W)Taps SS13: Nothing surplus to requirements here

Part of the appeal of W)Taps is the timeless nature of the military-inspired collections. Haters might label it military surplus but it's a bit more than that, in terms of quality and looks.

This is a bit Real McCoys or Buzz Rickson's but without the slavish adherence to the original patterns and with one or two modern twists.

Think of it as re-imagined military surplus.

Wtaps B-3 sheepskin: shear warmth

You can't beat a shearling this winter but if you want something a little different to the brown and beige that you would normally get, take a look at WTaps' B-3. They've taken the classic B-3 and dipped in some indigo dye. It probably wasn't quite that simple, but you get the idea.

And in case I didn't show the M-51s they just released, or you missed them, I've added them down below.

W)Taps A/W 2011: a bit like army surplus

W)Taps has perfected the art of faithfully producing the sort of kit you would expect to find in an army surplus store. Over the years they have also veered towards vintage looking pieces and this latest collection is no exception.

The quality, however, is arguably even better and the cut of the items has enough of an edge to set it out from genuine Military Specification clothing. Whether those little tweaks are worth the money is up to you to decide, but at least you'll be ready for a bit of urban rough and tumble when you have it on.

New arrivals part 4: WTaps scarf

After the success of that WTaps shemagh, which has accompanied me on many an excursion of late, there was no question of whether or not I would bag this when I saw it in the Hideout sale last week.

And what a catch. This is simply a wicked scarf. Subdued enough not to cause too much offence yet blessed with a hue that would warm the dullest of outfits. And it's cotton! So I can wear it now, even with the temperature in the mid-twenties.

W)Taps shemagh: A bit like a soft sack

This is that W)Taps shemagh I won on Ebay just before I went to Barcelona. It's getting on a bit - I reckon it must be from the early 2000s.

But now I've washed the smell of years of storage out, I reckon it's probably got a good few more wears in it.

Nice and soft too. The jury's still out on whether it looks too much like I've wrapped a hessian sack around my neck.

Oh the dilemmas of style.

The Ebay rollercoaster: Some you win ...

It's actually been a bit of a night for me on The Bay. First I got myself all worked up on this Visvim Corsica jacket, mainly because it was the first time I had seen one available for years.

This was despite the fact that it was actually a size too big for me and it was a deep red gingham - making it a kind of pink at a distance, which if you are ginger you will know is a bit of a hit and miss area of the spectrum. Red is an absolute no-no but pink, depending on the shade, you can get away with.

There was also the consideration that I would have to let another of my collection go in order to finance it. Not the easiest of tasks as I'm sure you will be aware.

But none of this matters now, because I didn't win, even though I entered what I thought would be a killer bid. Someone else obviously had the same idea. And to that person I say fair play.

I'm not so fussed by this whole thing because I consoled my self with a cheeky little bid on a W)Taps shemagh (below) and won.

Every cloud has a silver (and more sensibly priced) lining.

The shemagh pic is the seller's by the way. I'll get some more detailed images up when it arrives.