Winter clothes for me is all about the materials. The soft hand of woolen flannel; the sturdiness of tweed. Waxed cotton can be a good way of keeping rain off your back, although bonded cotton can sometimes drape in more interesting ways. A plush alpaca blend sweater can also be a good alternative to cashmere, even if it sheds a little. The trick is finding something thick enough.
For the last year or so, I’ve been wanting to get a shearling jacket. Shearling being a kind of sheepskin, particularly from lamb, that has been cured so that the fleece remains attached to the leather (when the hide is taken from merino sheep, you have mouton).
Granted, shearling hasn’t had the best history. Not too long ago, the mere mention of it evoked ideas of the Marlboro Man. Those long, bulky, no-nonsense coats with patchwork-like seams running up the back and tufts of wool peeking out from beneath the cuffs. The silhouettes were blocky and the leathers were often dry and cracked, leaving the wearer looking vaguely like King Kong. As ranch coats and bomber jackets, shearlings carry a sort of rugged, workwear sensibility.
There have been times, however, when shearling was considerably more luxurious – even if still questionable in taste. In the early 1930s, clothing catalogs used to advertise their shearling coats alongside suede leather jackets and horsehide outerwear, seemingly ignoring the Great Depression. The material then came back in the ‘60s and ‘70s with the Peacock Revolution. Swanky men wore shearling coats with chunky turtleneck sweaters and velvet bellbottoms, presumably to their eternal regret years later.
All that has left shearling with a bad reputation (and many vintage shops with questionable clothes), but I actually think the modern versions look pretty good. Billy Reid had a nice shearling jacket last year that evoked all the good things about ‘70s cool without crossing over into gauche; StyleForum editor Jasper has a shearling aviator from Cloak (an early line from Alexandre Plokhov and Robert Geller) that I’ve always admired. I also like the shearling liners Ten C makes for their outerwear.
The downside to shearling is that you need a good, experienced cleaner. Since shearling coats are something like leather jackets with built-in sweaters, you have to have someone who can take care of the cleaning in-house (rather than send everything to the same, indiscriminating plant, as most cleaners do). Rave FabriCARE in Arizona is the best dry-cleaner I know of, and they take mail-ins. Their prices aren’t cheap, but they’re reasonable for their quality of work.
Some shearlings I’ve been looking at recently: this minimalist design Valstar did with United Arrows; a bold, black double rider from Naissance; and this trucker jacket from Nine Lives. For something more conservative, try jackets with a bit of sheep wool trim. It still has that curly hair charm, but none of the upkeep requirements or stomach-churning prices. Pictured below are mine from Ten C, Stevenson Overall Co, and Nigel Cabourn. I also like this Acne Studios bomber, which has a detachable collar; Snow Peak down jacket (now on sale); and Nigel Cabourn Antarctic parka (OK, that last one is still pricey). For something more affordable, I’ve always thought Levi’s sherpa truckers are underrated. They’re not technically the same thing, but they’re close.
If you want something more discrete, try shearling-lined gloves or water-resistant boots. Again, not technically the same thing, but they’ll give you some appreciable toastiness during the last days of winter. Possibly good for people who are feeling sheepish about getting sheepish.
