The raglan is a distinct style of sleeve that’s often employed in tweedy outerwear like balmacaan coats, though it’s also a distinct feature of Barbour jackets and baseball tees. Distinct from the standard, “set-in” sleeve common to tailoring, wherein a sleeve begins where the shoulder ends, the raglan starts at the collar itself and extends in a single piece to the end of the wrist.  As Oliver Mumby, Cad & The Dandy’s head of design explains, the raglan sleeve is a creation of one Lord FitzRoy Somerset, a British Army officer and the 1st Baron Raglan. While commanding the British ar ..read more

Lovat Mill, based in the Scottish Borders town of Hawick, proudly styles itself as the “Home of Tweed.” It’s an audacious claim to make, but one that the independently owned and operated fabric weaver can back up with history.  In the mill’s own telling of the tale, in 1826 another Hawick weaver named William Watson & Sons dispatched a batch of fabric to a London merchant. The woolens had been labeled “tweels,” the equivalent of “twills” in the local Scotch dialect. However, the merchant misread the word as “tweeds,” which made a certain amount of sense. The robust wools would have b ..read more

If you’re lucky in this life, you’ll experience a relationship with someone who builds up your strengths, soothes your insecurities, and knows every inch of your body. We are referring, of course, to the relationship between you and your tailor.  In days gone by, before fast fashion and online retail, this particular intimacy was something that many men would have experienced. An ongoing relationship with a tailor was simply how men bought their clothes. This has become more of a rarity today, with many men purchasing their garments via the click of the button.   But what’s become l ..read more

In terms of the features that shape the appearance of a suit or sport jacket, pockets are secondary only to fabric and lapel shape. But while the difference between a notched or peak lapel is exclusively aesthetic, the decision to add a ticket pocket or go flapped vs patch is also a matter of functionality. With so many options, choosing your pocket style can be a daunting task when commissioning bespoke clothing. So, in the interest of minimising any potential pocket-related anxiety, we’ve drawn up an overview of the three most popular pocket styles and their variants. FLAP POCKETS The flapp ..read more

ABOUT YOU – STYLING According to The Guardian the latest season of ‘You’ is ‘a guaranteed rollercoaster in a tweed jacket’. While the drama belongs to Netflix, the tweed (among other things) is Cad & The Dandy’s. If you are unfamiliar with the series, ‘You’ is a psychological thriller starring Penn Badgely as Joe Goldberg whose obsessive tendencies often culminate in murder. In Season 4 Joe has relocated to London and is masquerading as Jonathan Moore; Professor of Literature and high society member. For Joe, a new identity comes with a new wardrobe and in Spring 2022 Cad & The Dandy ..read more

Those that even loosely follow menswear will no doubt have heard about the biannual migration of the style cognoscenti to the birthplace of the renaissance, the city that Mark Twain one described as the ‘City of Dreams’. Florence has hosted this event since 1972, being conveniently held just prior to Milan’s fashion week, a trade-show for the world’s craftsmen and retailers to buy and sell their wares and for journalists to write about the latest trends. Over the years Pitti was hijacked by the infamous Pitti Peacock, those loosely associated with the trade purely there to garner attention, w ..read more

“Smoking or non-smoking?” In a bygone era, such a question may have determined whether you wished to light a Marlboro between your appetiser and entrée course. But in today’s tobacco-free world, its most relevant use may be differentiating between whether a formal garment is a smoking jacket or a genuine tuxedo (or dinner suit, as we know it in the UK). To begin, we’ll state the most obvious difference: as the name would imply, a smoking jacket is a single item of clothing, while the tuxedo is generally a two-piece suit, consisting of a jacket and matching trousers. However, as we’ll discover ..read more

Cad & The Dandy are proud to be partnering with Ukrainian bespoke atelier Indposhiv, in this charitable initiative in support of victims of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, via a series of unique designed pocket squares. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Indposhiv has created a “War in Ukraine” series of silk pocket squares. Featuring original and vibrant drawings from children affected by the conflict, as well as one illustration in muted colours with a final farewell theme, by the Odessa based artist Tina Tikhonenko. SKY POCKET SQUARE “> PLANES POCKET SQUARE ..read more

With the advent of cooler weather, it’s time to break out the tweeds and complementary trousers to go with them. We’re willing to bet your selection already includes a pair of grey flannels (if not, we’d suggest you correct this immediately), but you might be on the hunt for another dressy trouser to pair with anything from a Harris tweed jacket to a navy blazer. On this count, it’s hard to do better than cavalry twill. “Cavalry twill, as the name suggests, was originally adopted by the mounted divisions of the British Army such as Household Guards and Cavalry as perfect riding attire,” says R ..read more

As is the case with everything from romantic partners to Cadbury’s Creme Eggs, it’s important to pay attention to what’s on the inside. Bespoke tailoring is no exception, which brings us to the topic of linings. Put simply, “lining” refers to the fabric that’s been sewn onto the inside of a jacket (or the upper portion of a pair of trousers). Jackets may be lined or unlined (or something in between—more on that later) with a variety of fabrics ranging from polyester to pure silk. To better explore the topic, we enlisted the aid of our old friend Brad Herzlich, who serves as Business Developme ..read more