Products With Personality
Products With Personality: Tweed Workshirt
In the depths of winter we all have our rituals for bundling up before we head outside. We layer on sweaters, thick socks, heavy coats, and hats, before we brave the icy winds. As the weather warms up and spring arrives, some of those colder weather clothes will be packed away in the closet for next winter, while others will transition to multiple seasons with ease. A wool overshirt has its uses as a winter inner layer, a spring or fall outer layer, and a throw-on light jacket on cool summer nights.
Timeless Traditions: Donegal Tweed
As we’ve discussed in a previous blog post, the wool cloth collectively known as tweed was developed as a hard-wearing material for country wear in Scotland and Ireland. Using locally produced wool, regional tweeds evolved to suit the needs of the outdoorsmen who would wear them, resulting in variations that would come to represent the style of entire regions of the British Isles.
Products with Personality: Grenfell Raincoats
In climates where rain is common, people have tried many methods to stay dry through the centuries. Traditional rain capes were made of tightly-woven grass and reeds, and are documented at least as far back as 1000AD in China. In South America where rubber plants originated, native Amazonians used rubber extracts to waterproof their shoes and clothing. In Europe and Asia, water-repelling wool cloaks or tightly-woven fabrics treated with oil helped keep people dry, and by the 18th Century these ideas were being combined to create the precursors to the modern raincoat.
Made-to-Measure: Lapels
When you are designing a made-to-measure jacket, there are many details to keep in mind as you decide what kind of look you want to create. The material, structure, and cut of your jacket all tell a story about when you will wear it and how you would like to represent yourself. One of the details that says the most about your jacket is the lapel, which can change a garment’s level of formality all on its own.
Products With Personality: Chrysalis Field Jacket
Centuries of hunting and fishing in rural Britain have led to the evolution of a hardy, practical, and stylish piece of outerwear that is useful in all kinds of settings and weather. Often called the shooting jacket or the field coat, it is a roomy, weatherproof garment with large pockets intended for shotgun shells or other gear, and a wide collar to shield the wearer’s neck. In 1985, Chrysalis England began producing its own version of this iconic jacket, which the Andover Shop is proud to provide to you.
Products With Personality: Aran Sweater
As we’ve discussed in previous articles, traditional cold weather wear is almost always derived from the clothing worn by people performing manual labor out in the elements. The average sweater-wearer today is probably not managing a country estate or hauling in nets full of mackerel, but the durability and warmth of items like the Aran sweater will serve anyone well in the dead of winter.
Timeless Traditions: The Classic and Versatile Dark Suit
These days, we live in a society with fairly casual rules about dress. Most people don’t need to wear anything more formal than a pair of khakis and a button down shirt to work, and many workplaces allow blue jeans and sneakers. Even the most traditional law firms and investment companies, where just a decade ago employees could be reprimanded for removing their suit jackets in the elevator, have downgraded their dress codes and abandoned the suit requirement for the most part. Working from home has increased this trend, as workplaces that had held onto the necktie have allowed that requirement to fall away too. But no matter what happens to workplace dress codes, we will always need to have at least one reliable, adaptable suit for important occasions, and The Andover Shop’s made-to-measure program can help you create the ideal suit.
Products with Personality: The Chrysalis Alpaca-lined Overcoat
Chrysalis England has been producing high-quality outerwear in the UK since 1985. They are particularly well-known for their warm, casual Field Coat designs, which The Andover Shop has carried for years. This year however, Chrysalis looked back at the history of men’s outerwear and forward to what may be a very cold winter, producing a classically-styled coat that will guard against the roughest weather.
Products with Personality: Alden 403 Workboot
For most of the year, working at home or in an office, you have a lot of freedom when it comes to footwear. In dry summer weather, a sleek, leather soled shoe in snuff suede will carry you to and from work with style. At home all day, fleece-lined slippers or casual moccasins will do everything you need them to. But when the rain comes down or the snow piles up, and you still have somewhere to go, a rugged, water resistant boot that keeps your ankles dry is a must-have, and our Indy Boot from The Alden Shoe Company has you covered.
Timeless Traditions: Argyle
A common assumption about menswear is that it all looks the same, that men dress in homogenous shades of blue and grey with little to differentiate them. Since opening in 1948, The Andover Shop has prided itself on challenging this stereotype, providing vibrant colors and interesting patterns in all its offerings.
Products With Personality: The Shetland Sweater
We explore the history of the iconic Shetland sweater, the making of the incredibly warm and tough Shetland wool and how it became a staple of any Ivy Style wardrobe.
Timeless Traditions: Gingham, from Indonesia to Your Closet
We’re all familiar with the quaint, brightly-colored checks of gingham fabric. Whether on tablecloths of your local bistro, or in Dorothy’s dress in The Wizard of Oz, gingham has casual, All-American connotations that have made it a standard in menswear for generations. At The Andover Shop, as a bastion of traditional style menswear, we've carried Gingham throughout the generations. In today's post, we want to share a little of our expertise from a lifetime of learning and living the trade.
