S.E.H Kelly

[NO MERCY]

Press studs on the inside of the cuff tabs really catching my eye, this is a great design detail. Hope you found that toggle btw.

 

[sehkelly]

The cuffs there are one of the things that, if you don't have them, the sleeve looks rather bare.

We did have made some miniature versions of the horn toggles, to use at the cuff. They're really very sweet, lovely little tactile things, but in terms of a garnish on the coat, perhaps a little too twee for their own good.

 

[kevenmee]

Press studs on the inside of the cuff tabs really catching my eye, this is a great design detail. Hope you found that toggle btw.

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View attachment 1464177

Apologies, kind of nit-picky but is the stitching on the cuff in the 1st photo intentionally slanted? Seems to be straight on the navy toggle and was curious.

 

[sehkelly]

Apologies, kind of nit-picky but is the stitching on the cuff in the 1st photo intentionally slanted? Seems to be straight on the navy toggle and was curious.

I think it must just be the angle of the photograph.

That or the machinist was drunk again.

We've actually done away with that row of stitching entirely this year. The hem at the sleeve is now hand-sewn (felled) which doesn't show through to the outside. I haven't had chance to update the photograph yet.

 

[Jinbei]

Could you tell me more about the pockets on the Balmacaan ? Are the front pockets usable to store or it is only for the hands ?

Is it suitable for winter ? (Above 0 degrees celcius)

 

[sehkelly]

With pleasure!

The pockets function like the slanted / sideways / welt pockets you'd expect on a normal overcoat -- albeit it with an especially deep pocket-bag, because especially deep pocket bags feel great to plunge your hands into.

On top of that, the pocket may also be accessed from the *inside* of the pocket, from the top down, courtesy of wide jetted pockets cut into the side-body facing.

Basically, on each side, you have one pocket, but two ways to access it.

For me, this means I can shove my mobile phone or wallet into the pocket with one hand, but retrieve it perhaps later with the other. As someone who travels around London carrying bags, and thus usually only has one hand free at any given time, it is a godsend.

It goes back to the days of old military coats, where pockets would have a channel through which a person could access the garments worn underneath (maybe to access a gun or grenade-belt or other supplies: who knows?)

 

[sehkelly]

Is it suitable for winter ? (Above 0 degrees celcius)

The tweed is in the 850gsm range, and is chunky, and from the perspective of a Londoner, is a good all-round winter coat. I'd wear it with at least a couple of layers, scarf, and gloves at 0ºc, though.

 

[sehkelly]

And speaking of the balmacaan, here is the tweed we're using for it this year:

It's a chunky barleycorn, woven in County Donegal in the truest traditions of the ... tradition. Delivery of this stuff is always one of my favourite moments of the year.

 

[Jinbei]

Is this the same color as last year, navy grey, but with a different pattern (the left one) ? Can't wait to see the tweed on the final product.

What kind of wool is used to make this tweed ?

 

[sehkelly]

Is this the same color as last year, navy grey, but with a different pattern (the left one) ? Can't wait to see the tweed on the final product.

What kind of wool is used to make this tweed ?

The blue-grey is a bit lighter and less saturated than the box-tweed last year, but is pretty similar, yes.

And the yarn is pure merino lambswool. That's one of the reasons we use tweed like this every year: it is very knobbly and bobbly but not at the expense of comfort.

 

[Jinbei]

I usally see garments made from merino or lambswool, but I never saw the two terms combined together. Does it mean its from a lamb of the merino species ? It may be the best of both world...

 

[sehkelly]

I usally see garments made from merino or lambswool, but I never saw the two terms combined together. Does it mean its from a lamb of the merino species ? It may be the best of both world...

I think the terms "merino lambswool" and "merino wool" are interchangeable. Not sure.

Maybe merino lambswool is the term used more in weaving, but merino wool is more common for hosiery or knitwear ... ?

Obviously, merino lambswool is the softest possible combination, though, yes, as "merino wool" by itself implies the yarn comes from merino sheep of any age, and like us all, as sheep age, they coarsen.

 

[Nakedsnake]

Paul, can you comment on the colours for the crew neck (and possibly other knits) this season?

 

[sehkelly]

Paul, can you comment on the colours for the crew neck (and possibly other knits) this season?

Yep!

The heavy crewneck is coming back in a dark grey-green and a dark brown-grey.

Rather than recent years, where the mottled / marbled effect of the knit is made by combining two shades of yarn, this time there will be three shades of yarn in the mix. It should up the ante of texture, and make the look of the knitwear more unique.

We went through a stage, about a decade ago, of using four shades of yarn. That was very nice, but sometimes, some colours of the knitwear could be too muddled or cluttered. Hopefully, the middle-ground that is three will be the right balance.

Oh — and all knitwear will be superfine lambswool.

The gansey is coming back in very dark blue and dark grey; the bodywarmer will make its debut in very dark blue and brown; the polo shirt (with long sleeves) in mid-grey and dark grey; the balaclava in dark grey and very dark navy; the scarf in the same grey-green as the crewneck plus dark grey; and the watch cap (which will be taller for that fashionable garden gnome look) will be in grey-green and dark navy.

As with quite a lot of other things this autumn-winter, numbers will be smaller than normal on account of having planned all the above mid-lockdown (part 1) when the prospects for the rest of the year weren't exactly rosy!

 

[RozenKristal]

Damn, I need more money

Anyhow, Paul, can the balmacaan sleeves easily altered?