SIRPLUS AW19 - Nehru Cardies and Cashmere Splendour

The days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting frostier, and the pavements are covered in leafy mulch… yep, autumn has arrived. Luckily, our new AW19 gear has just landed, and considering this is our biggest collection of clothes yet — we should have what you need to get though the months ahead. So without further rambling, here’s a quick run-down of some of our favourite bits we’ve been working on.

 

Anyone who’s known us for a while will probably be aware of our penchant for Nehru jackets (those Mandarin-collared jackets favoured by Indian dignitaries, countless Bond-baddies and The Beatles circa 1965), and this season we’ve pushed the boat out with two new versions of this somewhat overlooked design classic.

 

First up, we’ve got the Chore Nehru Jacket. As the name suggests, this takes design cues from both the Nehru jacket and those humble chore coats traditionally worn by French farmers. Made in England from tough cotton twill with three particularly useful patch pockets (as well as two inside) and that trademark Nehru-esque Mandarin collar… it’s workwear, with a bit of a late ‘60s psychedelic twist, and we’re pretty pleased with how these beauties turned out.

 

 

And then there’s our Nehru Cardigans. These toasty numbers merge the classic fireside flavour of a good ol’ woolen cardigan, with the dignified look of — you guessed it — a Nehru jacket. It’s the cardigan for those who don’t usually like cardigans, and is the ideal autumn layer to sandwich between a big coat and one of our organic cotton tees.

 

 

As ever, SIRPLUS is still heavily based around scouring the globe for top-notch surplus fabric — and this season we’ve hunted down some cracking deadstock threads. Ultra-luxurious brown moleskin was just the stuff for our raglan-sleeved bomber jacket, and that navy-checked wool was prime for our cold-weather chore jacket.

 

We’ve also been making good use of everyone’s favourite goat-based wonder-fabric… cashmere — not only have we given our trusty Nehru Jacket the cashmere treatment, we’ve put this stuff to good use on our Grandad Shirts too.

Like the Nehru Jacket, the Grandad Shirt is another one of our mainstays that we return to time and time again. It’s a modern take on the sorts of shirts worn by farmers, factory workers and various other hard graftin’ types back in the early 20th century, with a chest pocket, a curved hem and that distinct collarless design.

 

 

Anyway, as we were saying, we’ve made some from a blend of cotton and cashmere. The cotton keeps them tough, whilst the cashmere makes them feel dead soft and swanky.

 

What else have we got? It’d be hard to squeeze all the good stuff we’ve made this season into this quick article, but other bits worth chatting about include our take on the ever-reliable lambswool crew-neck, as well as those nice and sturdy chinos - relaxed enough for everyday life, but still smart enough for the occasional formal outing. Those Liberty-print pyjamas probably deserve a nod too.

 

As we said before, there’s a lot to go at here — it’s safe to say we’ve come a long way from selling boxer shorts on a market stall.