Tweed garments are truly synonymous with British style. However, it can be a challenge to find clothes for you if you want to dress in British style. To help you on the way we’ve put together the Best English sites for tweed clothes in this article.
Read more about classic British brands.
Best English sites for tweed clothes
There are a lot of great English sites that we return to more often than others. When we search for good online stores, we look for the authentic. Companies with a history in the style associated with an authentic English Country Gentleman.
There are quite a few good English sites that have a good all-round range for both city life and country life.
However, this should not be seen as an exhaustive list, but is mainly made up of some of the favourites that we have often turned to when I have been looking for inspiration for the classic in tweed clothing and the quintessentially British – and there is nothing more synonymous with the quintessentially British than tweed itself.
Below are some great British sites for tweed garments.
Cordings
Founded back in 1839, Cordings quickly became synonymous with outdoor living in 19th century London. The shop was important for many so-called “City Gentlemens” who wanted to acquire the necessary clothing for their excursions to the countryside.
Cordings launched its first collection of tweed jackets in the 1920s to complement its other range of outerwear and boots. In 1922, the young Prince of Wales, Edward VIII, chose Cordings as one of the stores to supply him with clothing. Cordings is located at 19 Piccadilly, Mayfair in London. The address has been there since the early 1900s.
The style of Cordings three-button tweed jacket has changed very little since the 1920s and Cordings works closely with British and Irish mills such as Harris Tweed, Shetland and Donegal to ensure quality.
Cordings’ signature House Check pattern, seen in the images above, was developed 30 years ago and is one of five patterns featured in the collections each year. Among the key garments featured each season are breeches, waistcoats, caps and jackets – all the garments associated with a true English Country Gentleman and this is definitely one of the Best English sites for tweed clothes.
Oliver Brown
If you’re looking for a real inspirational boost in all things classic British when it comes to clothing, you should definitely visit Oliver Brown and their website. Here you will find all the clothes needed for different events categorized in a clear order.
As we noted earlier, Oliver Brown is one of the companies that differentiates their Dinner Jackets from Tuxedo Jackets in the range. But even in other respects there are traditional British clothes for all occasions associated with the traditionally British, including of course tweed garments.
The image above is from Oliver Brown’s Hunting Collection, which includes clothing for traditional British foxhunting on horseback. The range also includes traditional tweed garments for other hunts under the Shooting Collection category. Incidentally, it is rare to find traditional clothing online for fox hunting on horseback these days, which also makes the Oliver Brown range special. Also check out the Eveningwear section for a hefty dose of inspiration.
Oliver Brown is the only retailer invited to the traditional Royal Ascot horse race each year, and the range also includes its own line specially made for Royal Ascot, the Royal Ascot Collection.
James Purdey & Sons
Primarily focused on guns and hunting accessories, James Purdey & Sons was founded in 1814, but now has a wide range of products in its range – from luxury accessories to tweed garments.
In recent years, the company has increasingly focused on the luxury market, as evidenced by its partnership with exclusive Italian watchmakers Panerai.
James Purdey & Sons is a court supplier to the British royal family in three categories. The most exclusive models of Purdey weapons cost over $120 000, with a waiting time of up to two years. This makes it one of the most expensive and exclusive weapons in the world.
Farlows
Farlows was founded in 1840 by Charles Farlow as a fishing tackle company. Nowadays, Farlows offers most hunting and fishing products, both under its own brand and under other classic brands such as Schoffel and Laksen.
Of course, this includes a wide range of stylish tweed garments, such as breeches or breeks.
Alan Paine
William Paine founded the company in 1907 and named it Paines of Godalming after the village of Godalming in Surrey. He learned to knit as a hobby, but soon the hobby became a business, focusing mainly on knitwear. Among other things, he developed one of the first cable-knitted shirts ever produced, which he sold to local cricket clubs.
During the 1920s, the popularity of cable-knit shirts grew and customers included style icon Edward VIII. By 1942, the number of employees had already grown to 400 in Godalming and 200 in Wales, thanks in part to the large number of orders for the British Army for the Second World War.
His son Alan Paine took over Paines of Godalming in the 1950s and renamed the company Alan Paine. This was a turning point for the business and it expanded into the USA. In 2009, the company launched its now popular Country Wear Collection, featuring many stylish and classic tweed garments. This includes the brand’s most popular collection, the Combrook Collection.
Barbour
Well-known Barbour is best known for its high-quality waxed oil jackets, but in fact there are also some stylish tweed garments in the range. However, you might not come here primarily looking for tweed garments, but perhaps mainly their iconic jackets and plaid accessories like the scarves.
Read more about classic Barbour jackets here!
