Do you know what is massively underrated in British menswear? The John Lewis menswear department. No joke.
I know that as a fashion editor I’m supposed to ramble on about some niche Japanese workwear collective or stock photo-y Scandinavian minimalist dream brand that only stocks one single sweater in these stores and you have to make an appointment to see it (God bless you, A Sunday Service At>[AS;> collectively, I love you), but hear me out. I actually like John Lewis. I mean it, I like going there; touch your labs to that.
Last Tuesday I had a meeting at 5pm that I needed to make in central London, but finished work early so had about an hour to kill beforehand. There’s nothing worse than having time where you can’t actually do anything – meetings are always slightly rushed so you can’t really do any work but still – you need to go somewhere.
So, John Lewis it was.
Oxford Street, naturally. Straight to menswear. Truth: it is my happy place.
I’ve been buying clothes at John Lewis since before I can remember. My mum took me there to buy my first suit when I was 14 years old for my cousin’s wedding. I knew enough to know that I wanted to look nice, but didn’t want to look “little” or try-hard like one of those annoying Tory boys with suit jackets that reach their wrists.
The assistant that helped us was this older guy called Neil who always had a tape measure round his neck. He took it so seriously that I instantly relaxed. He wasn’t patronising or my mum (God bless her, she knew nothing about suits and was probably also trying to spend the absolute minimum amount of money).
He quietly found me a suit that fitted well, showed me how the jacket should break and told me why it was worth spending more on a good white shirt. It wasn’t going to win any awards, it was navy and had two buttons and was from their own brand, but it fit me well and looked…. suit-y. Literally the only requirements my 14-year-old self had for his first suit.
I wore that suit to absolute death for the next three years. Every family occasion, my cousin’s wedding again. School conferences – there was a shiny patch on the bum of the trousers where they loved me so much.
But that jacket lasted forever. Seriously, I’ve had suits twice the price since that still don’t fit anything like as well. John Lewis don’t *wow* you with their clothing but what they offer is rarer and rarer these days across all retail: consistency.
Nothing will blow your mind with their cutting edge design and they won’t win prizes for the most innovative cuts, but everything fits actual people that shop in there. It’ll last longer than five washes and won’t make you look trying too hard to be young or, conversely, like you gave up and started drinking infinitely too early. Case in point: their knitwear.
Last year I went in to buy my dad a jumper for his birthday (nothing too exciting, some grey stuff he can throw on) and left with three for myself. John Lewis do some great value jumpers. Their cashmere blend jumpers are some of the best I’ve picked up for the price.
Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t the softest jumpers in the world but they have a lovely weight to them that hangs nicely and I popped back in a year later and they still looked brand new from how little they’ve been worn. I have this dark green crew neck one that sits perfectly on the waistband of my trousers and it’s become a go-to when I want to look smart without trying too hard. In general, they’ve massively upped their game on their own-brand stuff since I bought that suit.
Last week I was genuinely impressed with how much their own-brand offer had expanded. Of course they still do the stalwarts that they’re known for (middle-aged men pants options, legendary Oxford shirts, cashmere socks etc.) but they’ve really expanded their brand offerings too, stocking everything from Albam to Universal Works. They’re not trying to beat Dover Street Market at their own game; in fact thank fuck they’re not trying to be Dreiamesque.
Instead they’ve stuck to what they’re good at: offering accessible style and decent quality. I was also blown away by the denim. They stock Nudie Jeans .
Jesus. That 15-year-old me buying his first suit would turn in his grave if he thought John Lewis sold Swedish selvedge denim now. And the staff are actually knowledgable about the jeans.
I overheard one of them schooling a dude that “just wanted some jeans” on the difference between sanforized and unsanforized denim. The guy didn’t ask for that kind of attention, but he needed it and John Lewis gave it to him. John Lewis understand their customer.
They know the average British male isn’t itching to wear clothes bought from flashy fashion retailers; we like our clothes but we’re also sceptical of places that try too hard to be ‘fashion’. John Lewis tread that line perfectly (*pun fully intended*). You can play around with a textured jumper or get a trendy fit trouser without suddenly turning into Stepford-fashion-boyfriend.
I bumped into my old uni housemate (hi Marcus, you’re a babe) in the shop a few months back buying a suit. He looked like he couldn’t believe I was there too and hadn’t just kicked him out for wearing that hideous Green Gucci jumper he was stupidly obsessed with for a year (we all have our phases, mate). “Yeah it’s just….You know. Reliable” he said, shuffling awkwardly.
Mate, I live off people thinking clothes are too ‘nice’ for John Lewis. I work in fashion, this is my…JOHN LEWIS? Get over yourself, we’re in the quality clothing* department together.
He ended up spending like an hour in there trying things on with me and left with a charcoal suit that actually fitted him and wasn’t crying every time he put it on. Speaking of suits: their suits are great. Again, they won’t change your mind about what a suit can be but they will fit you well and actually look modern.
Their suits come in classic cuts that don’t scream boring dad. They have some amazing pieces in there that actually challenge the stigma that John Lewis is ‘for dads’. It’s not just about the suits either.
The changing rooms are massive, well lit and actually pleasant to be in. There’s no hipster bullshit trying to make you feel like you’re slipping your pants on in a crack den with approximately zero lighting. They’ve also never run out of hooks for your clothes.
FUCKING HANGRAPHICS. Why is this still a thing? I’ve been in ‘luxury’ changing rooms who give you one sad little hook for your jumper, trouser hangers and coat because ‘that’s all the space we have’.
It’s the little things. Their own-brand white t-shirts are THE BEST WEIGHT. Not too thin, not too thick.
And they don’t get that twisted seam up the sleeve where your torso tries to crawl out of your skin after a wash. Their socks actually stay up. Their boxers don’t slide down your legs because they’re clearly still trying to become briefs despite your protests.
Look, I’m not suggesting JL is the be-all and end-all of the menswear world. Want something edgy? Nike train dude isn’t coming to John Lewis to stock you up on that high-end dank.
But what John Lewis does, it does bloody well. And for actually existing men with lives and friends and maybe kids who actually need to wear clothing that fits them well and won’t embarrass them? Pretty invaluable.
I actually picked up a pair of trainers on my way out. Their own-brand Lantau trainers. They’re inspired by a pair of Common Projects I’ll never be able to afford but cut from their own denim fabric, they’re half the price and basically as comfortable.
Seriously, I’ve worn them nearly every day since I bought them and they’ll only set you back £79. Am I getting old? Fuck knows.
Maybe I’ll be waxing lyrical about M&S slippers next. I kind of would – God, their slippers are the best. But those Debenhams hotel-weight dressing gowns?
Best. £15 You Can Spend. Ever. Don’t even @ me.
I will fight you over that wool monstrosity. Do yourself a favour next time you’re in one. Head to the menswear department.
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You’ll thank me. Oh and stock up on those corduroy overshirts while you’re there, I’ll be pissed if they sell out before next week’s sale.Do you know what is massively underrated in British menswear? The John Lewis menswear department.
No joke. I know that as a fashion editor I’m supposed to ramble on about some niche Japanese workwear collective or stock photo-y Scandinavian minimalist dream brand that only stocks one single sweater in these stores and you have to make an appointment to see it (God bless you, A Sunday Service At>[AS;> collectively, I love you), but hear me out. I actually like John Lewis.
I mean it, I like going there; touch your labs to that. Last Tuesday I had a meeting at 5pm that I needed to make in central London, but finished work early so had about an hour to kill beforehand. There’s nothing worse than having time where you can’t actually do anything – meetings are always slightly rushed so you can’t really do any work but still – you need to go somewhere.
So, John Lewis it was. Oxford Street, naturally. Straight to menswear.
Truth: it is my happy place. I’ve been buying clothes at John Lewis since before I can remember. My mum took me there to buy my first suit when I was 14 years old for my cousin’s wedding.
I knew enough to know that I wanted to look nice, but didn’t want to look “little” or try-hard like one of those annoying Tory boys with suit jackets that reach their wrists. The assistant that helped us was this older guy called Neil who always had a tape measure round his neck. He took it so seriously that I instantly relaxed.
He wasn’t patronising or my mum (God bless her, she knew nothing about suits and was probably also trying to spend the absolute minimum amount of money). He quietly found me a suit that fitted well, showed me how the jacket should break and told me why it was worth spending more on a good white shirt. It wasn’t going to win any awards, it was navy and had two buttons and was from their own brand, but it fit me well and looked…. suit-y.
Literally the only requirements my 14-year-old self had for his first suit. I wore that suit to absolute death for the next three years. Every family occasion, my cousin’s wedding again.
School conferences – there was a shiny patch on the bum of the trousers where they loved me so much. But that jacket lasted forever. Seriously, I’ve had suits twice the price since that still don’t fit anything like as well.
John Lewis don’t *wow* you with their clothing but what they offer is rarer and rarer these days across all retail: consistency. Nothing will blow your mind with their cutting edge design and they won’t win prizes for the most innovative cuts, but everything fits actual people that shop in there. It’ll last longer than five washes and won’t make you look trying too hard to be young or, conversely, like you gave up and started drinking infinitely too early.
Case in point: their knitwear. Last year I went in to buy my dad a jumper for his birthday (nothing too exciting, some grey stuff he can throw on) and left with three for myself. John Lewis do some great value jumpers.
Their cashmere blend jumpers are some of the best I’ve picked up for the price. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t the softest jumpers in the world but they have a lovely weight to them that hangs nicely and I popped back in a year later and they still looked brand new from how little they’ve been worn. I have this dark green crew neck one that sits perfectly on the waistband of my trousers and it’s become a go-to when I want to look smart without trying too hard.
In general, they’ve massively upped their game on their own-brand stuff since I bought that suit. Last week I was genuinely impressed with how much their own-brand offer had expanded. Of course they still do the stalwarts that they’re known for (middle-aged men pants options, legendary Oxford shirts, cashmere socks etc.) but they’ve really expanded their brand offerings too, stocking everything from Albam to Universal Works.
They’re not trying to beat Dover Street Market at their own game; in fact thank fuck they’re not trying to be Dreiamesque. Instead they’ve stuck to what they’re good at: offering accessible style and decent quality. I was also blown away by the denim.
They stock Nudie Jeans . Jesus. That 15-year-old me buying his first suit would turn in his grave if he thought John Lewis sold Swedish selvedge denim now.
And the staff are actually knowledgable about the jeans. I overheard one of them schooling a dude that “just wanted some jeans” on the difference between sanforized and unsanforized denim. The guy didn’t ask for that kind of attention, but he needed it and John Lewis gave it to him.
John Lewis understand their customer. They know the average British male isn’t itching to wear clothes bought from flashy fashion retailers; we like our clothes but we’re also sceptical of places that try too hard to be ‘fashion’. John Lewis tread that line perfectly (*pun fully intended*).
You can play around with a textured jumper or get a trendy fit trouser without suddenly turning into Stepford-fashion-boyfriend. I bumped into my old uni housemate (hi Marcus, you’re a babe) in the shop a few months back buying a suit. He looked like he couldn’t believe I was there too and hadn’t just kicked him out for wearing that hideous Green Gucci jumper he was stupidly obsessed with for a year (we all have our phases, mate). “Yeah it’s just….You know.
Reliable” he said, shuffling awkwardly. Mate, I live off people thinking clothes are too ‘nice’ for John Lewis. I work in fashion, this is my…JOHN LEWIS?
Get over yourself, we’re in the quality clothing* department together. He ended up spending like an hour in there trying things on with me and left with a charcoal suit that actually fitted him and wasn’t crying every time he put it on. Speaking of suits: their suits are great.
Again, they won’t change your mind about what a suit can be but they will fit you well and actually look modern. Their suits come in classic cuts that don’t scream boring dad. They have some amazing pieces in there that actually challenge the stigma that John Lewis is ‘for dads’.
It’s not just about the suits either. The changing rooms are massive, well lit and actually pleasant to be in. There’s no hipster bullshit trying to make you feel like you’re slipping your pants on in a crack den with approximately zero lighting.
They’ve also never run out of hooks for your clothes. FUCKING HANGRAPHICS. Why is this still a thing?
I’ve been in ‘luxury’ changing rooms who give you one sad little hook for your jumper, trouser hangers and coat because ‘that’s all the space we have’. It’s the little things. Their own-brand white t-shirts are THE BEST WEIGHT.
Not too thin, not too thick. And they don’t get that twisted seam up the sleeve where your torso tries to crawl out of your skin after a wash. Their socks actually stay up.
Their boxers don’t slide down your legs because they’re clearly still trying to become briefs despite your protests. Look, I’m not suggesting JL is the be-all and end-all of the menswear world. Want something edgy?
Nike train dude isn’t coming to John Lewis to stock you up on that high-end dank. But what John Lewis does, it does bloody well. And for actually existing men with lives and friends and maybe kids who actually need to wear clothing that fits them well and won’t embarrass them?
Pretty invaluable. I actually picked up a pair of trainers on my way out. Their own-brand Lantau trainers.
They’re inspired by a pair of Common Projects I’ll never be able to afford but cut from their own denim fabric, they’re half the price and basically as comfortable. Seriously, I’ve worn them nearly every day since I bought them and they’ll only set you back £79. Am I getting old?
Fuck knows.
Maybe I’ll be waxing lyrical about M&S slippers next. I kind of would – God, their slippers are the best.
But those Debenhams hotel-weight dressing gowns? Best. £15 You Can Spend. Ever.
Don’t even @ me. I will fight you over that wool monstrosity. Do yourself a favour next time you’re in one.
Head to the menswear department. You’ll thank me. Oh and stock up on those corduroy overshirts while you’re there, I’ll be pissed if they sell out before next week’s sale.
