A few weeks back I wrote a piece about the new Made in Britain brand Lane Fortyfive. At the end of the piece I mentioned that I had ordered some garments for myself and promised to report back in due course. Well, those that follow my Instagram will already have noticed and appreciated that the garments arrived and look the part! All made to order to my measurements. And do they fit? Admirably so. In fact, the moment I put them on they felt like old friends.
In terms of style we are in a a sort of retro, workwear, beyond fashion kind of place here. Yes, there is more than a whiff of Peaky Blinders, but at the same time there is something of the art school as well, or the artisan craftsman’s workwear. To me it hints at a life full of quality moments, and I realise that marks me as a hopeless romantic wistfully yearning for summer afternoons by the riverside or some equally rarified existence, but it sure beats a lot of the crummy stuff life serves up, right?
To go through each piece in turn, let’s start with the trousers. The Sepoy model has quite tapered legs and more generous room for the thighs, i.e. these are very comfortable. There is a button-adjustable elasticated tunnel belt, which is pretty genious, as it allows the waist size can be adjusted without the firmess of a leather belt. The fly is zipped and the two rear pockets have a neatly made button closing. I ordered mine a the brown boucle tweed, one of the 10 (yes, ten!) fabric options and reckon the result is very handsome.
The Cobbler waistcoat is one of two waistcoat options available. The Cobbler being the more traditional looking of the two. Made in matching fabric to the trousers (one of fourteen fabric options!) this makes for a nice two-piece combo. 5 buttons on the front is a good design feature, helping avoid pulling. One small point here is the rear cinch, which is made from the lining fabric. There are better options for this.
The Bondurant shirt is a very handsome shirt, with a well made mandarin-style collar, an intricately constructed chest pocket and elegant two-hole buttons. The cuffs have double buttons, allowing some adjustment. The fit is again more on the comfortable side, with space in the body, and given that this was made to measurements, the arms are the right length and I can even button up the top button! It is very rare that I find a shirt where this is so. The fabric is a splendid wide-striped cotton with a quality feel and texture.
Overall, there is a definite feel of these garments being special. Garments that are hand made in London, to my measurements, are not an everyday indulgence, yet in this case not an overly expensive one either. The trousers are 160 pounds, the waistcoat 130 and the shirt 100, which to my mind is very much more than fair, given that they are made to order in Britain.
With the second collection only weeks away, I for one find myself very much looking forward to what Lane Fortyfive will bring to us next. If the teasers on their Instagram feed are anything to go by, it is looking very promising.
Photos by my ever patient WDW.
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