#ehaberdasher

Pictured above: grey flannel trousers from eHaberdasher.

Check out my 2020/2021 update: Flannel Trousers under $159.

Four Mid-Grey Trousers for under $150, published in 2014, is one of my perennially popular posts. Sadly, as Pete at Put This On once observed, expensive things aren’t getting any cheaper. While there are still many options out there for grey flannel wool trousers, most weigh in at over $200. None of the pants in the 2014 post are available anymore. Nor are any of the five options in a follow-up post. Some of the retailers seem to have abandoned carrying wool flannel dress trousers altogether.

Which is too bad. As I wrote in the original post:

A cool-weather staple and a garment on almost every “essential wardrobe” list, the grey flannel trouser is the functional equivalent of jeans in a tailored wardrobe—you can wear them with almost anything.

With a navy blazer, spread collar shirt, and striped tie you’ll be about as formal as you can get short of wearing a suit. Pair them with just about any sport coat in any color or pattern (except solid grey, of course) and they’ll go well together. Swap the sport coat for a navy chunky cardigan or suede A1 blouson and you’ve got a sophisticated casual look. They even look great with just a slim merino v-neck sweater in navy, burgundy or forest green for a reliable business casual outfit—though I recommend wearing that with interesting outerwear to keep it from looking too staid.

I set out to see if affordable grey wool flannel trousers are still a thing in 2019. I’m happy to report that they are, though with a compromise: you’ll notice I dropped “mid-grey” from the title.

Keep reading for the full roundup.

It’s Still Cold Out: Bella Spalla “Made in Napoli” Topcoats 

Above: Ben Eng models the Bella Spalla herringbone topcoat outside his London shop, The Wardrobe Wimbledon.

This wool-silk herringbone topcoat from eHaberdasher’s Bella Spalla house line is easily my favorite menswear purchase in 2017. Made in Napoli, the coat features natural shoulders, broad high-gorge lapels, and a barchetta curved breast pocket — all characteristics of Neapolitan tailoring that menswear enthusiasts geek out over.

I originally picked up the coat to keep me warm during a late October stay in Calgary for a wedding. The purchase was carefully considered — eHaberdasher offers the coat in five different fabrics, and I wanted to pick the one that afforded the most versatility on my return to California. That meant passing over an amazing caramel brown Loro Piana cashmere and a more-conventional navy wool-cashmere, the latter being my first instinct.

My eventual choice turned out far better than I could hope for. The charcoal-ash color is conservative enough to be worn with a suit in all but the most formal of settings, while the soft construction and herringbone pattern dress down far more naturally than your typical structured solid navy topcoat. In many ways I find it preferable to it’s nearest sport coat equivalent — the grey tweed jacket — as it brings the flattering lines of a tailored garment to a casual outfit without appearing too studied due to it’s very functional nature as, well, a topcoat.

Over the past fall and winter I’ve worn the coat across the whole casual-formal spectrum of cool-weather clothing and it’s held it’s own: with a navy worsted wool suit, with a checked sport coat, with a merino V-neck and flannel trousers, with a donegal wool crewneck sweater and denim, and yes, even a pair of sweatpants (Karl Lagerfeld of yesteryear would be so disappointed).

The only potential downside I can report is a compromise between pragmatism and stylishness: the middle button point seems a little low for a topcoat. While this allows for a long handsome swoop of the lapels that reveals more shirt and tie, I’m not sure that it’s very helpful for keeping you warm. I personally like it, but it’s understandable if others facing truly frigid temperatures would pass over this coat for something that keeps you a little more covered up.

eHaberdasher’s house label products are almost always a tremendous value at full retail, and the store has the Bella Spalla coats deeply discounted as we enter springtime. There’s some stock for all sizes and colorways, though specific availability for smaller sizes is starting to get thin. If you find something your size in a color you like, I strongly suggest picking it up.

After all, it’s still cold out.

All Bella Spalla coats are currently 30% off at eHaberdasher.

The Wardrobe Wimbledon opens in London 

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the online menswear shop eHaberdasher. Specializing in deeply-discounted classic menswear from high-end brands, proprietor Benjamin Eng started the store after stints at Ralph Lauren, Grieco Brothers (the manufacturer of Southwick clothing), and Nordstrom. It’s the ultimate culmination of a knack for finding great menswear bargains, a skill he started developing as a 15 year-old working his first job at a local haberdashery, aspiring to wear the kind of garments the store sold.

Ben relocated with his family from New Jersey to south London a few years ago, and after noting a lack of dedicated classic menswear stores in the area, Ben decided to set up shop in Wimbledon Village.

The Wardrobe Wimbledon opened in late November 2016, and stocks many of the same brands as eHaberdasher, including:

suits from MaCo and Pal Zileri Sartoriale,

jackets from Zegna and Hackett,

shirts from Barba Napoli, Dandylife, Borrelli and Finamore, 

trousers from Pantaloni Torino, Marco Pescarolo, and Incotex,

and shoes from Sutor Mantellassi.

I'm especially fond of eHaberdasher’s in-house labels, which are excellent values in tailored clothing: my go-to navy and grey suits are from the Benjamin line, and I’ve lately gotten a lot of wear out of a navy hopsack blazer and mid-grey fresco trousers from the newer “Made in Napoli” Bella Spalla line. The Wardrobe Wimbledon carries suits, jackets, shirts, trousers, ties, and sweaters from the labels, and also offers a made-to-measure service.

If you’re in London, the store’s address is

The Wardrobe Wimbledon 18 Ridgway London, SW19 4QN 020 8605 9000

Below, some pictures from the store’s Instagram.

Affordable DoubleDuty Suits

After our post yesterday about the DoubleDuty Suit -- a dark, navy suit where the jacket can be worn as navy sport coat -- a couple of readers messaged us about possible options on the affordable side of the price scale. 

The first is this one at SuitSupply, which has soft shoulders and patch pockets. The second is a coming new model at eHaberdasher (as part of their Benjamin line, which is our pal Aliotsy’s go-to for affordable tailored clothing). Both options look like they’d run you about $500, although the one at eHaberdasher has yet to hit online shelves. 

We haven’t handled either, but that’s the catch with DoubleDuty Suits. You never really quite know whether the suit jacket can be worn as a standalone sport coat until you actually try it on. Subtle things, such as the sheen and weight of the fabric, play a big role, so real-life handling is important. 

That said, both of those models seem like they’re worth a closer look.