to stay away from prints, embroiders and crazy textures. Remember, you don't want to look like a gigolo at the night club when you're sitting with your million dollar client. Having said that, don't shy away from experimenting with colours, stripes and checks and different styles of collars and cuffs. However, be sure that your checks and strips are playful yet sober. Smaller checks and thinner stripes are ideal, unless you are sure you can carry off a basic madras without being loud and obnoxious.

Though the simple barrel cuff is the most common and easy to carry off, having a few shirts with a French cuff will allow you to use some classic cuff links that can add not just glamour but also an aura of 'being well versed with style'. Similarly don't just stick to the normal collar, rather experiment with a cutaway, or for that matter even a contrasting colour cuffs and collar shirt. Keep the cut simple with either one or none breast pocket and minus any box pleats at the back. And though slim fits are perfect, hit the gym if they're going to make you look like a beer barrel! Yes, the idea is to stay fit so that you can dress fit.

White cutaway collar shirt, Zara

Small checks with contrasting cuffs and collar, H&M

Blue striped shirt, Paul Smith

Classic pink cotton shirt, Thomas Pink

Point collar, Top Man

French cuff shirt, Turnbull & Asser

Smart Work - Part 1

I was once told by someone that he didn't want a job that would require him to be formally dressed everyday. Now, would you leave a great opportunity just because you don't want to stuff yourself into a pair of dress pants, or a shirt? Though men have fewer options and choices, dressing for work can be fun and interesting with a little bit of work. So here's the first of a series of posts that will help you build a great wardrobe and also give you a noticed entry at work everyday. This also means that you can never be late again!

Let's start you off with the trousers. There are three things that you need to look for - slim, straight and simple. Do away with anything that looks like a sack and opt for more fitting flat front trousers in cotton, linen or even a mixed fabric. Remember, stay away from anything that shines brighter than a light-bulb. Though don't shy away from trying out a new sober colour, as long as you don't count bright red and yellow as 'sober'!

Black , Zara

Wool blend, Burberry

Grey cotton, American Apparel from Asos

White, H&M

Stonewash blue, Top Man

Quick Finds

There are those mornings when all you want to do is go through the various e-shopping websites and see what they have on offer. Here are some quick finds to keep you going in style.

D&G leather shopper from Asos.com

Graphic T-Shirt from FCUK

Imitation leather boots from H&M

Tweed limited edition bow tie from Top Man

Versace sunglasses from Sunglasshut.com

Travel set from Zara

Safe And Stylish

If you're looking for the perfect case for your iPad, iPod or iPhone, look beyond what your friends already have, and be different. Plastic, crystal studded, rubber, leather, you might have thought of all those materials but what you definitely might have missed is wood. The collection of cases from Vers is stylish, classic, very sturdy and will never run out of style. They also come in different kinds of wood that brings out the natural color of the tree that it is from. Now, here's the best part. For every hardwood tree that Vers uses to make their cases, they plant 100 more in places that need the trees. Isn't that a brilliant idea to contribute to your environment? Ever thought you'd find this anywhere? Well, it's here now for you Apple owners. Sorry BlackBerry-ites, you might have to wait a bit longer.  
Shop at their website

The Male Choos

The women have gawked at them, worn them, catwalked in them and had every conversation around them; and now they are here for us. Two years ago when Jimmy Choo collaborated with H&M, By The Collar reviewed a pair of boots that we couldn't stop talking about and hoped that the brand would launch a full collection for men. Seems like they have answered our prayers, and how! The brand's debut men's collection is smart, elegant and definitely something that will have every fashionable man drool over them. Here are some of the shoes that we like.

Watch their video here.

Foosball

There is something called making your store interactive to offer more than just products to people who walk in. Jack & Jones has gone a step above from playing catchy music to make shoppers linger on longer at their store. This time their inspiration comes from one of time's best American sitcoms - Friends. The brand's stores now have Foosball tables for shoppers to have a good time with friends, while shopping. Here's a toast to more lifestyle sports, on and off the field.

Peek-a-boo

Going sock-less is a summer regular. Come warmer days and men all over Europe begin to leave their socks at home. And why shouldn't they! It's a nice bright sunny day, with barely any clouds in the sky, you've switched to your tees and shorts so don't shy to show your ankles off. The idea here is to play the childhood peek-a-boo game. Roll up your khakis and allow your ankles peek a little from under them. Slip on a pair of colorful espadrilles, boat shoes, loafers or car shoes and watch all eyes admire this new style of yours. Ah, here's the catch: your feet will need loads of extra care this summer. But who said fashion was painless!

Summer Must-Haves

Just as the weather begins to warm up, here are five things that will spunk up your wardrobe this season.

1.       Scarves: Summer is here and this year it brought with it an explosion of scarves. If you look around, you will not miss the scarves, practically in every colour and every brand. This season, go over the top and wild with your colour imaginations. But what you definitely should keep in mind while buying summer scarves is to look for breathable summer fabrics – cotton, linen. Double wrap them loosely around your neck and use it as an option to add some colour tones to your summer outfit.

2.       Coloured pants: Spring and summer are always the seasons to trade in your denims for lighter chinos. While the colours mostly remained the subtle dark blue, khaki and white, this year you have many more options. What used to be seen as ‘office-wear’ pants, now has its new avatar as your daily wear – be it casual or dress up. Try colours like lime green, sky blue and maybe even baby pink.  A good idea might be to roll up the bottom a bit and let your ankles peek out.

        Espadrilles: Team your rolled up summer pants with a pair of Espadrilles. What used to be shoes for the peasants has today become popular spring/summer footwear.  With jute inners and cotton or canvas tops, they feel as comfortable as walking on a rug. The best ones are made by local artisans in the South of France and in Spain and walking into a store that sells one might make it difficult for you to choose your pair. However, the plus point is they are as cheap as 15 euro and so you can buy more than just one.

4.     

            Shoppers: Manbags have been around for a while now and made its mark as an essential accessory for men. Now is the time for an evolution and this is the season to welcome the shoppers. Large and spacey, while a nice canvas shopper is great for a beach day, leather shoppers are not only practical but highly fashionable with your daywear, especially if you are in a habit of carrying a lot of stuff with you.

5.       Shorts: It goes without saying that shorts are must-haves for your summer wardrobe but what you need is a range of shorts for different occasions. Every needed to look a little dressed up, yet not wear dress pants? Try throwing on a pair of tennis shorts, a shirt and leather loafers. Want to stroll down to the beach, you need a pair of beach boxers and flip-flops.

Case Logic

Okay, you might just argue that you're the tech savvy man who wouldn't be caught dead with a laptop in this new age 'tablet' world. But, let's go back and think this over once again. While, the tablet is definitely a must have for every modern man, let's be true that the laptop is still what you carry to work and probably will until the tablet evolves a few more generations. Now, though the geeks out there at Apple, Compaq, Sony and what-have-you might definitely know how to make you the perfect laptop, let's leave the bags to the Shahani sisters. With their new Lord K collection, Karishma and Mahek Shahani are definitely on a mission to ensure that those oh-so-outdated, door-to-door salesman laptop bags soon become a thing of the past. Here's a huge applause to them for their latest collection of Lord K.

Burberry 2011

Colours may not really be a winter thing, but Burberry thinks otherwise. This British brand is back in the game, with their menswear Autumn/Winter 2011 collection indicating that they are definitely here to stay. Even if you miss their trademark checks, you will still want every piece of that collection. And if nothing else, the bags and accessories will definitely not fail. So when you watch the show, pay extra attention to the manbags.  

Watch the Burberry Prorsum Menswear Autumn/Winter 2011 show