Mood Indigo

A quick round-up of this season's best garments, all available in indigo.

From top to bottom:

J. Crew Indigo Fleece Crewneck Sweatshirt

Margaret Howell DB Utility Jacket Indigo

J. Crew Indigo Deck Jacket

Woolrich Woolen Mills Indigo Anorak Shirt

Oliver Spencer Summer Deck Jacket Chambray Indigo

YMC Hunting Shirt

Engineered Garments Overdyed Indigo Painters Pant

Margaret Howell Autumn Winter 2011

A first look at Margaret Howell's AW collection for 2011. No surprises here, but then Margaret Howell isn't really the sort of brand that shakes things up much from season to season. No, this is more of what we've come to expect from the Wigmore Street designer: another big helping of classic, well constructed garments in beautiful cloths. I did notice, however, that Margaret Howell has finally jumped on the donkey jacket bandwagon, a full year after most of the other British fashion designers. Plus she's come up with what looks like a sheepskin car coat in the collection. This might be your chance to finally look like a 1970s football manager.

The latest at Liberty

The incredibly expensive but beautifully made Polo Ralph Lauren Hunting Jacket.

Doesn't hide the fact it's made in China, rather than the U.S.

A view of the Edwin concession.

Some more views of the workwear/casual section of the menswear department...

... showing clothes by Levis Vintage, Heritage Research and Studio d'Artisan.

Margaret Howell's MHL Faded black twill jacket. Nice detailing on the tops of the pockets.
YMC's Poacher's Jacket.
Rag & Bone's waxed Skeet Jacket.

The Polo Ralph Lauren Country Fishing Messenger Bag, a nice partner to the hunting jacket.

Popped into the brilliant menswear department at Liberty's to treat myself to a new hat the other day, a black wool newsboy. It was only £35, made by the New York hat company, and just the thing for the icy winds that have been blowing through Soho.

But while I was there, I had a good look at some of their latest stock, an eclectic mix which includes brands like Heritage Research, Polo Ralph Lauren, Acne and Band of Outsiders.

The first thing that caught my eye was the eye wateringly expensive Polo Ralph Lauren Hunting Jacket. Yes, I know it's a nice jacket and all, but is it really worth £832 of anyone's money? If it cost a third of that I'd still say it was a little pricey. Having said that the detailing was first class, everything from the specially aged and distressed khaki fabric to the little button down pockets on the sleeves. Next, the really nice waxed Skeet jacket by U.S. based Rag & Bone at a much more reasonable £335. Margaret Howell had some neat twill jackets in her MHL line in faded black fabric at £275, and lastly YMC had a great Poacher's Jacket for just £215. I've always loved walking around Liberty, their stock changes frequently and they're always willing to show the latest designers from the U.S. and Japan, as well as the home-grown variety. The clothes and accessories are all put together and displayed with a great sense of style too.

Margaret Howell MHL Staff Jacket Corduroy

Now the nights are getting darker and the days a little colder, I've swapped my cotton blazers for something warmer - Margaret Howell's MHL Staff Jacket in an autumnal shade of heavy jumbo cord. The three-button jacket is smart, but not too formal and like other Staff Jackets from the MHL range the cut is boxy and slightly cropped with a single rear vent. It has three patch pockets on the outside, two proper internal pockets (both with button fastening) and is half lined at the back with a soft grey flannel. The preshrunk fabric can be machine washed, and feels really comfortable against the skin when you slip it on over a T-shirt.

As with my earlier review of Howell's Pleat Pocket Jacket (here) I'm going to update you in a while on how it's been wearing and how it copes with a couple of washes at 40 degrees.

Why I like Albam

I've been impressed enough with Albam's simple, stylish collection to buy a few items from their Beak St store recently. Their Cotton Casual Blazer and Regular Leg Jean have impressed me in particular. I already own a number of unlined cotton blazers from places as diverse as Beams in Japan and Margaret Howell in London, so I know what I like when it comes to this sort of functional, lightweight garment. And what Albam has created here, I like a lot. The jacket has a sturdy construction, being fashioned from thick cotton, with narrow lapels, three outside pockets and a small inside pocket. There are nice touches, such as smaller pockets within the lower patch pockets, which are big enough to hold your iphone 4 or a small wallet. Like Oliver Spencer's Portland Jacket there is a small white tag to help you fasten the lapels together, should a chill autumn wind blow in your direction. It's just a good, solid reliable item, as the sales assistant said, "the sort of thing every man should have in his wardrobe". I couldn't agree more. In fact that's why I bought two of them, one in navy, the other in dark green.


Then there are the jeans. These are a similar cut to my Levis 505s, with a regular leg tapering to a seven and a half inch bottom. Actually, the rise is slightly lower than the 505s, which I personally find a lot more comfortable. The rear pockets are a simple design with no stitched adornment. There is a small ticket pocket at the front with steel coloured studs at the corners and the jeans are made from Japanese denim with a red selvedge. As far as denims go, these are simple, classic pants, something you should wear every day and not get too precious about. In a few months I'll keep you updated how they're bearing up to the daily grind.

Lastly, the thing that I really like about Albam is that their clothes are remarkably good value. £135 for the blazers, and just eighty quid for a great pair of jeans. The only downside is that with prices like these Albam tends to sell out their stock very quickly, as their stuff tends to be made in relatively small numbers - once they're gone, they're gone. Maybe I should have kept all this to myself...

Margaret Howell MHL Pleat Pocket Jacket

Popped in to the Margaret Howell Sale on Wigmore Street yesterday. Found the Pleat Pocket Jacket from Howell's MHL diffusion line reduced from £255 to £175. It's a heavy-ish cotton twill jacket, unlined with a washed out mid-grey colour. Design-wise it feels like a cross between one of those sixties box jackets, slightly cropped with small lapels, and a piece of workwear. I'm going to throw it in the washing machine a few times to see if it softens up.

Update: 15th September 2010. I've worn the jacket for nearly two months now, and machine washed it twice during this time (turning it inside out first - a tip from one of the MH sales staff). The fabric has softened only slightly, but what's really nice is that it holds its shape when you air dry it afterwards, and there's no need to iron it. The creases and wrinkles that you're left with (see photo above) add even more character to the washed out nature of the fabric.