Tom StubbsOUT AND ABOUT THE SHARPENER Shearling

THE SHARPENER
Tom Stubbs
top shear
OUT AND ABOUT
Shearling remains a favourite for
outerwear, says Tom Stubbs, with
the latest fusing sophistication
and action‑man chutzpah
S
hearling coats – made
with the wool and
hide of a yearling
sheep – were a
big story last
winter, and
you’d have
thought that a new
trend might have
elbowed it to the side.
But no. Designers are
continuing to innovate
with shearling, and
it’s showing no signs
of stepping out of
the spotlight.
Fendi has been
taking particularly
interesting articles.
New fusion hides
– such as on an
extraordinary “ploughed”
shearling and suede bomber
(£5,700) and coat (£14,350)
– panel strips of leather to
stylish effect. On a silvery-grey
double-breasted coat (£9,100),
laser cutting has created lines
that evoke the cut of a suit. And
an unusual tailored trench
(£5,060, pictured near right)
uses lightweight lambskinprinted corduroy with a
lambskin lining and a wool trim
on the double storm flap,
epaulettes, belt and pockets.
Other coat styles being reimagined
in shearling include those with hoods –
I don’t ever remember seeing a hooded
shearling until this season, and now I’ve
clocked two. One is from Bally: a grainygrey nappa-leather parka (£10,500,
pictured above right) that has 1970s
action-man chutzpah. The other is from
Tom Ford: a 1960s-looking shearling
duffel coat (£6,490) that’s super-light.
A further Ford shearling is based on a
denim jacket (£4,690) and has an air of
Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy about it,
while another (£5,350, pictured top
centre) has a cheeky 1960s-beatnik feel.
At Dunhill, it’s the car coat (£2,950,
pictured top far right) that benefits
from the unusual addition of darkchocolate shearling. Stylishly restrained,
it has a neat collar and leather “football”
buttons – a classic 1970s shearling coat
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trait. I also like the brand’s slategrey shearling coat (£5,490) with
a curly fur collar and contrasting
light grey calfskin lining.
The double-breasted pea
coat gets the shearling
treatment at both Gieves
& Hawkes, where it is
in navy and trimmed
with black wool (£1,295,
pictured bottom right),
and at Burberry
London, where it can
be found in natural
bonded shearling/suede
(£2,995). Taking a
somewhat different tack
are Burberry’s black and
midnight-blue merino/
shearling aviator jackets
(£2,995), which are
fantastically slick.
While the aviator jacket
may be a shearling classic,
Acne has made it feel both
contemporary and fresh
with oversized black lambskin
(£1,900); it looks great worn
with narrow jeans and chunky
boots. A more hipster feel comes
courtesy of Neil Barrett, whose
slick black aviators (£2,100) – with
either a black or white collar –
channel Lou Reed circa the Berlin
years. For swagger with directional
style, try Barrett’s sheepskin coat
(£2,720, pictured top second from
far right) with a large shawl collar. Large
collars are also a distinctive feature of
Clockwise from top left: Coach
saddle-shearling coat, £2,100.
Ami shearling coat, ¤890. Tom
Ford shearling coat, £5,350. Bally
calf-nappa-shearling coat,
£10,500. Gieves & Hawkes wool
and shearling coat, £1,295.
Belstaff shearling Rochford
coat, £3,995. Fendi lambskinprinted corduroy coat, £5,060
Clockwise from above left: Neil
Barrett sheepskin coat, £2,720.
Dunhill shearling car coat, £2,950.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label
shearling/suede jacket, £5,820
double-breasted shearling with the
split fur lining (€4,900) is also standout.
And lastly, at Ralph Lauren’s Purple
Label, alongside black shearling bikers
(£3,215), there is the vintage/countryfeel Lennox (£6,085) in either olive
or brown, as well as a rich olive
duffel‑style coat that has taped seams
(£5,820, pictured near left), which
has a rustic sophistication. ✦
RAISING THE BAA
“Slick aviator jackets channel
Lou Reed circa the Berlin years”
Paris menswear brand Ami’s black
or white caban hybrids (€1,950).
A less dramatic collar is on the
brand’s long military coat (€890,
pictured top second from far left) –
though it’s still a strong look.
There are more aviator jackets
and car coats – with a chunky
aesthetic – at New York accessories
brand Coach, which has chosen
to include several shearling
numbers in its debut ready-to-wear
collection. “Sheepskin feels cool
and utilitarian but also luxurious,”
says creative director Stuart Vevers.
The donkey jacket-meets-military
car coat in amber or green (£2,100,
pictured top far left, exclusive to Mr
Porter) emphasises shearling’s
inherent ruggedness, while a
softness comes through thanks to
the refined treatment of the skin.
One flight jacket (£1,900) plays
with the slant of the lapel and looks
especially fresh in olive green, while
another in black (£1,900) has
howtospendit.com
striking oversized patch pockets and
fastenings. For more super-sized
panache (a strong trend this season), I
also like the motorbike shearling coat
(£2,350) with contrasting panels, which
extends the format to mid-length. Shearling biker jackets may not be
new, but some current versions are
super-refined. Belstaff’s white or darkgrey Reynold (£2,895), for example,
has fantastic contrasting texture panels,
while the knee-length white Rochford
style (£3,995, pictured bottom far
left) has a certain Blade Runner edge.
Meanwhile, the streamlined and
dynamic, super-lightweight Fraser
(£2,200) is classic with a futuristic twist.
More luxury interpretations of biker
shearlings (€3,900) can be found at
Trussardi. I like the elongated, zip-free
models with their cracked panels and
soft 1990s-style shoulders, though the
howtospendit.com
Acne, 13 Dover Street, London W1 (020-7629
9374; www.acnestudios.com) and see Dover
Street Market. Ami, www.amiparis.fr and
see Harrods, Mr Porter and Selfridges.
Bally, 45-46 New Bond Street, London W1 (0207499 0057; www.bally.co.uk). Belstaff, 135-137
New Bond Street, London W1 (020-7495 5897;
www.belstaff.co.uk) and see Selfridges.
Burberry, 121 Regent Street, London W1 (0207806 8904; www.burberry.com) and branches.
Coach, 41-42 New Bond Street, London W1 (0203141 8901; www.coach.com) and see Mr Porter
and Selfridges. Dover Street Market, 17-18
Dover Street Market, London W1 (020-7518
0680; www.doverstreetmarket.com).
Dunhill, Bourdon House, 2 Davies Street,
London W1 (020-7853 4440; www.dunhill.com)
and see Harrods and other stockist. Fendi, 141
New Bond Street, London W1 (020-7927 4172;
www.fendi.com) and branches. Gieves &
Hawkes, 1 Savile Row, London W1 (020-7434
2001; www.gievesandhawkes.com) and see
Selfridges. Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road,
London SW1 (020-7730 1234; www.harrods.com).
Mr Porter, www.mrporter.com. Neil
Barrett, www.neilbarrett.com and see
Harrods. Ralph Lauren, 1 New Bond Street,
London W1 (020-7535 4600; www.ralphlauren.
com) and branches. Selfridges, 400 Oxford
Street, London W1 (0800-123 400; www.
selfridges.com). Tom Ford, 201-202 Sloane
Street, London SW1 (020-3141 7800; www.
tomford.com) and see Mr Porter. Trussardi,
www.trussardi.com.
l An exciting new store concept called 18 Montrose opens in Glasgow this month,
set over 4,000sq ft and two floors of a Georgian building. It promises a mix of fashion,
art, books and vintage watches and will work with the Glasgow School of Art on a series
of exhibitions. Expect directional brands, such as Common Projects (suede sneakers,
£280, pictured above) and Y-3, alongside big-hitting men’s labels, including Woolrich
and Helmut Lang, and prestige outerwear marques. A central digital interactive
platform, made up of a series of screens, will showcase individual pieces and allow
customers to find more information about them.
18 Montrose Street, Glasgow G1 1RE (www.18montrose.com).
l This month sees seven designers launch
capsule collections exclusively for Harrods
– and in celebration, some are taking over
a run of the Brompton Road store’s
window displays. I’ve got my eye on the
collection by Giorgio Armani, which has
a casual, subtle-luxe aesthetic. There’s a
flattering and dynamic cashmere
mélange shawl-collar cardigan (£2,025,
pictured right); a sage cashmere/
mohair raglan country-style open knit
(£650); and a sporty caramel marbleeffect wool hooded blouson (£1,750)
with matching trousers (£799). Crisp
indigo raw-denim jeans (£625) have
special Harrods branding, but the
key piece, in my opinion, is the
supple caramel deerskin asymmetric
biker jacket (£4,925).
87-135 Brompton Road,
London SW1
(020-7730 1234; www.harrods.com).
l H Moser watches are distinguished by
gorgeously pared-back, “fumé sunburst” dials
in rich mineral colours. Now, with the launch
of the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept
Watch (£17,800, pictured left), the
independent Swiss watchmaker is taking this
chic simplicity further still. The new design
has been stripped of indices, numerals and
branding – most stylish is the grey fumé
dial with a white-gold case.
Watches of Switzerland, 155 Regent Street,
London W1 (020-7534 9810; www.watchesof-switzerland.co.uk). William & Son, 34-36
Bruton Street, London W1 (020-7493 8385;
www.williamandson.com).
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