5 Style Moves To Steal From Conor McGregor

 Disgruntled fans of the sharp-suited Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar gave us a severe dressing-down. So lest we endure an actual kicking, we thought it prudent to pen a belated tribute to The Notorious’ style nous. We’re menswear enthusiasts, after all, not seasoned fighters.

McGregor is by no means the only UFC bruiser bringing some much-needed sartorial flair to the octagon – traditionally a place where style, along with lesser competitors, has gone to die. Welterweight Rory Macdonald is also overturning long-held notions that the thriving sport is all Ed Hardy tees and snapbacks. But McGregor displays a level of swag to match his unrivalled swagger – and fighting prowess. As the Irishman himself puts it, “There’s two things I really like to do and that’s whoop ass and look good.”

At the risk of mixing combat sports, allow FashionBeans to be the grizzled Mickey to your Rocky – or the Sly Stallone to your Michael B. Jordan (who did make the list incidentally). Like a style version of a training montage, these moves will help you punch up your own wardrobe.

1. Have A Cut Man In Your Corner

McGregor’s custom suits fit him like a 4oz glove, which is more than half the battle. Even the finest suit will fall flatter than Ronda Rousey after a roundhouse kick to the face if it isn’t tailored properly. Indeed, if we had a dollar for every Hollywood actor treading a red carpet in a borrowed designer suit with sleeves sliding past their wrist and trousers puddling on their shoes, then we’d pay for their alterations ourselves.

Conversely, with a few judicious tweaks, an inexpensive suit can punch well above its weight. As a rule, set aside between 10 and 20 per cent of your budget for alterations. Especially if, like McGregor, you have an athletic physique with shoulders far wider than your waist – i.e. a ‘drop’ (the difference between the two measurements) greater than the standard six inches of most suits.

And if your quads are bulging at your seams, size up in your trousers and get them taken in. The only belt you should need is a championship one.

2. Keep Your Body Covered Up

Most men think of a waistcoat like the tailoring equivalent

6 Go-To Men's Party Season Looks

1. Suit With A Twist

It’s galling dropping money that’s earmarked for presents on an outfit you only give a couple of annual outings. Instead, use luxe accessories to make everyday looks party-ready, with less outlay.

First, take your darkest suit and an equally shadowy shirt. Then, layer a silk scarf beneath the jacket. Muted tones pop against inky tailoring and, allied with contrasting fabrics, elevate your workwear for cocktail hour.

Subtle patterns lift things further, says Austin Reed buying manager Clotilde Blanc, who recommends geometric or pinpoint designs. Just stick to jewel tones to avoid dazzling the other guests.

David Naman AW14

Get The Look

2. Black No Tie

By now the air tie should be a regular element in your tailoring rotation. But it can cross over over into your formalwear, too, if your tuxedo is pin-sharp.

Ditching the dickie exudes rock ‘n’ roll loucheness – Mark Ronson and Yeezy are no-bow proponents – so the slimmer and darker your tux, the better. It also pushes things casual, so tone down the rest of your look to suit; a shawl collar beats peak lapels, rich velvet trumps shiny wool, and don’t be tempted by studs or wing tip collars.

For extra frontman points, go all-black, from shirt to patent leather shoes.

Reiss AW15

4 Go-To Ways To Wear Boots In Winter

You already own boots. Hell, you’ve probably got a few pairs gathering dust on your shoe rack right now. But are you exploiting them to their full, weather-defying potential? Possibly not. And that’s understandable; boots’ higher profile and reasonable heft can sometimes make them seem more appropriate for a building site, rather than a bar.

Here, we equip you with four foolproof ways to wear boots this winter and put a few different outfit combinations on your radar – all of which will ensure you style out the season’s coldest months well-clad.

1. Chelsea Boots + Tailoring

Not only does the Chelsea boot play a crucial role in your year-round smart-casual wardrobe, it also leads the charge in winterising your formalwear for the snowy season. Unlike Derbies or Oxfords, a quality pair of Chelsea boots offers better grip and warmth than a traditional dress shoe – plus, pulling them on with your tailoring just so happens to look progressively stylish.

Yet whether you’re looking to kick out Saint Laurent-inspired rocker vibes for a night out or simply for ways to make your work attire more seasonally-appropriate, there are a couple of things worth bearing in mind before teaming your tailoring with Chelsea boots.

Firstly, Chelsea boots really only work with similarly slim or skinny suits. This is because boxier tailoring and trousers tend to jar when put against such a sleek and refined silhouette. Secondly, you’ll want to mind your toes. Pointed-toe Chelsea boots, when worn with a suit at least, look a little off, so keep your sights firmly set on round-toed styles instead.

Finally, as with all things made of leather, the price you pay is often directly proportional to the quality of the product – so consider upping your outlay for a pair that looks the part with a sharp suit. And that won’t be in pieces in a year’s time.

Key Styles

• Reiss Tenor Chelsea Boots Black
• Jack & Jones Radnor Leather

How To Choose The Right Fragrance For Your Age ?

They say time waits for no man. Which is why, collagen creams and anti-ageing products aside, all of us should seek to age with grace. No one likes a #cooldad, after all, with his trainers, Topman cardigan and ‘trendy’ haircut.

Don’t be that guy.

By the same token, it’s worth realising that your fragrances have a shelf-life of acceptability, just like your attire. No skate shoes past thirty. No Joop Homme after college. Bin the snapbacks when you get a proper job. Stop using that adidas Sport fragrance your gran bought for you five Christmases ago.

It would seem simple, but certain scents have youthful connotations – or will at least remind everyone of something once popular in the 1990s, and should have stayed there. Others are better matched with suits, the preserve of men well into middle age. And some will make you whiff like an old people’s home. What you need is the right spray at the right time.

We’re all for raging against the dying of the light, of course. But it’s time to stop clinging onto your youth when you’re floundering at the fragrance counter in Boots. Like the tide, time moves inexorably on. This, then, is your lifeline: a guide to the fragrances best suited to your age. Consider yourself plucked from the current. We’ll see you for the dry down.

20 And Below

During these sprightly years one truism holds supreme: you can do whatever the hell you want. It’s unlikely you’ll have a job for which there are draconian fragrance rules, so go all out.

Once you hit your late twenties, you’ll probably begin to look back on this version of yourself with envy; these are the good years during which not giving a sh*t is positively encouraged. Youth is wasted on the young, if you believe George Bernard Shaw. So don’t squander this opportunity.

To that end, go bold with your fragrance. Your peers will certainly lean towards a sweeter smell, usually top-noted with strong citrus and possibly even something metallic. Davidoff Cool Water is of course a major component of most amorous teenage boys’ dating kit and remains a bestseller (for good reason), so don’t turn your nose up at it. If you’re looking for something bolder, Paco Rabanne One Million is as youthful but with a touch more distinctiveness.

Davidoff Cool Water, available at Boots, priced £24 for 125ml; Paco Rabanne One Million, available at Harvey Nichols, priced £42 for 50ml.

21-25

Look at you, getting all grown up. Time to get a job,

Streetwear's Most Stylish Instagram Accounts

1. Eugene Tong – @ettong1979

You probably know the Taiwanese-born style director of soon-to-close Details magazine from every fashion week gallery ever. A menswear veteran, Tong has been an ever-present in the viewfinder of street style tastemakers like Tommy Ton and George Elder for years, usually snapped oozing understated cool that cuts through the try-hard din fashion weeks tend to foster.

His Instagram, you’ll be happy to learn, is more of the same.

Tong’s looks tend to be pared-back and a little more ‘grown up’ than most of the others on this list. Heeding the title of the mag where he served for five years, his focus is firmly fixed on the little things: trainers with gum soles, watches, impeccable outerwear. Plus his penchant for relaxed trouser fits is a move we’d all do well to steal.

Naturally, he’s also got the fashion month game on lock, bringing us front row action from showings by modern labels like N. Hoolywood and Public School NYC (a brand Tong styles for) – you know, the kind of access that schmoes like us daydream of.

Why follow? Come for the name, stay for the details. Tong has an eye for subtle accessories and shows that old axiom ‘less is more’ still rings true today.

@ettong1979

2. Tom Emmerson – @tom.emmerson

At the centre of London’s teen creative scene, a loose-knit