If you want an underrated menswear trend this year, let me suggest something that might sound painfully obvious: John Lewis. Hear me out. I know when most fashion people say underrated, they’re actually saying incredibly niche Japanese workwear brand you can only buy in import quantities of one from half of Nakanihon or That One Scandi minimalist designer whose clothes are sold in a single Off-White affiliate boutique in Shoreditch and require an appointment.
I like that stuff too. But I also know my way around John Lewis better than I should, and I’m not here for shame. I actually popped into the Oxford Street branch on a lark last Tuesday.
I had an hour between meetings across town and found myself once again in one of life’s awkward time windows where you literally can’t do anything but still have to be someplace doing nothing. So why not John Lewis’s menswear department?
Consider this my own personal love letter.
From a young age, John Lewis has been a menswear saviour. The first suit I ever owned was picked out by my mum and me at John Lewis when I was fourteen for my cousin’s wedding. I was mortified.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to wear a suit – it’s just that up until this point my understanding of “suitable” upper body apparel for males had come from Lord Of The Rings cosplay or trying to convince myself that pageant boys were actually masculine sights I wanted to emulate. But Neil, the older gentleman who helped us with measuring tapes around his neck who took my existential costume drama crisis seriously without being patronising to either me or my mum (who, bless her cotton socks, knew less about suits than I did and was on a budget), steered us calmly towards something that simply fit off the rack, showed me how to jacket should hang, and encouraged us to spend more on a quality white shirt than we wanted to. It wasn’t cutting-edge fashion.
It was Navy. Two buttons. Own brand.
But it fit. And it didn’t make me look like a Tolkien Extraordinaire or Carson Kressley’s sad little puppet. It looked… appropriate.
For a fourteen year old wearing a suit for the first time, that was all I needed. Fast forward eighteen years and that suit is long gone but I still wear things I picked out that day on a weekly basis. The trousers, stret spliced from so much wear, have a grease stain pattern on the seat from rubbing against my wallet.
But the jacket still fits. And I have since purchased suits twice that price that have fallen apart in half the time. JL menswear, in a nutshell, gets a lot right and is severely underrated for it.
It’s not boring or expensive; it’s quite the opposite. It’s dependable. It knows its demographic: adult men.
Men whose knowledge of fashion ranges from “None, help me” to “Halfassedly obsess over jumpers while remaining willfully ignorant about everything else.” Guys who need clothes to do a job but also want to look cute/put-together without screaming “Look at me I’m young!” or “Please ignore me I need hugs.” Take their knitwear, for example. Last winter I wandered in to buy my dad a jumper for his birthday. Nothing fancy, some navy heath that wouldn’t fuzz after one wash.
Came out with three for myself. John Lewis’ cashmere blend jumpers are some of the best value you can get, and while they’re maybe not the softest thing ever knitted, they have a lovely weight to them that hangs just right and look virtually new even after a year of weekly wear. One, in particular, has become my MVP wardrobe staple.
It’s this green Crew Neck that rests perfectly at my trousers’ waistband and can go with literally anything. It’s comfortable enough to throw on for a random weeknight dinner but doesn’t look like ASDA fleece. Brilliant.
A more recent discovery during my excursion was their expanded brand offerings. Sure, they still have a giant stock of their infamous own-brand pieces (don’t knock it till you try them on recently, they’re WAY better than they used to be), but they’re now stocking up independents from Albam to Universal Works. Familiar faces that know how to design actually cool clothing without falling into See-shirt trending.
They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel and be the next Dover Street Market; in fact, thank fuck they’re not. What JL offers is something near impossible to find in retail these days: middle ground. Fashion that understands you don’t need to vomit Gucci®.trousercrews all over yourself to look and feel good.
Speaking of which, their denim is actually worth your time these days too. They sell Nudie Jeans . Jesus christ, I would have NEVER thought in a million years that John Lewis, decades after I purchased that ill-fated-but-still-loved first suit of mine, would stock Swedish selvedge denim.
Alongside their own extremely stellar chinos, Oxford shirts, and cashmere socks. Oh and did I mention the staff at John Lewis actually know what they’re talking about? Overheard one of their merchandisers schooling some “icks shirt, but jeans?” kinda guy on the difference between sanforized and non-sanforized denim.
Educated him on proper raw denim storage and care against the poor guy’s will. QUALITY I also love that John Lewis knows their customer but doesn’t talk down to them. They get that most British males have a love/hate relationship with clothing.
We want to look nice. We like to think we have some understanding of putting an outfit together. But we’re also scared of looking ridiculous and therefore spend the rest of our lives wearing black clothes and telling ourselves we don’t care.
John Lewis has mastered appealing to that type of guy. You can buy a texture-y knit or sock ripped jeans that allow you to dip your toes into interesting fashion waters without suddenly feeling like you’ve been dunked in as dudes trying too hard. Last winter I spotted my friend Marcus, from university (infamous for his terrible faux suede shirts phase), purchasing what I could only describe as… a suit?
His face when he spotted me resembled what I imagine someone’s expression must look like when they’re caught gallery dodging. “Ah, Its…. John Lewis. Ya know….
Trustworthy” Were his words, ones I nearly laughed at. The person who writes about clothes for a living is flossing through here, mate. We’ll keep it between us.
Their changing rooms are spacious and bright, the mirrors aren’t warped like your face is melting, and most importantly, they actually have enough dang hooks for your clothes. None of that new hipster retailer bullshit where you pull your fifty layers ofmenswear inside their kindly provided “changing cubby.” Which is basically a broom closet with sad looking Edison bulbs. John Lewis recognizes there are people who wear coats.
Who have scarves. Who need enough room to not feel claustrophobic whilst dressing and enough hooks to hang said coats and scarves. Oh and their basics aren’t half bad either.
Their own-brand white t-shirts are my favourite weight; not too thin and flimsy but not too thick that they look bulky. They don’t get that stupid twisted seam in the torso after washing that make you look like a robbed straightjacket just got you. Their socks actually stay up.
Their boxers, despite constant internet myth. do not ride your legs up like they’re menstruating. Trust me, I wore “boyshorts” styles for years thinking this was normal. Look I’m not going to sit here and pretend John Lewis stock the most interesting or edgy menswear out there.
If that’s what you’re looking for, you came to the wrong bloody article, lad. Head to S.E.H Kelly and get yourself a pair of those tweed skinny leg trouser shit boys think are cool these days. John Lewis stock functional, well-thought-out clothing that real adults with jobs and children wear.
I honestly think part of the John Lewis hate from the fashion sphere is we’ve been led to believe “good” menswear is either Sewwo high-end it smells fancy or you buy your clothes from tiny businesses with like twelve Instagram followers. Nobody talks about the huge chunk of men’s retail that lies between; where the majority of men’s clothes are purchased but also where so much interesting stuff is happening right now. John Lewis have been slowly but surely improving their offer for years, picking up better tailored cuts, better fabrics, and better brands while maintaining that key ability of not freaking the average man out with big brand names.
I picked up a pair of their Lantau trainers on my way out. Essentially their take on minimalist trainers. They’re bland as fuck.
You will not wake up with these on and feel like you stole Raymond Petkeithians-private-jacket-from-his-body-ready-to-go street cred. But they are well-made. Comfy as fuck.
And at £79, cheaper than the Jesus Shoes they’re clearly trying to one up. Now they’re probably sat in my drawer, getting worn about 5 days a week. Am I getting old?
Maybe. Maybe next I’ll be writing a love letter to M&S’s slippers.
God know I’d talk about their hotel-weight dressing gown.
Literally. WILL DIE ON THAT TROLL HILL. But I don’t think so.
We live in a world where too much menswear sits on either infuriatingly cheap shit you’ll literally wear once before dying a slow death in your attic or upwards of £400 for a shirt that isn’t even tailored to your body. John Lewis offers something near impossible to find nowadays. Actual clothes regular men can afford, that will last, and just LOOK GOOD.
So next time you find yourself overlooking John Lewis because you need something “more fashiony” stop. Swathe yourself in their cord and actually look at the clothes. Trust me.
Just, please don’t throw yourself at their sale like some harpy witch when it comes. I have corduroy on the brain and WILL ruin it for myself if you buy out the entire damn store.
