Sport coats in the fall and winter are often alive with patterns. In tweeds alone, there are dozens of variations on barleycorns and Donegals, as well as a couple hundred district checks. Good patterns are a lot harder come by when the weather gets warm, however. Part of the problem is that cottons and linens generally look best in solid colors, while tropical wools – namely Minnis Fresco – are typically only offered in plain blues and grays.
Harrisons recently reintroduced their famously popular book for patterned summer jacketings, Carlo Barbera for H. Lesser. As the story goes, the collection was initially introduced in the 1970s, when Luciano Barbera approached the British label about including a line of Italian fabrics in their collection. It was a bit of a risk at the time for Lesser, since their other offerings were so quintessentially British, but the book did surprisingly well – which is why many were surprised when it was discontinued.
The new reissue is slightly lighter in weight than those 1970s originals (at 8/9 oz, it’s closer to what Lesser offered in the 1990s), and the patterns have been tweaked to give them a more contemporary feel. Missing are the gun clubs that so many loved, but there are still a number of handsome options. Some are a bit wild, such as a couple of bright, blueberry windowpanes, while others are reasonably conservative. I’m personally drawn to the dark blue Shepherd’s check and tan glen plaid seen in the first two images below.
Harrisons has some other reissues planned this year. In the fall, they’ll bring back some of the cloths in their Fine Classics book, and in the next couple of months, they’ll reissue some things from Smiths’s Botany and Gilt Edge, as well as W. Bill’s Shetland. Those interested in ordering can contact one of Harrisons’ distributors (which here in the US would be Isles Textile Group). The Carlo Barbera for H. Lesser book can also be seen in large format here.
