The Real Thing
Sunspel's Enlightened Everyday Clothes
For years I knew Sunspel for their refined sweaters and Sea Island polos. But it wasn’t until we did a photo shoot last summer that I got to know the full story. To quote the great philosopher Shaq, I was unaware of your game. The shoot wasn’t some grand production, we walked around downtown and then, trying to make a good thing better, I brought us to the Ear Inn for a beer. I wore their chinos, a raincoat, a sweater and an Oxford shirt.
I got to keep the clothes and quickly found them entering heavy rotation. I wore the chinos all summer. People stopped me to ask about the raincoat. The Oxford shirt was a lovely seasonal pale blue and white stripe. And we already know the sweaters are great.
I started doing more research at their Chiltern Street store in London. I raised an appreciative eyebrow at one lovely color after another—intelligent neutrals, subtle weaves and a gorgeous undyed fisherman’s sweaters. These were clearly people who put a lot of thought into which mills made their textiles—everything was so specific. And the resulting clothes were so easy to wear. I was attracted to their enlightened common sense.
At this point my sartorial life exists in fairly narrow lanes: A few trusted companies and some eBay improvisation. I don’t judge brands by the most daring elements of their lookbook—that’s what they do get attention. No, I’m far more curious about their core collection, what they make for men to wear most of the time: chinos, Oxfords, knits.
Sunspel knows what they’re trying to do—it has a fairly narrow range of colors, which I admire, since they’re good colors (navy, olive, interesting neutrals) that flatter most men. So here are some of my Sunspel favorites that you can wear day after day, year after year.
Cashmere Crew Neck Jumper. When you have the right cashmere sweater you wear it often and, at times, rather smugly—Why doesn’t everybody have such a good sweater, you wonder, shaking your head at the unlucky masses. This is a standard, but if you’re feeling flush then you can graduate to their Roxburgh sweater, which is more substantial and decadent.
Cotton Mac. I like an unadorned raincoat when the color is good. This is the right balance between style and function and I wear it often.
The Lambswool Polo Shirt. What to wear under an oversized tweed jacket when you go to the farmer’s market on the weekend. Will give you confidence when ordering a rack of lamb from the butcher and impress your guests when you serve it forth.
The Sea Island Cotton Long Sleeve Polo. Sunspel makes great Sea Island cotton polos. I prefer the long sleeves myself (you can see short sleeve options here). Just a luxurious shirt you can wear with a chore coat, cotton blazer or on its own.
The Chino. Gentleman, gather round. We have a new addition to the chino pantheon. These are washed so they’re more lightweight than robust military chinos. But they’re not so refined that you can’t wear them out of the washing machine. The color is, ahem, dark stone, which works with any neutral colored jackets. I wore these all summer and will next year as well (waistline willing).
The Sweatshirt. This newsletter does not traffic in casual wear. But this sweatshirt is proper—what I wear when I go to the squash court (before I’m promptly vanquished). And also works in a spa-like setting (fasting in Spain). It comes in many lovely colors, but I’m partial to undyed.
“This newsletter does not traffic in casual wear.” Love it
That Mac! Perfect. I’m heading to my local Duke of York store now! Sunspel, what’s not to like…