As the the title says, I am back to wearing 80/20 cotton/wool shirts as the weather turns colder.
Bur where to buy more now?
Thoughts welcome
Viyella online store.
Bit hit and miss on availability but worth a look.
Viyella 80/20 shirts are not as warm as Lands End Portuguese flannel ones.
There used to be more wool in Viyella. The one I bought in Baron of Piccadilly before it shut down was 80/20 though. Great shop, with old-fashioned cashiers and money transfer by a tube system from the shop floor.
Lands End shirt collars are rather small now and patterns are not what they were.
It depends on the specific shirt with Lands End - I certainly have some very decent collars and patterns from them in last year or so. But each style and manufacture run seems different. The Sail Rigger shirts with smaller collars were replaced by ones with generous rolled ones. Specific patterns can be gone in a couple of weeks never to reappear (such as the baby blue poplin check I grabbed two of, each subtly different and not seen since). I used to go over to Oakham and grab a lot cheap off the rails, including NOS but not been in a fair while.
They are highly inconsistent but it's part of the fun with them. While the new technical fabric shirt have a 2 finger roll collar, the chambray one has a three (I test them all!) There doesn't seem to be a definitive version with them. But they fit me like no other shirt given my build, so I try most of theirs that are put out. Most stay, some are returned.
Viyella - I have plenty of old Austin Reed in-store bought Viyella made ones (with Viyella logo) but they were softer on the collar and more sensible sizing (for me) than Viyella's own on-line ones since. The chest to neck proportions do not work for me in their own range.
That Baron shop you mention sounds last of its era, it would of been interesting to see.
There is so little photographic evidence of these old places too.
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2024-11-18 05:11:56)
Barons was one of the last menswear stores I remember where you looked at the window display prior to going into the store to request to see something.
I only ever purchased a beautiful camel hair Burberry v neck in the early Eighties. The logo was discreetly positioned at the waste.
I think they carried the full range of Burberry menswear. This was before the Casuals tried to destroy the brand