Friday Favourites - John Lewis & Co Donegal tweed suit

In the last twelve months or so I've acquired a couple of suits made from British cloth and retailing for under £300. This Donegal tweed two-piece (a waistcoat is £100 more) costs £250 from John Lewis & Co. The cloth is from Abraham Moon in Yorkshire.

Shirt Milton Green, wool tie M&S, shoes Barker, waistcoat Sir Plus, bag Tusting, pocket square vintage.

Single-breasted with 3-on-a-roll notch lapels in a vintage wide styling, roped shoulders and patch pockets, side vents and even working cuffs, it has a smart bottle green body lining and a cut on the slim side. The jacket has that slightly inflexible feel that cheaper construction brings and, although this is a minor quibble at this price, it seems a shame to lose the comfortable slouchiness of tweed - maybe half-lined would have been better; but then I'm no expert and this may improve with wear.

Working cuffs and a 1955 Smiths DeLuxe watch

The classic style suits the younger or older man and Donegal tweed makes a stylish and adaptable change from the usual business or country-style suit. The popularity of this suit has meant that it has been in and out of stock, so act quickly if you would like one. See the John Lewis Tailored Menswear Edit website.

If you know of any other good value suits, please let me know.

My thanks to stylist Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab for her help with this piece.

John Lewis to preview SS14 at London Collections:Men next month

Johnny Harrington wears Abraham Moon blazer and Made in England roll neck, John Lewis & Co AW13.

John Lewis has announced that it will preview its John Lewis and Co Spring/Summer '14 collection at London Collections:Men next  month, joining M&S as another major chain showing its wares at this increasingly important London event. The company also becomes an official menswear supplier for the event.

The SS14 collection has been styled by Stephen Mann and male supermodel Johnny Harrington (‘the bearded man’ pictured above who recently created such media interest) will take part in a presentation on 15th June.

The collection supports British manufacturing by working with the best British mills, including Abraham Moon, Harris Tweed, Mallalieu's of Delph and Ventile, while also using modern day technology and performance fabrics and finishes. Once again, it's good to see the move towards greater adoption of British manufacturing by menswear retailers.

For my recent preview of John Lewis's wonderful AW13 collection see here.

John Lewis AW13 - a preview - in a word, WOW!

John Lewis's Autumn/Winter 2013

Being a blogger has helped me work out what I like and don't like. British, tweedy, heritage, quality - all work for me. I recently had a preview of John Lewis's Autumn/Winter 2013 ranges (due in the shops later in the year) and, for me, they hit the spot.

I came away feeling very excited. Classics like this suit any age - and are ideal for the middle-aged man of style - I'd love some of them for myself.

British-made heritage and classics

The John Lewis & Co range continues to develop each year and includes British-made garments and fabrics from Abraham Moon and Harris tweed. For AW13 it's inspired by twentieth century explorers and contains and some beautiful chunky knitwear. There are also waxed fabrics and workmanlike shirts, including one whose pattern is based on a pack of cards found in Scott of the Antarctic's base camp (see below). 

Joe Casely-Hayford, Private White VC, Barbour, Gloverall

There are some really mouthwatering designer collaborations. Unfortunately, Autumn sees JL's last with Joe Casely-Hayford, but they have worked with Private White VC, Barbour and Gloverall to produce very tempting products. One of my favourites is a shearling and butter-soft leather flying jacket from Goodwood by Belstaff (pictured below. Chocks away! This one will fly off the shelves). 

Another favourite is Gloverall's union jack-lined duffel coat. Having owned a vintage Royal Navy duffel coat, I immediately recognised the pattern that Gloverall has used for this - taped reinforcing seams and rough cord loops for buttoning up the wooden toggles. The feeling of quality and heritage is reinforced by a union flag lining; not printed, but strongly stitched from individual red, white and blue pieces - outstanding. This coat accompanies a tweed jacket with a similar lining. I just hope there is one of these left for me when they hit the shops.

There's also the remarkable Manchester-made pieces from Private White VC. Quite honestly, I was like a kid in a sweet shop - when they come up for sale I won't know what to go for.

I'll be writing more nearer the time (we don't really want to think about next winter when this one is only just releasing its grip), so will leave you with some images to tickle your taste buds. The John Lewis and Co products come first, followed by collaborations (images below by Grey Fox).

John Lewis and Co - modern classics for all

I've mentioned the John Lewis's John Lewis and Co range before and have been impressed by the clothes I've bought in the past. Comprising classic menswear, with much use of British materials, they're well worth checking out. 

John Lewis say that the collection is inspired by modern day urban explorers and Asian influences - the tweeds and workwear have a Japanese feel to them. Here is a collection in which British heritage fabrics are adapted by modern eastern styles and colours (mainly blues, reds and golds) and given an outdoor, rugged edge. The idea, they say, is a 'smart casual look that’s been inspired by far away travels, experiences and a great sense of style'. However the collection is described, the shapes are fairly classic, but with a modern tailored twist, so there is a timeless (and therefore ageless) feel to it.

Here I show a selection, including Abraham Moon tweeds, Harris tweed and attractive workwear pieces. The complete John Lewis & Co spring/summer '13 collection is in-store or online at John Lewis, with prices ranging from £25 for a t-shirt to £225 for outerwear. 

John Lewis and Co Abraham Moon tweed blazer

John Lewis and Co Abraham Moon deconstructed blazer

Abraham Moon waistcoat

Abraham Moon and Co waistcoat

Harris tweed check

Workwear hunting blazer

Workwear factory blazer

Acid cable crew

McCormack utility trousers