Nigel Cabourn Coastal Command: in sheep's clothing

If I could think of one good reason why I might need two grand's worth of sheepskin with a yellow painted hood, this Nigel Cabourn Coastal Command coat would already be mine. And the fact that it is actually reduced to half price at Flannels really isn't going to wash, unfortunately.

But as far as sheepskins, which are having something of a rennaisance, go, this is about as nice as I have seen so far, even if it is only suitable for steaming through the country lanes in your topless 1930s Bentley on a Sunday like Toad of Toad Hall.

Nigel Cabourn @ Bread & Butter: Full force

Back in July Nigel Cabourn and the crew set up camp at the Bread & Butter trade show in Berlin to showcase the spring-summer collection which is filtering through to the stores about now. None of the subtlety of the previous military influences - this time around he's gone for full-on camo. But cool camo, I'm sure you'll agree.

Nigel Cabourn short down puffa: cool up north

You might think that one puffa is much like any other and in some respects you would be correct. But when it comes to Nigel Cabourn you can expect that little bit more. Such as a design inspired by some key moment in adventuring history and the kind of manufacturing that only British craftsmen can deliver.

So the short down puffa is manufactured from Norwegian cotton canvas, has a goosedown filling, is trimmed with a sheep collar, and has a detachable fur trim hood.

It has a yolk of leather (one detail we'll be seeing a lot more of this year) and leather arm patches for when you're sliding down that mountain with nothing but your elbows for brakes.  Factor in drawstrings in both hood and hem, wood toggles, two side pockets and elastic cuffs and you can see why Cabourn makes clothes which will last you a lifetime.

Available at Present.

Nigel Cabourn A/W 2011 interview: the man himself

Nigel Cabourn AW11 from LN-CC on Vimeo.

The advent of a new season in menswear just wouldn't be the same without a Nigel Cabourn interview. This is the bit when the man himself waxes (should that be beeswaxes, given his love of treating his jackets in the stuff?) lyrical about the inspirations and materials in his collection.

It is also the bit when you consider once again remortgaging the house for one of those cameraman jackets.

Nigel Cabourn Everest Parka: historical

When it copmes to researching his designs, Nigel Cabourn goes to the sort of lengths that the subject matters of his inspiration go to.

Take this Everest Parka. It's a copy of the jacket Sir Edmund Hillary wore when he climbed Everest in 1953. Nigel Cabourn found Hillary's original jacket in a display in New Zealand.

The Everest Parka has become one of the staple parts of the Cabourn autumn / winter collections for the past few years. This release, in a navy ventile, is extra special, seeing as only six have been produced.

They are hand sewn in Yorkshire, stuffed with goose down and feature a hood trimmed with coyote fur, as well as a sheepskin collar. Add to that wooden buttons and a Riri zip and you have something that should be in a museum itself, even though that would be a waste.

Available at Superdenim

Nigel Cabourn AW11 collection: bring on the chill

Nigel Cabourn AW11 from Anna Victoria Best on Vimeo.
It might not seem like it as we simmer in a boil-in-th-bag mix of balmy temperatures and monsoon conditions, but the lion's share of the summer is over and like it or not we are heading, like an out of control train, towards winter. You can offset the gloom the thought of dark mornings and months of crappy weather induces with a look at the Nigel Cabourn collection, which is enough to brighten anyone's day.

Nigel Cabourn by Tenue de Nimes: inspiration from the depths

Nigel Cabourn has a theme behind all of his collections, and will readily admit to taking his inspiration from all sorts of moments in history, from pioneers of arctic exploration to his grandfather's service during the Second World War in Burma. For his spring-summer 2011 collection he tells Tenue de Nimes that he looked to submariners for his pointers.

Which does beg the question, 'whatever next?'

Yuketen x Nigel Cabourn: on the right foot

I'm not going to bore you with this again, aside from to say that for the next week I will again be telecom-less at home. This time it's Orange's fault. Don't even ask. So I'm going to rattle off a few posts as and when.

We might as well start here with this thoughtful little Nigel Cabourn Yuketen colab. They've essentially taken the Maine Guide boot and stuck some melton wool on it. A decent production from a couple of well-suited names, made all the more appealing by the addition of a nice white Vibram sole.

To be honest someone could stick a vibram sole on a pair of slippers and I would probably like them.

Nigel Cabourn Everest Parka: summit in the air

That night I was down the pub in Spitalfields this fella came in wearing a thick orange down-filled parka with a fleece collar and fastened only by the drawstring at the waist. He'd tied his scarf,  which had a red Aquascutum check, with a long drop at the front and tucked the tail into the drawstring.

On the wrong person, and given the time of year, this could have looked like he had just emerged from Santa's grotto, but on him it worked.

Courtesy of the chaps at fuk.co.uk I have now tracked down the parka. It is the Everest Parka by Nigel Cabourn, and here's a look at the blue version.

Nigel Cabourn fall / winter 2010: Cometh the hour, cometh the man

Nigel Cabourn has been coming up with solid garments for as long as I can remember.

His reworking of classic outdoor wear inspired by Arctic explorers and the like has always given his stuff a dependable toughness that feels like it will be with you for years.

So familiar and comfortable does this stuff look that I'm feeling all warm inside just writing this.

And as the style world turns ever more to the back country for its cues, Nigel Cabourn is becoming increasingly relevant.

He's really gone back in time for the fall/winter lookbook. The whole look is reminiscent of 1930s bird watchers. Heritage indeed.

And on a different level entirely, there's this collaboration with Yuketen. A more fitting partnership I have yet to think of.

I also slung a parka down there at the bottom, because you know I like that kind of thing.