If you don’t wear tailoring on a daily basis, chances are you probably think of it as a stuffy business uniform for corporate types, and in many cases you’d be right. But at Oliver Spencer, we see our tailoring as an extension of one’s casual wardrobe - something comfortable but with that flattering tailored silhouette. But most importantly, it’s a look that can be styled in myriad ways, both smart and casual.
Fairway Jacket |
Claremont Trousers |
Havana Short Sleeve |
Unstructured and cut with a soft silhouette, our suits are perfect for wearing in a smart casual context, as well as affording your casual everyday loves a little tailored structure. They're designed to be worn in a laidback way that doesn't presuppose the combination of a classic shirt and tie, but looks equally at home if you want to more formal. If a dress code isn't a problem, then we love pairing our unstructured suits with soft-collared polo shirts or tees for more of a chic resort vibe that you can wear with lo-fi sneakers, loafers, or sandals.
Milton Jacket |
Pleated Trousers |
Riviera Short Sleeve |
Linen and cotton blends in neutral tones are ideal for the summer because they're lightweight, breathable, and have a subtle textural finish that evades any notion of formality. And yet you still have the traditional suit silhouette with a notch or peak lapel to make you feel elegant and sophisticated. This season, we've also created two suits in Tencel - a relatively new fabric derived from wood pulp - more on that here.
Fairway Jacket |
Drawstring Trousers |
Havana Short Sleeve |
We often think of the Italians and their relaxed approach to tailoring but the British were some of the first to use tailoring in a more modern way, taking the classic blazer silhouette and mixing it with sportswear. Think of the rowing blazers of the mid 19th century - these were used as warm-up jackets by Oxbridge oarsmen, who then had the sheer audacity to wear them to social events too! And thus a trend was formed. From there, the blazer's relationship with sportswear became lifelong, with players of those most noble of sports - cricket and tennis - choosing to don the softly tailored (and sometimes knitted) blazer atop their respective whites.
Double-Breasted Jacket |
Drawstring Trousers |
Grandad Shirt |
The British have traditionally approached tailoring like it's a suit of armour, all structure, power and bravado, but for the Italians modern tailoring means something else entirely: unstructured sophistication that is less about 'smart' and more about casual sophistication. They even invented a word for it: 'Sprezzatura' - which first appeared in Baldassare Castiglione's 1528 tome, The Book of the Courtier, where it is defined by as "a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it."
For great summer style, it's this equilibrium between smart and casual that almost always strikes the right note. A sartorial basis with casual tweaks, be it with a collarless shirt or pair of suede loafers, offers a much more easy-going interpretation of smart that feels altogether more modern.
Double-Breasted Jacket |
Drawstring Trousers |
Conduit T-Shirt |
We've always approached suits and separates with a relaxed nonchalance, preferring the soft drape of an unstructured blazer and the contemporary finish of a cropped trouser. Tailoring for us is about casual elegance and versatility. Just because a jacket conforms to the traditional shape and cut, doesn't mean you can't wear it with a t-shirt or polo and a pair of rolled up drawstring trousers. Unstructured tailoring is as much an attitude as it is a sartorial process.