Here in the UK, the weather is beginning to improve; spring is in the air. With warmer temperatures it’s now not totally essential to layer-up every one goes outside and thoughts are turning to lightweight attire. When doing some research online into springtime jackets, I was reminded of the word ‘blouson’. It’s a term that my dad used a lot when I was younger and I never really understood what a ‘blouson’ was.

So then, what is a ‘blouson’?

The origin of the word ‘Blouson’ is probably from the French word ‘blouse’, first recorded in English in 1828… Now, ‘blouse’ sounds a bit girly to our modern ears, however in history, the word wasn’t gender specific: The meaning could come from “workman’s or peasant’s smock”. The derivation may also be from the Provençal dialect words for “wool”, blouso or “short wool”.

Men working in blouse-like garments in George Stubbs’ 1785 painting ‘Reapers’.

The Cambridge Dictionary says that a ‘Blouson’ is a “loose, short jacket that is worn on the upper body and fits tightly around the waist” and in modern parlance, this is what the term has come to mean: A very generic name for a jacket that fits these traits.

Blousons have many references in history; however it was the Second World War that helped form what we now recognise as this classic jacket shape. The ‘Eisenhower Jacket’ and ‘Bombardier Jacket’ or ‘Bomber Jacket’ are notable examples.

Think of it this way: A shirt tucked into your belt line and then pulled out slightly so it sits slightly out and over your waist, this is ‘blousing’. Typically, blousons fit more loosely around the torso than at the waist, where they are gathered or darted.

A firm favourite of this blog is the Harrington Jacket; a lightweight blouson with a soft, buttoned collar that can be raised. 

Generally speaking, a Harrington jacket is gathered at the waist with an elasticated band. The Harrington Jackets featured here are from Baracuta and Ben Sherman – perfect for spring.

Of course, the blouson shape is not restricted to the Harrington Jacket, there are a great many numbers of variations including…

The Letterman or Varsity Jackets

Monkey Jackets

Bomber Jackets

And many types of leather jackets, flying jackets, packaways and much more.

Notable examples of blousons in popular culture are… Ryan Gosling’s shimmering driving jacket from DRIVE.

James Dean’s windcheater in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.

And Walter White’s everyday attire in BREAKING BAD.

If you’re looking for a suitable additional layer for the spring, consider a blouson. As a very versatile piece of attire and with a huge array of choices, you’re sure to find something that works for you.

Thanks to the below for the images.

The Tate Britain, Classic Hollywood Central, UGO, One Mick Jones, Vice,  Emen Fashion, La Redoute, Kitsune, Asos, Baracuta, Fred Perry, Ben Sherman and Peter Werth

Roamers Suede Desert Boots from Amazon

A lot of the apparel featured on this blog is Mod-inspired. With this in mind, I am almost ashamed to admit that I have never owned a pair of classic suede Desert Boots; a staple footwear choice for Mods. However, the reasoning behind my decision in this is sound; I’m an advocate of long-lasting quality footwear, which is why I tend to exclusively buy leather footwear. Suede is easily ruined by water - making it not an ideal choice for the inclement weather that we experience for the best part of the year here in the UK.

However, I’ve been on the hunt for a cheap pair of desert suede boots with the thinking that, if they’re affordable, it won’t matter too much if they eventually get ruined - I can just buy another pair. The first result for ‘Desert Boots’ in Amazon heralded what I was looking for; classic suede desert boots for less than £30.

These boots are made by a brand called ‘Roamers’, which admittedly I’d never heard of. The Amazon retailer who sent them to me was ‘Shoesbyclair’ and cost £22, with a little bit extra for postage.

Within a week, my boots arrived. First impressions where good; they where the right shape and colour and fitted well, however I did avoid taking them out in the rain until they were throughly coated in suede protector spray (costs around £5 from your local cobbler).

The suede upper is soft and flexible; it feels re-enforced in the right places and the stitching is neat and tidy. This type of desert boot has a nice thick crepe sole, which gives you a little more cushioning than other desert boots I’ve seen, however I did fit my pair with an innersole just to give them a nice snug fit.

There’s an important point to make here about the crepe soles. I have previously owned a pair of ebony leather desert boots from Clarks; the apparent originator of the desert boot. I loved this pair of boots but after about six months they were rendered useless, because of the sole:  After quite a lot of use, the sole of the Clarks desert boots wore smooth - it had no grip at all. There were quite a few incidents on wet pavements where I lost footing and almost stacked it! The crepe soles on this pair of boots seem to compensate for this issue; they are ridged and textured to provide some extra grip. Will this work and ensure that the sole doesn’t ware away?  Only time will tell.

The boots depicted here are only about a week old and haven’t had a great deal of use yet. Suede does ruin easily when wet, so I am expecting them to deteriorate from their box-fresh state in a few months. However, they’re so affordable, I won’t mind picking up another pair as replacements… Judging by the reviews on Amazon, a lot of customers are employing the same strategy.

So there it is, a cheap pair of desert boots that look and feel good. I try not to promote ‘throw-away’ fashion and please don’t expect these to be the best pair of boots you’ll ever own; the price to a small extent does represent the quality, however on the whole I think they’re pretty good.

My pair of Desert Boots cost about £22 and are in ‘Sand’ colour, although you can also find them in brown, black bad blue. Check them out on Amazon here.

Last month, long established and upmarket British department store, John Lewis, released a new clothing collection from their own creative team. According to Camilla Rowe, a spokesperson for the brand, ‘Kin’ is “not a seasonally trend-driven brand; it’s about modern, stylish pieces that you can get some sort of longevity from.” Kin is designed for the whole family; you’ll find items for men women and little ‘uns - but of course as this is a menswear blog, we’ll concentrate on the clobber for gents here.

I found the collection on the shop floor and the clothes caught my eye because of their simple elegance. The rain mack was the first item that I spotted and I was pleasantly surprised by the cost. Encouragingly, the tag line for the collection says it all; “Affordable, well designed, contemporary yet timeless; clothes for everyone.”… Without trying to be too much of a sucker for the marketing, this is a unifying ethos that I agree with.

Although designed in Britain, there are hints of scandinavian influence in the collection; lots of paired-down and edited styles create a create an overall subtle look. Tom Saunders from John Lewis, who helped create the brand explains that “the collection maintains a clean sophisticated handwriting throughout”.

As well as nice chinos, jackets and suit trousers, the collection also includes some accessories; a canvas gym bag, a rucksack and a tote that looks like a bit of a ‘man bag’.

Many of the shirts come in at around the £30 mark and look to be well made. Lots of them include button-down collars and, although the shirt collection includes a few rather ‘standard’ blue oxford weaves, there are some more interesting ideas such as this printed Foulard shirt; it’s not quite polka dot but rather has a red and blue pattern of squares and dots.

I don’t yet own anything by Kin, but John Lewis are reliable when it comes to quality and I gave some of the items a good look over; they look the business. Items start from as little as £7 (socks) and range up to around £160 for a suit. Find the full range of over one hundred items (women and children included) at the John Lewis store here.

Just as a little end note, a company called Farrow designed the branding for Kin. Check out the blog piece on their work here.

Thanks to John Lewis and Farrow for the images and to The Telegraph and GQ for the quotes.