The times they are a changin’
The title of today’s post is very topical for several reasons…
Firstly, they are of course lyrics (from the same titled song) by Nobel Prize for literature winner and legend Bob Dylan.👇🏻
Bob…way too cool for school
Secondly
If you’ve read some of my last few pieces (thanks by the way😬) you’ll know that there are changes a’foot within the way we work and the way we have operated for sooooo long…(change is good, embrace it and the transition will be easier)
Well said Bob.
Thirdly (and this is where it all links to style…)
The biggest change is in the season.
Even the most die hard of us desperately trying to cling to summer have to admit defeat sometime and put the shorts and the flip flops away until next year…nobody wants to see this👇🏻
I’ve never understood the whole jeans and flip flops thing…
Temperatures have dropped and the evenings are drawing in, I leave for work in the dark and (thanks to working in a centre not seeing any daylight) go home in the dark.
Only 2 weeks ago we were experiencing temperatures in the high 20’s!
I stood waiting for a train early last week and there was a cold wind biting at my ankles (I do roll my jeans quite short!) and I thought to myself “time to crack out the layers”.
I’m not one for big heavy coats or huge padded pieces, I don’t care about ‘hat hair’ (don’t have much, it’s mainly on my chin!) so will wear a nice warm hat and I definitely wear a scarf and gloves when the weather requires it.
Lenny Kravitz…he likes a big scarf
That scarf is ridiculous☝🏻️😂… you’d have to be able to lift your whole body weight to carry it and it probably took the wool from at least 6 sheep!
I’ve picked a nice selection of scarves ‘n stuff for you, pulled some cheeky outfits together too…enjoy 👍🏼
Top left: Reverse knit beanie £18 Top right: Reverse knit snood £28
Wear with…
All available from Fatface…
Wear with…
Sussex four pocket wax jacket £85
Nice warm hues, with a chic beret and classic Chelsea boots teamed up with a soft feel cardigan and contrasting Breton tee…all Fatface
To prove that capes aren’t just for superheroes…
Blanket Stitch Brushed cape £32
Wear smart or casual…
Choose your mood…
A lot can be said for the company you keep and indeed the people you work for.
I’ve been in this game for well over 25 years, taking a brief hiatus last year when I ran a pub…(interesting career choice.)
I’m a lucky man, I have a loving wife (God knows how she’s put up with me for so long!), two beautiful boys and more recently have found a job and a company that I love…
Love?! 😍❤️
I’ve worked for some of the biggest retailers on the high street and I can tell you from first hand experience that some of them aren’t much for ‘loving their people’.
Richard Branson famously said…
“Clients do not come first.
Employees come first…if you treat your employees well enough, they will look after your clients.”
Sir Richard Branson…a nice dude to work for
So, after so long in this profession I feel finally like I’ve come ‘home’.
It’s not meant to be clichéd or ‘cheesy’, but I definitely feel valued where I am right now…
“Made well, worn well since 1988”
☝🏻️That’s something they’ve staked their claim on since day one!☝🏻
The reason why so many customers keep coming back?,
Yes, they’re synonymous for quality of their products, but there is also a reason why so many of their crew have worked for them for so long.
From the top down they treat people with respect…and fun is their middle name!
In the past I have written about British Heritage brands like Ben Sherman and Fred Perry, who between them have racked up over 110 years history.
Then there are Topshop, River Island (originally Chelsea Girl) and New Look on the high street that all have over 40 years of history each, all of whom have changed massively since their incarnation all those years ago.
They have all lost that ‘family heritage’ feel that they had when they first started, some would say that they’ve even got a bit big for their boots, forgetting about their people and worst still…ignoring the customer. (Check out my blog ‘Ignore me at your peril’)
Fatface encompass all that is good about heritage.
They have never forgotten their origins, have stayed true to their morals and values and continue to trade with trust, honesty and integrity.
So what defines a ‘heritage brand’?
In my opinion it is a brand that maintains its originality, it’s values are consistent, it is ethical, responsible and continues to grow and evolve, without forgetting about its most valuable resource…its people.
So, the title for this post ‘Choose your mood…’ refers to the way in which you conduct yourselves on a personal level and the public’s perception of you.
A wise man once said that it takes years to build a reputation, but with modern technology and ‘instant’ feedback through social media, it takes seconds to destroy it. Literally thousands of people can now ‘dislike’ you in seconds!
Never a truer word spoken…
We are under the microscope almost all of the time, team that with the fact that there is little or no loyalty on the high street and it makes your behaviour and your reputation super important.
Fatface have always, always had a great reputation. Their product (as stated earlier) is exceptional, quality is key and has been that way since 1988.
As far as ‘crew’ goes, (in my opinion) they’re some of the best on the high street.
Genuine, willing and ‘wanting‘ to do a great job instead of ‘having‘ to do a great job.
Trust me, it makes a huge difference!
Look at yourself in the mirror, ask yourself this…
“Am I doing the best that I can?”
“Do I inspire others?”
If you can honestly answer both questions, regardless of the outcome, then you are already on the right path…
Anthony Thompson CEO is fully aware of how important honesty and reputation are, he talks with great pride about where his company has come from and how they have sustained growth through the toughest times.
He also talks about being honest and about the need for change.
One of my favourite quotes…
Do you feel inspired?
I’ll leave you with one of my other favourite quotes…
Until next time…‘Washed in happiness, worn with pride’
Peace.
The nightwear edit…
Marilyn Monroe famously said that she wore nothing to bed but Chanel No.5
As a dude, I can’t say that I get too excited about loungewear or nightwear, but my female acquaintances on the other hand…get super excited.
They put as much effort in to buying PJ’s as they would if they were buying an outfit for a special occasion, in fact, I would go as far as saying that they put in way more effort!
Marilyn Monroe’s admittance to wearing nothing but perfume to bed certainly caused a stir back in the day, I’m sure that if she had seen the range of nightwear and loungewear I’ve selected below, she’d have changed her mind.
As ever I have selected products from the range available at Fatface.
If Fatface do Autumn/Winter well, then they are the destination for PJ’s and everything that goes with them.
This years selection is their best yet (their words!), with new improved fabrics and fits, they have pretty much cornered the market.
As I have seen the product first hand with a bunch of folk, I couldn’t help but notice the little squeals of delight and joy that a simple pair of PJ bottoms brings, it’s like a soft pair of PJ’s instantly allows the wearer to regress back to their childhood, where there was no stress, nothing to worry about and the thought of being tucked up warm in your bed with the smell of fresh PJ’s soft against your skin…wait!! It’s affecting me now!
Oooohhhh…
Top: ‘Avebury‘ rib Henley £20
Pants: ‘Upaven‘ jacquard check cuffed lounge pants £30
Slipper boots ‘Freya‘ fluffy boots (to help cheer up chilly feet!) £25
Aaaaahhhhh….
Top: ‘Fosbury‘ Lounge Sweat £30
Bottoms: ‘Chute‘ Star cuffed lounge pants £28
Slippers as before
Cantona…😬😂
The buyers and designers are really happy with this years collection, they have been hard at work changing fabrics and improving fits (again, acting on customer feedback).
What they’ve come up with are softer brushed (inside and out) cottons and new ‘cuffed’ pants for added comfort. The sweats range are also ridiculously soft feel too, like you’re wearing a hug!!
Nightwear designers hard at work!
Below are more examples of some of the wonderful new ranges available in stores or from Fatface.com
‘Winter Wonderland’
Fun prints…
Look out for some amazing products including…slippers ‘hand made in Nepal‘, pyjama sets in cute little bags and much, much more!
You’re sucking your thumbs aren’t you!
Until next week…
Peace.
Game of Groans
It’s tough being a marauding Norseman in the 21st century.
Firstly (so I’m told) it isn’t PC to pillage anymore…which is a bit of an inconvenience to me as that was all I knew in my former life (that and the other thing us Vikings are famous for…making boats of course!)
Secondly, (and this bothers me even more) men with beards and head tattoos are considered ‘cool’ or mistaken for another race called ‘hipsters‘?!
King Ragnar…definitely not hip
The world now is a strange place, you call us Vikings ‘barbaric’ and ‘savage’, yet I have seen far more troubling things now, than I ever did whilst ransacking your Christian churches.
Your politicians are more crooked than Loki’s horns, the race for the US presidency could be a lot more simple if they’d just adopt our leadership race…if you wanted to be Jarl (chief, boss man, head honcho) you just challenged the current incumbent to a battle to the death, if you win…great, you are new Jarl…if you lose, well then you are either dead or you get the ‘blood eagle’ (death would be better!)
Oh, and if you lose, your family loses too and are usually put to death.
At least it doesn’t cost billions in taxpayers money!
No tour bus, or campaign budgets needed, just quick wits and a sharp axe!!
Im sure the people will make the right decision, although I’m told that neither candidate is fit and proper to rule such a big country.
I’m a man of simple means, I like to live comfortably, I need not surround myself with fancy trinkets and the latest explosive mobile devices (oops), nor do I need the best longboat in the village.
No, I’m quite happy chilling out with my Viking pals, we can get a bit raucous, we’ve been known to smash up a ‘Billy’ bookcase or two in our time (sorry about IKEA by the way, looks like us Vikings are still trying to take over the world!)
King Ragnar and his son Bjorn Ironside discussing their football accumulators.
IKEA’s ‘Köttbullar’ or meatballs as you know them, literal translation is ‘shrunken testicles of the fallen’ taste good though eh?
Life is not a competition to see who can get the biggest house or the fastest car, it doesn’t matter how much fancy cloth you wear or if you can afford those funny pointy shoes with red painted soles…because when we die, when we reach ‘Valhalla’ or maybe somewhere similar, wealth doesn’t count for shit!
What counts more is that you can stand with conviction and say “I was a good man/woman, I stayed true to myself and (apart from that defenceless monk at Lindisvarne I slaughtered with a pick axe handle…) I pretty much treated everyone as equals.
Until next time
Peace.
The style Viking 