Mother Distracted
A Family Lifestyle Blog In Wales

Review: Jacamo Menswear – Great Value, Great Fit

When you work it’s very easy to keep adding to your workwear and to just rely on the same old staple casual clothes which get worn to death.

It seems a bit of an extravagance, doesn’t it, to splurge on casual clothes.  The Husband’s wardrobe is stuffed to the gills with suits and formal shirts but he very seldom adds any new casual clothes.

Happily, he was given the chance to try out Jacamo, a name with which we are already familiar, not least because of Freddie Flintoff’s association with the brand.

We were expecting, good value well made clothes with a decent fit – and that’s exactly what we got.

Menswear brand Jacamo used to have a reputation as catering for the plus-sized gentleman but things have changed and their new advertising slogan is “Any Occasion. Jacamo Fits.” As part of the JD Williams stable, it’s not surprising that their marketing and service delivery is good.

As well as Freddie’s own range, you can find many well-known menswear brands such as  Adidas, Duffer of St George, Firetrap, French Connection, Lacoste, Pringle, Vans and Wrangler.  You can now find menswear for any occasion, whether work or casual wear or holiday wear including swimshorts.

The Husband was sent two items to try.

Jacamo review: Joe Brown Denim Shirt With Badges
Joe Brown Denim Shirt With Badges

This blue denim shirt is customised with badges and stitch detail and has a vintage ‘overwash’ and popper buttons.  It’s made of cotton and is machine washable.  Sizes range from chest 39″ up to 66″.  The Husband had one in L42/22 which fitted perfectly.

Mat Hobbis wearing Joe Brown Denim Shirt from Jacamo

Detailing (badge) on Joe Brown Denim Shirt from Jacamo

This denim shirt was quite heavy-weight and since it was a warm day, no t-shirt was needed underneath.

We were also sent the Luke Sports Mead Pique Jet Black Polo – a short-sleeved polo shirt from Luke, featuring a red-tipped three-button collar with contrasting red top button and a stitched logo on the left side of the chest.

Luke Sports Mead Pique Polo Shirt in Jet Black from Jacamo
Luke Sports Mead Pique Jet Black Polo

Again, it was well made, roomy and the red detailing lifted it out of the ordinary.

Mat Hobbis at the Fox & Hounds, Llancarfan wearing Luke Sports Mead Pique Polo Shirt from Jacamo

We were really impressed with the quality of the clothing.  Delivery was fast and you can spread the cost of your purchases with their buy now pay later scheme.

And certainly a lot easier than a shopping trip with these two.

Mat, Caitlin & Ieuan Hobbis at The Fox & Hounds, Llancarfan

Find out more at www.jacamo.co.uk, or connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.

Win A Man’s Suit From Dobell Menswear

After the Christmas festivities, it can be a bit of a relief to don our workwear again and prepare for a fresh new year.

Dobell Blue Man's Suit

We make our New Year’s resolutions and determine that this year will see us become even more successful and what we wear definitely helps us to “walk the talk”!

In fact in a survey undertaken by car manufacturer Kia in 2014, when asked what made them feel confident, the top 10 list for women included: high heels, a little black dress, and designer perfume and for men the list included: a freshly shaved face, a new suit, and a nice smelling aftershave.

If you’re looking to spruce up your man, there’s nothing like a crisp new suit to make a statement and Dobell Menswear have kindly provided a man’s suit for a lucky Mother Distracted reader.

Dobell menswear have created fine men’s suits, tuxedos and wedding suits for over 10 years, and create handsomely fitted suits and formalwear accessories, at great value – up to 50% cheaper than the high street.

They stock leading suit and shirt brands such as Paul Costelloe, Tommy Hilfiger, Noose & Monkey, Esprit, Lambretta, Paul Gross, and Alexander Dobell.

They also cater for men who want to look and feel correctly dressed when they’re attending black tie dinners, weddings, balls, business conferences or calendar events such as Glyndebourne and Ascot.

There’s free standard delivery, and free UK returns, a next day delivery service, and international delivery. Their site offers on-site expert advice articles and sizing guides or, if you prefer, you can talk to their dedicated customer service team who are on hand to help from 9 am to 6 pm weekdays.

For a chance to win, just enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.  Terms and conditions apply (please see my Competitions page).  UK entrants only.

The prize is one Dobell branded man’s suit in your preferred size (jacket and trousers).

The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Friday 13th January 2017.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

On Trend Menswear For Autumn & A Fab Giveaway From Mainline Menswear

The approach of autumn usually signals that it’s time to update our wardrobes and whilst there are some stylish men who will already have worked out which of the upcoming trends they want to adopt, I suspect the average bloke is still muttering about how his range of Motorhead, Black Sabbath and tropical patterned tee-shirts will be quite enough to last throughout the winter.

The answer is some sensible negotiation and a spruce up of the Husband’s wardrobe with some stylish shirts, tees and hoodies.

We recently discovered Mainline Menswear, a leading retailer specialising in men’s designer clothing, footwear, and accessories.

Established in 2004 the Mainline Menswear website carries a huge range from top men’s fashion brands such as Armani Jeans, Armani, Hugo Boss, Diesel Jeans, G-Star, Adidas Originals, Fila Vintage, Franklin and Marshall, Ralph Lauren, Original Penguin Clothing, Superdry, Lyle and Scott, Pretty Green, Levis Jeans, Replay Jeans, Stone Island, CP Company, Paul Smith, Henri Lloyd, Ted Baker, Belstaff Jackets, Lacoste Trainers, J Lindeberg, Fred Perry, Mens Timberland Boots, Luke 1977, Edwin Jeans, Cruyff Trainers, Nike and more!

You can find Designer Jeans, Designer Jackets, Designer T-Shirts, Designer Jumpers, Designer Long Sleeved Shirts, Designer Shirts, Designer Shoes, Footwear and Trainers, Designer Socks, Watches, Designer Flip Flops, Designer Boxers and Designer Swimwear.

All orders are dispatched using their premium UK next day delivery service.

We were offered a Hugo Boss Polo Tee Shirt to try and the husband chose the one pictured above. The quality is excellent and the sizing ‘true’, with no pulling under the arms and with a sensible length in the body.

And Mainline Menswear have kindly given me a £100 gift voucher for one lucky winner so that they can update their autumn wardrobe.

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget below and the usual terms and conditions apply (on my competitions page). The giveaway is open to UK entrants only and ends at 11:59 pm on Sunday 18th September.

For more information visit Mainline Menswear online or you can find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Versatile Men’s Work Shirt – From Hawes & Curtis

How versatile is the work shirt?  The Husband has a wardrobe full of corporate shirts in a variety of colours and stripes but they are worn on Monday – Friday only which, when you think about it, is a bit of a waste in terms of getting value for money from them.

We were recently introduced to Hawes & Curtis, a British clothing company for men and women with 25 stores in the UK and an online store.

Established in 1913, the company specialises in quintessentially British menswear and womenswear ranges, with stylish, good quality, value for money shirts, suits and accessories with over 100 years of heritage behind them.

They challenged us to prove that the humble shirt is a truly versatile garment and the Husband volunteered himself for the task.

The Husband’s work takes him all around the world and he’s a stickler for quality shirts that are comfortable to wear but look the part in the boardroom.  But it also makes a change when he dons a shirt for one of our infrequent date nights or, more often these days, a family meal with Caitlin and Ieuan.

I think shirts do tend to get overlooked in favour of polo shirts and tees for men at the weekend and in the evenings, but a well cut and laundered shirt can make an outfit look more expensive and also have a slimming effect.

We were offered a shirt to try and the husband chose the Curtis White Slim Fit Shirt With Contrast Detail (£34.50).

Our shirt arrived immaculately packaged in a box bearing the brand’s cool blue and grey corporate colours.

I liked that the collar came with a collar protector to keep its shape.

I loved the quirky red detail – little flashes of colour around the neck and the cuffs. Ties aren’t worn quite so much these days in meetings so it’s a great way of adding some extra interest to a suit and making it look a little younger and fresher.
 

We found the shirt to be true to size with enough room under the arms and with sufficient length in both the arms and the body. Comfort is really important when your working day is as long as Mat’s tend to be.

And the shirt works just as well when worn casually.  Caitlin and Ieuan promised faithfully not to approach it with their chocolate ice-cream!

Time to start experimenting with the Husband’s other shirts, although there are some pretty funky designs on the Hawes & Curtis website.  I think my chances of getting Mat in anything floral are a bit slim though.  I might have a look for myself.

You can buy Hawes & Curtis shirts separately at a very reasonable price or save even more if you buy 4 for £100 – the retail offer which most of the menswear stores seem to offer. The shirt we chose costs £34.50 when bought singly or £25 as part of the offer.

For more information visit Hawes & Curtis online or you can find a list of their stores here.