S.E.H Kelly

[sehkelly]

Curiously, we're shipping some now to Journal Standard (and only Journal Standard) in Tokyo.

But that's just for them: a special request. They're at the flagship store in Omotesando.

Other than that, no. It's not really an avenue we wish to pursue, truth be told. Sorry.

The cloth from which they're made, though -- we're sure to use that again. In fact, I was just about to raise the subject ...

I've been bleating shamelessly about this elsewhere, to anyone who'll listen and some who won't, but not yet here. It's this new material we've been working with, from a mill in Yorkshire: a plain-weave ripstop which ticks so many boxes, so emphatically, that I feel it merits further bleating still.

It is feather-light: so much so a chronically puny individual like myself can lift a 100m roll of it with one arm. But it is also extremely strong and durable. Oh, and breathable, top of the class in thermal-transference, and utterly waterproof (as opposed to e.g. rain-proof).

And it has a ripstop grid -- an actual second layer; it's a double-layer cloth -- that is so raised, and made with yarn so hard and strong, you could probably turn a coat inside out and play it like a washboard.

Sara here has been wearing a balmacaan made in the material since early December and it looks not a minute older than the moment it was made.

I like it very much.

And, with it, we've just finished some new car coats and flight jackets (sans collar, and thus looking more like a bomber or perhaps a Harrington jacket). I am endeavouring to get them back to the workshop -- and online, all being well -- before the weekend.

Paul

 

[Sneaky Pete]

I've been bleating shamelessly about this elsewhere, to anyone who'll listen and some who won't, but not yet here. It's this new material we've been working with, from a mill in Yorkshire: a plain-weave ripstop which ticks so many boxes, so emphatically, that I feel it merits further bleating still.

It is feather-light: so much so a chronically puny individual like myself can lift a 100m roll of it with one arm. But it is also extremely strong and durable. Oh, and breathable, top of the class in thermal-transference, and utterly waterproof (as opposed to e.g. rain-proof).

And it has a ripstop grid -- an actual second layer; it's a double-layer cloth -- that is so raised, and made with yarn so hard and strong, you could probably turn a coat inside out and play it like a washboard.

Sara here has been wearing a balmacaan made in the material since early December and it looks not a minute older than the moment it was made.

I like it very much.

And, with it, we've just finished some new car coats and flight jackets (sans collar, and thus looking more like a bomber or perhaps a Harrington jacket). I am endeavouring to get them back to the workshop -- and online, all being well -- before the weekend.

Paul

That fabric sounds intriguing. I'm surprised it's used for a balmacaan in winter, as it sounds lightweight - I'm guessing there is a warmth layer worn underneath, and the coat is more of a shell? It seems exceedingly suitable for a pair of underpants that could withstand the harshest conditions and extremes of temperature (as are frequently found in my trousers).

I visit your website every now and again to look longingly at the camel peacoat, but that trench in tobacco has been firmly lodged in my mind since you posted pictures here. Any chance that it will go into production?

 

[vacationson]

Curiously, we're shipping some now to Journal Standard (and only Journal Standard) in Tokyo.

But that's just for them: a special request. They're at the flagship store in Omotesando.

Other than that, no. It's not really an avenue we wish to pursue, truth be told. Sorry.

The cloth from which they're made, though -- we're sure to use that again. In fact, I was just about to raise the subject ...

Whoa sounds interesting. Not a fan of ripstop though. I’ve been thinking of country-style classic pants made of ventile or something similar. Not completely waterproof, but something that stays dry in light rains during spring and fall.

Anyway, gotta check out those pants you made for Journal Standard. I wonder if I’ll be able to get them outside of Japan.

 

[sehkelly]

Anyway, gotta check out those pants you made for Journal Standard. I wonder if I’ll be able to get them outside of Japan.

They will be on the Journal Standard website before too long, I imagine.

They will most likely be called the full trouser (much the same as the proper trouser, https://www.sehkelly.com/proper-trouser/, which I spent several weeks studiously redeveloping only to end up more or less where I began).

 

[sehkelly]

That fabric sounds intriguing. I'm surprised it's used for a balmacaan in winter, as it sounds lightweight - I'm guessing there is a warmth layer worn underneath, and the coat is more of a shell? It seems exceedingly suitable for a pair of underpants that could withstand the harshest conditions and extremes of temperature (as are frequently found in my trousers).

I visit your website every now and again to look longingly at the camel peacoat, but that trench in tobacco has been firmly lodged in my mind since you posted pictures here. Any chance that it will go into production?

Hmm. I think perhaps "underpants" in the States are different to "underpants" over here! I mean ... sure, I've found myself in some scrapes over the years, but never to the extent of needing protective double-face ripstop underwear.

The balmacaan has, over the years, been made in heavy and light materials — e.g. Ventile Flyweight, which couldn't be more than 150gsm. (It's actually the car coat we've made with this new cloth, though; the balmacaan's shorter brother.)

The trench coat in the military melton cloth has been and gone, sorry to say — but we could always look into making one for you, if you'd like? Drop me an PM, in that case, please.

Otherwise, we are all but certain to make the trench in some heavy woollen or other after the summer.

 

[SLieber967]

Any trousers in the pipeline? The cords are too comfy...

 

[sehkelly]

Any trousers in the pipeline? The cords are too comfy...

Plenty, yes.

We have the proper trouser (revised) in a brushed canvas of middling weight. Hard-wearing but very soft. We've made some in navy, a dull dark brown, and stone. Likewise, the slim trouser in the same cloth.

We have also made some standard trousers (also revised; now with a belt / strap grown on to the waistband) in navy linen-silk, which is something a little different. We've made matching SB2 jackets for that one.

The top two are at the workshop this weekend, and I'll endeavour to photograph over the weekend. The others will follow a couple of weeks after.

Oh, and shorts, too -- in tropical worsted, hopsack cotton-linen, and heavy linen burlap.

Paul

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Hmm. I think perhaps "underpants" in the States are different to "underpants" over here! I mean ... sure, I've found myself in some scrapes over the years, but never to the extent of needing protective double-face ripstop underwear.

The balmacaan has, over the years, been made in heavy and light materials — e.g. Ventile Flyweight, which couldn't be more than 150gsm. (It's actually the car coat we've made with this new cloth, though; the balmacaan's shorter brother.)

The trench coat in the military melton cloth has been and gone, sorry to say — but we could always look into making one for you, if you'd like? Drop me an PM, in that case, please.

Otherwise, we are all but certain to make the trench in some heavy woollen or other after the summer.

I'm in the UK: I mean what I say, sir, and I say what I mean.

I'll keep an eye out for a trench and hope for a good year. (I cannot, alas, spend ±£500 or so on a coat on a whim; I don't think that your prices are high given the quality, it's simply a question of money). If I have a payday I'll drop you a line! Thank you very much.

 

[sehkelly]

I'm in the UK: I mean what I say, sir, and I say what I mean.

I'll keep an eye out for a trench and hope for a good year. (I cannot, alas, spend ±£500 or so on a coat on a whim; I don't think that your prices are high given the quality, it's simply a question of money). If I have a payday I'll drop you a line! Thank you very much.

With sincere apologies, sir!

Please, any questions, be sure to let me know -- either through here or by email.

 

[vacationson]

Oh, and shorts, too -- in tropical worsted, hopsack cotton-linen, and heavy linen burlap.

Paul

Whoa! Shorts sound very intriguing. Hope they will higher waisted and generously fitted. Do you already know when you get them online?

 

[sehkelly]

Whoa! Shorts sound very intriguing. Hope they will higher waisted and generously fitted. Do you already know when you get them online?

We have three styles of shorts — one of which is finished, and the other two are there or thereabouts.

The shorts finished are based on our standard trouser, but adapted with a belt / strap fastening at the side. They're made with the grey tropical worsted, which is a very nice example of the form: an open weave, with good texture, and a subtle marbled colouring.

Then we have trousers based on our proper trouser (the one with the side-adjusters and curved rise on the rear waistband) in heavy burlap linen. We made the same last summer, and have tweaked the style a little (it now has a darted front, rather than pleated, the rear pockets are different, and there's a thumb pocket at the front). They come in dark navy and dark green.

Then there are trousers based on our slim trouser (with the rear cinch) — in a heavy-ish hopsack made with equal parts cotton and linen. Dark beige and petrol blue / grey, these.

I hope to have them on the site at some point in February (I am playing catch-up every day this month as a consequence of juggling our seasonal shipment to Japan with the other parts of our business) — but if you wish to jump the gun, or want more information, let me know, please.

Paul

 

[sehkelly]

Online now, the new car coats and flight jackets in the plain-weave protective ripstop, at http://sehkelly.com/shop.

Most people like it ...

... but others not so much. In the (diluted) words of one customer today, "You make clothes not spacesuits or firefighting outfits, and ageing, creasing, etc. is all part of the allure of quality cloth."

Either way -- you can make a heckuva crisp collar with it.

And, since we've long striven to introduce proper, pronounced, tactile texture to spring and summer -- seasons of the year which mills here tend not to pay much mind to -- it is nice to bring this stuff into the fold.

Paul

 

[sehkelly]

One of the other materials we have turned to in this post-Ventile world is a heavy dry-wax cotton.

Well, it is "dry-wax" in name at least: the cloth has no obvious waxiness about it. It is, indeed, as dry as a bone.

It is a high-count cotton ... rather like Ventile, although not as tight (what is).

It is also washed and tumbled, extensively, so that it has a worn appearance to it, even when freshly pressed. No disheveled, exactly, but weatherbeaten-looking, and with a heavily brushed finish such that it may be brushed this way or that, like suede or moleskin.

It is extremely rain-proof (a word I use to stop short of saying "waterproof", which this cloth officially is not). I've been wearing a balmacaan made with it for a week or two, and can report no London shower has come close to dampening it or me.

Beyond that, it is thick, hefty. It stands up by itself; keeps deep crevice-like creases in the sleeve long after it has been worn. Memory cloth-like.

I can't make up my mind which I prefer: this or the protective ripstop. They're sort of at opposite ends of the raincoat-cloth spectrum.

We're making the balmacaan with it, in a couple of colours. Nearly there.

Paul

 

[vacationson]

One of the other materials we have turned to in this post-Ventile world is a heavy dry-wax cotton.

Well, it is "dry-wax" in name at least: the cloth has no obvious waxiness about it. It is, indeed, as dry as a bone.

It is a high-count cotton ... rather like Ventile, although not as tight (what is).

It is also washed and tumbled, extensively, so that it has a worn appearance to it, even when freshly pressed. No disheveled, exactly, but weatherbeaten-looking, and with a heavily brushed finish such that it may be brushed this way or that, like suede or moleskin.

It is extremely rain-proof (a word I use to stop short of saying "waterproof", which this cloth officially is not). I've been wearing a balmacaan made with it for a week or two, and can report no London shower has come close to dampening it or me.

Beyond that, it is thick, hefty. It stands up by itself; keeps deep crevice-like creases in the sleeve long after it has been worn. Memory cloth-like.

I can't make up my mind which I prefer: this or the protective ripstop. They're sort of at opposite ends of the raincoat-cloth spectrum.

We're making the balmacaan with it, in a couple of colours. Nearly there.

Paul

Sounds heavy-duty. This one is very anticipated.

 

[sehkelly]

Sounds heavy-duty. This one is very anticipated.

It is indeed.

But also quite breathable.

And a lot of the sense of weight is ... well, it is heavy, but it comes with the dry wax finish, which imbues it with more substance, but not significantly more weight, than a cloth untreated. I've been wearing a balmacaan (prototype) made with it for the past week and have been quite cold at times, in the weather we've had in London since the start of the year. So it is more a spring-time cloth, I feel — despite its meatiness — than one for winter.

The balmacaans are finished now, and I'll be beavering away over the weekend to show them online.