No matter how far the fashion industry shifts towards a streetwear silhouette, or a casualwear bias, tailoring never goes away. There's a pretty simple explanation for that: great tailoring is flattering. Hundreds of years of fine-tuning the process has led to today's tailored jackets being at the very zenith of their evolution. Sure, seasonal trends tweak and play on the variables so that sometimes an oversized shape is in vogue, or a broader lapel, or a more waisted silhouette, but ultimately the tailored jacket is at the peak of its powers.
Solms Jacket |
Pleated Trousers |
Brook Shirt |
What's changed more than the lapels or the construction, is how we, as a society, view tailoring. For a period not all that long ago, the suit became inextricably linked to 'business'. It was a work uniform, and as such we laid waste to its propensity for elegance and style outside of the office. High-street suitmakers churned out average charcoal and navy two-pieces, cheaply made and with poor fabric quality, too, condemning the suit to a boring 9-5 life, chained to a shirt and tie.
Mansfield Jacket |
Fishtail Trousers |
Brook Shirt |
Oli has never viewed the suit in that way. For him, it has always been a relaxed garment that can be styled in myriad ways, made to look smart or casual depending on how you wear it. This season, the Oliver Spencer tailoring collection is one of the most extensive we've ever produced, consisting of an array of unstructured styles cut with a relaxed shape, and using a variety of organic cotton and linen fabrics. They have been expressly made as an extension of your casualwear wardrobe, but with a smart edge that you accentuate or play down as you like.
Solms Jacket Elvin |
Drawstring Trousers |
New York Special |
To show the versatility of the first new elements of our spring/summer suiting collection, we called in the expertise of great friend and menswear stylist William Gilchrist. William's eye for great style is unmatched, and in the images you see here, he has perfectly presented our relaxed tailored shapes in a modern, contemporary way.
Milton Jacket |
Havana Short Sleeve |
The Solms jacket is the signature piece from the Oliver Spencer collection; a five-buttoned, unstructured workwear-inspired jacket with a rolled lapel that allows you to button all the way through. Functional design with a relaxed cut, you can pair it with matching trousers to make up a casual suit or wear it as a versatile separate.
Solms Jacket Mullins |
Pleat Trousers Mullins |
Grandad Shirt |
This season, we've crafted the Solms in a beautiful organic cotton fabric with a slight stretch for additional comfort, as well as a wool and cotton blend, and a new indigo-rinsed denim version. The organic cotton ochre version is a great option for injecting your wardrobe with a bold versatile colour this season, and makes for a statement suit at summer weddings, but is equally at home over a polo with an pair of shorts and lo-fi sneakers.
Mansfield Jacket |
Fishtail Trousers |
Heavy T-Shirt |
The Mansfield jacket is our peak lapel style, again unstructured for a relaxed drape and featuring a three button fastening. Relaxed and never stuffy, it can be worn as part of a suit or used as a separate to give your wardrobe a plethora of new styling options. It works really well with our button-down shirts when you want a soft collar construction, otherwise our Heavy white tee is a great option to dress it down this summer. One of our favourite iterations of the Mansfield comes in a stunningly rich blue indigo-dyed cotton seersucker which is so easy to style as a separate with everything from cream chinos to tailored shorts and knitted polos to casual tees.
Ultimately, tailoring should not just be thought of as something we wear when we need to look smart. You're missing the point if you're pigeon-holing it as 'smart' or 'business.' The beautiful lines and flattering silhouette can be as casual as you want them to be, or equally sophisticated and elegant.
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