By my reckoning, there should always be room for something Michelin Man-esque in your wardrobe. Something which makes you look like if you fell over you just keep on rolling until you hit a bale of hay. Something which would result in some 1950s likely lad saying “Get a load of this guy’s life preserver! Dork thinks he’s gonna drown”, or does that only happen to Marty McFly?
I digress.
What got me thinking was this ace, well priced Down Explorer from Barbour.
When I first saw this being rocked (can I say ‘rocked’? I just have) by the proprietor of a rather renowned Mancunian clothing mecca I was impressed. It’s nice isn’t it? He was wearing it in Paris while sitting on a window ledge. I’m not making this up.
Needless to say, much as I appreciated it, I didn’t want to come across as a copycat so I didn’t end up getting one. In addition my piggy bank was going through a period of feeling particularly sorry for itself. Instead, I scoured US eBay for something similar, but cheaper and perhaps more rare. I found what I was looking for in the shape of an Eddie Bauer goose down jacket. That’s not important right now though.
What is important is that despite owning a genuine piece of 1970s mountaineering history (think ‘The Eiger Sanction’ with Clint Eastwood) I still fancy something new. You can’t beat something new can you? They tend to fit better, smell nicer and generally leave you basking in the warm glow that can only be gained after buying a dead nice new jacket? Or is that just me being weird again?
Here are a few more bubble/puffa/down/padded/whatever jackets which are floating my paninaro tinged boat this week.
To kick things off, this Down Quilted Jacket from YMC is pretty close to the aforementioned Eddie Bauer effort. Both this and the Barbour Down Explorer are available from Stuarts London who are currently knocking 8% off non-sale items with the discount code LONDON8. Like a dinner lady’s washing basket, that’s not to be sniffed at. Alternatively, this is also available from OKI-NI.
If Navy doesn’t match your eyes, it’s available in beige at Liberty London.
If it’s lightweight but maximum insulation you’re after, get on this garment-dyed goodness from Stone Island, via Tessuti.
A similar sort of thing, also from Stone Island, is this effort, which comes in a colour called anthracite grey. Sounds like a futuristic OAP superhero or summat. If you buy it here and use the discount code WELCOME, you’ll get 5% off your first order. Not going to bring it down loads but on a coat that costs the best part of five ton, that’s what… £25? Something like that.
Sticking with the inevitable Osti theme, how about this Compact Fill Jacket from MA.Strum?
It comes in two colours, Navy or Slab Orange, with the latter being £100 cheaper in the sale. Weird but good eh?
Tell you who always does a good VFM padded parka every autumn… Penfield.
Their latest effort is no different to their usual offerings. Pound for pound as good as you’ll find. If this were a boxer it’d be Manny Pacquiao. Durable, hard working, and while not a heavyweight in terms of price point, it certainly is in terms of actual weight. Liberty have got them here.
Everything I’ve just said about the summit parka (which also comes in black, btw) could be said about the Eska Quilted Overshirt. Also from Liberty.
And finally for the curve ball. The proper paninaro bombshell. Grab your wraparound shades, your Harrods bag and this is ideal for pretending you’re an Italian tourist in the West End. It’ll come as no surprise that this comes from Italian brand Duvetica. Not totally for me this, but for the more daring dandy who wants to sack off looking like an extra in Fargo, this does the trick. Skinny jeans and skinny latte at the ready lads. This is also from Liberty.
