BespokeMe.
              The Online Directory and Magazine Tailored to London Men
 
   
    If knowledge is power…with power comes, whatever you want.  
  Our promise is to bring to your finger tips, originality, flair, quality and value for money; the best that life has to offer, in all matters, regardless of your income, background, looks or sexuality; to demystify the unwritten rules, educate and demonstrate the shortcuts. To provide the means for finding that perfect tool for any circumstance quickly, simply in an easy format and unpretentious style.

If you would like to see who we are, as well as some of our friends and contributors, why not join our Facebook group.


Thursday, August 20, 2009

Tool Up: The Valet Box

Photo: Andersons of Durham, The Valet Box

Like most people I work hard for my money. Investing limited funds in a good quality wardrobe requires I keep everything in tip top nic. Of course it’s one thing to have all the right kit, it’s entirely another to look after it properly.

This is never more so important than in the case of shoes. Buy good quality shoes, treat them kindly and your journey together will last a lifetime. Fail to do so and you might as well cut a whole in your pocket.

Of course if you have several pairs of shoes it’s possible to build up quite a collection of waxes, sprays, brushes and cloths. Well a good workman always looks after his tools, and this Valet Box provides a rather elegant solution at a rather reasonable price. I think there is something wonderfully purposeful about possessing such an item, if not a little old school. Not too large or cumbersome it should fit into even the humblest abode. I found it on Andersons of Durham’s website, which I’ve linked to several times previously as a useful and competitively priced online source for solid Northamptonshire shoe makers.

Back to the box. Not only do you get the mahogany box, but it comes filled with all the tools of your trade. Sadly elbow grease is not included.

Labels: , ,

0 Comments:

Links to this post:

Create a Link




Search Engines
Ask
Google
Yahoo

Humour
Ask a Ninja
Chad Vader
Cockney Rhyming Slang
Dull Men’s Club
Galacticast
Goodnight Burbank
Newsbiscuit
Student Pranks
The Cheese Comparator
The Dailymash
The Onion
The Pub Landlord
VIZ

Entertainment
Blame Society Films
Board-game Geek
Channel 101
Funny, sexy, cool ads
ifilm
iPlayer BBC
Nation States/Jennifer Government
Network 2
Overheard in New York
Pop Bitch
Revver
Thinkexist
Yahoo Music
Youtube

Podcasts
Coming Soon




Music / News / Downloads

Music News:
MTV UK
NME
Playlouder
Pro DJ Forum
Q Magazine
Subpop

Music Downloads:
I Tunes
Napster
Livewire
Last FM
Morpheus
Amazon
Artist Direct
Big Noise
HMV
Ministry of Sound
Playlouder
Tesco
Virgin Downloads
Wippit

Independent Music:
Audio Lunchbox
Bleep
Beathut
Epitonic
EMusic
Domino Records
Insound
Intomusic
Matador

Downloads (TV/Film)
Coming Soon




Downloads (Software)
CNET
Dabs



Technology/Gadgets/Computing
Stuff Magazine




News
BBC
Bloomberg
Reuters
Sky News
The Guardian Online
The Independent Online
The Mail Online
The Observer Online
The Telegraph Online
The Times Online

Politics
The New Statesman
The Spectator


Current Affairs
The Economist




Political Gossip
Guido Fawkes
Iain Dale
Political Betting
Recess Monkey

Political Humour
Coming Soon




Books
Amazon
Blackwell’s
Borders
Foyle’s
Hatchard’s
Politico’s
Waterstone’s

Second Hand Books:
Abe Books
ibooknet
Online Book Sellers Direct

Sports / News / Participation / Tickets / Kit

Sports News:
BBC Sport
ESPN
Pandasport
Racing Post
Sporting Life
The Racing Forum
The Sportsman

Football:
Soccernet




Rugby:
Beer & Rugby
Planet Rugby
Rugby Football Union
Scrum

Cricket:
Cricket Info
World Cricket Centre



Motoracing/Cars:
Coming Soon




Cars:
Top Gear
What Car

Sports (Participation)
Rugby in London




Sport (Tickets)
Coming Soon




Sports (Kit)
Rapha Cycling
Toffs



Sports (Extreme)
Coming Soon




Flying (General Aviation):
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
Flyer
Skysystems
Today’s Pilot

Gambling / Gaming / Spread Betting

Spread Betting:
Cantor Index
Capital Spreads
City Index
CMC Markets
IG Index
TD Waterhouse
TradIndex

Odds Comparisons:
Odds Checker




Traditional Bookmakers:
Bet 365
Blue sq
Coral
Ladbrokes
Paddy Power
Sporting Bet
Sporting Odds
Stan James
Total Bet
Tote Sport
VC Bet
William Hill

Betting Exchanges:
Betdaq
Betfair

Gaming:
888Casino
Paddypower Casino
Party Gammon
Party Poker

Travel

Vaccinations:
1st Contact




General/One Stop Shop:
Ebookers
Expedia
Globalvillage Travel
Holiday Mood
Lastminute
Opodo
Short Breaks
Side Step
Travelbag
Travelmood
Travelocity
Travel Supermarket

General/One Stop Shop/Budget:
Bargain Holidays
STA Travel
TNT Auctions
Top Deck Travel

Flights/budget:
Air Lingus
Airline Network
BMI
Cheapflights
EasyJet
Flight Centre
Ryanair

Flights/Premium:
British Airways
Emirates
Virgin

Adventure Travel/Tours & Expeditions:
Budget Expeditions
Bus About
Contiki
Economic Expeditions
Euro Encounters
Imaginative Traveller
Kumuka
On the Go Tours
Sail Croatia
Travel Mood

Nights Out
5pm
Beer in the Evening
Ents24
Last Minute
Late Night London
London Eating
London Town
My Village London
Squaremeals
Time Out London
Top Table
Urban Path
View London
World’s Best Bars

The Providores
Roast


Online Retailers
Kelkoo/Price Comparison
Amazon
CD Wow
I Want One of Those
Play
Virgin
E Bay
Froogle

Department Stores
John Lewis




Food
Coming Soon




Drink
Corney & Barrow
Berry Bros. & Rudd



Lifestyle & Men's Interests
Dandyism.net

Arena
Esquire
FHM
GQ
Loaded
Maxim-magazine
Men’s Health
Nuts
Zoo

A Best Man's Guide:
Easy Wedding Toasts
Maximise Stag Weekends
The Best Man
The Best Man’s Speech
The Stagweb

Fashion / Style / Outfitters / Tailors
An Affordable Wardrobe
A Suitable Wardrobe
Ask Jeremy Hackett
English Cut
Fashionuk
Industribolaget
Ivy Style
Men’s Flair
Sam Hober: How to fold pocket squares
The Black Tie Guide
The Sartorialist

T-Shirts:
Connection Clothing
Tee-Marto
Truffle Shuffle
Weadmire.net

Shirt Makers:
Charles Tyrwhitt
Coles
Emmett
Eton shirts
Harvey and Hudson
Hawes & Curtis
Hilditch & Key
Jermyn Shirts
New & Lingwood
Nino's
Thomas Pink
TM Lewin
Turnbull & Asser

Bespoke Tailors:
Alexander Boyd
Apsley
Benson & Clegg
Gresham Blake
Jasper Littman
Kilgour
Timothy Everest

Outfitters: online only
ASOS
Back in Ten Minutes
Boden
Bromleys
Oi Pollio
On the Fly
Oki-ni
Orvis
Rodd & Gunn
The Vintage Shirt Company
Tres Bien
Woods of Shropshire

Outfitters:
Adam of London (Read our review)
Alfred Dunhill
American Classics London
Albam
Austin Reed
Barbour
Cordings
Crew
Crombie
Ede & Ravenscroft
Folk & Shofolk
Gieves & Hawkes
Hacketts
Mark Stephen Marengo
Moss Bros
Paul Smith
Roderick Charles
T.Burrows
Volpe

Shoes:
The Discount Shoe Sales

Barker
Cheaney
Church’s
Classic Redwing Boots
Crockett & Jones
Herring Shoes
Hobson
Lobb
Kurt Geiger
Loake Bros.
New & Lingwood
Only Redwing
Shipton & Heneage
Shofolk
Tricker's

Accessories / Watches/ Pens/ Cufflinks:

Accessories/ Watches:
Vintage LCD



Accessories/ Pens:
Conway Stewart




Accessories/ Cufflinks:
Longmire –Luxury Cuff Links
Benson & Clegg



Accessories/ Leather Goods:
Aspinals of London




Accessories/ Smoking Goods:
Coming Soon




Accessories/ Gents Apparel:
Broderick
Heraldic Needle Point
Smart Turnout
The Jewel Box (Tootal Scarves)
Velo-re Belts

Grooming:
Floris
Geo. F Trumpers
Penhaligons
Joe Malone
Space. NK
Truefitt & Hill
      The Directory
Best of the Net & the World Beyond

Search Engines
Humour
Entertainment
Podcasts
Music News
Music Downloads
Downloads (TV/Film)
Downloads (Software)
Technology
News
Politics
Current Affairs
Political Gossip
Political Humour
Books
Sports News
Sports (Participation)
Sport (Tickets)
Sports (Kit)
Sports (Extreme)
Gambling
Gaming
Betting
Spread Betting
Travel (Flights)
Travel (Accommodation)
Travel (Adventure Tours/Expeditions)
Travel (Vaccinations)
Nights Out
Online Retailers
Department Stores
Food
Drink
Men's Lifestyle
Men's Interests
Fashion
T-Shirts
Shirt Makers
Tailors
Outfitters (online only)
Outfitters
Shoes
Accessories (Watches)
Accessories (Pens)
Accessories (Cufflinks)
Accessories (Leather)
Accessories (Smoking)
Accessories (Apparel)
Grooming

Previous Posts
Dog's Bollocks Online: Adam of London
What the Papers Say: Glen Check, The Power of Thom...
How to: Tell A Tartan From Check
Catwalk Capital: Flash the Tartan
Vintage Digital: Vintage LCD and PockeCalculatorS...
The Jewel Box: Vintage Tootal Scarves
Notice Board: The Great British Beer Festival, 4th...
Catwalk Capital: The Short Mac
Battle Royal Part III: The Ashes Third Test
The Great White….Shirt