John Partridge Family

Quilted Paddock jJacket

John Partridge country wear has been around since 1890. Not quite as old, but standing the test of time nonetheless, my Partridge quilted paddock jacket has now been moved to the gardening cupboard. Too much wear-and-tear to ignore. Gardening duty after maybe 15 years' service is pretty good. Buy cheap and you buy twice, as the saying goes. Thank you, my friend, enjoy your semi-retirement.

I'm looking out for a replacement quilted jacket and hoping that it will do just as well. They're such versatile items of clothing, lightweight, so good for travelling with, protective and smart looking. It needs to be UK-made and, thankfully, I do not foresee this as a problem. With the current return to classic clothing, quilted jackets are everywhere at the moment - but I'm ignoring the noise of trends and looking for something I'd be happy to wear another fifteen years from now.

Let's see

I might go for another John Partridge, if I can find one, as they seem to have changed ownership. Then there's Barbour, of course, and Lavenham - the new kids on the block. I was surprised to see Lavenham quilted jackets for sale in Urban Outfitters, but the quality looks very good. Let's see.