Short Coats for the Winter

With the winter’s wind and dropping temperatures marching across most of the northern hemisphere, it’s time to open up the closet and pull out a good coat. While there are many options – from ski parkas to quilted jean jackets – if you’re heading off to work it should be something a little dressier.

When it comes to men’s coats, there are a number of perfectly respectable options. Chesterfields, polo coats, camel hair, and coverts; and each have its place. But for something a little more modern and portable, try a short coat.

Short coats tend to end somewhere between the waist and mid-thigh area. As with their longer brethren, short coats can be put to use in formal and casual environments but they possess the additional benefit of comfort and variety.

Short coats have less fabric floating around and can be more comfortable for people who commute via public transportation. They also have a less formal feel about them even though many varieties are designed to the same level of detail as longer coats.

As a general category, Car Coats are classic and have a lightly formal design that can be worn over a suit or whenever you want to present a simple professional look. The clean lines, often with slash or patch pockets, make the traditional car coat versatile and useful.

Another classic option is the traditional Navy Pea Coat. This season, I have seen all sorts of takes on this truly timeless short coat. From leather to cashmere, a pea coat’s innate style translates well. And as long as you don’t choose some funky patterned version, it’s almost guaranteed never to go out of style.

Duffel or Toggle Coats are perfect for cold, windy days and those times when you look to project a casual and preppy sense of style. The coat’s toggle latches, patch pockets and cozy personality are a great way to inject some fun into your day.

The Barbour Jacket is an iconic choice that pretty much looks great on everyone. Barbour jackets speak of country houses, wealthy relatives, shooting weekends and galloping your favorite mount across the estate. In addition, they are a practical investment and one of those things that looks better the more it is abused. With its liner zipped in, you have a warm and waterproof outer layer that looks at home in the field or the concrete jungle.

Foul weather gear and technical jackets are a fun and functional alternative to “traditional” business oriented outerwear. As I mentioned in an earlier column, when done well, I am a fan of technical parkas worn over dress clothes. When wearing casual or weekend clothes, these jackets hit just the right note. They provide protection, are usually very comfortable and have an unmistakably rugged style.

As you can see, this is one of those subjects can literally fill a book. Cold weather coats come in myriad styles and sizes – bomber jackets, mackintoshes, raglan sleeved overcoats and wool lined barn coats. The list is endless. Try on different styles that appeal to you and go for what feels right.

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How to Get Value for Money

It’s hard to sit at home while luxury items are being reduced all over the city. But it’s worth it.

This year economic uncertainty meant that many sales started early, often before Christmas. When I was in New York at the beginning of December, a Ralph Lauren employee subtly mentioned to me that all their stock was already on sale. Polo and Black Label were reduced by 30%, Purple Label by 50%. There were no signs in the store, and no marking down on the labels. But a few people were quietly told as they browsed.

It was the same situation in London, though staff wouldn’t necessarily admit it. I bought a suit in mid-December that was altered in a few places, but when I went to pick it up they claimed to know nothing of the early sale.

“You say you bought this suit in the sale, sir?”
“Yes, around December 12”
“The sale didn’t start until December 27, though – are you sure that’s right?”
After 20 minutes of searching, the suit was eventually found. Maybe this particular employee wasn’t clued in, or maybe it’s a conspiracy. Either way it is understandable that a chain wouldn’t advertise the fact that sales had started early – it could be seen as a sign of desperation.

Because sales started early, many retail chains had to increase discounts after Christmas and into January. This is why, though hard, it is worth waiting until the end of the sales. If you start with a discount of 50%, the “further discounts” that are advertised in mid-January need to push sales to 60% or even 70%.

This is particularly satisfying because you know you are eroding a label’s profit, approaching the point where all you are paying for is the cost of the item itself.

The typical profit margin in fashion retail is between 65% and 80%, depending on the brand and what you include in a chain’s costs. The cost of manufacture may be small on its own, but the chain also has to cover its rent and wages, not to mention firm-wide costs like advertising and branding.

(This, by the way, is how Selfridges can sell, say, Prada shoes at the same price as they are in the Prada store. Selfridges gets them at a discount because Prada doesn’t have to pay rent, wages etc. for those items.)

So wait until the end of the sales, and then rejoice when your discount approaches 70%. Ralph Lauren reduced its Purple Label socks from £25 to £8 in these sales, a reduction of 68%. A manager there told me they had been snapped up as a result – not surprising really.

Savile Row store Kilgour is also worth watching out for, as it reduces the previous season’s suits and shirts by a further discount in the sales. Last season’s jackets, for example, were reduced from £660 to £195 last time I checked – a very satisfying 70% saving.

Happy shopping!

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Back to Basics - Belts + Wallets

Belts

It is a well-worn maxim that a man’s shoes should match his belt. While this sentiment certainly has its merits, it also, as with most absolutes on style, creates a rather severe and foreboding landscape in which a man may dress. A man’s belt and shoes can be in whatever varied hues he chooses, provided they do not clash; like socks, there is no need to follow the overly strict and generally misguided dictum of matching when coordination is a far more useful guide.

Unless you are a cowboy or it is made of brass and spells your name, a belt buckle shouldn’t draw attention to your midsection. I blame J. Lindeberg for this recent phenomenon. (I also blame him for convincing Justin Timberlake he could design clothes). Your t-shirt and jeans do not become an outfit just because you have a belt buckle larger than my hand.

A black leather belt should handle most of your wardrobe’s heavy lifting, pardon the pun. Kenneth Cole has a nice one currently on sale. This one distinguishes itself from the sizable pack with its thin, black metal buckle.

This one from Fossil has done the trick for two years now.

With a brown leather belt I think you can afford to be a bit more risky and creative. I like this Ben Sherman belt with his name punched out like a dot matrix printer.

I don’t have anything to say about fabric belts. There a little like off-white paint - ubiquitous and completely forgettable.

Wallets

When I was eight I had a velcro Ocean Pacific wallet that never had any money it. Still, I carried it everywhere I went and kept it filled with notes about comic books. The main point of this story is that I had this wallet when I was eight. If you still hear a ripping sound when you need to pay for something it’s time to buy a new wallet.

Although not the first name to come to mind when contemplating men’s wallets, Coach has a handsome collection in a variety of textures - including this Signature Embossed edition:

I know men who change their wallets every year, perhaps in response to the fact that after socks and ties, wallets seem to be the most popular gift for men. Apart from being wasteful this denies the wallet the chance to mature, since most leather goods only reveal their character once broken in. At the risk of not having any money to put in it once you buy it, grab one like this Bosca made of ostrich leather and let it age until it is something you’d be proud to give to your grandkids.

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A Hidden Gem in London: John Rushton Shoes

John Rushton shoes is an oasis of personal and professional service.

At the very least, it seemed like an oasis to me last Saturday. I had spent a hellish three hours in the shoe department of Selfridge’s, in the middle of the January sales. Rack upon rack of shoes was stacked up on the first floor by size, punters crawling around and under each other to see the reduced items. And the chaos meant that many of the sizes were, frustratingly, in the wrong place. I found two size 10s and one size 8 of a brogue in the section labelled 9.

After half an hour I literally stumbled across a Richard James chocolate-brown derby. Half off, an unusual two-eyelet design and, amazingly, size 9.

But that was where my luck ended. I quickly noticed the queue of people standing behind a black rope, as if trying to get into a club. They were waiting to get the matching shoe for their selection from the stock cupboard. And some had been there hours.

I was given a ticket. Number 34. I began to get worried when the first number read out by a member of staff was 11. I got even more worried, an hour later, when the numbers being read out were 45 and 46. A man standing next to me (with number 32) received the bad news that there was in fact no right shoe for the left one in his hand. “I’m terribly sorry,” said the ruffled employee. “Sometimes this does happen in the sales.” I was about to ask how on earth it happened – did someone buy an odd pair? Or three shoes? Or one shoe!? – but she was gone.

I eventually got my shoes after three hours (including half an hour in the queue to pay). When I came out, I remembered a friend’s recommendation for John Rushton shoes, on Wimpole Street. Although just off Oxford Street, it is in the lesser known area (at least to tourists) north of the main road, up towards Marylebone.

There were three men in the shop. All were middle-aged and all, it seemed, knew each other. One it turned out was John, and the other two were long-time customers. The conversation concerned how a particular suede boot had worn through over time, and the best way to have them refurbished or resoled. It showed knowledge of how the boot was put together, the craftsman that would repair it and the customer’s history of purchases.

It was an impressive contrast to the consumerist chaos in Selfridge’s. When I was in the department store I overheard one Japanese man saying he was buying five pairs, which he would try on at home and probably keep two. In John Rushton, the air was of select items bought with consideration and intended to last.

John Rushton stocks only British shoes benchmade in Northampton. The shop features six brands, of which the largest range is in Cheaney and Alfred Sargent. This year sees the launch of designs with John’s particular design and colour treatments. It is located at 93 Wimpole Street, and johnrushtonshoes.com.

I have only been there twice, and have yet to be familiar with John or his team. But I hope to be.

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I Love Etro

About two years ago I walked down a narrow street in London to visit a tailor that had been recommended to me.

I rang a buzzer on the street, which echoed somewhere on the second floor. After a couple of minutes I was buzzed up, out of the drizzle, and was led up a tightly spiralling staircase.

The tailor’s space was unassuming and sparsely furnished. But as I stood there being measured (to have a jacket taken in, having lost a little weight) I noticed a few brilliant suits among the racks of clothes lining the walls.

One Prince-of-Wales suit had a lively yet subtle lime-green stripe through it, with delicate, shell-like buttons. Another in navy had a light blue chalk stripe, wider than average but also fainter.

When I asked the tailor where they were from she came over a little glazed and pointed at a bag in the corner. Over a brown, swirling paisley was emblazoned the Etro logo – on a bright orange background, naturally.

“Oh, such beautiful suits,” she said. “When you have to take them apart every day you see. So beautifully put together.” She brought over a cashmere jacket with a check that reminded one of children’s crayons. “You see? Look at the lining and the canvassing!” I don’t know a lot about the structure of a suit now, and I knew less then. But the enthusiasm in her eyes was enough.

The tailor was Atelier Colpani (15 Avery Row, London W1K 4BF, and recommended), which does all the adjustments for Etro’s London store at 14 Old Bond Street. And that day my fascination with the Italian, family-run label began.

Now, Etro is a little quirky. You probably gathered that from the earlier descriptions of unusual suits. But there are consistently jewels in every collection, and many are conservative enough to suit anyone.

I own and treasure two Etro suits, one of which is that lime-green plaid. The belt I have in their signature paisley is probably my single favourite thing. But Etro can also be wide of the mark. Last year’s summer collection featured a rather unconvincing pirates theme. And a shirt with a pizza printed on the front. This summer’s Etropicalia theme concentrates on unusual weaves with every different material from raffia to straw. It also has too many suits with flowers printed on the back.

But when the Etro family get it right, you realise quite how dull every Armani, Gucci and Boss you’ve ever seen is. Those boring grey tonic suits, or the announcements of a new line from Giorgio with – shock – higher notched lapels.

You wouldn’t wear Etro head to foot. Or I wouldn’t. And you won’t like at least half of the stock. But the pieces you do like will truly be a breath of fresh air.

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