Men's Fashion

What's in the range

• Outerwear: the largest part of the collection: sherpa fleeces, eco puffers, windbreakers, rain jackets, shirt jackets and parkas from Vissla, made largely with recycled and eco fabrics
• Tops: polos, tees and casual shirts
• Footwear: casual sneakers, waterproof trainers, loafers and boots
• Accessories: polarised sunglasses, quartz and smart watches, watch straps

How to build a wardrobe that works in Britain

The British problem isn't cold, it's variability, a fifteen-degree swing in a day and rain arriving without notice. Layering solves it and a heavy coat doesn't.

• Base layer: a tee or long-sleeve that moves moisture rather than holding it
• Mid layer: a fleece, sherpa or overshirt. This is what actually keeps you warm, and it comes off indoors
• Outer layer: something that stops wind and rain. A windbreaker or rain jacket packs down and lives in a bag

A fleece plus a windbreaker covers more of the British year than a single winter coat, costs about the same, and adapts to a day that starts at eight degrees and reaches eighteen.

How to choose outerwear for the job

Shirt jacket and overshirt

The autumn workhorse. Heavy enough to replace a jumper, light enough to keep on indoors, and it works over a tee or under a coat.

Sherpa and fleece

Best warmth for the weight, comfortable indoors, poor in rain, fleece absorbs water and takes a long time to dry. Needs something over it when wet.

Windbreaker and rain jacket

Packable and wind-stopping. Check whether seams are taped: taped seams mean genuine rain protection, untaped means showers only.

Puffer and parka

The January answer. Buy in November for price and size availability. Check whether the fill is down or synthetic, down is warmer for the weight but loses insulation when wet, synthetic keeps working damp.

How to get the fit right

• Fit the shoulders first. The seam should sit at the edge of your shoulder. Everything else on a jacket can be adjusted or lived with; shoulders can't.
• Size up if you'll layer. A jacket worn over a fleece needs room the size label doesn't account for.
• Surf-brand outerwear often has longer sleeves than high street equivalents, check the sleeve measurement rather than assuming.
• Oversized and relaxed styles are cut that way deliberately. Don't size down to compensate.

How to look after technical outerwear

• Wash rarely. Spot-clean and air instead, every wash strips some water resistance
• Never use fabric conditioner on fleece or anything water-resistant; it flattens the pile and kills the DWR finish
• Wash puffers with a few clean tennis balls in the drum and tumble dry low with them, or the fill stays clumped and the jacket loses its warmth
• Reproof once a season with a spray-on treatment, ten minutes restores most of the performance
• Zip everything up before washing so zips don't catch and tear linings

How to choose polarised sunglasses

Polarisation cuts glare from flat surfaces, wet roads, water, car bonnets, which is what makes it worth having for driving, fishing and cycling. It's separate from UV protection: check for UV400 or 100% UV protection, which is what actually protects your eyes. Dark lenses without UV protection are worse than no sunglasses, because they open the pupil while letting UV through. One practical note: polarised lenses can make some LCD screens and dashboard displays hard to read at certain angles.