Shorts suits: are you man enough? Suits from Universal Works

I try to be adventurous on the blog, often pushing my comfort envelope in my search for style. Shorts suits tend not to get a good press, so I thought I'd rise to this challenge to see what the fuss is about. After some preliminary nerves (a sixty-year old in shorts) we had good time photographing this feature, appropriate for clothes associated with summer sun and fun. I'm grateful to Universal Works, who supplied the suits, Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab, who styled it, and Nick Maroudias, who not only did the photography, but was persuaded to model as well (links below).

Universal Works blue woven Ikat jacket and shorts & khaki twill jacket and shorts

Comfortable, stylish (possibly), fun (certainly) and ideal for travel and work in the sun, I have to admit to being a convert. See Universal Works for their jacket and matching shorts combinations. For other suppliers, see below. 

With many thanks to:
Nick Maroudias, photographer

Sarah Gilifillan, of Sartoria Lab, personal stylist

Grey Fox's accessories:

Sunglasses - Oliver Peoples

Shoes - Clarks

Seersucker shirt - Portuguese Flannel

Socks - Pantherella

Panama Hat - Marks & Spencer
Pocket squares - Age of Reason Scarves and Cravat Club
Belt - Worcestershire Leather Company

Vilebrequin: stylish swimwear for the holidays

For your holiday swimwear you need shorts with impact. The bright prints of Vilebrequin are bright, full of visual puns and humour and fun to wear. Vilebrequin was founded in the seventies in St Tropez and has become associated with the colourful and glamourous side of travel - the silver beaches and azure waters that represent relaxation after months of hard work and the horrors of air travel.

Here are some of my favourite designs:

For information on the full Vilebrequin range click here.

Cool summer suits: style inspiration for men

The heat brings discomfort, but this doesn't mean that sartorial excellence has to go out of the window. I don't have a smart summer suit and am on the lookout for one. Here are some images that inspire me in my search for the elusive ideal suit.

If you own the rights to any of the above images and would like them removed, please get in touch.

Linen, cotton, lightweight wool, silk, or a combination of these, make the best cool cloths. I like the crumpled, comfortable, casual style of linen and would look for pale blue or cream/tan as the most classic and practical colours. Wear with a linen or seersucker shirt; no tie, or with a cotton floral tie and a silk or cotton pocket square in pale, sunny hues.

Make sure the suit fits properly, snug across the shoulders and the correct length in arm and leg. Have the suit altered if it's not too far out; there are alterations tailors on most high streets. If it's too far out in sizing, alterations won't succeed, so don't buy.

Here are some of the places I will try for my summer suit (if you're quick you may find something in the summer sales):

For off the peg:

Richard James

Hardy Amies

Hackett
Marks & Spencer (affordable)
Oliver Spencer (more casual)

Or for made to measure or bespoke:

Edit Suits (affordable)

Hirsch Tailoring (bespoke)

Susannah Hall, Tailor (bespoke)

Summer jackets 9: a summer suit from Brunello Cucinelli

This, the last of my spring and summer features on spring and summer jackets, is about a very special Italian label, Brunello Cucinelli. Here Shaun Cole wears a linen suit from their current spring/summer range. Beautifully-cut, it's a pleasure to wear and exudes the care, craftsmanship and quality that Cucinelli are so proud of. The most costly of the products featuring in our review, it's a masterpiece of Italian design and manufacture.

Brown linen Brunello Cucinelli suit £2490

Brunello Cucinelli is the successful head of his eponymous business and he combines his drive to forge a successful brand with an underlying interest in human dignity, a form of contemporary capitalism be calls 'humanistic'. These beliefs have driven him to restore a whole Italian village to provide work and living places that provide an ideal place for living and working.

His belief in the promotion of Italian skills and manufacture resonates with those who have similar hopes for British industry. Making very high-quality products that are classic, well-made and comfortable has resulted in a brand that offers much more than just menswear. Men love their clothes to reflect a value, to be supported by a good story, generally involving craftsmanship, care and integrity. Brunello Cucinelli's aim is to offer all these.

Two-piece double-breasted linen suit from Brunello Cucinelli

To find out more about the brand and to buy, visit Brunello Cucinelli, 3 Burlington Gardens, London W1S 3EP, 0207 287 4347. http://www.brunellocucinelli.com/en

To see others in the feature on spring/summer jackets and blazers, click here.

Spring & summer knitwear from Realm & Empire, made in Britain

The recent spring cold snap shows how true is the old saw, 'Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out'. Whether 'may' refers to the month or to may blossom is unclear, but the truth is that, in the UK anyway, spring and early summer can't be trusted and a warm layer should always be on hand.

Realm & Empire's lightweight knitwear is made in the UK in merino or lambswool. Below is the denim-coloured Mona merino cardigan, inspired by the Duxford cardigan which I wrote about here, but made lighter for spring/summer use.

Realm & Empire Mona Merino Cardigan £120

Below is the Digby merino waffle crew which can be worn over a shirt or base layer. Available in denim blue or silver grey, it's designed and made in Leicestershire to be a versatile and lightweight knit for warmer weather (link to buy below).

Digby merino crew in denim blue or silver grey (below) £100

All  are ideal with jeans, summer trousers or even shorts with deck shoes, Converse or canvas shoes. Available from Realm & Empire or various stockists. 

Summer jackets 8: Hardy Amies

The final two of my spring and summer jackets features will look at a brace of contemporary labels, one British and one Italian. You will be able to read about Brunello Cucinelli in the next post, but today I focus on what has become a classic British label, Hardy Amies.

Indigo linen fine weave single breasted jacket by Hardy Amies £595
Shirt, Milton Green

We received three jackets from Hardy Amies for our summer jackets and blazers feature. The brand that needs no introduction at all, other than to say that the cool tailoring, beautiful construction and gorgeous fabrics made these a delight. 

The indigo fine weave linen jacket (above) was crisp, lightweight and sharp; the two chevron linen double-breasted jackets (below) with peak lapels were soft, cool, comfortable and fun to wear. I'd sum up as describing them as classic yet very contemporary.

Yolk linen chevron double breasted jacket by Hardy Amies £595
Pocket square, Age of Reason

Grey linen chevron double breasted jacket by Hardy Amies (right) £650
Shirt, Thomas Pink
Pocket square, Deji George

Suppliers
Hardy Amies
Milton Green
Thomas Pink
Age of Reason
Deji George

With infinite thanks to:

Styling - SartoriaLab

Photography - Nick Maroudias

This feature is not sponsored.

Summer jackets 7: Two from Thomas Pink

Thomas Pink not only sent us two summer blazers to try, they also sent some very stylish shirts which were ideal for summer. They have an impressively stylish range of menswear, from suits, shirts and blazers to accessories such as underwear, ties, cuff links and belts. 

These jackets were well-made, cool and comfortable; the navy blue Breakspeare was slightly more formal in cut than the casual cotton of the pale green Hepper jacket. We loved the slub silk navy and cream silk scarf from Marwood, perfect for cooler spring and summer days and evenings. Suppliers' details below.

Thomas Pink Breakspeare linen jacket £425
Thomas Pink shirt

Thomas Pink Hepper cotton jacket £295
Navy & cream slub silk scarf Marwood
Shirt Thomas Pink

Suppliers

Thomas Pink

Marwood

With many thanks to:
Shaun Cole

Styling - SartoriaLab

Photography - Nick Maroudias

Summer Jackets 6: Two from Oliver Sweeney

Oliver Sweeney is in my good books. Its use of an older model for the current spring/summer advertising campaign shows a creative, confident and cool approach to menswear. This is a brand that sees its clothes on men of whatever age and is not afraid to be open about that. I like its products and attitude and urge you to support them.

Oliver Sweeney Beaumont Redwood cotton blazer £295
Shirt, Dundas
Chinos, Spoke London
Egyptian cotton summer socks, Pantherella
Shoes, Cheaney

We were sent two jackets to try for this feature. A neatly-tailored cotton unlined blazer and a navy water-repellant cotton and polyacetate cycling jacket with reflective trim, action back and a number of details such as an attachment for a bike light; ideal for that ride across town for a meeting. Both were nicely-made and well-designed.

Try Oliver Sweeney's new store in Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London if you are visiting the capital. There's much to see, enhanced by delights like a bar, interesting collaborations and a display of vintage watches for sale.

Oliver Sweeney Langton navy cycle jacket £295
Jeans Made in England, Quantock
Trainers Made in England, Norman Walsh
Socks, Pantherella

Cycle jacket back detail

Suppliers

Oliver Sweeney
Dundas Shirts

Spoke London

Pantherella

Cheaney

Quantock

Norman Walsh

With infinite thanks to:

Styling - SartoriaLab

Photography - Nick Maroudias

This feature is not sponsored.

Summer jackets 5: linen blazer from award-winning Without Prejudice Menswear

Without Prejuduce. No, this isn't a letter from a firm of lawyers. Without Prejudice Menswear manufactures stylish and quality menswear in Europe. A few weeks ago they showed me round their collection, which is an impressive mix of styles suitable for all ages of man, from business suits, casual jackets and blazers to shirts, ties and pocket squares. Here I feature one of their summer jackets.

Linen jacket Without Prejudice
Shirt & pocket square Tripl Stitched
Jeans Quantock

This linen jacket is cut slightly on the short side, although not too short for my tastes. It has an action back, neatly-detailed buttons and lining and pockets are well-finished. With its patch pockets and sporty style, this is the closest to what I would define as a genuine blazer of all the jackets I feature this week. The bright pale blue linen is good quality, looking nicely crumpled but not cheap. It is half-lined, making it cool to wear on hot days.

I was able to preview this jacket, which will be available soon on the Without Prejudice website and at stockists later in May.

Without Prejudice started small in North West London and is now stocked in many countries around the world and in various shops around the UK, or you can buy online (details below). Their success was recognised when they won Drapers Menswear Brand of the Year Award in 2014 (Drapers is a professional journal for the industry).

They pride themselves on their customer care and are a lovely bunch of people, so give them a try.

Suppliers

Without Prejudice

Tripl Stitched

Quantock Clothing

I was given this jacket by Without Prejudice before this feature was planned. 

Personal styling, Sarah Gilfillan, SartoriaLab

Photography, Nick Maroudias

Summer jackets 4: tailored in England from Favourbrook and Susannah Hall, Tailors

The jackets featured today have a more tailored structure than some we have featured this week, giving a slightly squarer, more shaped look than the softer jackets from Richard James, Hardy Amies and Brunello Cucinelli, featured throughout this week. In the latter, the shoulders and chest are unpadded and often unlined too, giving a more casual, Italian style and look. 

Favourbrook Hertford jacket (left) organic cotton £560
Shirt (left) Tripl Stitched
Shirt (right) Thomas Pink
Chinos Spoke
Shoes (right) Ohw Footwear
Socks Pantherella

Something of the difference can be seen in the image above in which I (on the right) am wearing a Hardy Amies jacket (to be featured later this week) of unpadded and soft-shouldered look, while Shaun wears a Favourbrook jacket which is more padded and squarer in chest and shoulders. 

The jackets featured today are from Favourbrook (where they can form part of a suit) and Susannah Hall, Tailors. All are tailored in England (suppliers' details below). They would be more suited for use at a wedding or warm weather business use than more casual styles. Clearly padding and lining will make the jacket warmer to wear, but lightweight cloths, like linen, cotton or fine wool, will alleviate that.

Summer jacket from Susannah Hall, Tailors
Pocket square Age of Reason Scarves

Favourbrook Hertford jacket organic cotton £560
Pocket square Dancys
Tie Augustus Hare

Favourbrook Trevelyn jacket, 100% linen £590
Shirt Thomas Pink

Suppliers

Susannah Hall, Tailors

Favourbrook

Thomas Pink

Tripl Stitched

Ohw Footwear

Age of Reason Scarves
Dancys
Augustus Hare

Spoke chinos

Pantherella

With infinite thanks to:

Styling - SartoriaLab

Photography - Nick Maroudias

Summer jackets 3: keeping cool with Richard James

I tried very hard to think of ways to sneak away with these three items from Richard James, but I suspect they would have noticed their absence rather quickly. I loved all of them. 

The cool pink check linen suit, below, would need (for me) a little courage to wear, but it fitted like a glove and on holiday somewhere sunny it would be an essential for the cocktail bar.  It was fun to wear, made me smile and I was reluctant to take it off after the shoot. This suit made me realise what a genius Richard James is. Clothes are to enjoy, not be serious about. I guessed its price to be some £1800; it's actually £825.

Richard James pink check linen suit £825
Linen shirt Dundas London
Brogues Loake
Socks Pantherella

This pale blue cotton gingham jacket (below) is light and comfortable. It would be ideal for beach or pool-side party and is casual enough to wear with shorts. I liked this one very much. Sarah Gilfillan's genius styling and sense of colour, pairing the Marwood tie with tan trousers and pale blue Dundas shirt, are clear from this photograph.

Richard James blue gingham jacket £595
Shirt as above
Tie Marwood

This sand lightweight fine wool poplin jacket (below, part of a suit) would be equally at home worn while thrashing out a business deal in a Bahamian boardroom or helming one's classic 1965 Riva across Lake Como; its crisp, tailored shape is perfect. On reflection, this is the one I would keep (the whole suit preferably).

Richard James sand fine wool suit jacket £825 (for two-piece suit)
Shirt Smyth & Gibson
Tie Marwood

Jackets like these are versatile. They may be part of a formal suit, or be worn with lightweight trousers, chinos or genuinely-faded denims. They go with t-shirts, cotton tops and linen or more formal shirts, with or without a tie. Here I wear a light blue linen shirt from Dundas (a brand to watch), a cotton shirt (made in Northern Ireland by Smyth & Gibson) and two ties from a favourite made in England brand, Marwood. Bright summery socks in fine Egyptian cotton from Pantherella. Brogues from Loake.

Suppliers:

Richard James

Dundas Shirts

Marwood

Smyth & Gibson

Pantherella

Loake

With infinite thanks to:

Styling - SartoriaLab

Photography - Nick Maroudias

This feature is not sponsored.

Summer jackets 2: Marks & Spencer - one budget, one made in Britain

As ever, Marks & Spencer gave us an interesting selection of summer jackets to choose from. We tried one that is the lowest price of all the jackets we tried for this feature and one that is made in Britain as part of their excellent Best of British collection.

M&S Collection slim-fit cotton jacket £69
Shirt Tripl Stitched
Pocket square Age of Reason Scarves

Both jackets are comfortable and well-made. They represent good value and, in the case of the second jacket, give access to British manufacture and a luxurious silk/linen blend at a reasonable price.

Many of our accessories are made in Britain as well. The lace pocket square From Marwood is a thing of exquisite beauty and the Liberty print shirt is for the man who likes to express his personality. Age of Reason pocket squares and Tripl Stitched shirts are personal favourites of mine. A list of suppliers and links is provided below.

I will be featuring summer jackets all this week, so please call back.

Linen/silk blend Best of British collection at M&S £299
Liberty print shirt from Susannah Hall, Tailors
Pocket square, Marwood

Suppliers -

Marks & Spencer

Tripl Stitched

Age of Reason Scarves

Susannah Hall, Tailors

Marwood

Photography - Nick Maroudias

Styling - Sarah Gilfillan, personal stylist of Sartoria Lab

With thanks to Shaun Cole, Course Director at London College of Fashion for modelling for this post.

This feature was not sponsored.

Summer jackets - introducing a new feature on the best blazers for warmer weather

Worn casually with open-neck linen shirt and jeans or shorts, or more formally with a tie and chinos, the summer jacket or blazer is an essential part of a man's wardrobe. We've set out to find a cross-section of styles, fabrics and prices to guide you through the types available to you. We will introduce these to you, grouped by brand, over the next week.

Grey Fox (front): Jacket Hardy Amies, shirt Thomas Pink, hank Deji George, chinos Spoke. 
Shaun Cole: Jacket Favourbrook, shirt Tripl Stitched
All product links below

Sarah Gilfillan introduces the project:

What is it that makes some blazers look effortless and contemporary and some look more tailored and formal, yet sharp?  For our latest collaborative post I styled Grey Fox and Shaun Cole in a range of light summery blazers. 

The details that give a fresh twist to the classic blazer are high cut armholes, slim sleeves, fitted shapes and unlined styles with little shoulder padding. When worn with slim-fit chinos and jeans plus colourful accessories it gives a sharp, modern and contemporary look (see Grey Fox's Hardy Amies jacket above). Traditionally-cut and structured jackets give a more tailored, formal, conventional yet sharp style (see the Favourbrook jacket above). I love both looks, but the choice is yours.

We chose mainly linens and cottons, but wool is also used which can be crisp in appearance and cool to wear.  

We will show examples of what is available at different price points. Follow our feature over the next few days. 

Grey Fox: shoes from Ohw, chinos Spoke 'Bulletproofs'

In these images I also wear Spoke chinos, old favourites of mine, whose wide range of sizing suits all (OK, most) men. My shoes are from a brand new to me, Ohw; they have proved to be the most comfortable casual shoes I've worn for a while. Other accessories were lent to us for the shoot and will appear over the next few days. Socks (not always visible, but definitely there) are from Pantherella. Other items are our own and are not specifically listed here.

I'm extremely grateful to the brands from Marks & Spencer to Brunello Cucinelli, for lending their products to the project. As with our previous shoot, I wanted to show how clothes normally advertised using younger models can look stylish on men over forty. I asked one of the many friends I've made though this blog to join me for the photo shoot. Dr Shaun Cole, Course Director, MA History and Culture of Fashion at London College of Fashion, has a distinguished academic record but this didn't include modelling, so I was delighted to ask him to join the shoot. 

Once again Sarah Gilfillan, personal stylist sans pareil, has helped style this feature. Her sure touch and instinctive understanding of what makes a man look good brings out the best in the jacket and the wearer and her introduction above sets the tone for our coverage. The photographer was Nick Maroudias, who shot our previous shoot and whose patience and help for a couple of complete amateurs was impressive. 

Please visit over the next week and let us know what you think of our choices.

Suppliers of clothes featured in the images above:

Hardy Amies

Favourbrook

Thomas Pink

Spoke

Ohw Shoes  (this pair was donated to Grey Fox for the shoot)

Deji George

Pantherella

This feature was not sponsored. 

Shoes for Spring & Summer: A Private White V.C. x Grenson collaboration

Private White V.C. and Grenson have collaborated to produce a small collection of men's shoes for spring/summer. All are made in Northampton and are Goodyear-welted. 

The olive green canvas derby has a rubber sole attached to a leather through and sports characteristic PWVC copper eyelets (pictured below). 

The other shoe (below) comes in two shades of brown/tan perforated suede (why do I think tea-bags here?). They come with light Vibram rubber soles and I love them. 

The collection is designed to be lightweight and cool for summer while looking both stylish and comfortable. Ideal as an alternative to my sometimes-too-warm leather shoes. 

Go to Private White V.C. for more information and to buy. They are priced at £325 to £350.

Oliver Sweeney SS15 and ageless menswear advertising

I make no apology for featuring Oliver Sweeney in successive posts; this is an editorial decision prompted by my approval of their advertising campaign for their spring/summer 2015 collection. Not only does it contain clothes I'd like to wear (from a brand I previously associated only with shoes), but they also have selected a model with a good show of grey hairs.

The model is in his fifties (he's Glenn Campbell, a stylist and presenter in his fifties and isn't a professional model) make the shots ageless in a way that gives me, an older man, some idea of how the clothes could look on me. At the risk of becoming tedious on this point, I feel that many brands are losing out by ignoring the older man; we are a demographic that is increasing in size, affluence and interest in style. Advertise to us and we will abandon our cardigans and slippers and buy with enthusiasm.

Readers will recall I wore one of their coats in my recent spring coats shoot (click here). Well done Oliver Sweeney. (Incidentally, this isn't a sponsored post).

Oliver Sweeney - map print brogues for spring/summer

With summer drawing near, here are some shoes for the traveller. These longwing brogues from Oliver Sweeney use a printed map fabric in their construction. Each shoe is different as each uses a unique section of the fabric. They are Goodyear welted construction and have a lightweight Finproject white commando sole, making them a versatile travel companion.

 Clopton brogues £229.00 from Oliver Sweeney. Also available as an informal sneaker.

Men's Coats for Spring: a GreyFox/SartoriaLab photo-shoot

As winter retreats and the Sun warms the Earth, we find our winter coats a little heavy and uncomfortable. I decided, with help from Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab, to look for lighter coats that can be layered according to temperature.

We wanted to try a variety of styles and approached a few brands offering an interesting selection in their SS15 collections. I was pleased at least half of them are British-made, even though we hadn't selected them on that basis.

This is the first of a series of photo-shoots in which Sarah and I show menswear being worn by older men (initially me, volunteers welcome). Most brands use very young models, discouraging the older man from trying out the products on offer.

I've tried coats I wouldn't normally wear and have been surprised by most of them. I hope that our approach will encourage you to experiment and try some of the clothes we show. If our efforts both encourage brands to use older models in their campaigns and also influence you to try new styles, I'll be very happy.

Sarah and I comment on each jacket below, giving a link to the supplier's website (or to the item itself) so that you can browse and buy. We've only had cursory glances at the suppliers' descriptions so that we can give you our own views on the coats.

I'm very grateful to photographer Nick Maroudias for the superb images and for his support for an inexperienced model. Without his involvement, this project would have been impossible. Thanks also to Jean-Pierre Agius whose help and innovative styling suggestions were invaluable.

REALM & EMPIRE:

REALM AND EMPIRE COTTON PEACOAT £225.00 ^

Sarah: I wasn't sure about this jacket when I first saw images of it, but it really grew on me when I could see and handle it. I love pea-coats and the tan cotton looks fresh for spring. It goes very well with navy and white so, if you're like a lot of men with a large percentage of blue in your wardrobe, it'll make a good choice. We decided to give it a smarter feel with a chambray shirt and floral tie. 

David: I liked the colour and fit of this coat from an interesting and growing brand. Like most coats tried here, it follows the modern trend for short-fit. With well-designed and made details (like the closure to the collar) this is comfortable and well-made. It will suit most ages and body-types, making it an ideal spring/summer jacket.

Click here 

BARBOUR:

BARBOUR INTERNATIONAL - SIMONSIDE WAX JACKET £249 ^ 

Sarah: I often shop for classic, functional jackets with clients and Barbour offer a great selection. The biker style of this one gives it a "cool" Steve McQueen edge. Wear it done up and belted or open with the belt tied at the back.

David: My initial thought was that this may be too motor bike for daily wear, but I was wrong. I liked the fit, practicality and classic style of this jacket. Versatile enough for town and country wear and can be layered as the weather cools. A cool classic, but I'd like to see fewer logos; Barbour is a brand that shouldn't need to shout that loudly.

Click here

JOHN LEWIS:

JOHN LEWIS BOMBER KIN JACKET £89.00 ^

Sarah: Generally I consider bomber jackets to be a bit of a younger style, but when David tried this on I thought it looked good. Initially we tried to style it with a polo shirt for a summery feel, but it gave it too much of a mod / skinhead style, so we went back to a simple roll neck. A fine knit crew neck sweater layered over a t-shirt would also look good. 

David: My thoughts are the same as Sarah's. Care needs to be taken when wearing a bomber, but I was surprised how much I liked it. Reasonably-priced and stylishly simple, it has a mesh lining and the quality belies its price. One for you to try for yourself.

Click here

GLOVERALL:



GLOVERALL DUFFLE COAT £199.00 ^

Sarah: This was the surprise of the day which ended up being my favourite. Duffle coats aren't everyone's style, but it really suited David. It's a great spring-like take on the classic wool duffle, in a lightweight showerproof fabric. It's not the first thing I'd think of buying with a client but, having seen this on, I'll definitely be more open to it in future. 

David: Again, my thoughts are the same. This was a very last-minute addition to the shoot. I requested it urgently as it offered something quite different to the other coats. I wasn't hopeful that I'd like it, but it ended up as a surprise favourite of the day, and it's British-made. Made from an Italian coated cotton, it's shower-proof and light. An interesting, practical and stylish version of the classic duffle coat. I've seen some interesting products coming from Gloverall and look forward to covering them again.

Click here

OLIVER SWEENEY:

OLIVER SWEENEY BOXSTEAD CHARCOAL COTTON JACKET £395 ^

Sarah: I love the elegant shape of this mac-style jacket/coat, which would work equally well on larger guys because of the simple unfussy style. It looks great with jeans, but would also be perfect over a suit. Although the fabric is cotton it looks a bit more tweedy. I'd be more inclined to buy this with clients in autumn rather than spring. 

David: Oliver Sweeney offer an interesting range of menswear. This coat comes in many guises (including as a mac) and colours. At first glance it's wool, but it's made of a cotton tweedy fabric, ideal for milder spring and summer weather. With a clean design, nice details and (this was a pleasant surprise) a Made in England label, this was another favourite - probably for town rather than country wear. 

Click here 

BARBOUR X WHITE MOUNTAINEERING:

BARBOUR x WHITE MOUNTANEERING WAX LAPEL JACKET £399.00 ^

Sarah: An interesting and detailed jacket which fills the gap between a blazer and a casual jacket. Its the sort of thing I might buy with a client if they didn't have the need for a smart navy blazer, and wanted something a bit different.

David: I liked its cut and practicality, but was less sure about the details, in particular the numerous pockets and the perforations on large parts of the jacket. This is a collaboration with the Japanese White Mountaineering, so it's aimed at the younger man. One for you to try and make up your own mind about.

Click here 

PRIVATE WHITE V.C.:

PRIVATE WHITE V.C. ALCANTARA SHAWL BOMBER £850.00 ^ 

Sarah: I like the shape, collar and detailing of this jacket. It's got quite a retro seventies style to it, so I think on an older guy it needs to be styled with modern pieces to keep it looking contemporary. 

David: A British-made jacket (in Manchester) from the successful Private White V.C. Although I've been to their factory and supported them on the blog for some time, this was the first time I had had the opportunity to try on one of their products. The faux-suede looks and feels like the real thing, lacking only the supreme flexibility of the best suede. I liked the quality and superb detailing, including the characteristic copper P.W.V.C. zip and well-shaped shawl collar. Different and stylish.

Click here 

JOHN LEWIS:

JOHN LEWIS COTTON FIELD JACKET £89.00 ^

Sarah: An easy to wear versatile cotton field jacket, which you can layer up with chunky knitwear whilst it's still cold, but will work equally well with lightweight trousers and t-shirts for cool summer evenings. It's a flattering shape for very slim guys as the epaulettes and pockets all have a broadening effect. 

David: Another good value jacket from John Lewis, this reminded me very much of a US Army surplus combat jacket I wore while a student in the seventies. I liked the back detail and well-made nature of this jacket. Being who they are, John Lewis don't feel the need to undermine the simple design with logos and other geegaws; hooray.

Click here

Here are links to some of the other clothes that I'm wearing:

Brogues - Loake

English-made jeans - Quantock

Shirts - Tripl Stitched

Tie - Dancys

Socks - Marwood mohair

Watch - vintage Tudor Submariner

NOTE: Our next shoot, in March/April, will explore men's summer blazers, suits and jackets. Please e-mail me or Sarah if you would like your products to be considered for inclusion.

If you, as a blog reader, have any suggestions for items you would like to see featured in these shoots, please get in touch.