Here in the UK, spring has most definitely sprung. It was confirmed unofficially last week by sightings of topless, middle-aged and ambitious men publicly sunbathing and the faint smells of premature barbecues dipping over garden fences across the country. While these are equally amusing and salivating reasons to be excited about spring, there are many more, particularly in the clothing department, as wearing shorts and shirts is wonderfully liberating. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, though, as there’s one area that can’t be forgotten about: outerwear. Spring can be a tricky time of the year to dress correctly – it’s annoyingly tentative and temperamental. As such, having spring-appropriate outerwear is key. Not having it can be disastrous and quite literally dampen your spirits, and relying on those winter-conquering pieces can be uncomfortable. Thankfully, here at The Workers Club, options are aplenty in this department that can keep you in a perfect state of happiness – protected and cool at all times. It would be ill of us not to kick things off by talking about our four Deck jackets, which are this season’s pièces de résistance (read about the entire collection, here). Each one has been entirely Made in the UK by our friends Mackintosh, which is a stalwart of British manufacturing. Inside their new, state-of-the-art factory, fabrics and trimmings sourced from British mills and suppliers are guided by more than a century of experience and pieced together slowly by skilled hands. We like to think that these are pieces for the future – they will last for years and years, and that’s just the way they should be. In terms of being suitable for this season, what you need to know is that the jackets are lightweight, breathable and water resistant. For instance, the three ripstop iterations – navy, olive and airforce blue – are unlined to reduce weight and improve ventilation, while the fabric itself is made using waxed-cotton that’s water-resistant. Get caught in a shower? No problem, the Deck jackets are made from fabric that’s been tried and tested in history’s Theatre of War. To keep up with the multi-faceted lifestyles that we all now lead, the jackets come replete with four front pockets to store all those essentials, like Cutler & Gross sunglasses which we now have the pleasure of stocking. Another key piece of outerwear for this season is, and always has been, the denim jacket. Not particularly efficient in the midst of winter, yet come spring and into summer and autumn, wearing a denim jacket never seems to fail you, and it’s of those classics that you can wear with anything. As you probably know, we take our denim pretty seriously, which is why we make all of our denim products using Japanese denim. (If you haven’t already, you can read about this side of our world, here.) Currently, we have two 13oz selvedge denim jackets at TWC, in natural and in indigo rinse, both of which have their own styling merits. The fabric is woven by an age-old mill called Nihon Menpu, and they use long-staple cotton fibres and dyeing techniques that yield fantastic results in terms of the quality and durability. While these won’t keep you dry, of course, they will keep you warm when the sun drops each evening this summer and, providing that you’re going to be outdoors a lot given that we’ve been indoors for what feels like an eternity, you’re going to need that. 13oz denim is pretty perfect in our view – it’s the optimum weight in keeping you cool and not too hot – and paired with a simple T-shirt beneath or an IKAT shirt (which would look great with the natural jacket) will suffice perfectly. Last but by no means least is our navy technical blazer which is arguably our most ‘formal’ creation. The very essence of formal clothing has been questioned in recent years – is there any need for it? – but as a result of the last year or so in lockdown and wearing sweatpants at home, people want to dress up again and a simple navy blazer is a fail-safe option. The design specifications of formal clothing have changed, though. People want lightweight and versatile pieces, ones that you don’t need to spend lots of money caring for and be worried about ruining the shoulder padding and all that. Thankfully, our technical blazer is unlined and unstructured, and it’s also made from a crease-resistant nylon fabric, so you can neatly fold it and put it in your tote bag, for instance, if you don’t need it. When it comes to wearing it, it will look clean and fresh. You can’t do that with a traditional navy blazer, can you? It’s the future of men’s tailoring and what’s more, it’s Made in England. We like to think that this piece of clothing is what every man needs now in his life – it has a sense of utility, but also several degrees of smartness which you don’t see very often. All in all, wherever you’re going this season, this selection of outerwear pieces cover all the bases. Exploring the city of the countryside, tick. At a barbeque in your friends garden, tick. Lastly, topless sunbathing? We couldn’t recommend them more for that leisurely pastime. Seriously. Explore our outerwear, here.
