Five minutes with…male fashion bloggers

Hear the words ‘fashion blogger’ and you no doubt think of female fashionistas sharing updates on style and shopping from their laptops. But the number of men behind well-read fashion blogs is growing fast, as is their influence on the readers who look to the online style gurus for everyday inspiration.

Here, our John Lewis guest reporter talks to two very dedicated followers of fashion to find out what excites them about style, how they see the men’s clothing industry evolving and which looks they’re tipping for the new season:

Warren Beckett, aka Monsieur Robot from mademoisellerobot.com

I couldn't find any menswear blogs that covered fashion or style that appealed to me, so I thought I'd fill the void myself and started blogging a couple of years ago.

I like playing around with different styles and looks – I often lie awake at night constructing the next day’s outfit in my head. Mostly I dress pretty casual but if I'm going out I could end up wearing anything. I like the fact that whatever you wear projects an image and if you play around with that idea then you can change the way people perceive you.

Fashion is always evolving, even if it's nothing more than a nuance in fit or tailoring. Contemporary fashion reflects modern culture and that's what I find exciting.

In terms of actual clothes, men definitely have less choice than women but I can talk about menswear for as long as anyone could talk about womenswear! We just need more men to take an interest – I think many men are afraid to try new things or push the boundaries as they think it might compromise their masculinity, which I don't think is true at all.

It’s a strange dichotomy at fashion events – designers are perhaps predominantly male whereas fashion journalists and bloggers are more weighted towards women. I would love to see men’s fashion better represented in the press – would it be too much to ask for equality in fashion coverage?

Top trend tip for autumn/winter: Metallic leather will be big, although it's a tricky look to pull off. There will be a lot of prints around too – wear head to toe for maximum impact.

My look: I'm wearing a Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis mac – perfect coat for autumn, being light and rainproof. I love the flash of red on the underside of the collar and the subtle leather embellishments are a really nice touch. Under this is a John Lewis and Co white shirt – a true wardrobe staple. This one has a Peter Pan collar and red stitching to keep it modern.

(Photograph by Richard Davenport)

Aaron Christian, Editor-In-Chief at individualism.co.uk

Individualism started four years ago as a men’s style consultancy between my brother and I. Since then the menswear blogger community has grown a lot and there are a lot of guys behind blogs, but I feel there is still room for different forms of content, for example video features – I’d love to see more high quality men’s fashion films or documentaries.

The men’s fashion industry in general has also grown and moved forward, however I don’t think it'll ever be as big as women’s. There will never be a day when I say there's enough choice in men’s clothing – the more the better!

I think British fashion is the most exciting in the world and would describe my own style as a mix of vintage and urban sartorial. The weather usually determines what I'll wear as in London it’s so unpredictable. From there I just go with what works for my mood on that day.

I’m always exposed to menswear trends so it may be something I've seen the previous day on a website that I'll give a go in terms of styling. I pick up inspiration from the rest of the team at Individualism, Guerrisms.com for street-style detail inspiration, Hypebeast for news and the Pinterest menswear tag for yet more ideas.

Top trend tip for autumn/winter: Woven products – whether it’s a laptop case, shoes or belts – this is one to watch.

My look: Here I’ve built a transitional outfit that you can change as quickly as the weather. The navy cord trousers, light navy printed shirt layered on top of a mustard crew neck knit and pinstripe contrast collared shirt are all from John Lewis. If the weather does get a little warmer you can take off the jumper and rock the shirt, which is paired with some beautiful stripped braces.

(Photograph by Jelani Pomell)

Shop the latest men’s clothing trends at www.johnlewis.com