S.E.H.Kelly - Highest quality British design, fabrics and manufacture

Thursday, 11 October 2012

I visited S.E.H. Kelly yesterday and came away wishing I could have bought almost everything they had on display. In my hunt for style I felt I had found the Holy Grail, for here are British-designed and manufactured products of highest quality, using British fabrics - cottons, tweeds, Ventile, knits.

Before arriving, I wondered if the styles would be suitable for a man of middle years. Trying the garments on, I found that, magically, S.E.H. Kelly's designs suit any age. They have done this by using classic, simple shapes with muted colours that, together, give an impression of quiet elegance and quality.

S.E.H Kelly Ventile mac

The designs have been given subtle twists by the designer, Sara (whose business partner is Paul) which skilfully impart a contemporary feel. The textures of the British-made fabrics show off the clothes to good effect. The details; placing of pockets, the British-made horn buttons, the shape of collars, warm soft linings - everything feels well thought out and just right.

Detail of green cord/wool cashmere jacket (with straps for carrying on a bike)

As you can tell, I was smitten, both by the clothes and by the enthusiasm of Sara and Paul for their products. They tell me that their customers are also often interested in the fabrics, their provenance and construction; it would be difficult not to feel passionate about such British-made quality. Sara showed me some trousers that were made from a roll of tweed found at the back of one of their supplier's stores, showing the lengths they go to to find cloths for their products. Most have a limited production run.

Many men are looking for classic, durable clothing, rather than worrying about transient trends - some have moved on to S.E.H. Kelly from the big brands for these reasons. Visitors to the Shoreditch workshop receive a warm welcome and cannot help being overwhelmed by the quality and passion that has gone in to the garments. These are clothes to buy, wear hard and then hand on to your offspring.

Businesses like this deserve to flourish; if they do then British tweed and cotton mills, weavers, knitters, seamstresses, farmers, shirtmakers, designers, etc. will also thrive - and that is what we want. The prices are reasonable, the quality is the highest; you'll still be wearing these clothes when others more costly have long gone or are looking sadly dated. Get over the S.E.H. Kelly now, but leave some for me. Website here.

The thickest, chunkiest, softest jumper you'll ever own. British wool, British made.


Reversible tweed jacket

Cream brushed wool cotton shirt

Dusty green cord jacket with cashmere/wool collar and cyclist's carrying straps

Pale grey green wool trousers


Grey horizontal cord blazer


Labels: , , , , ,

15 comments

  1. Anonymous11 October 2012 at 22:49

    Their linen suit looks amazing. Where's the credit card?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mathew12 October 2012 at 06:47

      Agreed. That linen suit looks amazing, and I also really like the collarless jacket/shirt just below it.
      Again, these would be bold steps for me as I'm not used to wearing shorter jackets.

      Delete
  2. Fred Gonsowski12 October 2012 at 19:27

    I think the S.E.H Kelly pieces have a 1920's equestrian vibe to them. Being that they are all/mostly done in "Middle Tones" of gray, beige, soft earthy greens, etc, clothing like that needs to be paired with Dark Colors like navy, black, dark chocolate brown, and hunter green, etc, or "Jewel Toned Bright" like rust, deep bright blue, red, vivid emerald green, purple, etc for visual interest. If a person were to wear other companion clothing of equal middle toned colors there would be no Pop or Wow factor produced. If a person wants to wear all middle toned clothing, they better be good at mixing different sheens and textures of fabrics for something to stimulate the eye.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mathew13 October 2012 at 09:09

      I don't think that these particular garments are meant to be fashion statements, nor are they supposed to be worn in colour combinations that make them 'pop' or stand out in the way we may expect contemporary street fashions to.

      To me these are 'salt of the earth' clothes that are function first, and fashionable last, born of a country (vs city) tradition that is uniquely British. They don't go for the 'wow' factor. Their style or wow factor is inherent in their component materials (the fine, traditional loomed wools, the bone or shell fastenings, etc.) and in natural, middle toned earth colours that suggest they could be found anywhere in nature in any combination and still feel right. Additional style emanates from the hand workmanship and detailing of the clothes, and only secondarily in the updating of the cut and shape of each piece (noting that the rounded shoulders and soft loose lines are still retained in favour of a sharper cut).

      For me, and this is again a personal opinion, it is important to consider clothes that bear so much heritage in their rightful context. While they may be ideal for a weekend in the country, if they are worn in combinations that maintain their integrity without much contemporisation, they are quite at home in an urban setting too.

      Delete
    2. Fred Gonsowski13 October 2012 at 19:57

      Hi Mathew, Are you the owner of the company? As a buyer of clothing, I am more interested in how good the piece of clothing looks when tried on, versus the history of the piece. I can and do appreciate quality, but I think the look of the piece, and how you can work it into your wardrobe is the first attraction to any garment. If a person was traveling through England and bought one of the S. E. H Kelly pieces, Its history would be wonderful for conversation, when brought back home. I am not criticizing the pieces, I kind of like them. I can see them paired with slim cut jeans, a vivid colored scarf, a fun shirt and a good looking pair of boots or shoes as part of a more fashionable modern outfit. The pieces are classic neutrals, that would be able to be worn over many years, but as a man interested in Style, I am always looking at how something, even with a vintage look can be given a contemporary vibe.

      Delete
    3. Paul16 October 2012 at 09:13

      Hello Fred. Paul here — co-founder of S.E.H Kelly.

      I appreciate the comments, like we do all comments on this page. Insightful and interesting stuff.

      Our use of colour is intentionally pared-down, and we work with a strict palette, depending on the season (season as in time of year, rather than in the fashion sense of the term).

      Earlier in the year, pale greys and greens predominated. That has changed in the past few months into darker greens and muddier greys. If you start at the bottom of http://www.sehkelly.com/worn/ and scroll upwards, you'll hopefully get the idea.

      The darker greens and muddier greys will give way to something new soon -- expect to see more blues in the coming months.

      Cheers again.

      If you've any other comments or queries, you can reach me on studio@sehkelly.com.

      Delete
  3. Robin Grebson13 October 2012 at 14:51

    When I win the lottery, SEHK will be my first point of call for all the reasons you say. However speaking as someone on his own search for style, what I have learnt is that cut and colour are two of the hardest things to get right, and the reason why so often one buys clothes which in the cold light of day end up being disappointing. Always hard to judge from photos, but to me the ventile coat looks too boxy on you. You have a svelte figure and I think you need to look at more fitted clothing. And earthy tones can make you look a little washed out, such as that Dashing Tweed jacket you showed the other day. Just my own well intentioned thoughts. It might be a fun thing for you to get your colours done and see how that affects your direction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grey Fox13 October 2012 at 15:22

      Thanks. I certainly welcome and appreciate such comments which all help me to form my views and tastes as I explore this new world.
      I was worried I hadn't done the Ventile mac justice in the photo. It was too large as you have spotted. The smaller size was a slimmer fit but a darker colour and I preferred the green, so the fault is my choice of fit not the coat.
      I don't think this is lottery clothing for the reasons I give above. Compare with many major names and prices there of clothes manufactured possibly as far afield as China and elsewhere.
      I'll have a think about what u say about colouring. The photo of the Dashing Tweed jacket is not true colour; something isn't right there. I like neutral colours but will generally pair them with a more defined accent to lift the overall look. GF

      Delete
    2. Robin Grebson13 October 2012 at 17:22

      Oh my lottery comment was only about my own fiscal constraints, I think SEHK's prices are absolutely fair and reasonable for what they are doing.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15 October 2012 at 12:24

      Hi Robin

      I think you may have suggested an interesting future feature for the Grey Fox to 'get his colours done' and show us what this entails and the results. Haven't a clue personally what is involved; is it painful? ;-) The extent to which I have had my colours done involves the wife telling me to avoid red tops as they make me look too pale. I am sure there is more to it than that and I am genuinely interested in how it may help me pick out colours and patterns whilst shopping.

      Cheers
      Gruntfuttock

      Delete
  4. Robin Grebson17 October 2012 at 01:59

    Hi Mr Gruntfuttock, I can assure you and GF that it is an entirely non-invasive procedure, and not at all something that one would have to travel to Belgium to undertake. What was interesting for me was not just knowing what colours to avoid, but also what shades within a particular colour. For example, I am fond of pink shirts, but I could never understand why some pinks look great on me and others awful. What I came to realise was that only the reddest pinks worked, the more washed out pinks, those that verge towards peach or yellowy pinks don't work at all. Even whites and blacks have an incredible range of variation in them. All the best. Robin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gruntfuttock17 October 2012 at 09:22

      Hi Robin,

      thanks for that. One reason I had taken little interest in clothes until relatively recently was that I had no idea what colours went with what. As a consequence, I always bought 'safe' and stuck to things that obviously matched or were fairly neutral. Being slightly more aware of colour matching now complicates getting dressed in the mornings but the end result is worth it.
      Being more colour-aware does have its downsides though. This seasons fashionable colour is 'berry' and its many shades. A dark plum is probably the only red type colour I could get away with (even then only as trousers probably) but it is a nice colour and one that goes nicely with Autumn and Spring so will be around for a while. But can I find just the right shade of plum that I'm looking for...

      Cheers
      Gruntfuttock

      Delete
    2. Robin Grebson17 October 2012 at 10:40

      I share your pain, I really do. When is a plum not a plum? When it's a berry, or wine, or burgundy, or aubergine...of course you can't trust the colours you see on the net anyway, and then when you get to the shop the lighting is so bad you can't tell anything so you have to find an assistant to escort you outside so you can see in natural light with or without setting off the security alarm. But I digress.

      The darkest berry I know of is jigsaw's Narrow Cord Trousers in Blackberry - haven't seen in person so not sure how close to actually being black they are. On a more burgundy note, I can recommend John Lewis & Co heritage utility trousers in wine or Cordings who do an Elderberry brushed cotton trouser and needlecord trousers in plum and berry red.

      Cheers

      Robin

      Delete
    3. Gruntfuttock18 October 2012 at 01:01

      Thanks Robin. you raise several interesting points here. Oddly enough a lot of my shopping is done on the net because of the pathetic levels of stock that many shops hold these days. Often they don't have my size (and I'm only a Medium) so I use the shop to check out the colours and photograph the label so that I can order online when I get home. Many big shops operate a 'just in time' replenishment policy so once the one on the rail is sold thats it gone for a few days. My local John Lewis has just been refitted and the lighting is bright but at the same time awful. Too many spotlit areas which puts others in the gloom. Checking colours is very difficult under those circumstances. I just bought one of their new tweed jackets which looked a nice light green in the shop but turned out to be Teal. Lovely jacket though and incredibly warm. I think that due to the nature of the fabric it changes colour subtly as you move it around under bright lights so that didn't exactly help!
      Thanks for the trousers tip, will check them out this weekend.

      Cheers
      Gruntfuttock

      Delete
  5. Grey Fox17 October 2012 at 09:26

    Thank you Paul, and indeed everyone who is contributing to the discussion here about colours etc. No doubt we just have to experiment and see what suits us - I'll certainly be bearing this in mind as I choose clothes in future. GF.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)