My Debenhams Hammond & Co suit lives again

Readers with exceptional memories may remember how much I wore my Debenhams Hammond & Co Prince of Wales check suit, acquired some two and a half years ago and pictured in the image below. Made in Egypt from cloth from Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd of Leeds, Yorkshire, it cost a very reasonable £299. Sadly I took it out of its suit bag at the beginning of this last winter just to find that moths had made a meal of it and I had to recycle it.

Image by Jonathan Daniel Pryce

To my delight I found out recently that Debenhams had a few suits left and they very kindly replaced it. There are few suits in this price range that are truly good value, but Debenhams and Hammond & Co. have got it right here. As with any suit, you have to ensure that cut and fit are right for you. Luckily these fit me well.

You can find this suit (now priced at £140, but with very few left) and other similar suits designed by Patrick Grant as part of the Debenhams Hammond & Co range here.

Debenhams Hammond & Co menswear SS14 - a collection that's developing nicely

Readers will recall my admiration for Patrick Grant's Hammond & Co menswear collection for Debenhams. Combining real style, classic cuts and designs with quality and reasonable prices was bound to be a successful formula - and so it's proved; with Debenhams delighted with the positive response that the AW13 collection received, from press and public alike.

Patrick Grant - wearing what he designs

The Spring/Summer 14 collection continues and develops the theme with a seaside look to the casual wear and more crisp tailoring for the more formal wear. There's much here for the older man because much of the content is based on classic and archive designs, but given the Grant twist to update it. Here is my selection. See what you think (I've given prices below). See Debenhams Hammond & Co.

£45

£120

£45

£40

£60

£60

  

£36

Jacket £199, trousers £100, waistcoat £75

Debenhams new menswear floor opens

Have you noticed how, in department stores, menswear is often confined to the basement or the upper floors; with womenswear, beauty products and lingerie given priority? 

This is no longer the case at Debenhams, Oxford Street, London.

Clean, simple, stylish and logically arranged - Debenhams Oxford Street Menswear department

A £25m refurbishment has seen every department overhauled to include an extra floor, a glass atrium and the retailer’s largest ever beauty hall, shoe department and lingerie division. However, the menswear department, which previously resided in the basement, has been elevated to the first floor to reflect the high quality products on offer.

Rob Faucherand, Head of Menswear Buying, says that one of the main challenges in the past has been a lack of space, "Getting additional space in menswear is allowing us to actually... get our own offer out in its entirety, which up until now has been a challenge.” 

I found the layout of the new department completely logical. Head of creative Mark Stevens explained that, “Men are far less influenced by trends than women. For us it’s about letting our designers sing. We’re introducing ‘designer catwalks’, pulling together looks from each designer and showing men how to build looks.” This shows in the way the styles and brands seem to, somehow, be easily found as you walk round the floor. And when they're found they're attractively and neatly displayed - no piles of mismatching styles and colours here. 

I recommend a visit - or you can shop online at Debenhams website. See here for my reviews of Debenhams Hammond & Co collection, designed by Patrick Grant.

My Hammond & Co. of Debenhams Prince of Wales check suit

Shortly after I wrote in an earlier post about Patrick Grant for Debenhams Hammond & Co collection I was able to obtain one of my favourites, a double-breasted Prince of Wales check suit made from cloth from Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd in Leeds, Yorkshire. 

I'm always a bit nervous about obtaining clothes online, as sizes, quality and cut vary so much from brand to brand. Luckily the suit fitted well and extra length in the legs enabled me to have turn-ups. 

Go on, smile Grey Fox!

The mobile phone image above (taken at the launch of Debenhams' excellent new menswear floor) isn't the best, but the soft cloth and slim-ish cut combine to make a suit in which I feel very comfortable. I've worn it a lot and it has shown no signs of permanently creasing, bagging, going shiny or losing its shape - hooray for British cloth. To my amazement, after a few weeks ownership, I found that the cuff buttons undo - not something often found on suits of this price (see below).

Patrick Grant has created a winner for Debenhams, who tell me that Hammond & Co sales have exceeded their expectations. This isn't surprising, Grant's eye for detail, genuine enthusiasm for the brand and his own undoubted style make him an ideal designer/ambassador for the collection. Look out for him wearing suits from the range in the new BBC series of The Great British Sewing Bee early next year (and see the image below in which, dammit, he looks a lot better than I do in the same suit).

The suit price? £299 - not a misprint. Get yours before they sell out. See web links below for information.

My previous review of Hammond & Co can be found here.

Debenhams, Hammond & Co online here.

Alfred Brown Worsted Mills, Leeds - website here.

Many thanks to Debenhams for providing this suit for review.

Hammond & Co - Patrick Grant menswear at Debenhams

Occasionally I feel I might be making some progress with my search for style as an older man. Then I see someone effortlessly exuding style wearing battered basics and my illusion is shattered.

Or I meet Patrick Grant. This master of style always seems to look elegant without being starchy. I know, because I met him a few days ago to see the Hammond & Co collection he's designed for Debenhams.

But, of course, I console myself with the thought that Grant can easily look stylish. He owns a fashion business and no doubt has cutters and tailors to cater to his every whim.

But then Grant tells me that he's been wearing suits costing £299 from his Hammond & Co for Debenhams collection IN PUBLIC and has even had compliments on them from fashion journalists who assumed they were creations from his Savile Row workshops. And you'll be able to see him wearing the same suits in several episodes of the new series of the The Great British Sewing Bee, to be shown soon on BBC.

Grant wears a Hammond & Co suit, made from British cloth

Is it really possible to look that stylish in a reasonably-priced suit? I tried on a Hammond & Co suit jackets and it worked for me. He's right - it is possible to look very stylish (after Patrick has tactfully adjusted my wonky shirt collar) without breaking the bank. The cut, fabric and details look and feel right - rather than cheap and insubstantial compromises.

How have he and Debenhams achieved this? In his presentation Grant used the word 'simple' on many occasions. Every penny has been spent on materials and fabrication. Styles are unapologetically classic - the design team immersed itself in the Savile Row heritage of Hammond & Co before starting the design process.

Maximum attention was given to a reasonable number of products, producing a carefully-thought out capsule collection through which runs noticeable themes of Savile Row-inspired shapes and styles. Colours are generally plain grey, black and navy for town wear, highlighted by splashes of mustard and burgundy. Quality of materials is good - reasonably-priced knitwear is often thin and insubstantial; this is thick and chunky. Suit cloths are silky and flexible.

This is a collection for men of any age. I would have worn most of the clothes without any hesitation, as would a young man in his twenties wanting well-made but affordable British classic styling rather than drainpipe chinos and low waistbands.

This is pure style, rather than ephemeral fashion.

Here are images of my favourites - the best of which, in my view, is the Prince of Wales check double-breasted suit (made from British cloth) worn by Patrick Grant in the picture above. There is more to the collection, which you can find at Debenhams online or at most Debenhams stores.

 

The Great Gatsby - another round of twenties mania? Debenhams white suit.

The older you are, the more often things repeat themselves. Plus ça change plus c'est la même chose.

This year has seen the opening of the wonderful Pompeii exhibition at the British Museum. I recall, as a student, queuing to see the first Pompeii exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1976. The 16th May sees the release of another film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby. In 1974 I was, like so many others, inspired and influenced by the earlier film version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

After the 1974 release, the world went mad for 1920s style clothes and accessories. White suits (with broad lapels and flares), co-respondent shoes, trilbies and straw hats. There's every sign that it's happening again this time round. I'll follow some of these developments over the next few weeks, but let's start with this wonderful Jeff Banks three-piece suit in dove white from Debenhams.

I'd love a white suit - but just stay clear of ketchup, children, washing up, bicycles, DIY, red wine and public transport.

Going casual at Debenhams - something for everyone

Buying online often throws up unexpected finds. As an older buyer of menswear I often overlook pages online which are stocked with jeans and casual wear, assuming incorrectly that there'll be nothing there for me. So, digging around on the Debenhams website here, I decided to look a bit more carefully than usual at Levi's products and at polo shirts, just to see if there was anything that I'd like.

As regular readers know, I don't agree with the view that older men shouldn't wear jeans. As long as they fit well, and aren't too artificially faded and torn, denims are for every age. Indeed, they were around long before any of us, so no one generation has an exclusive claim to them. See my thoughts here on older men and jeans.

So, I've looked for Levi's jeans and chinos and for polo shirts. Below are examples of what I found, any of which, correctly fitted, will look cool, stylish and casual on a man of any age. Levi's offer jeans and chinos in a wide choice of colours, reflecting the more adventurous approach to trouser colours that men have embraced - no longer are Levi's blue and nothing else. Pinks, corals, bright blues and orange tones; try them and see.

Polo shirts are a great invention - comfortable, easy to wear and maintain, they come in all colours and style - but make sure they fit well and the colour and pattern go with the trousers. Think of the overall effect of what you wear, not each item individually.

Have a look here for Levi's and here for polo shirts to see what suits you at Debenhams online.

Levi's

Levi's

Levi's

Levi's

Jasper Conran

Levi's

Levi's

Maine New England

Red Herring

This post accords with my partnership policies here.

Nautica at Debenhams - at last the British summer has arrived - or has it?

I've been sent details of an exclusive collaboration between Nautica and Debenhams. There are some good classic designs here - I'd be happy to wear any of these now that the weather is improving, hopefully in time for the London Olympics. I particularly like the blue seersucker shorts and blazer combination.

This selection is modelled by Southampton-based World Cup gold medallist sailor, Rick Peacock. Available at 21 Debenhams shops and on-line.