This is a nice little video by Private White VC, the superb British brand and manufacturer. It’s heavy on atmosphere rather than craft details, but there’s a lot in there readers will identify with.
It also reminds me how starkly Private White stand out in the British manufacturing landscape. We have great shoemakers in Northampton, great tailors in London, and strong if scattered leather-goods industry. But we’ve lost 99% of straightforward garment manufacturing in the UK, and Private White is one factory adapting and surviving by bringing its ethos to design and branding as well as making.
They also make great products – as readers may remember, I’m a particular fan of their casual jackets, and the new Spring/Summer collection expands that idea for lighter weight pieces.
Love the Private White VC ethic and clothes. I have a few pieces including the waxed shooting jacket. It’s a tour de force of style and attention to detail. And functionally excellent too.
I really felt in love with your blog. Right now, I have a question about dress shirt with wing collar? What should I wear with it? I have read that it should be a frock coat? Or should it be a smoking?
Wish you all the best!
A dress shirt with a wing collar is normally worn with white tie. It certainly shouldn’t be worn with a smoking jacket
If I may add to what our eloquent host has written…
The wording in Michal’s question seems to me to refer to ‘what is done’, more than ‘what would one do’. I agree with most current menswear experts that ‘rules’ of dressing are effectively extinct but, if that is what we are referencing, a wing collar can be and is routinely worn with both ‘formal’ (white tie) AND ‘semi-formal’ (DJ, smoking jacket) evening clothes. In older days, of course, it was also worn with formal/s-formal day clothes.
I can only conclude that Mr Crompton’s advice is along the lines of what he beliers looks good and, while in this case I beg to differ, I must reiterate that he is perhaps the best provider of sartorial advice for modern guys that want to be stylish without sticking out too much.
I prefer to buy things that can age, both from a design and from a quality perspective. Although I really like that Private White VC manufacture most (all?) of their products in Manchester and that the products have a nice non-contemporary design, the “wash & care advice” usually makes me buy from someone else.
For instance, suggesting that a cotton shirt (http://www.privatewhitevc.com/online-shop/mens/football-shirt-navy-sky.html) needs to be dry cleaned is either a sign of poor quality or a marketing department unwilling to take responsibility for their products.
I would assume that the wash & care advices are too conservative but I have no interest in trying (or running to the dry-cleaner every second week) so, sadly, no Private White VC for me.
Agree with Fred. Simon how about a comment on this? You also ignored the comments on how poor Rake has become and is now about fashion and not classic elegance. Don’t want to bite the hand…?
Ha. I write pieces for the Rake that I like – I don’t think it really matters what I think about the rest of it