Add a Bit of Personality to Your Suit

If you work in the city and particularly if you’re employed by a large corporate company then you probably wear a suit to work every day. You might find that everybody around you looks the same and you would love to stand out from the crowd but you can’t because of rules regarding uniform. Well you may have to wear a suit but we’ve come up with a few little tips on how to let your personality shine through:

Accessories

A pair of cufflinks bearing the brand of your football team, a silly picture, or a logo of a club that you belong to are a small way to display your individuality. Many men choose not to wear a tie now so wearing one at all might make you stand out and your tie can add some flamboyant colour to an otherwise drab suit.

The Shoes

Okay you can’t turn up in a pair of trainers but the rules on shoes are pretty general. Most men at work will wear the same boring long, black lace-ups. These are seen as standard work shoes but men’s loafers are still quite smart so you can fit the expected uniform but without being the same as everybody else. A step further is men’s boat shoes which are more casual and can be easily slipped off under the desk when nobody’s looking.

Socks

Quirky socks have always been a cheeky little way to show a bit of personality. A small Stewie Griffin on the side of your ankle might spark up a conversation or just a pair of bright orange socks peaking out between your black shoes and trousers hints at a little bit of eccentricity.

Stationery / Mug

If you have your own space within an office you can personalise it to suit you. Some people have the classic Cliff Richard calendar as a little gag but anything that you find amusing will add your personality to the desk.

Haircut

If you are truly determined to stand out then a strange haircut would do the trick but on the whole I would probably stay away from this one.

60s Trends that Will Never Go Out of Fashion

The 1960's is remembered as the decade when Britain was well and truly revolutionising the world. Everyone’s eyes were on us as we transformed music, fashion, culture, and politics. Our nostalgic nature often makes us wish that we had been around back when all this was kicking off but the 60's is still very much with us today. So which bits of the 60's have we kept with us in the Teenies?

Music: when we think of 1960's music most of us immediately think of the four Liverpool lads who shook the world. However they weren’t the only musicians revolutionising music during this decade. The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles and many more artists arrived during this decade of groundbreaking talent. Universally listened to by all generations, they are still musical influences on all sorts of artists today from Oasis to Drake.

Fashion: dubbed “The Model of 1966” Twiggy was more like the face of the 60's completely. The pixie haircut, androgynous face, and slim frame gained her international recognition at just 16. Brits were setting the trends and the rest of the world followed. Today the indie style of the 60's lives on for young people who have an edgier look. Neckties, skinny jeans, and ripped t-shirts all make up parts of an Indie look but nothing says it more than Indie shoes. Men’s brogues or men’s loafers are trendy but smart enough to get away with in the workplace as well as in the evening.

Politics: Kennedy’s assassination and the first man on the moon are two unforgettable events in Western history but are almost overshadowed by the major movements of the decade. Feminism, The Civil Rights Movement, the Gay Liberation Movement, and embracing the environment were all huge political events that influence the way we live our lives today.

Sexual Revolution: in addition to becoming more accepting of homosexuality, sex outside of marriage became widespread. The introduction of the pill was a pivotal moment that acknowledged female liberation.

The Last of the Troubadours - 2013 Review

Wow!! What can I say about 2013!! 

It kicked off with us in the studio again in January. We had a 4-day session booked back at Off License Recordings in SE London for our second release through Delicious Junction Records. Our Bass wizard Rob Pyne had re-joined The Rifles so we were in the market for a new bass player. Rob had let us know, at the tail end of 2012, of his plans and as we had the session booked, had agreed to be on the EP with us, which we were over the moon about.

We had ear marked 4 tracks from the live set to make up the EP but I really wanted to write something completely new that had not been heard. 

I'd been given an idea by a walk in the sunshine with my daughter, Lyla, when we were playing silly games such as eye spy. I asked her what game we were going to play next and she said to me " Ok Daddy, Don't Stand on Shadows". I thought it sounded really great and conjured all kinds of imagery in my head. I sat on it for a while but with the EP session coming up, it all fell in to place.

The icing on the cake for the new EP was that friend of the band, the Rt Hon Steve Diggle from The Buzzcocks, had agreed to play on NEVER FORGIVE YOU which we were chuffed to bits about.

It was around this time that the first prototypes of THE TROUBADOUR shoes were ready to cast our eyes over. With a few minor tweaks they were ready to go in to production!! How's that for a start to the year!!

The EP launch was booked for April, which left the small task of finding a Bass player to replace Rob. Our friend Alex Gold from DARLING BOY came in and sounded great in the rehearsal studio. Unfortunately it became apparent that due to Alex's commitments, we were going to have to go back to the drawing board.

A chance meeting at the Ocean Colour Scene after party with Tony Marshall resulted in us having a few drinks the following week. I asked Tony if he would be interested in being our Bass player. He is a great guitarist, and was confident of turning his hand to Bass to be in the band which we were really pleased with.

Tony spent a week with the tracks working on the Bass lines ready for a rehearsal the following Thursday. As fate would have it, Dan Smith, who we had spoken to previously, now had more time on his hands for one reason and another and was keen to join on Bass.

Dan is an amazing Bass player, and exactly what we needed after having such a player in Rob.

So by the time poor Tony turned up at rehearsal, fully rehearsed in the Bass parts, he was met by the news he was in fact going to be an additional guitarist, which suited Tony far better.

We were now ready, with a fuller live sound for the EP launch.

The launch was great! We made it an "All Dayer" inviting several of our mates along to play at The Birds Nest in SE London. If I remember rightly, there were 9 bands in total!! Not bad!!

We were blown away with the response the EP received. Big thanks to DJ and all involved, and each and everyone that bought the EP.

The summer threw up 2 of the biggest live shows so far for TLOTT!! 

The Isle of Wight festival was absolutely amazing. We played the Sunday after spending the weekend at the festival, missing most of the bands, opting instead to have a party of our own but managed to catch sets from Paul Weller and the Stone Roses.

We cannot thank those that travelled down; to support us enough, you know who you are!!

This was followed closely by an invitation to be part of the Carnaby Sound festival, an all day festival with 2 stages on and around Carnaby Street. The line up was great and on a personal level, the feeling of walking on to that main stage and seeing the breath taking sized crowed, with people as far as you could see, was a very special moment.

Our live shows came thick and fast in the following months, with shows all over the place, from Essex to Milton Keynes and back again.

October brought the release of our collaboration with DJ 'THE TROUBADOUR'. We were just so pleased with how great they looked.

Then our old TLOTT brother Rob got in touch and asked if we would support his band The Rifles on the Northern leg of their UK tour, which of course we jumped at.

The mini tour took in shows at The LeadMill in Sheffield, The O2 Academy in Newcastle and The Cockpit in Leeds. Again, we could not have asked for a better reception from all the shows, with some fantastic comments and feedback.

The year was rounded off, as has now become tradition, with an in-store show and huge after party. After the success of last years bash at Pretty Green, this year we opted for Paper Dress Vintage in Shoreditch, with our friends The Broxton Hundred joining the line up.

We took the opportunity to shoot the night, for an up and coming video, for the track SHAME ON YOU that we hope to have ready to release early 2014.

All in all, if someone had have said this time last year that this year we would release a second EP with Steve Diggle guesting on it, play the Isle of Wight festival, play to a sea of people in the London sunshine of Carnaby Sound, tour with The Rifles and design our own shoe with Delicious Junction I would have had their arm off!! 

Huge thanks, as always, to everyone at Delicious Junction and everyone that supports us at every show and by taking the time to buy our music!!

Here's to 2014!!

Love all round!!

JR

(Joel Rogers)

Bullitt - NEW Chukka Boot

Delicious Junction is pleased to announce the launch of their new Chukka boot called "Bullitt".

Available in 4 delicious suede colours; Black, Chocolate brown, Stone and warm Tan suede, the 3 eyelet chukka boot is a Modern classic in the making.

Made famous in the late 1950's and early 1960's by the rich and beautiful people of the day, it soon got the tag "the playboy boot" because of who were seen wearing it.

The low-cut Chukka boot works really well with a number of silhouettes - tailored straight leg trousers, slim fit jeans or Sta-press; or even a retro jumbo cord for the more adventurous among us.

It sits really well in your wardrobe alongside the classic desert boot, but adds an alternative look for those long hot summer days ahead in 2014…

Featuring a high Bumper wrap-around rubber sole unit, suede uppers and leather linings and sock; available in full sizes 6 to 12.

Remember to use a good suede protector spray before venturing outdoors and they will last a bit longer and protect the suede. 

Find your pair today on-line at www.deliciousjunction.co.uk