Cordings of Piccadilly Grenfell Walker Jacket

Cordings of Piccadilly offer a superb selection of men's and womenswear, usually with a rural British feel which makes them perfect for stylish wear in town and country. I'm lucky to have a couple of their classic pieces - their covert coat and rubberised cotton mackintosh have been around for decades and are all the better for that. I've now added to that collection the Walker jacket, made by Grenfell. 

Walking in Cordings of Piccadilly Grenfell walker jacket

The Walker jacket appeared in the fifties (it was later worn by David Attenborough on his visit to the Rawandan gorillas, see below). As shown by their label in the vintage example below, Cordings have sold the Grenfell Walker for many years.

Vintage Cordings of Piccadilly x Grenfell Walker. Other examples had zip breast pockets (as in the modern version)

The Walker has been slightly redesigned for modern use and adopted by many who appreciate its classic shape. Grenfell originally designed for outdoor use, expedition and adventure wear and this gives the Walker a stylish practicality. I wear it around town and on the Cumbrian fells where, although gorillas are rarely seen, the jacket's reserved hue, weather resistance, quiet cotton cloth, hideaway hood and comfort make it an ideal alternative to sweaty and brightly coloured modern outdoorwear. It's rapidly become a favourite for casual wear.

See Cordings of Piccadilly Grenfell Walker jacket. A few readers have mentioned to me that sizing is sometimes an issue with Grenfell clothing. I have a theory (completely untutored) that the jackets are made with fairly high armholes which, while giving a nicely fitted look, can allow less room under arms and over chest for layers. I am a 38" chest and wear the Walker of that size. This gives a fit I might look for in a blazer of that size; I can wear a light sweater underneath without loss of mobility. If you want room for bulky layers I'd suggest you go up a size, but try one or discuss with Cordings' very helpful staff first.

David Attenborough in Rwanda wearing his Grenfell Walker 

This is an unsponsored post. A Cordings of Piccadilly Walker jacket was provided for review. All views are mine alone.

Kirk Originals: British-Made Sunglasses

I usually try to avoid regurgitating look books and prefer to report on products I've tried myself, but, as a supporter of British-manufacture, I wanted to bring news of the latest collection of from Kirk Originals. While I haven't tried them myself, I've seen how well their products are made and, as you can see from the images, they have a rugged style that is both contemporary and classic; ideal for the lengthening days and forthcoming holidays.

Kirk Originals Parker

Kirk Originals Watts

Kirk Originals Watts

Kirk Originals James

They're priced from £235 and I only show a couple of my favourite styles and colours here, so go to Kirk Originals website to see more of their British-made collection.

Campbell's of Beauly: Fair Isle Jumper

Campbell's of Beauly are a privately owned tailor and outfitters with a Royal Warrant and are situated near Inverness in Scotland. I hope to bring you more on this brand in due course. Meanwhile, I couldn't resist some colour for Spring with one of their Scottish-made Fair Isle jumpers. 

Priced at £119, there is plenty of other knitwear, tweeds and other products on the Campbell's of Beauly website.

Scottish-made Fair Isle jumper from Campbell's of Beauly £119

This is unsponsored. The jumper was sent to me at my request for review.

Rivet & Hide - Recognising Mastery in Japanese Denim - Sponsored by Mazda

I was recently invited to visit London's Rivet & Hide to find out more about Japanese craftsmanship in the production of quality denim from the store's founder and owner, Danny Hodgson. One of London's leading shops for denim and other Japanese and British-made goods, Rivet & Hide is a treasure trove of high quality casual wear selling names such as Iron Heart, Pure Blue Japan and The Flat Head from Japan, Hiut Denim from Wales and Dawson Denim from England (links below).

Danny Hodgson of Rivet & Hide

The Japanese denim industry is in general small scale, the cloth being woven in small workshops on vintage Japanese-made looms which weave narrow lengths of cloth 80cm wide with a selvedge that's used in the construction of the jeans, the contrasting edge giving interest to the seams. The workers in the denim workshops often have years of experience, bringing long-acquired skills to the production process, making it a craft rather than mass production.

Woven generally with an indigo warp and undyed weft, the denim acquires a highly textured and irregular finish, much prized by denim aficionados who prefer the interest this gives over the more regular finish of denim woven on more modern and sophisticated looms. 

Japanese raw denim before (R) and after breaking in

Rivet & Hide's roots lie in Danny Hodgson's passion for denim and the skills that lie behind its manufacture. He obviously loves the appearance of the cloth, how it ages with use and talks knowledgeably and in detail about its manufacture in the UK and Japan. 

The Japanese love affair with denim started with vintage US clothing taken back to Japan where the manufacture of denim was adapted and made into a skilled art by Japanese crafts people who appreciated the unique creative properties of the cloth.

Most denim lovers prefer their cloth 'raw', that is unwashed. In its loom state it is neither washed nor steamed or stretched, as 'sanforized' it is stretched and steamed, but the subsequent changes to the appearance of the cloth occur during wear and are down to the owner. Often owners won't wash their jeans until a patina of use has appeared. This may sound unpleasant, but a quick blast in a freezer or airing them in the fresh air keeps them sanitised until the first wash once they're broken in. The effort is worthwhile and highly valued jeans will have the marks of mobile phones on the pockets and every crease will reflect the owner's shape and the history of his or her wear of the jeans.

Japanese denim showing the prized texturing and wear of a fine broken in pair of jeans

This feature is sponsored by Japanese car company, Mazda who, like me, are inspired by the craftsmanship that goes into making any product, whether it be a Japanese car or a length of denim cloth. 

Here on the blog I often draw parallels between the craftsmanship required in industries like cloth, leather and knitwear production with the manufacture of items like watches, cars and jewellery. The products may be diverse, but the skills, years of experience and pride in making things are the same in each factory.

It doesn't matter what products are being made; skills, pride and experience are the same and this is recognised by Mazda who are launching an all-new Mazda3 which embodies these elements of Japanese production from the sleek design to the SKYACTIV engines and technology. In the image below a Mazda worker shows some of the skills and experience required to prepare the clay model that will form the shape of a new model.

Shaping a clay model during the design process of new Mazda

Link to the all new Mazda3 website

Rivet & Hide

The Flat Head 

Pure Blue Japan

Iron Heart 

Hiut Denim 

Dawson Denim

With Danny Hodgson at Rivet & Hide

Cheaney Shoes x Tengri Mongolian Yak Hair Collection

Tengri is a London-based design house which emphasises craftsmanship and sustainability while supporting groups like the Mongolian herders whose Khangai Mountain yaks supply the hair used in the manufacture of these shoes made in collaboration with Cheaney Shoes of Northamptonshire. 

I met Tengri's founder, Nancy Johnston, to see the collection, which will be limited to 150 pairs. The shoes are undyed leather which can be stained if required. I rather liked the cream undyed finish and would probably retain that to wear them (perhaps with a linen suit or blazer) over the summer and then have them custom stained by their in-house patina artist (which can be done at extra cost) for winter use.

Nancy Johnston of Tengri shows me the Cheaney x Tengri Apex Brogues

The yak hair replaces the cork in the midsole of these brogues and is also used to cushion the insoles. I tried the insoles in an ordinary pair of brogues and noticed the comfort that the springy yak hair brings to the design. Khangai Yak hair has extraordinary qualities of insulation and odour resistance as it has to keep the animals comfortable in temperatures plunging between -40 and +40 Celsius. Each animal is combed to produce only some 100g of hair seasonally. See the video below for more information.

Tengri x Cheaney Apex Derby Brogue, Pinnacle Chelsea Boot and Apex Derby Brogue Boot

The Vibram Gumlite soles add additional comfort and grip. Nancy was inspired by fell running shoes and certainly what she's achieved here are some stylish and practical brogues that could be used (as indeed were the original brogues) for walking across rough mountains and moorland. If they're right for that, they certainly work on our rock-hard city pavements. The soles not only make the shoes lighter than a traditionally made pair of brogues, but also add a contemporary touch to a heritage design.

The Apex Brogues by Cheaney x Tengri

Vibram Gumlite sole on the Cheaney x Tengrin Apex Brogues

The three shoe (brogue, brogue boot and Chelsea boots) collection is made in Britain and starts at £800 and £50 from each sale goes to Mongolian conservation. Some may baulk at this price, but given the rarity of the materials, the exclusivity of the collection (only 150 made) and the quality of the manufacture, it stands up well to many designer-name shoes made to far lesser standards. This is a genuine luxury British-made item.

Contact Cheaney/Tengri or, alternatively, go to Tengri to find out more or to pre-order.

This is an unsponsored feature.

Watch Style 3: Glashütte Original Sixties

The Glashütte Original Vintage Collection includes some beautiful Sixties watches with brightly coloured dials. Last year's had an emerald green dial, this year's a beautiful black-red-orange, almost pumpkin, dial. I had to borrow one for my Watch Style series and here it is, worn with a Fair Isle jumper - here, in styling the watch, I'm complementing colour with colour.

Glashütte Original Sixties watch from the Vintage Collection 2019

The fiery orange lacquer dial has a beauty and depth to its crackle finish that has to be seen in the flesh to be appreciated. The reverse has a display back showing an exquisitely finished calibre 39-52 automatic movement made entirely in-house. Price £5,200.

Links

I wrote about my visit to Glashütte Original here. 

For more information go to the Glashütte Original website here.

Click here for more Watch Style features.

This is an unsponsored post. The watch was borrowed for the review. All views are mine alone.

Flax London's Linen Railway Jacket

I've introduced you to Flax London on Instagram but, inexplicably, haven't yet spoken about this young brand here on the blog. As their name suggests, they manufacture (here in the UK) clothing made from linen, a product of the flax plant. Having started out by selling with shirts, they are this week launching pre-orders for their Railway Jacket that comes in heavy textured linen in three colours.

I'm wearing Flax London's heavy linen Railway Jacket in pale green

Overshirt, work jacket or unbelted safari? The Railway Jacket fills all these roles. As you can see from the pictures below, I've tried it in all three colours, pale green (really cream with a slight pistachio tinge), navy blue and red. I will give details of their outstanding quality and construction on Grey Fox Blog Instagram (please follow me there). They are beautifully made (in North London), with some nice details, from 500gsm (15oz) 100% Irish linen. 

I'm wearing a brand new medium in the images and the fit is excellent. Linen has the property of softening with wear and improving in looks. The heavier weight (by which I mean heavier than shirt cloth) linen gives the jacket great versatility for all but chilly weather. Linen's comfort, breathability and attractively textured appearance makes it useful for both both casual and formal wear: try it with a linen shirt and chinos, t-shirt and jeans or tailored trousers and a tie (I'll be wearing it that way).

Flax London's Railway Jackets will have a retail cost of £235. See Flax London's website. [Note that the offer for blog readers has now expired]

Flax London's Railway Jacket comes in three colours

Note: I was sent a jacket for review and am uncompensated for this post. I support selected young British brands like Flax London at my own expense. You can, if you wish, support Grey Fox Blog by contributing through Paypal greyfoxblogATgmailDOTcom

Bremont: A Visit to a British Watchmaker

Bremont Watches seem to have been around forever, but were founded by Giles and Nick English in 2002. The two brothers, aviation mad, fuelled by a love of making things and the untimely death of their father in an air accident in 1995, decided that their interest lay in mechanical watches. 

Today, Bremont is based in Henley in Oxfordshire and is investing heavily in a large facility which will open next year. This will be the base to further an ambition to revive the British watch industry by making movements of their own. I recently visited and was shown round by Giles English.

With Giles English and some hi-tech watchmaking machinery at Bremont Watches

It's often forgotten that the British watch industry once led the world. It was here in the seventeenth century that Harrison developed the first accurate marine chronometer and by 1800 some half of the world's watches were made in the UK. The last mass-produced English watches were made in Cheltenham by Smiths Watches and you can still pick up a good quality Smiths watch, containing an English-made movement, for a couple of hundred pounds.

Bremont is developing its own movement (left). Watch parts for assembly (top middle). It manufactures its own cases (middle bottom) and (top right) aviation design inspiration is found in old cockpit instrumentation

Today only a few small, specialist watchmakers are making movements from scratch in this country. A larger number assemble watches from imported Swiss, Japanese and Chinese movements and parts. To bring back an industry making large numbers of movements is a huge undertaking involving major investment in reviving watchmaking skills (which take years to acquire) and buying the latest machinery to enable watch parts to be engineered to tiny tolerances. Despite the challenges, Bremont are up for it, as I found out when I met Giles English in Henley.

These bars of high quality steel will be cut and shaped for watch cases at Bremont

Bremont already make some of their own components and I saw watch cases being made on hi-tech tools which accurately cut and shape the highest quality steel. Alongside this, developmental work is being carried out to manufacture the first movements will form the basis of their high-end watch production in a few years time. A modern state of the art building will be completed next year to house all the facilities now in different locations around Henley and where watches are at present designed, assembled, repaired, serviced and some parts manufactured from scratch.

Bremont Armed Forces Collection - recently launched in collaboration with the British MoD (see below)

It's quite clear that very serious investment indeed is being put into this effort. But an ambition like this requires more to succeed. Talking to Giles English I was struck by his passion and determination to revive the English watchmaking industry. The singleminded resolve of the English brothers will, I am sure, drive this dream to success. In so doing Bremont will be bringing skills and jobs not only to Henley on Thames but also, who knows, laying the foundations and skills needed for a wider return to the glorious days of British watchmaking.

Bremont recently launched a military-inspired collection of watches (see above) designed in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defence. Borrowing from the simple and robust designs of military timepieces of the forties to sixties, they carry the symbols of the three armed forces.

I borrowed a Bremont Endurance watch for a recent trip to Antarctica (link below)

See the Bremont website for more information.

Click here for a feature on a Bremont Endurance watch which I used on a trip to Antarctica.

NOTE: Supporting Grey Fox Blog: This feature is unsponsored. I incurred travel and other costs which I funded from my own pocket. As this blog is not a commercial enterprise I welcome contributions through Paypal on greyfoxblogATgmailDOTcom - many thanks.

Billy Tannery Goat Leather Brief Case

I first mentioned Billy Tannery on the blog nearly two years ago when they launched on Kickstarter to create a tannery to make leather from goat hides which were otherwise going to waste as a by-product of the meat industry. Their bags and sneakers have introduced many of us to the supple, robust delights of kid leather and their recently introduced brief case makes good use of this attractive leather.

Billy Tannery goat leather brief case

Made in Somerset, the brief case is 40cm wide by 30cm deep (plus the handle) and it really benefits from the soft and nicely textured goat leather. Accessible through a wide opening with a copper zip, the interior will hold a 15" laptop (sorry to be mixing unites of measurement here) and has been well-designed with cotton padding and several zipped or open pockets for all the all you need. Outside is a pocket for a phone or notebook and a pair of robust bridle leather handles.

Over the years I've tried many bags as part of my blogging life. Most are fine for the job, but a few stand out as being perfectly designed for the job. It's these that become the grab-and-go choice if I'm going out for the day. The Billy Tannery brief case is perfect for those days when you just need to take a few items and I find I'm using it now for most of my visits to town. It will take a mid-sized camera, my pens and notebooks, something to read and an iPad and still leave room for a tweed cap and pair of gloves in the winter. 

Priced at £450 and available in black or chestnut, it's competing with many similar products at lesser prices. But it has to be remembered that this is a beautifully designed British product made from the best kid leather which has been been produced sustainably here in the UK. Nobody has been underpaid, the bag hasn't been flown around half the world to get here, you're not going to see everyone else using one and it will outlive you. Compared to many lesser quality products with international designer names stamped on them, this is a shrewd buy. 

See Billy Tannery's website.

I was sent a brief case for review but was not compensated for this feature. All views are mine alone.

Alistair-R Jewellery Cuff Links

In an era when many jewellers outdo each other to create increasingly outrageous novelty cuff links, it's refreshing to find a more classic approach. I was recently sent these beautiful agate cuff links by Robbie Wright of Alistair-R Jewellery who contacted me to introduce me to his products. 

Agate and sterling silver cuff links from Alistair-R

Robbie told me the thinking behind his brand:

"The keys influences were: 

1. A set of 1920’s 18ct gold and moonstone dress studs and cufflinks given to my grandfather and later passed on to me; sowing the seed of a desire to create jewellery of simple, elegant and timeless quality.  

2. A boyish enthusiasm for collecting natural artefacts and beautiful stones in my native Wiltshire  

3. An awareness that the mid market for men’s jewellery appeared dominated by themes of novelty, technology and metal - and those of more classical design tended to be chunky and have a manufactured look. Pieces of classical elegance were hard to come by other than in antique jewellery outlets and then only rarely. 

After 8 years of training and experimentation in my lapidary and silver workshop I launched a range of 40 cufflinks in late 2016".

Robbie makes cufflinks in a variety of designs - all, as he says, of a classically refined nature. Prices from around £150. See Alistair-R website here.

I was sent the cuff links to try. This is an unpaid feature. All views are mine alone.