The History of David Beckham's Hair: Part 2

Welcome back to MFB for the second part in the exciting life of David Beckham's hair.

Following his big money move to Spanish giants Real Madrid in June 2003, for the tidy sum of £24.5million, Beckham added this long blonde number to the ‘Galacticos’ of Madrid.
Looking more like Goldilocks who was missing 3 bears (But what about Ronaldo??!) than a footballing Super Star, Becks new hairstyle certainly captivated his form at the time, scoring on his debut in the Spanish Super Cup.


With his new Madrid lifestyle well under way, David didn’t change his hairstyle for a few months, choosing to continue to grow the ‘Goldilocks’ style further, creating a dramatic longer look, which can be seen being sported in a ponytail in the image to the side.

This longer, glamorous look was accustomed to the Hollywood lifestyle the Beckham’s craved and this style was the start of their journey of ‘cracking’ the States.


Clearly tired of the maintenance involved in long hair, Beck’s chose to have a large portion of it cut off and reverted back to a shorter, spiked look which was tinted blonde at the tips.

Still a Real Madrid legend in the making, this new look is still a hit with the fans, and adds to the earning power of the ‘Beckham Brand’ to the Madrid giants.

Onwards and upwards, or should I say longer?

Becks grows his latest ‘do’ slightly longer, and goes for the longer sided look while still at Real Madrid, but also allowing the blonde tints we know Beckham for, to grow out making the then England captain seem more intellectual.

Trimmed at the sides and left longer at the front, Becks grows this shorter ‘quiff’ in preparation for the World Cup Finals 2006 in Germany.
At a time when the then England captains form was under scrutiny, this hairstyle certainly keeps up his form in the hair stakes adding to Beckham mania that swept the country before the competition.

At a time when Beckham was recapturing the form that Real Madrid take notice, having first battled his way back into the Galactico line-up of the Madrid giants, Becks went for one of his most striking looks ever, Platinum Blonde, for the completion of a set of photographs with his wife Victoria for top photographer Stephen Klein.

Sporting a pair of aviators, Becks stepped off the plane in Madrid more accustomed to a Hollywood film star, especially after his contract signing with Los Angeles Galaxy after contract talks with Real Madrid broke down early in the 2006/2007 Spanish season.

The Platinum look even grabbed the attention of his team-mates who reportedly nicknamed Becks ‘Marilyn’ after Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.


With his new nickname rife among his team-mates, Becks decided to take his hair back to the past with a closer, shorter look to see out his time in the Spanish capital.

With this new (or should I say old?) style, still complete with Platinum Blonde, Becks pretty much single handily guided Real Madrid to their first Spanish title in 4 years, a first for Beckham since his move in 2003 from Manchester United, while also recapturing his England place after Steve McClaren saw the error of his way.

With this Hollywood style under his belt, Becks moves to LA Galaxy on a free transfer making his debut against Chelsea at the end of July 2007, signalling the start of Beckhams transition to the United States of America and a new chapter in his History.

CL

Paul Smith Wallets

Paul Smith wallets are the most sought-after wallets in the United Kingdom. If you’re buying a Paul Smith wallet for own use, you are definitely giving yourself a treat. If you’re buying one for another person, they must be a very special man indeed! There is no doubt Paul Smith wallets look stunning … but it is not just the unique nature of his wallets that drive the public crazy … it is the entire Paul Smith brand and its history. MFB investigate…

History of Paul Smith

Paul Smith's early ambition was to become a cyclist but an accident at the age of 17 put stop to that. Whilst in hospital following his accident, Paul Smith met a group of artists who opened him up to a new world that inspired him to become a fashion designer. Indeed in 1970, at the age of 24, Paul Smith opened his first fashion boutique in Nottingham, and by 1976 he had shown his first menswear collection in Paris.Paul Smith has become a global phenomenon. Indeed the designer brand now spans 12 collections, selling everything from jeans and accessories to high-end fashion and furniture. There are also 14 Paul Smith stores in Britain and over 200 in Japan.Despite the enormous success many things have remained the same. Indeed Paul Smith retains an integral role in the company, as both designer and chairman, and his unique designs continue to combine sharp looks with a genuinely offbeat sense that's unmistakably English. Walk into one of Paul Smith's shops and you probably come across his personal collection of art, or an array of antiques and other unique objects, all examples of a personal touch that is so lacking in many other large fashion houses.

Paul Smith Wallet

MFB have selected a few of our favourite Paul Smith wallet designs to highlight the unique nature of this luxury men's accessory.

Naked Lady

This is the most impressionable image thought of when Paul Smith comes up in conversation.

The wallet that everyone remembers due to its cheeky design depicting a nude lady is one of Paul Smith’s best selling products since the start of his label in 1970.

The buxom brunette, pictured kneeling naked and holding a red telephone, is the favourite model of Archie Dickens, who works from his small studio in West Wickham.

The 94-year-old pensioner initially sold the illustration to an American collector who then sold it on to Sir Paul Smith for use in his products, giving Paul Smith an untimely classic.

The Mini

The traditional Paul Smith branding, coupled with one of England’s most recognisable icons gives us the popular Mini wallet sold by Paul Smith.

With the outer of the wallet showing its ‘work’ side which is made from fine Italian leather, and its playful side with the striped Mini image on the inside, this wallet is perfect for the Gentleman who loves cars.

Multi-Stripe

The unforgettable image of Paul Smith branding makes its way entirely onto a wallet with this design.

Incorporating unmistakable Englishness augmented by the unexpected, this design is for the Gentleman that likes to portray their unique side, while letting people know he is accustomed to the famous Paul Smith brand and all it stands for.

Rope Stitched

One of Paul Smith’s newest collections, the ‘Rope Stitched wallet’ moves away from the iconic Paul Smith branding and moves onto bolder colours,

Whilst still incorporating the feel of the classic Paul Smith wallet, the larger branding in the corner of the wallet still lets people know that the Gentleman owner is apart of one of the World’s most stylish labels.

For more information about Paul Smith wallets, and other mens wallets; click here.

MFB

Storage Tips: So easy, even we can do it Gents.

So you’ve bought the latest designer threads, and accessories and you’re looking the business, but to continue looking that way, you really have to store them properly to keep them, and you looking at your best.

This is an area where a lot of men drastically fail, and with a bit of help, those expensive items can last for years if properly stored away in the off-season.

To start off, there are three important areas to remember when storing clothes: Clean, Protect and Organise.


Clean

Quite a simple thing to remember to do before you store your clothes away eh? Wrong.
So many men forget to do this before they put them into storage, it’s unreal.

Clothes are extremely susceptible to bugs and mites, especially when dirty.
Remember, just because not all stains are visible, doesn’t mean they’re not there to haunt you when you pull your favourite cashmere sweater out of storage a few months later, only to find out its ruined, making it a very costly mistake to make.

Best bet is to wash them, or better still, dry-clean them before storage, even if you think they don’t need it.

Protect

So you’ve taken the first step to making sure your garments are clean as a whistle before storage, but it doesn’t stop there. Even clean garments need protection, and this comes in the form of wood.
Yep, you read it correctly, wood.

The most commonly effective form of wood to use to protect garments during storage is Cedar.

Cedar provides a fresh scent which that not only repels bugs and mites, but also absorbs abrasive odours from your laundry basket or that over-used gym bag.

Cedar products are available in several forms for protecting your clothes, which include hang-ups for closets, blocks for drawers and containers and cedar hangers which can be used for coats and suits.

They’re available from any good department store near you and the rubbish ones too.

Second in the laws of protection is the location of the storage.

Protection is best carried out in dark, cool, dry and well ventilated places.
Without these 4 conditions, clothes can become faded, damaged, mouldy, and musty, much like the smell associated with old people.

So, just be strategic in storing your garments in the proper places and with the proper protection to guarantee their longevity.

Organise

The final key to storing your clothes in the off-season is proper organisation, taking your clean clothes and your protective elements and applying them together.

Organisation doesn’t just mainstream your wardrobe; it also adds extra protection by storing similar garments together.

For example, the storage of hanging items in natural cotton garment bags allows you to store similar items in the same area, but it also blocks light and provides a breathable barrier for clothes to maintain them in a safe, clean and easy to locate environment.

Don’t forget about storage boxes though, as several of these add extra order and flexibility in storing items in locations such as under the bed and can also add structure to your wardrobe.

Just remember, organisation can add simplicity to life, so why not add it to your wardrobe?

Just taking into account the 3 simple steps of clean, protect and organise allows you to play the game of fashion more successfully, especially as you’ll now stand out from the crowd in your well cared for garments, making the little time and effort put into the process a lot more rewarding.

CL

Blu-Ray Disc – What’s all the fuss about?

So your thinking about buying a Playstation 3 but your not sure if your enough of a hard-core gamer? Well what about movies? Do you enjoying sitting down in front of a big LCD TV and watching the Godfather on DVD (just like pretty much every other man who ever lived)? Well if you do then the PS3 offers you another treat … Blu-Ray Disc!

Blu-Ray disc is the next generation entertainment format specially designed to show superb, crystal clear images on a high definition (HD) television. It is claimed the picture is SIX times better quality than that of standard DVDs. That’s not all, with up to 7.1 digital surround sound and the ability to offer advanced interactive content, Blue-Ray discs offer an entertainment experience that is out of this world.

I know what your thinking; “is this another Betamax”? and “how long will this format be around”? Well Blu-Ray disc has the support of over 170 leading entertainment companies including Sony, MGM, Panasonic, HP, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Brothers to name but a few. So with the biggest names in movies, video games, electronics, computing and music there seems to be a commitment to bring the best content onto the Blu-Ray format so that you have an amazing range of high definition films, TV, games and music to choose from now and well into the future.

High definition content takes up a lot of space. As such a dual layer Blu-ray Disc can store 50 GB, almost 6 times the size of a dual layer DVD at 8.5 GB. This allows a much better definition of picture quality which is immediately noticeable when comparing to a normal DVD. But to see this you’ll need to have a TV that is HD ready! Most LCD flat screen televisions are HD ready nowadays but to be sure check on the box or in the manual. Finally, if you don’t have or want a PS3, you will need to purchase a dedicated Blu-Ray Disc player available from the likes of Sony, Philips, Pioneer, and Sharp.

So thinking of making a purchase? Well with the support of so many big companies we suspect Blu-Ray will be around for many years to come, and the quality over standard DVDs is unquestionable, so MFB can guarantee you will be able to enjoy an advanced entertainment now and well into the future. Go on, go out and buy one, you know you want to!

MFB

The History of David Beckham's Hair: Part 1

MFB thought it was about time to look at the UK's most influential men's fashion icon in recent times ... David Beckham, and in particular David Beckham's hairstyles!

David Beckham changes his hairstyle more often than he changes his underwear! Indeed, since meeting the fashion conscious Victoria Adams (now his wife, Victoria Beckham), who has clearly molded his persona, David Beckham's hairstyle has been one of the most talked about things in the history of celebrity fashion.

We start off in the early days of David’s career, fresh out of the youth academy at Manchester United with this mainly un-styled, plain and simple look.
This was in keeping with the non-flash lifestyle Sir Alex Ferguson embedded into his upcoming youth team players, but little did he know this was the start of an extremely media-fuelled career.

As David’s career takes off due to often brilliant displays on the wing for Manchester United, his hairstyle begins to develop into a more slicker look as he discovers the joys of hair gel, prompting a deal with Brylcreem which increased their sales by 50%.

Flash back to the 1995/1996 English Premier League season, and to David Beckham’s famous goal scored from the half way line over a helpless Neil Sullivan in goal for Wimbledon.

This is the point where David Beckham’s career really took off as he was sprung into the media spotlight for showcasing his footballing talent, and as a result of this, his hair undertook a dramatic change with the inclusion of blonde highlights: the mark of an upcoming Superstar.

David Beckham shocked the nation with his next style taking him from media sweetheart to that of one with attitude, and promoted Barbers to up their prices for one of the simplest hairstyles in existence: the shaved head.

Hiding the ‘new do’ under a woolly hat during a Manchester United training session, David caused a media panic after a team-mate jokingly removed it revealing it to the World, causing newspapers to displace headlines just to cover it.


Next up in the collection is the possibly the one Golden Ball’s will look back on and think ‘Maybe that wasn’t a good idea.’ Yep, you’ve guess it, the mini-Mohawk.

This monstrosity of a haircut was devised shortly after David’s shaved look grew back, and prompted armies of men to copy it, creating possibly the largest fashion disaster in the history of the World.

After the success and shock factor of the mini-Mohawk, David toned it down a little and went for something less shocking with this short, darker spiked haircut.

Next up for Mr. Beckham in the Summer of 2002 was my personal favourite, the blonde, longer Mohawk. Heck, I enjoyed it so much, even I sported it for a while!

Looking much like a blonde shark, Beck’s led England to the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup Final’s, narrowly losing to the eventual winners Brazil.



After the disappointment of the World Cup, David decided to go for the European look, and grew his hair much longer, often sporting it with a continental hair band, making an item normally seen in Fame (I want to Live Forever) fashionable once again.


Blatantly annoyed with his hair always being in his eyes, Beck’s decided to cause mass media frenzy once again with a style most often seen in the Caribbean. Enter the famous cornrow hairstyle, so famous in fact that Nelson Mandela requested to meet Beck’s and the England squad during this period.
Was this influenced by this famous hairstyle? Who knows!

Check back here soon for the second part of David Beckham's Hair History, only here at MFB!

CL