This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Formal but fun
There seems to be a craze for all things pineapple around at the moment. Whether it’s a keyring, earrings, handbag or featured on tee shirts, mobile phone covers or even a shower curtain, pineapples are cool. Which is why I posted some pineapple-shaped cufflinks to my son the other day. You know millenials, they like the odd bit of whackiness. I thought he would like them but I was wrong. He loves them. “Thanks Mum – they are really fun.” I found them on the Frederick Thomas London website and think they were, like all the other cufflinks in their range, great value for money at £29.99. When they arrived in the post I was very pleasantly surprised to see what good quality they were (in truth, the website photography doesn’t do them enough justice). They are quite heavy (ie good quality) and the detailing is great, especially the green enamel leaves. If you fancy a pair for someone, they will be back in stock next week.
Frederick Thomas London was a new website to me. It is one to bookmark as it specialises in handmade accessories for men – ties, socks and so on – at really reasonable prices. If you’re looking for a gift for a partner, son, nephew, godson that won’t break the bank – there’s something to suit everyone from a teenager to a grandpa. Tom Lodge started Frederick Thomas London in 2009 when he was working as an estate agent, wearing a suit everyday and frustrated by the limited choice of accessories offered by high street shops. He started designing ties and selling them online and things soon started to take off. Since then the company has grown and now offers socks, cufflinks and bags, and he has plans to offer made-to-measure shirts and suits later in 2018.
The ties all feature a signature floral design somewhere on the item. From conservative through to whacky, from knitted to silk, from subtle paisley to a skinny bursting with colour, you are highly likely to find exactly the tie you are looking for. If you’re quick, there are plenty in their sale at the knock down price of £9.99.
Lavender knitted pocket square £12.99 (matching tie available)
Annabel ordered some items for her Other Half and this is what she had to say about the accessories: “He loves bright, fun colours and so I was thrilled to see that apart from the classic colours, Frederick Thomas also cater for my husband’s taste. He is now a cacophony of colour as he dresses, with his bright turquoise socks, pink stripe tie and – favourite of all – the lilac knitted hankie which he pops in the top pocket of his jacket. He has had so many compliments and he happily tells everyone where he got everything from as the prices at Frederick Thomas London are so reasonable.”
FREE £10 VOUCHER TO SPEND To sum up, I think you’ll like this website as much as we do, especially as FTL has been kind enough to offer CountryWives’ readers a special gift – £10 to treat one of the men in your life. Perhaps one of the fun flower lapels or a tie clip (either of which are usually £9.99). The offer runs from 21 July to midnight on 11 August 2018. Just enter the code X7HY3RV at the checkout.
More great WiseSpend ideas for you here