What To Buy This Week: Gentlemen’s Accoutrements

In the rakish man’s wardrobe, the velvet jacket - though undoubtedly a dressy affair - is no longer confined solely to eveningwear. Cut in a simple two-button style, an easy-wearing velvet jacket makes for a fabulous sports coat on the weekends. With its long skirt and waisted silhouette in deep-pile Italian velvet, this half-canvassed example from New & Lingwood is particularly fine. In fact, the house produced a number of velvet separates for AW16 all of which are worth a look, in a sumptuous range of colours from this rich magenta through to saffron and Prussian blue. Each velvet can be dressed as a three piece with a single-breasted waistcoat and trousers available separately, or enjoyed on its own with denim and a rollneck, or even a checked flannel trouser, much like the pair which follows in fact… On sale, £450.00, www.newandlingwood.com.

The grey flannel trouser is of course a timeless classic, but this pair from Daks offers a welcome update on the theme. Cut in a soft tonal windowpane check with a pick-and-pick weave, they offer an interesting injection of texture for a smart-casual ensemble; pair with the aforementioned velvet jacket, a sharp navy blazer and tie, or even with a charcoal merino crewneck and camel chesterfield on the weekends. In a clean cut with a flat front, slightly tapered legs, quarter-top pockets and belt-loops, they’re as versatile as they are a conversation piece. £225.00, www.daks.com.

Who pray tell doesn’t want a pair of exquisitely slim fringed loafers in their life? Especially if they happen to be based on a design favoured by the legendary Mark Birley with a raised apron in rich oak calf. The Anthony Cleverley line is Cleverley’s semi-bespoke collection, drawing upon superior bespoke shoemaking techniques and careful measures to ensure that the last shape of each design is appropriately tailored to the feet of the customer. With signature Cleverley softness and glorious chiseled toes, these loafers are about as rakish as shoes can be as we enter the spring months. Available to order in-store, www.georgecleverley.com.

Every fine gentleman knows that there’s nothing like treating yourself to the guilty pleasure of a new necktie to bring in the New Year. In a sophisticated shade of taupe, that simply begs to be paired with autumnal grey flannel suiting and pale blue denim shirts, this archival necktie from Rubinacci makes for a thoughtful wardrobe addition for 2017. Like all our Rubinacci ties, it is cut in a vintage cloth that’s exclusive to The Rake and finished with handrolled tips. With its soft tonal floral motif, it feels understated and surprisingly contemporary. As an exclusive tie cut in vintage cloth there are only three available, so interested parties had better not tally. Pair with our Drake’s for The Rake tall cutaway collar denim shirts for maximum impact. £130.00, rake.webdezign.uk.

A new year needs a new scent, preferably something elegant, masculine and yet not too stifling. Floris’s Jermyn Street Eau de Parfum is just the thing; drawing upon almost 300 years of history, understated class and style, the scent aims to capture the very essence of Floris itself, and its ancestral home. With notes of gin, juniper citrus, lemon, coriander and vetiver it’s neither too sweet nor too heavy. It even contains London plane tree extract, channeling the fragrance of the very trees that stand outside the brand’s Jermyn Street premises and hints of crisp, freshly laundered cotton – a sophisticated nod to the street’s fine shirtmaking heritage. How’s that for attention to detail? £120.00, www.floris.com.

A well-made sheepskin coat is a thing of real beauty, somehow effortlessly cool, sumptuous to wear and thoroughly ‘throw-onable’ all at once. A key piece of the AW16 collection, this example from Hackett has everything one could wish for; a seriously weighty yet supple sheepskin design, double-breasted closure, robust on-seam flap pockets and a chunky revere collar finished with swelled edges. Finished with horn buttons and a single vent for mobility, it’s a comfy, chic and surprisingly versatile coat to step out in this January. On sale, £1320.00, www.hackett.com.

When it comes to fine English leather goods and stationary, few names stand taller than Smythson. Whether a diary, journal or link-box, the house has during its 129 years of life built a collection that combines unimpeachable quality with discreet and elegant design. That’s as maybe, but for something of a pièce de résistance with which to begin your new year’s resolution to write more (as journalists naturally we think that all rakish men should put Mont Blanc to paper from time to time), the Mara Stationary Bureau is a godsend. Faced in gorgeous chocolate crocodile printed calf’s leather, the bureau features a blotter and blotting paper, storage compartments, a wafer address and telephone book, an ink pot, 50 sheets of Cream Wove writing paper, 50 Kings Cream Wove correspondence cards and 25 matching envelopes – everything that one could wish for to embrace the joys of pen and ink. We can practically guarantee it’ll have you retiring to the study with a scotch and your slippers to pen an intellectual notelet or two in no time. £1595.00, www.smythson.com.