Oxford Cloth Button Down Shirts from Lands End

Oxford Cloth Button-Down Shirts from Lands End

I had been looking for reasonably priced Oxford Cloth Button Down shirts (hereafter being referenced as OCBD) for a while and while I had been happy with the Oxford stripe OCBD that I purchased from Arket (which I had reviewed last March), as wanted to try traditional American brands such as Lands End or LL Bean.  I am not opposed to buying more expensive shirts, but the pricing from companies such as Brooks Brothers, J. Press and Mercier & Sons including shipping and import duties put those a bit beyond my budget.  Lands End has a distributor and website right here in Germany, which means no expensive shipping and customs duties and they often have substantial sales.  Many of my readers will know that I love a good sale (having learned from my mother many years ago, to never pay full price for clothes, as the markup on retail is eyewatering).  Having found my deal, I ordered these preppy/Ivy classics: White, Light Blue and Oxford Stripe (which they call BAYSHORE BLUE STRIPE).

I got their Tailored Fit OCBD (size 16" x 35"), which is a bit more fitted than their Traditional Fit.  These shirts had all the classic detailing that I love on a good OCBD, including a trim, but not a tight fit, a 7 button front placket, center pleats in the back, a locker loop, 2 button adjustable cuffs, gauntlet buttons, and left breast pocket.  About the only details that I would have like to have added is a back collar button and a slightly longer collar point of 3 inches, instead of their 2 3/4 inches, but these details for me at least does not justify spending another $100 to have a custom shirt made.  I would say that overall the fit is perfect.

Packaging:
As one would expect for this price range, these shirts didn't arrive in fancy packaging, however, I find this to be totally acceptable because since it's just so much less waste heading to the landfill.

The cloth is a nice medium/heavyweight Oxford Cloth that feels substantial enough that I expect these shirts to last for many years of regular wear.  The cloth is 100 % Supima cotton with a non-iron finish, which is nice in that I can keep them crispt with a quick iron (I prefer my shirts with a crisp, but not starched finish).  I tend to wear the Oxford stripe version of this shirt the most because I just find it a bit more sporty/casual that the white and light blue, but even with the additional wearings, I find this shirt to shows absolutely no evidence of the extra wear.  I look forward to wearing these shirts for many years to come.

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Ralph Lauren Tweed Half-Norfolk Jacket

Ralph Lauren Tweed Half-Norfolk Jacket

Hello Tweed lovers, I had meant to write a review of this Ralph Lauren Polo tweed jacket in rust brown since this past February, when I picked it up on eBay, but I simply ran out of time and so decided to hold off until this winter.  Well, I can tell you that among the many tweeds that I own, this is perhaps the most heavily built.  This Tweed, while being unlined, this as thick as on one of the old boiled wool Army blankets that we had during my childhood (but much better looking).  Perfect for the cold winter days and night of Bavaria.  In fact, I would say that with an Aran Sweater and a good scarf, this jacket would keep you as warm and just about any winter coat.

Classic Norfolk Jacket Pocket Details:
One of the things that I love most about the Norfolk and Half Norfolk jackets are the patch pockets with button flap detailing and most usually made with expandability style pleats.  Not only are these style pockets more visually interesting (to me at least), but they can also hold more, are more rugged, and with the inclusion of buttons flaps, are more secure at holding whatever of value you may put in them.  An extra plus is that these have a more vintage style than typical pockets. Like most Norfolk country jackets, this features high-quality woven leather buttons, which just adds to the country feel.

The Weave Close-ups:
Provided for my own enjoyment and for that of my tweed obsessed brethren: The pattern of this tweed weave is sort of a brown melange features brown, rust, orange, tan, beige and cream colors as well as a very subtle hint of soft olive. The overall weave of this tweed has so many great colors incorporated and with such subtlety, that from only a foot away, it gives a very unified rust/brown appearance. It is only from very near that one can admire these beautiful color tones from which it is comprised:

  

The Lining/Inside:

This jacket is only half-lined at the shoulder and in the sleeves but the remainder of the seams in the inside of this jacket are very neatly finished - a sure sign of great quality construction.  

Wearing:

Since I purchased this jacket in mid to late winter last year, I have only had a couple of opportunities to wear it, but have been very happy with the overall fit and very high-quality construction, here are some photo so my last wearing, which works, I think, very well with my newly arrived flannel-lined chinos from Lands End (a review will soon be forthcoming on these) and Blue Chambray shirt from Charles Tyrwhitt, a cream Aran Sweater, and Black Watch wool tie from Curzon Classics.

Novesta Star Master in Beige Canvas

Novesta Star Master in Beige Canvas

Many of my dear readers might wonder why on the cusp of winter, I might choose to make a review of what is clearly a summer shoe.  The reason is quite simple, I had bought these shoes very nearly one year ago, and after a year of great service, I feel it is high time to share my thoughts.

Last year I had been shopping for a traditional pair of plimsolls and had run through a number of brands with various price points when I hit upon these great looks tennis shoes from Novesta.  The Novesta Star Master in beige canvas with a natural rubber sole is about as traditional a tennis as one could hope to find  - after all they have been making canvas and vulcanized rubber tennis shoes in Slovakia since 1939.  I take great interest in learning about the 80-year tradition of this company. 

I purchased mine from End Clothing, which is a great UK based retailer who has consistently given me wonderful service and great pricing over the years.

The unboxing:

Of course, Novesta makes a myriad selection of this shoe with different canvas colors as well as great-looking Corduroy and Suede options, many of which I find very tempting and do expect to enlarge my collection with in the future.  But to begin, I wanted to get a classic white shoe.  This particular canvas is a natural Ecru color cotton, which I think really accentuates the vintage nature of this plimsoles and makes for extremely easy matching.  Honestly, initially, I had planned to use these mainly as house shoes, pairing them with classic sweat pants from Kent & Curwen for a comfortable home/lounge outfit.  But, I came to love them so much, I couldn't resist incorporating them into my summer wardrobe.

On Court Performance:
I have actually used them for tennis play, wearing them at my local clay tennis courts and the performed remarkably well considering that we're looking at 1930s sports shoe technology.  One reason is the rather hard rubber sole with a very sharp edge corner, which really helps the fast lateral movements.  They really do work well as court shoes, although obviously, I would not want to run a mile in them.  And they looked great while doing it fitting the part with a classic wooden racket and Lacoste shirt.

Here are just a few of the many summertime outfits I've incorporated them into: