Albam's new web photography

A welcome addition to Albam's website is some new photography, which features the clothing being worn by a model instead of being displayed on a coat hanger. Far preferable if you ask me. Albam make some great stuff, which looks even better on real people.

James Dean's Red Harrington

The red Harrington style jacket worn by James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause has to be one of the most iconic pieces of movie clothing ever worn, ranking alongside Brando's Perfecto in The Wild One, Bogey's trenchcoat in Casablanca and Bruce Lee's yellow catsuit in Game of Death. Walking past Albam's store front in Soho today, I noticed they've now starting selling a new range of Harringtons in different colours, including one in a Rebel red.

I haven't the guts to wear the red one personally, as I feel you'd have to look every bit as good as the Deanster to carry it off, but I must admit that I do still love the look of it.

Summer jackets from Albam

You may have noticed I'm a big fan of a well-made jacket. And I'm also a big fan of Albam. So when Albam turns out a well-made jacket I'm doubly happy. Recently however, they've gone one better, and turned out two well-made jackets, both excellent for the sort of summer evening when a shirt alone won't suffice.

First up is this very neatly constructed Shawl Collar Deck Jacket, which comes in a 100% cotton 'loopback' fleece. Details include two pockets with studs and a zip front with hand-cut leather pull.

Next is their cotton twill Jean Jacket, cut from the same Italian cloth as their excellent chinos. I like the unfussy minimalist design of this one, just a single breast pocket and seven buttons at the front. And the classic jean jacket details at the back with two tabs.

To be honest, I haven't tried either of these on yet, but I'll definitely be popping down to their Soho branch in the next few days.

Nicely Broken In: Albam Regular Leg jeans

Well I've had the Albam Regular Leg jeans for around five months now, and they're breaking in very nicely. Since last September they've been worn at least 3 times a week and had two cold water washes in the bath tub, the first just a rinse, the second with a small amount of detergent. Both times they've been airdried flat. Overall shrinkage was minimal, half an inch on the leg at most. They're starting to take on some wear lines particularly around the pockets and crotch area. In another three or four months I reckon they'll be just about perfect.

Albam Engineer's Waistcoat

Loving this latest item from Albam, their neatly constructed Engineer's waistcoat(or 'vest' for those of you who are stateside). It's 100% cotton and backed with a thin layer of bonded fleece. So it still offers a bit of warmth at this time of year, making it an ideal layering piece. Teamed with one of Albam's checked shirts and some of their excellent chinos, it'd really look the business.

Just what you need for a September bike ride

The air is getting fresher by the day now - it's starting to feel closer to autumn, even though the leaves are still on the trees and no-one's wearing an overcoat yet. Anyway, it's time to layer up, especially when you're out and about on your bike. This is what I wore on Saturday morning on my way to Kilburn post office...with a bit of wishful thinking thrown in:
Uniqlo Flannel Shirt
Albam Utility Waistcoat
Levis 1967 505 Rigid
Oliver Spencer Fine Stripe Scarf
Shuron Sidewinder sunglasses
Vintage Omega Seamaster 120
Keds Call of Duty sneakers

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...

The autumn of the Shawl Neck Collar

The shawl neck collar is literally everywhere you look this autumn. On cardigans and sweaters, on jackets and thick coats. Here is a quick overview of some of the nicer shawl necks around at stores and online right now. First up, Albam makes a damn fine thick woollen shawl neck cardigan, the Irwin. Albam only creates limited runs of its garments, and I hear that many of the sizes in certain colours have already sold out, such is the popularity of this piece of knitwear. Next, Levis Vintage have a great looking shawl neck jacket in blue cotton, simply styled with anchor buttons. Woolrich Woolen Mills also has a version of this jacket in navy, their Maine Guide jacket, in slightly thicker wool and with more detailing. Lastly pictured here is the quilted Signalman's jacket from Oliver Spencer, in 100% polyester with leather buttons.