You would be forgiven for thinking that Paul & Shark is exclusively for portly football hooligans from large backward towns who look very much like the Kingpin from the Spider-Man cartoon series. There’s no denying its popularity amongst that rather unfriendly (and otherwise largely unstylish) demographic.
Nonetheless Paul & Shark is a great brand that makes high-quality clothing the right way. It’s designed for yachting enthusiasts and is all made in Italy (I like to think by very wise and very old people in some quiet seaside town).
There’s a glorious feeling of satisfaction that comes with wearing something that’s genuinely practical, even if you’ll probably never need it to be.
Those who are quite partial to the classic scally look, whether that’s in an ironic sense or a genuine one, need look no further than Oi Polloi this winter, as the Thomas Street trendsetters have an impressive selection of nine Paul & Shark items (three jackets, three jumpers and three polos).
My personal favourite is the button-shouldered knit pictured above, closely followed by the ‘918’ one below. (The latter comes in a branded cylindrical tin, which you can put on your mantelpiece if you like, or better still, have your ashes put in when you croak.)
I’m also quite taken with the two delightfully scrotey stripey polos, but am definitely not hard enough to get away with either.
