Feeling a little Beachy

A couple of weeks ago, The Beach Company launched in India with some interesting women’s beach and swimwear. Reading the online store’s reviews in newspapers, blogs and magazines, there’s one thing that came to our mind – why not men’s beach and swimwear? Well, to an extent The Beach Company has read By The Collar’s mind and is here to provide a solution to every man’s beach wardrobe dilemma.

To start with, the store is here with the basics of beach and swimwear for men. What they have on offer are two international brands for now – Nabaiji and Tribord – with a range that will cater to both the bold and confident men, and the conservative and shy. The collection is a mix of swim shorts, board shorts, briefs, trunks, accessories etc. Here’s what we recommend:

1. If you have a good body (we don’t mean mannequin-type six packs but obviously no hanging belly) then definitely get yourself the briefs. They’re very sober and safe and a good way to let the world know that you have the confidence and the style to sport a brief. Yes, this will trigger many discussions revolving around, “Should men wear briefs or not” but there are two schools of thought – the American alpha male and the European fashionable man. We at By The Collar believe in the latter and promote the idea of ‘flaunting it if you have it’.

2. Okay fine, understandable that our first pick has caused quite a furore and you are almost shutting this webpage. So, here’s what we have for the so called ‘men don’t reveal anything’ breed. Swim shorts that are young and happy (not to forget beachy as well). 

3. Surf boarding anyone? You will need this solar protection top to ensure that you don’t burn yourself from the strong sun. Yes, when you’re in the water, chances of getting sun-burnt are higher.

Now that’s a good start to a website that focuses on beach and swimwear. We are told that there are many more products coming soon. Hmmm, we’re keeping ourselves logged on to www.thebeachcompany.in to be the first ones to know about them. And when we do, By The Collar will tell its readers too!

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!

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

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.

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

Lanvin for H&M

So H&M does it once again! You will never know how this fast-fashion, value-for-money brand manages to get the best designers of the World create collections for them, but you will continue to look out for these surprises.
The Lanvin for H&M collection has the pizazz and sexiness of Lanvin, coupled with the fun and affordability of H&M. If you were smart enough, you would have queued up at the nearest H&M store to grab these limited edition pieces. But if you didn't make it on the opening day, go try your luck immediately. These are definitely pieces that you must have in your wardrobe. It's all about differentiating yourself from the crowd!

Zara

For many months, a huge billboard at Palladium said ‘Zara. Coming Soon’. The soon was a long wait, but it finally did come and yes, with a bang. It’s been one week since its launch and you can already see people wearing the Zara shirt you own. Is that a bad thing? Well, yes, maybe but when it’s Zara, who cares? This Spanish brand definitely knows how to keep you happy. With an excellent men’s collection in the Indian stores, men in the country definitely have another reason to celebrate. So if you’re feeling a little low on cash this month and yet want to gift yourself something extra smart, go grab the suede loafers from Zara. Not only will they give you a little thing to rejoice but also secretly satisfy your desire for the Tod’s ‘Gommini’.