It’s one of our most favourite elements of what we do and we are pleased to announce that our very first Spring & Summer collection of Inis Meain knitwear is now available.

For those unaware Inis Meain is a small island, part of the Aran Isles off Galway on the west coast of Ireland in the Atlantic ocean. Traditionally, it is quite a rugged, outdoor lifestyle there with fishing being the main industry.

The knitwear company was started in the mid 1970s and reflects the need for quality warm clothing aswell as the natural stylishness of the islanders – their clothing being ‘simply’ home made by a few women and therefore with a unity to the design.

It has always been a pleasure for us to be involved with this brand and to proudly stock such high quality and interesting pieces in our shop so we’re excited to see how this season’s range goes.

Inis Meain garments are now stocked in over 100 retailers worldwide and we are proud to be included in the illustrious company which includes Bergdorf Goodman Man in New York and Beams in Tokyo. We are 1 of only 3 U.K stockists and the only 1 of them currently stocking online for this season.

This time we have named the designs after some of the Inis team.

We’ve bought 4 styles, some in 2 colours, all of them brand new to DE&S.

‘Ruari’ V/N Sweater

With warmer weather hopefully on the way, we are seeing this as our statement piece of knitwear.

It’s our luxurious take on the classic English ‘Cricket’ sweater made in a cream coloured cashmere, silk and cotton –  a surprisingly lightweight blend.

It is the piece which best displays the handwork that goes into each garment with several stitch styles featured quite clearly front and back.

As ever the different patterns represent traditional stitches from years gone by reinterpreted for today. They would once have had specific family meaning for the fishermen wearing them out at sea, knitted by the women they left behind.

Our knitted jacket also makes it’s debut this season and is a really versatile piece.

‘Tarlach’ Knitted Jacket in Linen

The versatility depends on the weather really so we should have many different uses for it here in Manchester!

For the current weather it would be useful in between your shirt / t shirt and your weightier jacket / coat.

And of course it would make a lightweight, more casual version of a jacket during summer!

We see it as a light top layer for the season’s balmy evenings.

Made from 100% linen which is quite unusual in itself, it is the weight which is the surprise element when on, whilst the ribbing makes the fit nice and close.

The use of linen is a seasonal choice but it is also native to Inis Meain, giving an extra authenticity to this style.

And the colour is a stormy grey / dusty blue melange with flecks of bright blue and cream.

Also in the same 100% Irish linen, we have our crew neck sweater in 2 colours.

‘Aine’ Linen Crew Neck Sweater, Mustard

This is the simplest style we have done with Inis so far and we feel that summer is the best time to appreciate simplistic design, letting the fabric and colour do the talking. That is the reason we have gone bolder on the tones especially with this cobalt blue melange. We think there’s a good chance that it could be the first ‘cobalt blue melange’ piece that most customers will have seen!

There is a higher collar on this which will be good for wearing with a shirt collar or a t shirt if you find the right climate, again the lightweight linen will be smooth on the skin and allow for air circulation whilst keeping a smart look.

‘Aine’ Linen Crew Neck Sweater, Blue

‘Paraic’ V/N Sweater, Olive

The final piece is the most luxurious blend featuring 46% cashmere and 54% linen so the feel of it is super smooth and the lightest weight of all the knitwear.

It is simple in design having an intricate seamless body construction that adds to the luxe feel of the fabric.

Both colours are flecked with Ivory to make more of a blended palette so they will sit well next to white and off whites and give a sharp preppy look.

‘Paraic’ V/N Sweater, Blue

We think this could be the first of many Spring Summer seasons of Inis knitwear at DE&S!

Our previous blog post covered our trip over there to design them and now 8 weeks later – here they are…

Our silk pocket square range

As we mentioned, this was the first time we had been able to have a hand in the design of our silk collection as we had always shared designs with others and maybe selected our own colourways previously. So these ones mean more to us and can definitely be said to be exclusive to us now.  And that’s the important part!

We have 3 styles available – pockets squares, cravats and scarves.

New mustard/blue paisley square in the pocket of 1 of our S/S ’13 jackets.

For this season, we decided to keep the designs pretty classic and inspired by the vast archives at Macclesfield, all are based on paisley, brocade, lace pattern and a graphic repeat design from the 1930s which was created by David Evans (print designer) at that time, featured below.

Colours wise, we have a rich palette of blues, navys, burgundys and mustards mixed with seasonal peach, bright blues, yellows and greens.

Blue paisley pocket square with brocade border folded to 1/4 size.

Yellow paisley pocket square, full size.

Full length scarves in store including the David Evans design on the left

The David Evans design circa 1930s rediscovered for our current collection and in our colours.

Feel free to see for yourselves in store…..

The river Arno by night from the roof of a hotel bar we visited.

2013 is going to be a year when DE&S diversify into completely new areas

We will be bringing other brands in and collaborating in new directions this year!

We hope to bring you fresh new ideas that sit alongside everything we have done before aswell as trying to up the ante on quality across the board.

It was at Pitti this year that these ideas started to grow and we can now show you what we’ve been dying to shout about for a while and here are our first two.

(Plus more stylish ankles from the streets of Florence in amongst our news of course!)

Pitti Uomo, Florence by day!

Pitti people

Pitti people at the Mabro party

So, the first new addition acquired at Pitti is the introduction of luxury leather goods brand  WANT Les Essentials de la Vie  in to store within the next month or so. The idea of the brand is based on a need for ‘essential travel accessories’ with a simple, functional and long lasting appeal, hence the name. They are from french speaking Montreal, Canada so again – hence the name!

They have developed a very handsome range of luggage that covers the daily and occasional requirements of today’s discerning man. Please follow the link above to read more about the brand and see their beautiful wares coming to a DE&S near you soon!

The introduction of WANT to DE&S is a big step forward for us in a new direction and we are very proud to soon join their select list of prestigious worldwide stockists.

WANT Les Essentiels at Pitti including money clips, coming into store within the month.

This is our first foray into leather accessories and we feel we’ve got exactly the right products for many reasons…..

* The QUALITY of these products is immaculate. Each crafted from the finest materials and so sits alongside the rest of our pieces perfectly.

* We have complete in-store EXCLUSIVITY in the U.K on the brand outside of London, which gives DE&S customers an additional unique area to explore. For those already aware of the brand, we are excited to introduce our selection of it for you, to view in store aswell as online.

*  The DESIGN of each piece is ’influenced by mid-century design and architecture’ and so is modern and timeless. In a nutshell, it is going to fit in beautifully with what DE&S  offer and what we have always stood for.

We will be bringing more WANT news as soon as it comes to us!

For now, please view more tempting shots from their stand at Pitti presented by the lovely Rebecca from WANT.

Sarah with the WANT laptop cover

Mr Doherty with the WANT Douglas Holdall in Camel (coming in A/W ’13). Also showcasing this current season’s navy jacket! Coming in in February….

The next big PITTI introduction to us is SHOES!

Grenson to be exact.

(Yes we went to Florence to buy British shoes)

We know that Grenson won’t need much of an introduction to most of you as it is a household name especially amongst DE&S readers. You will probably already know about the quality, craftsmanship and style of this iconic British heritage brand. Well just in case any of you need reminding/introducing , take it from the horse’s mouth as to why DE&S would want to offer Grenson’s shoes.

Here are a few words from their own website on ‘How we make our shoes’ which should convince both believers and those unaware of the Grenson brand.

*                  *

All Grenson shoes are “Goodyear Welted”, a process invented in the 1800′s in England that is a time consuming way of making shoes, but means that the product lasts longer than any other type of shoes. It also means that the shoe can be re-soled many times over making them a wonderful investment.

We feel this all fits in very well with our what we’re all about especially as we will specifically be having only their bespoke range – ‘GLab’ from among the many ranges available.

The idea of G Lab is to ‘create your own’ styles and therefore we will be designing and then stocking Grenson shoes exclusive to us.

How exciting!

Grenson G-LAB BOX advertisement

This is the box you get with a G-Lab purchase. It serves as an advertisement for the range really as the shoe can obviously feature several styles and colours in the same pair! We love that we can offer you shoes from a range which is actually unique.

And this is how Grenson describe G Lab -

*               *              *

G LAB

This is our factory limited edition programme, where we produce customised versions of our classics either for the own stores or in collaboration with our retail partners. Sometimes GLab shoes are made as a collaboration with another brand, but they are always Grenson in some way.

*              *                *

So that should give you an early feel of what’s to come over the next few months and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

There will be more to comer on each collaboration as we get nearer to receiving everything.

We hope you enjoyed our report.

Until next time…

DE&S kicked off the year with our annual pilgrimage to ‘Pitti Uomo’ menswear trade show in Florence last week.

It is always a pleasure to have an opportunity to get away during early January, the lowest point of the year in many ways here at home!

Just being in this beautiful city is inspiring in itself but during this week Florence is a haven for the men’s fashion industry so there’s a lot going on and some serious style spotting to be done! You can see in our pics…

Of course there is also work to be done..!

We were there to buy most of our stock for Autumn Winter 2013/14 from our established manufacturers but we also hoped to find new lines to sell alongside our own pieces and we certainly did.

We had an idea of what we were looking for but it is best to go to these events with an open mind as you never know who or what  you’ll come across! More on this later…

So, this being our 3rd time at Pitti, we know it’s important to get our appointments in on the first day to get the most important orders placed and feel that we have opened our Autumn Winter ‘account’!  We then have a foundation of product to build upon.

With these boxes ticked we can then start to add new elements in if we are happy everything will work together. There are certain colours and trends that emerge that we see working for us.

(More Pitti people and more ankle displaying..)

So, our main ‘foundations’ that we’re looking for are our Italian off the peg jackets and trousers and our Irish knitwear. (Shirts are bought in the U.K directly from source as ever).

We are always most excited to see (and try on!) the new knitwear selection so we made that the 1st appointment of the day and the guys from Inis Meain didn’t disappoint!

It’s great to see the team behind the scenes and with a company like Inis Meain, you actually deal with Paraic who is the reason any of it exists, he’s started the brand in the mid 1970s!

We deal alot with Sean who is 1 of the main selling guys who usually helps us put our collection together. We also met some of the ladies who hand make the pieces which was lovely. They explained why they use certain yarn blends for specific weights and about the wool and linen that is native to the island itself. We loved it and they were really nice.

For the previous 2 years we have done a shawl collar style as the ‘show stealer’ which we have bought into more than other styles but this year we really felt it was time to step in a different direction after seeing the collection.

So, this winter will see our first ever cardigan arriving… A heavier gauge cardi/knitted jacket a little like the 1 Sean is modelling above!

We will go into more detail about specific product next time but our pics give a feel of what we saw on the day and of Pitti itself, it’s a visual treat that we must share!

The afternoon meeting with our main supplier of our suits and jackets, Mabro, was less fruitful in terms of buying into their style and fabric ideas for the collection but it helped us to decide on our own direction for them to make for us which will give us a more unique look. Again, more on this later!

However, their made to measure service has been overhauled in some ways and we needed to catch up on the latest developments that they are offering. The small changes are beneficial to us all and only add to what we’ve been able to offer our customers up to now. Updates really, in a very good way!

They are all fantastic guys that run Mabro and who we are quite familiar with by now. We deal with Laura who runs made to measure and Gaia is in charge of the ready to wear department. Lovely ladies who have been very helpful with DE&S from the early days!

This is Mr Stott trying some of their collection, a beautiful brown DB and Gaia explaining things behind him…

And Mr Evans getting a piece of the action in a blue jacket which, like so many others, is just too big for him! Shame..

The rest of the day is spent seeking out better companies and pieces that can help us find that next very special addition to the current DE&S selection. As well as lunch and many coffees to keep us going of course.

Seek and ye shall find – a new tie maker!…..  The last chance meeting of the day came as we were actually leaving the building.

Here follows a sneak peek of what we discovered. They are the most beautifully made neck ties we can possibly think of attaching our name to and we feel we have designed a very strong collection for your Autumn & Winter tie needs!

We felt that this range here are going to be pretty out of this world in terms of texture and fabric quality (a silk and wool blend). The colours we will choose are many and are still undecided….! This is just 1 idea from our new man (from Naples)…

By the way we are still using our knitted silk tie specialist from Milan as before for Spring Summer 2013

We will be getting more concrete images together of our exact order in time but for now please allow us to titillate you further until next time with Florentine sartorial inspiration…..

In part 2 coming soon – brand new things which are made from leather!

This week another road trip for lucky boys DE&S and this time quite a local one, to our favourite silk makers in Macclesfield, Chesire.

We have come to design hanky and scarf styles for the new season (possibly in store early January).

It is always fun to design our own pieces and coming to a mill with such heritage and archives to rifle through for inspiration is fantastically exciting for DE&S!

The scene was magnificently set for our trip into Macclesfield on a frosty winter’s morning drive through South Manchester and Chesire as the pictures show.

We have been using this mill since day 1 and have got to the stage now where we can actually design our own from scratch as opposed to sharing the designs of others which is what we have done up to now.

So, it’s exciting to reach this stage and we greeted the archive room like it was Santa’s grotto!

Our excitement is understandable when you know that their archives at this mill date back to the 1800s! It’s also funny to think that so many of the designs over the years are just exactly what we buy now!?  The word ‘classic’ springs to mind as we are looking over the many years of designs in front of us. It is the colour ways which mainly have changed in time in the designs which are still popular now.

Of course, the main design we speak of is PAISLEY in it’s many sizes and layouts, with or without borders of other paisleys or other styles!

From the beginning of our business, it is always the paisleys that stand out more and that people seem to be drawn to with the exception of only 1 or 2 other repeat patterns.

So, onto the designs themselves. Well, we wouldn’t want to give the entire game away regarding our specific future designs but can excitedly hint at what’s in store for the new year. And yes, it’s mainly paisley!

When the hankies come into store, we will obviously be shouting about them and you will be able to see which way we went with the design choices from these archives.

Until then, enjoy these sneak peeks….!

Last week we had a lovely, quite wintery trip to Scotland to buy some new stock for next season!

We went to 2 of our favourite mills, 1 of which is a woollen mill which spins for some of the world’s biggest brands and the other is 1 of the world’s biggest cashmere suppliers, Johnston’s of Elgin, whose pieces we haven’t stocked before.

Our day started early and clear from Manchester and as we got closer to Scotland near lunch time things started to get decidedly more foggy and blustery, like an unofficial ‘Welcome to Scotland’. We were suddenly surrounded by the mountains and valleys between the lakes area and the Scottish border – exactly what we wanted and great for atmospheric pics….!

Our first appointment of the day was with Marling & Evans which has recently moved to this mill in Langholm, Scotland from Slaithwaite in Huddersfield as they were bought out by Reid & Taylor, who have been producing beautiful cloth from this mill since 1837. The 2 companies n0w share this historic site happily and our long time associate there Mark gave us a tour of their new home including some of the slightly disorganised archives and the working looms!

No matter how many mills you look around (and we’ve seen a few by now), it’s always so exciting to see many different colours of wool being woven into –  CLOTH!  Whilst we were there, we saw cloth being made by Marling & Evans for the very biggest of all the French fashion houses…this really is where it all happens! It doesn’t get much bigger than this in terms of seeing with your own eyes those traditional British skills which are at the top of the world wide clothing industry being woven ready for the big boys!

Anyway, getting down to business.

The whole reason we were there was to see what we could do in order to get our Spring Summer suiting sorted, expecting to choose from the available holding of cloth stock, which is what we always did before.

However – this time, we are very proud to announce that we have designed our own cloth! Being in bigger premises has meant better capabilities for us and so..

Our jackets and trousers for Spring Summer next year will be woven from 100% exclusive DE&S cloth. We designed it ourselves for ourselves alone. It will also be available for made to measure customers. What you see here is the first stage of the idea of blending colours together……

From this conception will grow 4 new lightweight suiting cloths for next season. They are all going to be of a ‘Donegal’ nature (flecky) in appearance and will fit in beautifully, we hope, with the rest of the collection. The colour ways are delightful and pale versions of what we see here really. We decided that we will have this made into suits which will be available as separates also in store. This means you can buy as you wish and mixed with knitwear in coordinating colours etc. It’s really exciting. (Knitwear sample pics coming soon). For now, good bye Langholm Mill!

OK and the afternoon took us to Hawick to meet with Johnston’s (Of Elgin!). Here in Hawick, they have a store and a studio space for buying purposes where they have the current collection and archives of many, many years worth in the most perfect leather bound books.

Johnston’s are the ultimate cashmere maker for pretty much everything and we were hoping to buy for christmas gifting items.

So – we bought a multitude of hats, scarves, gloves and the all important cashmere socks which are the most requested items at this time of year. An array of beautiful winter colours and all super, super soft and luxurious!!

This will all be arriving soon in to store and obviously there will be pictures a plenty to follow, along with news of more stock for Christmas and the New Year..

We know, it’s been a while but we do have an awfully good excuse….

We have been busy with our latest project for the last 2 months and this is it…!

 Our new home and headquarters!

Just a stone’s throw away from House Of Fraser, where we grew up, our first ever store is now ready and waiting for your approval, if you haven’t already visited us.

We couldn’t be prouder of it ourselves and do still to pinch each other on a regular basis!

It is the store we have dreamt of making a home of and everyday it is feeling more and more like we are doing just that.

The store itself will be familiar to many as the previous home of ‘Richard Creme’ who sold high end menswear for many years and who made a name for himself in the M.E.N at that time as David Beckham’s dresser when he lived in Manchester.

More recently, Vivienne Westwood opened her only UK Anglomania store here until earlier this year so this place has a rich heritage as a retail space of a certain calibre and that’s one of the many reasons we feel privileged to be it’s new tenants!

The fact that it is absolutely beautiful inside and out also helps us to be proud and we’ve been busy working away to make it beautiful in our own way. We hoped to add to the stone clad, victorian atmosphere and grandeur of the building with our gilt edged signage and hand made, personally tailored garments.

So, in terms of our offering, not a lot has changed except that now, everything looks a whole lot better! In this environment, each piece takes on a whole new quality and can be appreciated properly. No longer are we sharing our space with other unrelated items. No longer will any of our pieces be overlooked in the midst of a menswear floor. Each can now stand out, the fabric we put so much care into choosing spotlit and showcased gloriously!

Details of new stock will follow soon…..

We want to focus on what we’re calling ‘Proper Dressing’.

This will also be known as ‘The Isherwood Influence’ because to help get our message across, we wanted to pin point an era and a stylish gent from that era to reference.

We’ve chosen celebrated British writer Mr Christopher Isherwood to represent our ideal look.

Born in Chesire but mostly an American resident up to his death in 1986, Mr Isherwood’s personal style epitomises a time when the style we are referring to as proper dressing was de riguer but it is his own way of clothing himself that shows us a style icon of his era.

‘Proper Dressing’ is an idea we have always seen as our brand concept and we feel now is the right time to bring this concept to the fore as we’re on the brink of Autumn, when we can look forward to wearing more clothes and to the return of layering!

These images show the way Mr Isherwood and his contemporaries were ‘properly dressed’ every day.

Each outfit is finished off in a simple, elegant way whether it is done by layering and creating visual interest, adding a specific detail like a hankie to the top pocket or by the simple act of putting a little prior consideration into an outfit which is evident. Tucking everything into a leather belt, being well groomed and having polished shoes all play a part in our idea of ‘Proper Dressing’. It is really a very simple concept which is nothing new but we think the care taken over these things is something that has been lost over time and should be held on to.

It is about investing into quality as we used to in the past and avoiding gathering piles of sub standard quality garments. Choosing high quality/handmade knitwear, 100% cotton shirts and garments which have been made with care by highly skilled craftspeople all add up to being properly dressed because the quality will speak for itself. This is the antithesis of the way things have been going of late in the clothing industry with the reign of cheap throw away garments. This ties into our ‘Made In Britain’ ethic which we will always stick to whenever the British option is the best we can get. Reinvesting into our own economy is a big part of ‘Proper Dressing’ as it is the way it always has been and will obviously help us all out in many ways.

Of course, fashions have changed and the times we are looking back at will always have a nostalgia to them which makes them seem more elegant and it’s heightened because of the black and white photographs but the concept is the same. It applies to everything. Back then most guys wore suits all the time which always adds a ‘proper’ edge but regardless of the garments, it just takes a bit of attention to detail to finish off an outfit properly. And that’s where we come in!

Here is a selection of looks from our ‘Proper Dressing’ pieces. There are more images to come soon but this is our interpretation of how to do Proper in 2012. We must stress that all fits are slim and and modern. This is one aspect of modern garments which is not related to anything of Mr Isherwood’s era. Anyone who has tried on the average charity shop tweed jacket would know this. You can get lucky from time to time but generally there will be a tell tail sign of the era of a garment by the fit and the styling…(large lapels, generous shoulders, a general bagginess!)

The looks featured here include our new Italian knitted wool ‘Bachardy’ jacket in navy, available in store. A perfect casual piece for crisp autumn days and eves, it’s a combination of a heavy knit cardi, a classic blazer and a dressy lightweight winter jacket. Take your pick!

The ‘Pater’ checked trouser is also in store. All knitwear is made by Inis Meain for us in the Aran Isles in the way it has been for many years by the local ladies. There is a separate post HERE about it.

Our shirting is Made In England and all off the peg jackets and trousers are made at our bespoke makers in Tuscany. Knitted silk ties are also Italian as they are the best we can get. The Italians also know a thing or two about ‘Proper Dressing’.

One of our favourite, much discussed suppliers of cloths is Scabal and this autumn, we have a special addition to our made to measure offer…

A wool cloth with a stripe of pure silver!

In order to showcase this look, we have taken the liberty of making the suit you see above for display in store.

This garment is available to buy off the peg but we also have the cloth which can be transformed into whatever pieces are desired!

The fact that this luxurious offering comes from Scabal should be no surprise.  The house is a reliable source of high end cloths for us and especially for dress occasions and for that special formal jacket.

This prestigious Belgian cloth merchant specialises in very distinctive cloths which are woven in Yorkshire as are the vast majority of our cloths.

Scabal has supplied cloths for many high profile actors in Hollywood films, most notably Mr Daniel Craig who was dressed in a tuxedo by TOM FORD using Scabal cloth. Mr David Beckham’s RALPH LAUREN suit for the wedding of William and Kate was made using Scabal fabric which was woven in Huddersfield specifically for him!

Scabal cloth has also been worn by Mr Leonardo Dicaprio, Mr Barack Obama, Mr Tom Cruise AND was selected by LANVIN to make Mr Jean Dujardin’s tuxedo to accept his Best Actor Oscar in 2012 for his starring role in ‘The Artist’.

Need we say anymore…….!

We are pleased to be able to present our 2nd collection of knitwear, made in collaboration with our friends the heritage Irish brand Inis Meain.

We have 3 brand new styles for the season with 3 colours per style, all are in a 70 % merino / 30% cashmere blend.

The style above is the ‘Dubh’ Cable Knit, which is available in this ‘Mustard’ and also ‘Lead‘ and ‘Ochre‘ (Sold Out).

As ever, the quality of these pieces is outstanding as is the feeling of authenticity you get from them as they come to us directly from the rugged landscape of the Aran Isles.

The Inis Meain Knitting Company was born in 1976 out of a desire to reflect the practical dress of the Aran islanders and their daily lives in modern, luxurious knitwear. Each piece is hand finished in house and we have the pleasure of stocking these very special and limited garments in store and online.

The knitwear itself would originally be hand knitted by the wives of fishermen, for example, for the men to keep warm while out on their boats. The patterns on these pieces has related meaning such as the (boat) rope design which forms part of the Cable Knit design. Inis Meain’s designs are a continuation of this.

The style below is our ‘Artair’ Shawl Knit and is available in these 3 colours.

It features 3 different knit patterns and a toggle closure for extra closeness as the days grow shorter. It is the stand out piece of our small collection, having many features and being so distinctive. It’s a real classic.

The last style is the ‘Manachan’ Donegal Crew neck knit which is the finest weight of the 3. It’s available in 3 colours. Below is ‘Oat’, there is also ‘Wheatgrass’ and ‘Midnight’.

All styles and colours are available in store and all except the ‘Artair’ Shawl Cable in Mustard are online too as there is only 1 of these, in size ‘M’ (medium).

Doherty, Evans & Stott are proud to still be the only stockist of Inis Meain garments in the north of England.