Inside the soft return to smart dressing (and other stories...)
Like, where to buy the world's best peacoats
The big menswear Autumn Winter ‘24 show merry-go-round is over. Paris has packed down, Milan has moved on, Florence is fed up, and all the season’s biggest sartorial shifts have percolated down to silly little websites like this one.
I’m not going to discern all the AW/24 trends for you, as you’re probably aware how I feel about trends in general at this point (made up ways to make you spend more money and clog the planet with additional unnecessary clothes etc), but what I will say is last month’s runways were nothing short of a clarion call to men to return to smart dressing.
There were ties at Prada - a look mirrored extensively at Bottega Veneta (the two brands I use as my most accurate bellwether for the mores of the season). The drapey, syrupy two and three pieces so often shown at Giorgio Armani looked relevant - NECESSARY, even; and the oversized, off-the-shoulder suit jackets and blazers at Dries van Noten, Random Identities and Auralee were imbued with an urgency and relevance the suit hasn’t enjoyed since the early noughties.
It’s a shift in mood which I’m very excited to start adapting into my own wardrobe, not least because I have about 60 ties sitting in a little bag in my sock drawer, none of which I’ve worn since 2010.
I did a bit of a dressing up session in my bedroom yesterday, using the clothes I already own to try and create my own, modern version of the new tailored look - to help you do the same. Here are the results.
1 | The Double Denim
I like this look a lot. It was directly inspired by the Prada runway (look 46) but I chose to forgo the swimming cap. Whether or not that was the right decision, I’ll let you determine.
The jeans are old Nanushka (I absolutely love the flattering corsetry provided by a high waisted jean), the shirt is from Gant and the blazer is vintage Valentino - the fabric has this wonderful fluid weight. I sourced it from Depop for £50.
I think the key to the success of this look is its minimalism. If I was wearing a belt it would be pushed into cowboy territory. The ton-sur-ton hue of the slim tie draws it together in a sharp, silhouetted way, and the worn-in derby shoes look surprisingly modern. Proper shoes are back, huzzah!
Side note - when I acquired the Church’s shoes I’m wearing in the picture they cost £345. Today, they cost NINE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY POUNDS. Fashflation at its finest.
Here’s how to get the look yourself:
2 | The Knit Wit
I’d never thought to wear a knitted polo shirt with a tie before I saw Matthieu Blazy pedal it on his runway at Bottega Veneta. I think it works quite well, though the softness of the collar means it’s difficult to keep in place.
To assist in doing so, I threw a cotton fisherman’s smock I bought in Cornwall for £20 over the top and then finished the look with a vintage Valentino blazer I found on Go Thrift.
Note the matching burgundy socks and tie combo - which is just matchy-matchy enough without looking try hard.
Also, it’s important to remember that when you’re working with soft, spongy fabrics - like the cashmere of the polo - you need to hold everything together with crisp, dense staple pieces, like these heavyweight grey wool trousers - complete with teeth-shatteringly sharp crease - from Margaret Howell, and the aforementioned cotton fisherman’s smock.
Here’s how to get the look:
You can also be a Knit Wit with denim…
Alternatively you could make the look feel even more modern and throw on a cotton denim jacket in the place of a blazer. The Prada-ness of this one helps make it feel a bit more contemporary than a Levi’s denim jacket might.
Here’s one from the same brand which would work well with this look. Only issue is, it costs £1,500, so maybe one for the bottomless pocketed plutocrat fash-fans among you.
3 | Primed and Ready
I hate this picture but it should give you a sense of the effect I’m trying to achieve. I built the look around a blue silk vintage Giorgio Armani shirt I bought from Wow Vintage in Covent Garden a few weeks ago.
The wide collar of the shirt looks ace worn beneath the canary yellow sweater (Drake’s is my go-to for bright knits), and the flash of red sock nods to the primary colour thing without making me look like a children’s TV presenter
The outfit is given additional grown-up chops by way of the white, wide-ish leg jeans from Prada (currently on sale at Mr Porter), some lashings of brown outerwear (the tertiary tenting works wonders against the pops of primary) and a pair of tweed loafers from Gucci.
The loafers are no longer available, sadly, but some of Gucci’s classic furry loafers could work well. Alternatively you could just wear a classic penny (like these wonderful ones from Loewe) and be done with it.
Here’s how to get the look:
A Question of Peacoats
I’ve recently posted quite a few pictures on Instagram of me wearing a specific blue peacoat from Brunello Cucinelli.
Without question the most perfectly flattering, beautifully crafted, eminently desirable piece of outerwear I’ve owned in some time.
If you’re one of the aforementioned fash-fan plutocrats, you’ll be pleased to hear that the coat is currently on sale on Mytheresa for just over £2k (down from £4k).
For the rest of us, I’ve done a deep dive into my shopping apps to try and find the best pea coats which come in at under £1,000. Before you buy, however, it’s important to bear in mind the three key styling rules you must always follow when wearing a peacoat.
1 | They were built for inclement weather
Originally designed for Dutch sailors traversing the North Atlantic, the high collar, dense fabrication and double breasted styling of a classic peacoat is designed to keep out the elements, so you’d do well to wear yours when you really need to. On a walk in the Highlands, for instance, or vaping in a pub garden in January. That kind of thing.
2 | They were originally worn with heavy knitwear
And it’s a styling more you should follow too. Nothing looks better than a chunky navy peacoat worn over a chunky navy crew neck sweater. White jeans work well, also.
3 | Nothing looks worse than an ill-fitting pea
Your coat should finish well below your bum, the sleeves should come down to centre of your palm, and the shoulders should finish just a touch squarer than your own, anything else is not a peacoat, it’s a too-thick blazer.
Three of the best peacoats for under £1,000
Et fini!
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The Knit Wit is such a good look! Love it.