This autumn, by focusing on a few new shirts, you can build a shirt wardrobe that is both refined and casual. It's difficult to own too many blue-and-white stripe shirts and the same can be said for dressy mini-checks. From a distance the mini-check can appear as a solid colour and only when close-up is the fine detail appreciated which works well for business-casual when worn with a cashmere cardigan jacket for example; a combination of both luxurious comfort and business protocol. A bolder bigger check is an easy way to add interest to an outfit and can easily be dressed up or down. Keeping colours tonal, by adding this one key shirt and layering it with a solid jacket or suit can create an interesting but refined look or mix it with a cashmere chunky shawl collar cardigan for the weekend. Keep it simple though: check shirts are a good way to add personal style to a refined look but one key item is enough to draw attention whilst staying classically elegant. 

Sea Island cotton, the rarest variety, counts for a mere 0.0004% of world cotton production. The cotton is handpicked and processed with extreme care so as not to damage the fibres. It is a rare and valuable raw material. The fibres are the longest cotton, distinguishing them for their purity and high tear strength. 

Sea Island cotton's unique soft-as-cashmere and silky feel is a result of being woven from a greater number of threads then lesser quality cotton fabrics that may have 100 threads per square inch whereas Sea Island cotton will have closer to 140. This is why stripes and checks will have sharper definition and enhanced colour clarity. 

The Sea Island cotton requires perfect climate conditions in which to grow and it is therefore exclusively cultivated in the British West Indies in the Caribbean. The WISICA (West Indian Sea Island Cotton Association) inspects every kilo of cotton produced locally, and issues the certificate of authenticity. The perfect yarn structure ensures that shirts made with Sea Island fabrics not only posses a prestigious extra that certifies both its quality and origin; they are also extremely soft, cool and light. 

Shirts made from these cloths will serve as the focal point of your business attire, requiring your tie and suit jacket to pay deference. It's difficult to own too many simple blue-and-white stripe shirts. For business, the pin, pencil and variegated stripes are highly recognized. 

Made from nothing below premium two-fold cottons that have a superior quality and are softer and brighter than any single-fold, these shirting fabrics have a smooth handle and better-defined designs resulting in shirts that are light with a luxurious finish. 

Strong sunshine bleaches the cotton of your white shirts so hang them outside this weekend. It's not easy to keep your white shirts as pristine as the day you bought them so make the most of the sunshine and if your care label allows, try these top tips to help restore them to their original glory. 

• Collars and cuffs - if they need particular attention mix your normal washing powder into a paste, paint it on and wait for 30 minutes before washing as normal.
• Hard water - add half a cup of water softener or washing soda to your load, it increases the effectiveness of your laundry detergent. 
• Whiten yellowed white shirts - try adding one cup of white vinegar to a small basin of cold water. Swish the water and dunk your shirt. Leave for five minutes before rinsing in cold water and washing as normal. 
• Hang your shirts in the sun to whiten and brighten.

 

 

 

Think Autumn and we are shifting from shorts to shirts again. There's a chill in the air so it's time to turn our attentions to our winter clothing. The significance of winter wardrobe planning now is to ensure that all the essentials (and luxuries) are in place meaning we can concentrate on other things again. Job done.

Business-wise, we recommend getting smarter. Well-cut bespoke tailoring is a constant for more formal environments and more casually we are wearing flannels and really soft unstructured tailored jackets or cashmere knitwear.

Every well-dressed man, in our opinion, should own these five luxurious iconic items for successful autumn winter wardrobing: 1. Bespoke overcoat, 2. Cullinan 300's bespoke shirt, 3. Bespoke cardigan-jacket 4. Bespoke flannel trousers 5. Custom knit Scottish cashmere shawl-collar cardigan.

Casual, semi-formal and formal, all covered. With a good eye for colour combinations (Peter can help) and layering you can achieve the perfect balance between performance and luxury. Dress for the weekend, dress for work and dress for in-between. It's a stylish and subtly luxurious Look, typical of Peter Johnston, and we think the motto of "knowing, not showing" sums it up perfectly.

To accomplish the Art of less formal dressing we suggest a palette of neutrals e.g. navy, dark greys and blacks with richly textured combinations of knitted and woven cashmeres, soft flannels in wool/cashmere blends and the finest cotton shirting in the world to suggest luxurious comfort and subtle restraint.

BESPOKE OVERCOAT : CASHMERE

Warmth, fit and image - throughout winter your overcoat is likely to be the first and last thing a person notices about you. Your well-crafted tailoring deserves a quality finishing touch, sorry to say but any old rain mac will just not do. Your overcoat will proclaim the style of clothing concealed beneath.

Nothing beats the drape of soft, light cashmere. A pure cashmere coat is light yet remarkably warm. Aside from its softness, a key advantage of cashmere is that it is insulating, so you get warmth in a light weight and it allows for good movement too.

Not all cashmeres are equal and quality is a contributing factor to the price tag. The world-renowned Loro Piana cashmere is undoubtedly among the very finest, harvested only once a year and only the best is bought. It's the cashmere fibres taken from the throat and underbelly of a goat that tend to be the most expensive, as these fibres are long and substantial in order to keep the goat's vital organs warm. The Loro Piana most precious, softest and finest cashmere fibres come from the underfleace, it's an undercoat beneath the discarded longer and rougher outer hairs.

Go with a dark grey or navy, solid or herringbone, and stick with a simple single-breasted fly front or double breasted six show 2; a classic, well cut, warm, tailored finish. The secret of looking refined is the softness of the Cashmere fibres finely spun into the warmest cloth with the distinctive 'velvet' Cashmere sheen.

BESPOKE SHIRT : BUTTON-DOWN COLLAR

The shirt can be seen as simply existing to be functional but it is (in most cases) the garment you wear closest to your upper-body skin and the shirt collar provides the focal point for your face.

Cullinan cotton (read more about Cullinan) is a superluxe product for connoisseurs using 300's count threads. The exceptional fineness of these yarns, the finest in the world, allow for the production of shirting cloth with an extraordinary handle.

A need. Or a pleasure. Either way, your bespoke shirts are made entirely to your specifications.  To create a more relaxed look whilst retaining a premium feel and appearance select Cullinan cotton and team this with a button-down collar.  The resulting shirt will be one which is light, luxurious and with an appearance of dressed down approachability. A button-down collar is versatile and has the personality of being purposefully laid-back.

BESPOKE CARDIGAN-JACKET : CASHMERE WISH

Casual and semi-formal business situations require comfortable, classic, stylish and subtly luxurious clothes; enter the Cardigan Jacket. Still tailored but made with Loro Piana's unique 'Cashmere Wish' this jacket is one that you just don't need to think about. Throw it on and you're off.

It's a softer look than your business tailoring, no rope sleeve head , like your formal jackets and with a more relaxed shirtsleeve. Add to this the weight and design of the cloth, Cashmere Wish and you have an elegant, luxurious, go anywhere jacket with a more informal feel about it.

Cashmere Wish from Loro Piana has the look and feel of a knit-effect, is light and has a softness comparable to pure cashmere. Made from combining cashmere double twisted threads (85%) with the finest wool available, Super 170's merino wool threads (15%), gives a high performance soft fabric which will mould to the body overtime. The lighter weight of this cloth makes it extremely versatile allowing you to wear this almost cardigan-like jacket directly over your Cullinan shirt or when there's an Autumnal chill in the air, with an additional cashmere sweater and scarf for practicality and style.

This jacket is perfectly placed to answer the 'smart casual' brief, elegant and practical it combines classiness with the comfort of a cardigan.

BESPOKE TROUSER : SUPER 160'S & CASHMERE FLANNEL

The grey flannel trouser is the blue blazer of cool-weather trousers; legendary, completely relevant and is one of our favourite classic Looks. Perfect for business-casual or weekend-casual they project comfort and quality.

This trouser is perfect companion for any type of jacket but teamed here with a Cullinan 300's shirt and a Cashmere Wish cardigan-jacket or cashmere millionaire cardigan the flannel will lend classic style and a skill full mix of textures to your outfit.  Since late 1920's, grey flannel has been popular for odd trousers, described as the 'trouser of trousers' it is virtually unlimited in its versatility. It can be both formal and casual, elegant and sporty.

Flannel cloth is smooth and soft, the result of a special manufacturing procedure that felts the wool giving it a distinctive surface. Loro Piana have added a touch of luxury to their Super 160's flannel by creating a masterly blend of merino wool and cashmere resulting in fabrics that are soft to touch and have good drape.

To dress more casually and still look self-assured, stylish and comfortable ensure your flannel trouser is made of good quality cloth, good workmanship and is a good fit. Trousers that are made to fit you will hang straight and are constructed from cloth that is generally two to five ounces heavier than any ready-to-wear casual product which makes them hang better and appear both smarter and more dapper.

CUSTOM KNIT : SCOTTISH CASHMERE 'MILLIONAIRE' CARDIGAN

A pure cashmere chunky-knit cardigan is another wardrobe must-have, a great alternative to a jacket.

Wear it with a Cullinan button-down collar shirt and flannel trousers for a look which is smart in a relaxed way. It's a good stylistic twist for a more informal day or weekend wear and because it has the unique softness and lightweight warmth of pure cashmere it will not only keep you perfectly warm in transitional winter weather it will look polished and pulled-together.

Made from pure Scottish Todd & Duncan cashmere, each 12 ply cardigan is custom made in your colour choice, with or without pockets. We suggest choosing a neutral colour, say black, navy or grey for maximum versatility and a classy Fred Astaire-type style or select a brighter colour to create a bit of energy for a more modern look.

This button-front chunky-knit cashmere cardigan with pockets can serve you as an alternative to your odd jacket, particularly in black or navy and it is the fastest way to garner an instant dressed-up look of luxurious comfort without having to dress-up at all. Knowing how many buttons to fasten is a key factor in making this Look most stylish; fasten your top buttons, leaving the last one, or two, unfastened.

INTRODUCING "CULLINAN" THE FINEST COTTON SHIRTING IN THE WORLD.

We introduce to you David & John Anderson, founded in Glasgow in 1822. A brand new selection of bespoke shirt cloths with seriously high yarn counts, these cloths make shirts that are light with a luxurious finish. Only available to top tailors and bespoke shirt makers across the world, we are delighted to hold exclusivity in Scotland.

'Cullinan' is the finest shirting cloth ever produced in the world. It is a cotton 300 count 2-Fold (two single threads twisted together for improved strength). Made from Egyptian cotton, which in itself is an indicator of superior quality, Cullinan is produced from staple yarns measuring up to 39mm (commonly 20mm - 30mm). The longer the staple, the finer the spun yarn, the softer the handle of the fabric and better the quality.

These new cotton cloths are woven under the brand name David & John Anderson, a family business founded in Glasgow in 1822 that won a worldwide reputation as one of the greatest cotton producing firms in the world. We are now delighted to introduce these Scottish archive, Italian produced high quality luxurious fabrics to our bespoke shirt making service.

We have around 650 new fabrics available to choose from in a selection of plains, stripes and checks across various cloth structures and yarn counts ranging from 80 two-fold to 300-two fold.

Eight new sample books are presented in a simple to follow format e.g. Blue Cotton - plains/stripes/checks, Colour Cotton - plains/stripes/checks, Limited Edition seasonal designs including unique stripes and blends.

Ideal for summer are Sea Island cotton to make shirts that feel soft, lightweight and cool or Linen-Cotton blends that feel comfortable against the skin and allow your body to breathe.

With the first signs of spring here already and in anticipation of warmer temperatures we invite you to order your bespoke summer shirts now for June delivery.