Real Anglo-American Style - New Penfield Stock

Ever since its creation in 1975, Penfield has been the primary choice of the image-conscious outdoorsy sort. Despite its pretensions of rural image, the brand has always ensured that every piece of apparel they deliver is slick, smart and in keeping with the demands of contemporary life.

They don’t make clothing for the posers, or the hipsters. They cater for the weekend adventurer and the urban conquistador. Penfield is for men who want to explore the world, not just exist within it. Their jackets are real men’s jackets. We need real men now more than ever, so it’s reassuring to know that they have carried their heritage through into their new line.

Firstly, for your consideration, we have their woollen jacket in navy blue. It’s a very low key piece, ideal for wet evening and long walks. The chunky, white buttons add a nice bit of flair to this otherwise muted piece. The large, deep pockets are ideal for stuffing with boiled sweets.

Next up is the green hunting jacket. Despite its Us origins, it looks as though it has stepped straight out of the warddrobe of English aristocrat. Not that this is a bad thing - it is easily the most tasteful thing our social betters could pull off. What it conveys is a kind of ruralism, but the tight cut around the shoulders betrays an urban cool. It’s a jacket for all situations that looks as inconspicuous in the field as it does on the streets. Similar to this is Penfield’s khaki hooded jacket. Here, the noticeably townish khaki is counterbalanced with leather shoulderpatches.

If you were looking for something a bit bulkier - for them wet and windy days - you couldn’t go far wrong with Penfield’s black puffa jacket. The item is ginormous. The trade off for being ingested by this creature is the enormous heat and coziness it confers. The front pockets are big enough to stash away anything you didn’t get in your rucksack, and additional inside pockets serve to help you keep safe and secret your most personal belongings. Nobody wants their iPod to get soaked through do they?

The last Penfield jacket we need to look at is the red checked hooded jacket. Despite me drumming on about American provincial styles, this coat doesn’t fall into that most heinous of traps - it doesn’t look like a lumberjack’s jacket. It won’t make you look like Billy Ray Cyrus. It’s loose fitting but well shaped around the shoulders - similar to the wool jacket - and it’s very, very warm.

The last Penfield item worth mentioning isn’t a jacket at all, but a bag. The green tweed bag is perfect for those weekends away. It carries on the recurring theme of metropolitan meets rustic. The tweed throws up images of idyllic countryside living, but then the item itself is a masterclass in the make-do practicality of city life. Its strong leather handles and spacious innards make it an ideal overnight bag for a city stopover and also perfect for a weekend getaway.

This brand seperates the boys from the men. If you’re 28 or 82, the right to wear Penfield is conferred not by your birth date but by the grain of your maturation. Anyone can wear it, but only very few can truly own it.


Thanton Beano writes for the Sa-kis, which is a website specialising in men's designer fashion brands, including Penfield.