That time of the year ... Welcome, Knitwear.

The time has come. Winter is on its way.

The nights are getting cooler, the mornings - a little darker.

Luckily, Working Style's new knitwear range is here - and it's bigger and better than ever before.

Back by popular demand, the V-Neck sweater has returned with a vengeance. Available in a range of colours, (purple, pale blue, navy, electric blue, and black), there is something for everyone here.

This season also includes the introduction of two new styles, in the form of zip up jerseys - the perfect addition to your dark denim / suede boot combo for weekend play. These guys are pure merino, and slightly gutsier than the above mentioned V-Neck. Definitely worth a look.

Both styles pictured below.

We look forward to seeing you in store soon.

Working Style's Leather Luggage Collection

Working Style's talented design team travels a great deal. Their need for pratical yet stylish travel bags has inspired them to develop the brands first range of luxury leather bags and accessories.

Introducing the Working Style Leather Luggage Collection; handmade using premium calf skin, the softest of leathers, Italian made stainless hardware, and signature Working Style purple lining. This unique collection is the ultimate in style and function.

The range includes five versatile styles:

• Three impressive bags for both corporate travel and leisure - Leather Attache Case $590, Leather Briefcase $690, Leather Laptop Bag $590.

• A seriously stylish Overnight Bag (available in Black or Brown) $790

• A terrifically smart Wash Bag.

Each style includes a chic, leather name tag. Initials can be embossed, for an additional charge, to personalise the luggage.

Simply put, the only thing this amazing collection can't do is pack itself.

Our people are fine !

Top: Fraser Bremford, Southern Region Director; Chad Robinson - Tailor, Hilary Searles - Sales Consultant (not photographed)

Working Style Christchurch Update

To our customers and staff who are from Christchurch, or have family and friends affected, our hearts go out to you.

As a company, we have been incredibly lucky.

Although our store is in the heart of the CBD; the target of the quakes carnage, we miraculously suffered no loss of life.

Our Christchurch staff experienced and witnessed scenes that no person should.

They are courageous and resilient individuals, and we are proud to employ them.

At this stage, our future in Christchurch is uncertain, but we remain optimistic that we have one.

We will keep you posted.

All phone lines have been diverted to Auckland - please contact us with any queries.

Working Style's New Concept Store - Designed in Ponsonby, for Ponsonby.

Located in a one hundred year old purpose designed retail store, the character space is perfectly suited to tailored menswear. There's nothing like a rectangle for the perfect retail space !

Featuring an upstairs Suit Lounge for personal tailoring and a downstairs area which showcases the WS Casualwear Collection.

Working Style Ponsonby is situated in the heart of New Zealand's creative quarter, Ponsonby Road, and this new venture speaks volumes for where Working Styles' future and direction are going.

Designed in collaboration with architect Bridget Thornton and the Dobbs brothers, the store features an eclectic mix of pieces, both old and new.

Brought together beautifully in a clean, vintage fashion.

Open seven days.

Store Manager; Thom Le Var.

tlevar@workingstyle.co.nz

Phone - 09 376 3840

Trench Coats

We’re not sure if anybody else has noticed, but it tends to rain an awful lot here in New Zealand. As cliched as it might sound, Four Seasons in One Day isn't just a pop song, it's a reality for most of us. So what do you do when you're out and about, minding your own business, and you're suddenly caught in an unexpected downpour? Thomas Burberry had the solution in 1901, and 108 years later, Working Style has cottoned on.

The trench coat was designed by Thomas Burberry (yes, that Burberry) as an alternative to the heavy greatcoats worn by soldiers prior to World War One. Originally made in gabardine - the heavy cotton drill also created by Thomas Burberry (he was a clever chap wasn't he?) - the coat was favoured by soldiers as an all weather jacket on the front line, and came into popularity as a fashionable item when veterans wore the coats along with their civvy clothes. Since then it's found its way onto the backs of the natty and notorious alike - from Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca to Dick Tracy and Inspector Gadget.

But here's why it's the perfect all weather coat for the New Zealand man. First off, it's waterproof. Second, it's perfectly tailored to fit over your suit. Third, it has all sorts of romantic notions of well dressed Brits, heroes and soldiers. Fourth, it creates a perfect long line from shoulder to just above the knee, lengthening your body and giving the illusion of height. Our designers at Working Style have worked long and hard to create a trench coat with all the classic tailoring you'd expect, but in a lightweight, advanced, water repellent durable cotton. Get it in New Zealand-esque black and you'll be the envy of all your less sartorially savvy and more rained on associates.

Working Style Trench Coat - $790.

Working Style Shoes

If you know a woman, you'll know that the most commonly uttered female fashion complaint is: "You just can't get good shoes in New Zealand!" Well, gentlemen, those words might be true when it comes to the ladies, but fear not, because we have men's feet covered at Working Style.

In our international travels we made contact with a Spanish shoe manufacturer by the name of Juan. Over some spicy paella we crunched a particularly favourable deal and started a relationship going. We are now extremely excited to present the first ever Working Style footwear collection.

Made up of six styles including a chelsea boot, a desert boot, a loafer, and three types of lace ups, the collection features plenty of suede, lots of brown (including some lovely little details like a burnished effect on the upper), and, of course, beautiful blacks. Being Spanish leather, it's softer than English and less flashy than Italian.

Each shoe is packed in a signature Working Style shoe bag and box, comes with an engraved stamp on the sole and is moderately priced from $449 - $549. It's enough to turn a lady to drink.

Working Style's Best Dressed Businessmen of the Year

Image credit: Norrie Montgomery

New Zealand’s Best Dressed Businessman for 2010: Ben Ford, analyst, corporate finance, PriceWaterHouseCoopers.
Ben Ford really does deserve the title Best Dressed Businessman. He's a guy who lives, breathes and dreams suits. He's been known to spend a fair few hours everyday trawling the internet to look at the latest sartorial creations, but he has a knack for wearing the most traditional suits and making them look young and contemporary. It doesn't hurt that he's only 26 years old. We're proud to say he's our youngest Best Dressed Businessman of the year recipient yet, but it was a unanimous decision among the judges.


Mr Wellington - Dr Allan Freeth, CEO, Telstra Clear.
We don't want to use the phrase 'sartorial tyrant', but... well, Dr Freeth has been known to send a youngster home to polish his shoes if they're dirty. We like his philosophy: "If you want to be successful in business, dress well for business. You can never go wrong with classic lines, and you'll never be taken seriously if you get it wrong."

Mr Christchurch: Ben Williams, senior solicitor, Chapman Tripp.
Coming from Christchurch, we applaud Ben Williams' efforts to step out of the typical swanndri and moleskins and into some well tailored suits (we kid). He also shares Dr Freeth's philosophy when it comes to dressing well for work: "You don't need to spend a fortune to look good, but the reality in business is that you have to look sharp."


Mr Auckland: Dr Parma Nand, cardiothoracic surgeon, MercyAscot, Auckland.
It wasn't just Parma's easy manner in a suit that appealed, his attitude to clothing is what really caught our attention. As a surgeon he reckons that appearances are very important - and he's right. Would you want to get open heart surgery performed on you by a guy in jeans?


The Contemporary Award: Brian Richards, director/strategist, Brian R Richards Brand Strategists.
Despite being one of the more - ahem - mature gentlemen nominated for the awards, we felt that he had one of the most contemporary takes on the business wardrobe. With a leaning towards Japanese designers like Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto, his mantra is simple: comfort, elegance and longevity. He really showed us that a little of each can go a long way.


The Sartorial Award: Mitchell Kornman, senior tax consultant, Ernst & Young.
Mitchell Kornman is one of those young up and comers who really takes pride in his business wardrobe. He's not obliged to wear a suit everyday, but wear a suit everyday is exactly what he does. But it was the combover that swung us. Call it what you want - reinterpreted vintage, lamb dressed as mutton, it's a winner in our books.