Dappad: online menswear personal shopping

For many men the convenience of having a selection of clothing sent direct to their houses for them to choose from is a timesaver. To be successful, such a service must quickly appreciate and reflect the client's tastes and preferences. I've had the chance to try out Dappad, a relatively new business founded by Swedish-born Erika Nilsson-Humphrey, a former investment banker who, while working in finance, saw the need for a service such as Dappad.

The idea is that you are sent a box of clothes and accessories to try out and buy if you like them. I went through a number of questions with Erika, in which she found out my size,  style and colour preferences and the types of look I prefer - even my admiration for the style of Cary Grant was relevant. Shortly after that a box arrived with a choice of ties, jackets, shorts, shirts and accessories. 

Some of the items in my Dappad box

I was impressed, Erika had interpreted my taste very well and was even bold enough to try a shorts suit (she'd obviously done her research on the blog). Brands included Eton Shirts, Gant Rugger, Orlebar Brown, Lindeberg, Anderson: all good quality makes, many Scandinavian in origin and style. I'd have kept almost everything, only a Gant summer blouson not being to my taste. Such a high success rate for the first time is impressive. Obviously as the service gets to know a client, its ability to predict his tastes improves. I highly recommend this styling service: go to Dappad to find out more.

This post was sponsored by Dappad.

The Chapar - personal styling for men - with a difference

Many men simply cannot be bothered with shopping for clothes and, I suspect, this applies most particularly to men over forty. Whatever our excuse - we're busy, think shopping is for sissies, leave it to our partner/wife, can't be bothered - the result is that we find it harder to dress well as the grey hairs appear.

There are solutions - we buy everything at our favourite high street department store, we buy online, we don't buy anything or we rely on a partner selecting our clothes. But these are unlikely to result in outstanding sartorial results unless we are prepared to put in that extra care to ensure good fit, colour co-ordination or style appropriate to our age, shape, colouring and lifestyle.

For those with the desire to dress well, but without the time or inclination to put in too much personal effort, there is always the option of the personal stylist (see, for example, my post here about one such service, Sartoria Lab).

The Chapar now offer a further alternative. After a telephone consultation with a stylist, you are sent a trunk of clothes carefully selected for you. You try them on, decide what you will keep, pay for those and the rest are picked up by a courier to be returned to The Chapar - what could be easier?

But, does it work? I had the chance to try when The Chapar offered to put me through their process. I was phoned, at a time and date previously arranged, by Shaunie Brett, Director of Styling, who skilfully elicited from me everything she needed to know about my style and clothing preferences and my sizes. We chatted for twenty minutes or so and I was promised a box of carefully-selected clothes within a few days - very exciting - as good as Christmas.

A few days later a beautifully-presented box of clothes arrived. Unpacking them I was immediately struck by how well Shaunie has interpreted my tastes. As promised, she included a few items to stretch me and tempt me to try something new. This idea really attracted me - whether or not we feel confident in our choices, we should all try something new from time to time to expand our range.

Below are images of some of the items sent. Of the 17 items sent I would have rejected very few had I been in the position of a client. All suited me well in terms of style and colour and, particularly important, all fitted me very well. Brands sent in my box included Hentsch Man, Hackett, Brooks Brothers, Hartford, Pantherella, Sunpsel, John Smedley and a brand less familiar to me, Lubiam.

The Chapar is a great formula. For the man without the inclination to shop for himself, the service will save time and provide skilfully-styled clothes that will fit well and suit his needs. Even the confident and able sartorialist will benefit as he will be encouraged to try new styles and colours. Prices are no higher than available on the high street. The clothes selected are from the best-known and trusted brands, while newer and less-familiar names are included to keep choices as wide as possible.

The Chapar claim to be changing the way men shop. They must just be right.

For more information, see The Chapar website.

Some of the items selected by The Chapar for Grey Fox

Sartoria Lab - a personal styling service for men

When I started my search for sartorial style style in middle age, I had no idea that I could turn to anyone for help and advice. I then came across Sarah Gilfillan whose Sartoria Lab provides men with a personal styling, shopping and wardrobe management service.

Intrigued, I asked Sarah to tell me more (I threw in a few sneaky questions in the hope of getting some free advice; see below). I'm very grateful to Sarah for taking the time to answer my questions.

For information about Sartoria Lab see the website HERE.

Q – Sarah, please tell us something about Sartoria Lab, how and why you started it and what you offer.

I started Sartoria Lab about 3 years ago as I wanted to offer a Personal Styling/Shopping service exclusively for men. There was hardly anything aimed at men, and to my mind it made sense as a lot of guys don't have the time or inclination for clothes shopping and have no idea where to go. It was a natural progression for me from my background in men's fashion styling to personal styling for individual guys. 

Q – What challenges do you feel that men face as they get older when making decisions about style and how to dress? Are there any styles men should avoid as the grey hairs appear?

Not wanting to look too young and as if they're trying too hard, but not descending into "beige-ness" and looking like their dad either! Also the challenges of dressing a body that may not quite be as lithe as it once was. 

With regard to things to avoid, I think that when your face starts to get a little more worn in, your clothes shouldn't be! So I'd advise against ripping, and anything too deconstructed, or falsely distressed, eg: jeans. It looks better if the styles are cleaner and simpler and you can use colours and textures to help give interest, plus a brilliant fit really helps. 

Q – How do you work with clients to help them achieve an image they like and which suits them? Do you find yourself influencing men’s decisions to help them avoid sartorial disasters?

I usually start with a Colour Consultation and Style Analysis as this gives us a good basis to work from. I advise on what colours, shapes and detailing will work for a guy's colouring and body shape. For example, going for a lower cut shirt collar and slimmer knot on your tie will make your neck look longer, epaulettes or any contrast seam will help widen shoulders, a pocket square in your jacket pocket can distract attention from your stomach. These are things that you may instinctively choose, but you'll get a higher success rate on buying things you like, once you're aware of the reasons they look good on you. 

After this I either do a Wardrobe Edit - assessing (and throwing out!) items in their wardrobe and identifying any gaps. And then armed with a shopping list we can do a Personal Shopping trip - I do a recce first and then go shopping with them, choosing items and putting together outfits.

I definitely influence men's decisions to avoid sartorial disasters - that's what I'm there for! And most guys are very happy to have someone to help them make the decisions.

 Q – Like many men, I find selection of colours difficult. What general advice can you give on the issue of matching colours to a person’s hair, eye, skin colours?

It's tricky as everyone is different, but generally if you have darker colouring yourself then you'll look better in deeper or brighter colours, if your overall look is lighter, then paler or more muted colours are likely to look better, and if you have red tones to your hair, or freckly type skin then browns and tans will probably suit you more than blues and greys. 

When out shopping compare the different colours against your face and see if any make your eyes stand out or give more definition to your jaw line - if they do - that's the one you want!

Q – What staples should a man aim to have in his wardrobe?

Obviously it's dependent on lifestyle, but I would say well fitting dark indigo jeans, an up to date blazer, a classic white shirt (good for business or casual), selection of casual shirts, smarter shirts to wear in the evening - perhaps in a darker colour or print, a casual jacket, trousers that are smarter than jeans but not suit trousers, brown brogues, black Oxfords, a navy suit, fine gauge knits for smarter wear, chunky knits for casual. 

For more information contact Sarah at Sartoria Lab - contact information on the website HERE.