L'élégance So British!

A name that bumped to the top of my to do list this week is the French company Wicket. Do you know them? Splendid chaps, splendid threads.

Just look at Wicket's Windsor double-breasted overcoat below.

The Windsor model is available in various fabrics, including keepers tweed or covert cloth.

Howzat!

The clothes of Wicket are of the dependable variety. You may have seen Wicket's shops in Paris. They specialise in the L'élégance 'Briteesh', so it's all tweeds, pinstripes and old-school charm. And don't they do it well. They certainly give some of the old-established British brands a run for their money and some of the younger upstarts an education in truly British style (avec le Gallic colour amplification).

The Marrying Type

And don't they use such clean-cut models? You'd plea with your daughter to marry these chaps. By contrast, I was browsing the web site of a popular high street brand the other day, and it looked like they'd chosen their clothes models from the isolation wing of Wormwood Scrubs.

Wormwood Scrubs

Try as I might, I couldn't get past it, so looked elsewhere. By the way, Wormwood Scrubs is only a category B prison. I'd have thought it was category A. Opened in 1874, it's a nice looking clink. If they improved the prison uniform, and had the residents in shirts and ties, who knows, one might even be tempted to book a stay at the Scrubs at Her Majesty's Pleasure.

Buying things

Wicket was established in only 2003. A tailor's business was acquired in Boulevard Malesherbes in Paris. Wicket offer made-to-measure, but they're best known for their ready-to-wear.

The ready-to-wear collection includes town  wear and business suits; country and casual wear; and evening wear including dinner suits and morning suits.

Dachshund looks like George Bernard Shaw

Always pleasing to see a nice dog used in promotional photos (of anything). This splendid intelligent-looking fellow looks like George Bernard Shaw.

If you eliminate smoking and gambling, you will be amazed to find that almost all an Englishman's pleasures can be, and mostly are, shared by his dog.

The Saharan Jacket

I could look at Wicket's photos all day, but I suppose I should recommend something.

I thought you might like the look of Wicket's Saharan three-button jacket (below). The jacket has a loose construction, with professorial bellows patch pockets and martingale straps to cinch in the waist.

These models show how to add a bit of colour to a Saharan, so that no one mistakes you for a dotard.