It’s official – trend forecasting services confirm puffy quilted patterns in handbags, leather goods and other materials are the status surfaces of the season, and happily Dents has quite a few of them – maybe just an echo of that classic look that never seems to go out of style, now with a mobile/cell phone pocket…

Ties have taken a bit of a hit in recent years, what with dress down Fridays, CEOs of major corporations appearing on TV in open necked shirts, and of course, global warming. Some of us may even be starting to wonder whether it’s all worth it, and on top of all that we’ve been tying the same boring knot for the last twenty years… 

Well, in case you didn’t know, that knot is probably the Four-in-Hand knot, and it’s the one we all learn first. Other knots may be better suited to narrower ties or lighter fabrics and different shirt collars, or more formal occasions. Brooks Brothers have a very instructive section on their website dealing with classic tie knots, but if it’s step by step instruction on knot tying you’re looking for, you won’t do better than Tie-a-Tie.net. Caspar, obviously a true tie lover, brings you detailed instructions on how to tie different knots, with You Tube or downloadable videos, and online tutorials that are easy to follow (a word of warning though, that background music and the presentation may make your eyes glaze over after a while…)

At Dents, we are convinced that ties have a bright future, so we’ve introduced our very own collection of silk ties. Each tie comes in an elegant Dents presentation box and makes a perfect gift.

 Some of you may have noticed a new section in our Online Shop – the Heritage Collection. Over the years the Dents brand has expanded into many product categories and has served many different markets. With our Heritage collection we’re going right back to our roots, not only as glovemakers, but also as purveyors of luxury goods made by the very finest craftspeople in Britain. And Britain is pretty well represented – from England, we have gloves of course, made right here in our factory in Warminster, as well as our new Dents cufflinks, which are individually hand stamped and enameled. Dents socks are knitted in Wales and finished with hand linked toes which give a wonderfully comfy fit you just can’t duplicate with a machine made sock. And from Scotland we have Dents scarves, made from finest Scottish cashmere and other fine yarns. One last thing – we’re launching our new Autumn / Winter Collection this week, so look out for our special discount code, which will be sent to those of you who have registered on our website. 

A few weeks ago we posted a blog about some of the better known womenswear bloggers – now we’ll do the same for menswear. The formula for a successful blog seems to be a real point of view, great photographs, maybe a little quirkiness, and of course lots of followers. Someday we hope to get there ourselves. In the meantime we’ll point you in the direction of two or three that caught our attention.

Firstly, from the UK, we have Simon Compton’s two sites: Permanent Style, the biggest men’s style blog in the UK, with over 40,000 visitors a month. This year it was listed by the New York Times as one of the world’s top ten men’s blogs; and, The Gentleman’s Corner, a website that “celebrates the style and craft of men’s dress.” Although it only launched about a year ago, it already has a substantial following and it’s an easy to navigate resource full of thoughtful features and pictures.

In the US, the Sartorialist is probably the granddaddy of them all, selected as one of Time magazine’s top 100 design influencers, and a veritable fount of knowledge on everything a man needs to know on how to dress. Last Wednesday’s question dealt with a problem that has surely confounded many of us, how much shirt cuff to show when wearing a knit (pullover)... Seriously though, it’s a great blog, great pictures and most of all a great sense of style. Or there’s the Trad - I love the way he lists his eclectic collection of topics down the right hand side of his page, ranging from grits to gloves (by the way, those of you in need of some light relief might try clicking on grits for a little dig at style as seen through the eyes of Luis Bunuel…) - lots of great stuff here...

Then, not so much a blog, more an icon of men’s fashion is GQ’s style guy, Glenn O’Brien – Glenn promises to solve all your sartorial conundrums – an example: Q: I just finished school and started a job in advertising. I've taken out my piercings and try to keep my tats covered, but so far I've held on to my Mohawk. Is it acceptable to rock the 'hawk with a suit, or will I look like a joke? (For answer, click here :)

What are we to make of this year’s hot seller in men’s gloves, that icon of motoring’s halcyon days, (when you could actually tell the make of a car just by looking at it, without having to read the label), the driving glove?  This year, driving gloves just flew off the shelves. Was it because, all of a sudden, car manufacturers stopped making leather steering wheels? Or our ostensibly weatherproof cars started developing leaks that necessitated extra protection to keep our hands warm and dry?  I think we’ll just have to put this one down to the vagaries of fashion – and it’s a fashion that shows no sign of slowing down. My personal favourite is Dents style 5-1020 driving glove made right here in our factory in Warminster - unlined deerskin, complete with knuckle holes, punched holes on the fingers, handsewn contrast stitching, and available in a range of colours to match your average custom Bentley! And a little known fact for all you driving enthusiasts out there – Jensen Button, our current Formula 1 world champion, comes from Frome, just 5 miles down the road from our Warminster factory…now there’s a thought, maybe it’s that glut of British Formula 1 champions that’s brought the driving glove back to life…

2010 is proving to be a terrific summer season. The weather has been helping as well, but there seems a relaxed atmosphere and enormous goodwill at all the big occasions – plus of course a strong representation of Dents accessories, something that always cheers me up. 

At the Chelsea Flower Show, I had reports of at least two Dents summer handbags, one we think was our large flap over tote with a snakeskin pattern trim. This has been a popular summer choice and certainly offers very individual styling.

Katy Winter, a member of our design team, said she was sure she spotted some Dents gloves as well as bags when she went to Royal Ascot this year.  Certainly her own Dents gloves added to her stunning image.

I always like to look reasonably smart at Wimbledon because it is so surprising the people you meet there! But I also need a big bag for sun screen, umbrellas etc! This year I took this lovely Dents scoop bag which was so comfortable, it just slipped over my shoulder, yet was big enough for those bits and pieces I needed. We were lucky enough to see finalist Czech player Tomas Berdych in one of his earlier rounds and it was clear he was a serious contendor for the title.

I love Henley Royal Regatta because my son used to be a rower, and this year I took the same bag with the visor so that I looked just a little bit sporty. Well, it is nice to pretend!  

The Cartier International Polo Day at Smith's Lawn in Windsor Great Park Cartier International Day was just wonderful.  Much as I enjoy the action – the Coronation Cup in the afternoon was especially exciting this year – I also have as much fun in the great marquee and it is not just the champagne. This is where the big names congregate and also the best place to spot Dents accessories. A couple of great Dents summer bags caught my eye this year, and it was also good to see a Dents bag which I am sure was from our Summer 2006 Collection.  I know our designs are often ahead of the trends, and certainly this bag has stood the test of time!

I didn’t make Goodwood this year which was a shame because Panama hats for men are absolutely top fashion and I could have had a Dents field day!

Really, summer in England is very very special and with the good weather we are enjoying this year, it seems it will be a lovely season for everyone. Certainly, with so many of our accessories on show everywhere, it is proving a wonderful summer for Dents!

We had a very successful  men’s show in  January at  MRketNY, so we’ll be there again in July. The show is at the Javits Center, New York, July 18^th - 20^th. You’ll find us where we were last time, booth number 434 .

We’ll be adopting the same format we used last time. Dents will be sharing the booth with Corgi Hosiery of Wales, Breuer menswear of France, and Codis Maya cufflinks of England. All four of us share the same US sales agent, Jim McKenry of the Bird Dog Group.

It’s your last chance to fill in your Dents glove fall offerings after a very cold winter last year - as it is production on many styles is already sold out. Our sister company, Corgi Hosiery, has a new offering –  a fine gauge version of their colourful cotton socks, made in Wales and complete with hand linked toe!

Contact Jim or ourselves for an appointment.

From Laura, Design Department...

Well, I’m getting married in September and with less than 3 months to go the pressure is starting to build! As well as my huge list of things to finish (favours, table decorations etc) I am frantically trying to sort out my Mother’s outfit – it’s so stressful!!

All of the stores are heading into sale season and I can’t decide if I want her to wear bright Spring Summer or hold on and buy richer jewel coloured Autumn Winter!

Of course she has to wear a hat and beautiful gloves (that is all sorted – I work for Dents)! So I just need to find her a fabulous outfit to wear! I really love our metallic bag from our Autumn 2010 collection and last weekend’s shopping trip involved carrying this bag into every available store to find an outfit to suit! I am currently working on Spring 2011 and metallic is big news – it just goes to show, everyone still likes bit of sparkle!

The Pewter sparkle of the bag works really well with bold summer colours but it would also make a fabulous highlight against richer darker colours. Mum (of course ) wants a larger bag (to carry the kitchen sink?) but I think this bag is perfect for her.

So help me, do I swoop in quickly and buy Spring or hold my nerve and wait for the delights of the Autumn wardrobe?

Laura x 

I wonder if they were Dents…

Brazil's Juan, background, fights for the ball with North Korea's Hong Yong Jo during the World Cup group G soccer match between Brazil and North Korea at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, Tuesday, June 15, 2010. Brazil won 2-1. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) (Photo: AP)

These definitely weren’t Dents…

 England goalkeeper Robert Green fails to stop a goal shot by United States' Clint Dempsey, not seen, during the World Cup group C soccer match between England and the United States at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, on Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (Photo: AP)

 (Anybody notice the advertising behind him?)

Whilst we use this blog to identify current events at Dents HQ, we also want to use it as a resource for all our loyal Dents followers. Being in the fashion industry, we have to keep up-to-date with the latest trends and one of the best ways to do this is using the wonderful world wide web to do our research! We love people that love fashion; those that live and breathe new cuts and latest designs, and like to tell people about them. We have taken some time out sourcing some of the very best bloggers out there that truly love fashion (and in some posts love gloves)! We like anyone that loves gloves...

The following is a list of genuine bloggers who blog often. Keep them in your bookmark area and visit them weekly. If you're not much of a reader, and just like photos, then you're in luck as the blogs are jam packed full of stunning photography of anything and everything in fashion. So here goes:

1.   Firstly, The Style Bubble Blog. We love Susanna ‘Susie Bubble’ Lau's dedication to this blog! She is surely one of the most renowned fashion bloggers in the U.K. at this moment and we’re sure she has her own little fan base. We’re fans at any rate! Her compulsive blogging has led to her being issued front row seats at Chanel shows.

stylebubble.typepad.com

2.   Gemma Cartwright was one of the first fashion bloggers on the scene. The Catwalk Queen really does have a voice, as she gets more traffic to her blog than Vogue on a daily basis. Very impressive stuff!! 

catwalkqueen.tv 

3.   ‘A Shaded View on Fashion’ is the never ending fashion column. Diane Pernet, blogging from her Paris base gives short, sharp, staccato blogs with plenty of imagery. A very striking dresser herself, infamous for her love of wearing black. 

ashadedviewonfashion.com 

4.   If you read Vogue, Grazia or even The Sunday Times, you may very well be aware of Liberty London Girl, aka Sasha Wilkins, a professional journalist who splits her time between New York and Los Angeles and is renowned as “one of the 100 most influential people in fashion” (Leon Bailey Green, The Independent).

libertylondongirl.blogspot.com 

5.   As you'd expect with ‘The Thoughtful Dresser’ this blog is more chic and conventional. If you like more of a read then this is the one for you...
 
thethoughtfuldresser.blogspot.com

6.   Facehunter is unique, as the premise is that Yvan Rodic (the creator of Facehunter) takes photos of glamorous regular people with fashion sense in the street. Minimal blurb, maximum imagery. See what real people are wearing!

facehunter.blogspot.com

7.   Feels Like White Lightning has a real vintage feel about it. A blog by Elizabeth Spiridakis, a true fashion nut. With blogs about her life, celebrity functions and whatever is on her mind, this blog is insightful and a nice way to waste time!  

feelslikewhitelightning.com

8.   The wonderfully titled ‘Go Fug Yourself’ (not sure what they are going for there) is a vibrant site enlightening us all about the word of the rich and famous and what they are wearing, or not!

gofugyourself.com