Mens Festival Date Fashion with House of Fraser | #StyleJarrod

When it comes to all things lovey-dovey and happily ever after in the real world, I can be somewhat cynical. But give me an imaginary love story entwined in the printed words of a book or entangled into a movie with a heart-string tugging soundtrack any day. So, with the oxymoron that is my view of love, I thought I'd challenge myself to a playful Menswear fashion post. House of Fraser are currently running a competition where two male fashion undateables are searching for 'The One'. With that in mind, I plan to create an outfit for a date for lad's lad: Jarrod. As a real life love-hater, with a soft spot for ficticious love stories, I thought it would be fun to give this a go...

This Tinder-esque screenshot is the motivation behind the outfit. People say don't judge a book by it's cover. But, I believe that you can learn a lot about someone from first impressions. So, putting my Psychology degree to good use (kind of), I'll be creating a date-worthy outfit for Jarrod.

The first thing that caught my eye...or rather poked my eye out, were those novelty glasses. If he whipped off those novelty glasses, he'd look pretty damn fashionable. Raw edge knit jumper? Looks laidback and cool. Fedora hat? Confident, I like it. I'm sure Jarrod doesn't wear novelty glasses on a daily basis, so you can assume that he isn't a total lost-cause when it comes to fashion. When reading his profile, the words 'one of the lads' jump out at me. I always hear guys say they want to date a girl who acts like their bro. Someone they can kick back with, eat pizza, lay in bed til 2pm with, etc. Honestly, that doesn't sound too bad. But I also want a guy who will sometimes act like one of the 'girls'. That means going shopping, face masks and a good cry over a chick flick.

The ideal date for Jarrod has to be lively and fun. A history museum probably wouldn't be his cup of tea (or vodka shot). The perfect date for Jarrod would have to be a festival. At a festival, you can let loose, dance, explore and then stumble along to a patch of grass to chat. It's easy-going and bound to kicks things off on a high. The thought of having a first date with an almost-total stranger in a fancy restaurant gives me heart palpitations. Take note guys: if you ever fancy woo-ing me, keep it light-hearted and let's go to the zoo, or theme park or something.

Anyway, back to the fashion needs of Jarrod and his hot festival date. It's time to steer clear of the 'Suns Out, Guns Out' vest and opt for something cooler. When it comes to festivals, almost anything will go. You can get away with some pretty outlandish fashion choices- I love it! But, for a first date, let's play it safe and leave an air of mystery with this outfit:

Striped Tee:
For Jarrod's festival-date style, I'm gunning for a casual, cool look. Stripes are always a winning style. A stripe tee should be a staple item in any guy's wardrobe. A burgundy stripe tee with rolled up sleeves ticks all the right boxes.

Distressed Jeans:
Jeans are always a safe choice. Plus, there are actually so many different style of jeans. It's not just the Levi 501s anymore, nope. There's skinny, slim, tapered, carrot...an endless array of jeans. You really can't go wrong with a t-shirt/jeans combo. Opt for a darker shade and go for something that's a little bit distressed to hide those inevitable mud stains whilst still channelling the festival vibe.

Skater Shoes:
If you fancy braving it without Wellies, go for old skool skate shoes. Play it cool with Vans...a pair of kicks that look good even when caked in festival mud.

Hats and Wayfarers:
As Jarrod is a keen lover of hats, a wide brimmed fedora would add an ubercool east london vibe to this minimal outfit. To compliment the hat, a pair of tortoise shell wayfarer glasses will strengthen the chill ambience. Hats and sunglasses are the basic rule for any festival outfit. Just ask heart-throb James Bay.

The whole look is one that says I'm calm, chill and a little bit badass. It's like a mash-up of Parisian-chic meets east London rough and cali-cool, and it works.

The casual festival look works for actors Tyler J Blackburn and Douglas Booth, so I'm sure it'll work for Jarrod too. I'd love to know what you think of this festival date look! Guys, would you wear it? And girls, do you love it? If you are a fan, you can shop the style here.

N.B. This post has been created in partnership with House of Fraser, but all words and thought remain that of my own. Celebrity photos haven been sourced  externally and are not mine. However, the outfit created via Polyvore is my own creation.