If you've been an Oliver Spencer customer for long, then you'll know that we have a number of perennial shapes that we've embraced season after season, evolving them a little at a time, and always bringing new fabrics to the fold. They are timeless menswear shapes that never go out of 'fashion', forming the pillars of your wardrobe no matter what your age. Below we've highlighted five of the most iconic styles, and caught up with Oli to find out how they first came about.
The Grandpa coat has become one of our most-loved outerwear silhouettes that we've created. It first went into production during Covid and has been a regular every autumn and winter season since. It's one of those heavy duty winter coats that feels impervious to everything the elements can throw at you. The earlier versions came without a belt detail, but this was added recently to offer a more elevated look. This season's style has been crafted from four different fabrics - a heavyweight cotton corduroy in chocolate brown; a beautiful herringbone wool; a classic navy recycled wool; and a bold ginger and navy check pure new wool. All of them are made in the UK which we're very proud about.
"The idea for the Grandpa coat came from a big corduroy and shearling jacket I purchased a long time ago in New York one winter. New York can get unbelievably cold, with the wind whistling through the grid system in Manhattan, and this coat was a absolute lifesaver. Over the season's we've used a number of different fabrics in the Grandpa coat, each of which gives it a different attitude, but the common denominator is that it has to feel like a big warm hug!"
One of our core trouser styles for many years, fishtail trousers are so-called because of the v-shaped cut in the rear of the waistband, which creates a more comfortable fit. If you’re looking for a modern flat-fronted trouser with a gradual taper from the mid-thigh that will go with virtually everything you have in your wardrobe, the fishtail fits the bill.
"So the genesis of the fishtail trouser is actually a very formal trouser that I make for Favourbrook, my formalwear brand. The fishtail has always been a smart trouser that you would typically wear with braces but I just love the way they sit on the waist. So I thought why not use the design to create elevated chinos with a subtle natural taper? I'm glad I did because everyone loves them. They're so versatile and easy to style."
The Newington coat is a double-breasted style cut from dry wax cotton and is fleece lined, making it incredibly warm. With two front welted pockets and two internal pockets, this coat will see you through the worst the winter can throw at you, all the while in consummate style.
"The Newington coat was born out of the Grandpa coat but with a few major differences, the most obvious being the double-breasted construction. I've always been a fan of the pea coat, especially the original chunky styles made from thick Melton wool, so I wanted to create something similar but with more technical functionality. Hence the Newington coat in a water-resistant dry wax cotton. The fleece lining gives it a weighty warmth too."
If you're in the market for a really versatile shirt that can be styled in a variety of different ways right along the whole smart-casual spectrum then the New York Special has your name on it. Boasting a regular-fit, the New York Special is a modern classic and one of our most popular shirt styles for good reason. It features a perfectly proportioned spread collar which allows it to be worn in both smart and casual looks. With a suit, it lends the outfit a slightly debonair aesthetic that you don't get with a classic point collar.
"I can tell you exactly where the inspiration for the New York Special shirt came from - the 1984 concert film 'Stop Making Sense' directed by Jonathan Demme and starring one of the coolest guys to have ever lived, Mr David Byrne of the Talking Heads. If you haven't seen the film, you can find it on Youtube. It's amazing. In the opening scene, Byrne wears this pale grey shirt with a little spread collar while singing Psycho Killer that I instantly became obsessed about, so the New York Special is an ode to that."
The Solms jacket was one of the very first signature Oliver Spencer silhouettes and remains to this day our most iconic piece of tailoring. It comes as a suit, but many of our customers like to wear the jacket as a tailored separate, because of the versatile style. It actually takes its name from a customer and long-time friend of Oli's, Philip Solms. Philip wanted a jacket that adhered to the traditional tenets of tailoring on the one hand, while also doubling as a piece of outerwear on the other. He wanted to be able to flip the collar when it was cold to afford him a little protection from the elements, without the need of resorting to an overcoat.
"My solution, and the thing that makes the Solms jacket so unique and versatile, is the hybrid collar construction which can be worn up or down depending on how you want to style the jacket. The collar is for all intents and purposes a hybridised Nehru collar when stood up, the one difference being the accentuated gap at the front. But it's this very gap that turns the Nehru collar into a classic notch lapel when turned down, instantly turning what was an elevated piece of tailored workwear into something altogether more sartorial that you can wear as a two-piece suit or as part of your rotation of tailored separates."
