5 Spring pieces that caught my eye
As I do every few months, I gather up things I've come across recently, whether seen or read, and carefully select which pieces I'm excited to add to my wardrobe. These picks aren't just random clothes; they're the ones I'd confidently recommend for building a foolproof wardrobe, keeping in mind they're not just for a few wears but destined to become staples for years to come. And, of course, I couldn't resist throwing in a touch of decadence—perhaps a silk shirt or some outrageously luxurious cotton sweaters. You know me too well...
picture taken from permanentstyle.com
Speciale - Permanent Style cotton knit
Like Simon Crompton, I too find the idea of slipping into a cotton knit on a late summer evening to be a luxurious sensation. Especially against bare skin. However, I've always had the issue of feeling too warm while on vacation or during summer in general. So, it's crucial to find something not so densely knit. This particular sweater seems to fit the bill perfectly.
It's no surprise that it's a collaboration with one of the most renowned menswear connoisseurs and Speciale. This small brand or workshop creates timeless garments that are far from inexpensive. Even here, a sweater priced at over 300 pounds? I'm not entirely convinced I could justify such a purchase, even to myself.
By the way, this collaboration resulted in the knitwear being slightly longer. Typically, when you buy knits from the Speciale website, they're made shorter, designed to be worn with their high-waisted bespoke trousers. Like the rest of Speciale's pieces, it's crafted in the Corgi manufacture in Scotland. Being available in navy and cream, with cream being certainly more attractive to me for intended summer wearing.
picture from Special website
While browsing the Speciale website, I noticed these high-waisted jeans in light blue and white. Or perhaps Ivory is a more accurate description. I've always found that overly slim jeans in white feel like something that gangsters or posh men would wear on the beach. But as with everything, it’s about attitude.
If the jeans are not overly slim, with the right approach, I can imagine myself sitting on the beach for the morning espresso, sporting ivory jeans with my Tod’s moccasins and a polo or a shirt. Not a bad picture in my mind. Additionally, high-waisted jeans are not so common, and they would look great paired with some shorter knitwear.
While seeing and reading about this in multiple sources, I am quite keen to try their Zottolo shirt in heavy matte silk. Price point is perfect and it’s made a lot by hand. I already have a silk shirt in navy and for special opportunities I love it. But perhaps I don’t wear as often as I should or could. So the only thing that could go better is to wear it more often and come up with more opportunities to wear it.
Arket cotton towelling polo
Terry cotton polo
As an admirer of beautiful clothes, I've always been a bit hesitant to get a Terry cotton polo or shirt. For those who don’t know what it is, it is basically the material which is towel crafted from. The idea behind it is to use it as resort wear, perfect for hotels, pools, and beaches. I wouldn’t really wear it to town or a bar, except maybe a beach bar, of course.
Yet, something in me has been incredibly curious for some years now. As I am keen to explore different feelings and experiences within menswear, I feel that after such time, this year I will surely get one to try it out on the beach and see how it works. Of course, most of the time, I will stick to my favorites such as a linen shirt or knitted polo/t-shirt, but that one day out of five, I am looking forward to trying a Terry cotton polo.
Since I won’t be probably wearing it very often, I won’t spend much, so the one from Arket will be great candidate for start! Or one from Reiss is currently in sale.
Another knitted polo
As my favorite piece in the closet, I'm always eager to add more knitted polos. Since The Grey Man came out, I've been strongly tempted by one worn by Chris Evans and made by King & Tuckfield, although the price is quite an obstacle for me. If it were somewhat less expensive, I would already have it in my wardrobe.
Luckily, there are other makers of knitted polos or shirts. Suitsupply is, of course, one with a great price/performance ratio. However, with the last one I bought in a Medium size, I'm not completely satisfied, as it seems to have become smaller after a few hand washes than it is normal in my experience. So, I'm keen to try something else, for example, Reiss has some nice polos like this one or this one.
