Selfridges: men's attainable fashion

Metrosexuality isn’t for every man. Despite David Beckham’s sarong and Russell Brand’s jeggings, there’s still a solid proportion of men who’d still rather break things (then fix them) than go and get a manicure. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to look good, albeit with all the allure of a lumberjack.

This year, Selfridges’ menswear department has teamed up with GQ magazine to promote the key summer trends with ten rules of style for fashion conscious males to follow. The outcome is a whole lot of male model material on display and seemingly little for the old-fashioned, unmoisturised, hunter-gatherer man we know and love.

With that in mind, we sent Confidential’s own man’s man about town, Simon Binns, and beauty editor Lynda Moyo to see if Selfridges could offer attainable fashion for men or if they’re all fur coat and no underpants. Here’s what happened...

Not just for work model ‘GQ catwalk inspiration’

Not just for work ‘Simon styled by Selfridges’

Trend one: Not just for work

Trousers – Paul Smith (£155)
Tie – Paul Smith (£70)
Shirt – Maison Martin Margiela (£195)
Jacket – Paul Smith (£360)
Shoes – KG by Kurt Geiger (£95)

Cream and white model ‘GQ catwalk inspiration’

Cream and white ‘Simon styled by Selfridges’

Trend two: cream and white

Jacket – Pretty Green (£145)
Shirt – David Beckham for Adidas (£105)
Chinos – Paul Smith (£105)
Shoes – Todds (£255)

Bold beach wear model ‘GQ catwalk inspiration’

Bold beach wear ‘Simon styled by Selfridges’

Trend three: bold beach wear

Shorts – Scotch and Soda (£85)
T-shirt – Paul Smith (£55)
Shoes – Hudson (£55)

British style model ‘GQ catwalk inspiration’

British style ‘Simon styled by Selfridges’

Trend four: British style

Jacket - Cooper & Stollbrand (£365)
Shirt – Burberry (£209)
Chinos – For All Man Kind (£165)
Shoes – Todds (£255)

Colour blocking model ‘GQ catwalk inspiration’

Colour blocking ‘Simon styled by Selfridges’

Trend five: colour blocking

Polo – Lyle & Scott (£60)
Shorts – Scotch & Soda (£85)

Riviera rocks model ‘GQ catwalk inspiration’’

Riviera rocks ‘Simon styled by Selfridges’

Trend six: Riviera rocks

Jeans – Armani (£169)
T-shirt – Acne (£75)
Shoes – Todds (£255)

Total shopping bill: £2,893

Simon’s verdict
I like clothes, but I wouldn’t describe myself as fashionable, or even being swayed by trends. I do like the idea of sharpening up as you get a bit older though. I’m acutely aware that I can’t wear t-shirt, jeans and Converse forever and the only thing I can fit into in Topman these days is the door.

What did I like? The Lyle & Scott polo and, bizarrely, the blue suede shoes were right up my street. I even liked the pink shorts. The yellow Lyle & Scott hoodie was pretty cool as well.

But my favourite was the Paul Smith pinstripe blazer – seriously sharp – and the Cooper & Stollbrand wax jacket.

Let's talk about white skinny jeans. Me and Moyo saw them on the rail and were massively unconvinced, but I actually loved them when I put them on.

I liked the whole personal shopping experience as well – I’m a bit of a show-off and like being fussed over if I’m totally honest, so it wasn’t particularly overwhelming. It was nice to have a bit of honest opinion from other blokes. I can’t take my mates shopping – they’d think it was odd and we’d all see it as wasted pub time.

Seeing how individual pieces work as outfits was a bit of an eye-opener – I tend to just grab what I like without thinking if it will actually go with anything else I own, mostly because I normally shop in about three shops – Levi, Fred Perry and Adidas Originals.

Color blocking: Jacket – Lyle & Scott (£85)

I actually thought Selfridges would be more expensive than it was. There were some eye-watering items, but I don’t think £350 for a really good coat is too bad. Not sure about £200+ for a pair of chinos though.

It has actually changed the way I look at clothes. What do I think of my old clothes now? Sort of like I’ve picked them out of the bin. I just need to get Gordo to pay me a salary that means I can go and get myself a personal shopper four times a year now...

All looks modelled by Simon are available from Selfridges Exchange Square, Manchester menswear department. Simon was styled by menswear Selfridges menswear manager Ben Wilson and contemporary brand manager, Chris Gardner.