With the clocks going back this weekend, spring feels like it's well and truly underway. But if you've yet to transition your wardrobe, then now is the time to do so. With the mercury creeping higher and the days becoming lighter for longer, there are certain essential wardrobe items that will become non-negotiable over the coming months especially, but also right through the summer. Here's our quick guide to the key pieces to bolster your wardrobe with now...
The Chore Jacket
COWBOY JACKET |
COWBOY JACKET |
COWBOY JACKET |
A classic menswear silhouette and an integral part of any workwear look, the chore jacket is one of the most versatile pieces of outerwear for the spring and summer months. We've cut our styles in organic cotton seerucker, linen and a cotton/linen so that they are lightweight and casual, making them perfect for layering over a shirt, polo or tee.
The Polo
TABLEY POLO SHIRT |
TABLEY POLO SHIRT |
HAWTHORN POLO |
The polo shirt really comes into its own in spring as the warmer weather gives you myriad ways to integrate it into your wardrobe. While March and April are still too cool to bust it out on it's own, it does make a great casual accomplice to a tailored blazer or a more casual chore jacket. The short 3-button placket of our Tabley polo shirt gives them a subtle formality, whereas the one-button fastening of the Hawthorn polo shirt is better suited to casual fits.
The Technical Jacket
HOODED VENTNOR |
HOODED VENTNOR |
Being prepped for unpredictable spring weather goes without saying but bulky outerwear is not the ticket. Warm days and spring showers can go hand in hand so you want to opt for a lightweight technical jacket that can be easily integrated into your smart and casual fits. That's why we created the Ventnor jacket, our cropped hooded blouson cut in a water-repellent Italian performance cloth. The minimal styling means it's easily paired with smarter looks, but it will also form a key layer with your casual weekend fits.
The Knit
BLENHEIM JUMPER |
BLENHEIM JUMPER |
PABLO KNITTED |
While we associate most knits with autumn and winter, a lightweight cotton jumper is actually a great addition to a spring and summer wardrobe. Excellent as a warm layer on cool spring days or as a late evening throw-on in the summer, it can be styled in a preppy way for a laidback approach or worn as a boxy, slightly oversized fit for a more bohemian summer look. Our Blenheim crewnecks are fine-gauge and make for easy layering with a polo or shirt, or if you want that all rolled into one then opt for our Pablo knitted polo.
The Shirt
BROOK SHIRT KILDALE |
ELLINGTON OVERSHIRT |
CLERKENWELL TAB |
The shirt just never gets old. It is a stalwart of style, both casual and smart, unchanged for decades because if it isn't broke, don't fix it! This season, we've really focused on bringing you the softest fabrics across our shirting collection, with myriad different cloths, from organic brushed cotton to super lightweight linen. They're shirts you can wear with our relaxed, unstructured tailoring, but they'll also work lazily tucked into a pair of rolled up jeans. With a host of different collar styles to choose from, too, we're spoiling you this season!
The Blazer
THEOBALD JACKET |
LAUREL JACKET |
LAUREL JACKET |
The blazer is not even about being 'grown up' or even looking smart these days - it's about adding shape and silhouette to a look that can be as casual or as dressed up as you like. Oliver Spencer's tailoring straddles the two, being unstructured and with an easy, relaxed drape. You can just as easily wear our blazers with a shirt and pleated trousers as you can a tee, shorts and slides.
The Trousers
JUDO TROUSERS |
JUDO TROUSERS |
WORKER TROUSERS |
When tailored tapered chinos are too smart and denim is too casual, a relaxed fit pair of cotton trousers is the perfect go-between. Our judo trousers fit the bill nicely, being roomy in the leg without being oversized, with a slight taper to the ankle. In a variety of fabrics including organic cotton and linen, they're a good option for casual weekend fits and can be worn with a whole range of footwear, from loafers and sneakers to chukka boots and Oxfords.
The Shoes
YOGI HITCH SUEDE |
YOGI FINN 2 |
Spring footwear can be tricky as you want something that will be suitable right through the summer, not just for the next month or two. That's why we love two new styles by Yogi Footwear - the Finn II and the Hitch boot - both constructed from a super soft suede and very easy to wear in all manner of fits. The boot is much like a conventional chukka and can be worn as such with unstructured summer tailoring, while the Finn II shoe is one of those styles that just slip on regardless of what you're wearing and they just seem to work.