Fashion: Let out your inner easy rider

Herald on Sunday

28 Jun, 2015 04:00 AM3 mins to read

Swanndri x Barkers. Photo / Supplied

For a third season New Zealand's iconic grassroots farming brand Swanndri has collaborated with menswear specialists Barkers.

The collection takes Swanndri's famous check patterns and technical fabrics and combines them with Barkers cut and stylings to produce wearable and functional clothing with a clean modern aesthetic. The result is for sale now.

My solution to your winter dressing needs, is a classic go-to outfit to get you through the winter months that will add value to your wardrobe for seasons to come. As always for menswear, it's about layering and an outfit that can take you from day to night.

First up is a piece every man should have in their wardrobe - and the construction and price of the Cambridge Heath overcoat from Fifth Ave is hard to beat. Country Road's textured moleskin jacket is from a modern tailored block and made from luxurious Italian moleskin, ideal to wear as outerwear or layered up for colder moments.

Merino is a seasonal essential and the styling value of a button-up cardigan like Crane Brothers Salerno cardigan cannot be measured. When looking for a shirt, after you have the basics of plain shirting covered, the subtle Plummer dot shirt from Barkers will work for a multitude of purposes.

Chino has been almost a dirty word, but these classic styles have been given a new lease on life with a new kind of fit.

Witchery Man's Hudson Chino is flatteringly slim through the leg fit and washed to give that soft, worn-in feel.

As for womenswear, boots are where it's at in winter and Australian label Brando's Giorgio Marine with its suede upper and contrast sole-detailing will work with a variety of trousers.

And finally, Deadly Ponies have just released their debut men's collection, comprising four styles each named after a beloved comic hero - their Zorro Briefcase will please the majority.

Check out The Line Up for my pick of the must-have jackets of the season, starting with I Love Ugly's military anorak, which takes a modern and minimalist approach to the traditional military inspired outerwear. It is lightweight, water repellant, fully lined and has a corduroy lining inside the hood.

Zambesi's racer jacket is a slim-fit bomber made from a polyester polyurethane blend with a quilted effect across the textile and neoprene trim on the collar and under the sleeve.

For a reinvented classic pea coat style it's all about WORLDman's Pompeii Coat. And finally, try Stolen Girlfriends Club aviator biker jacket in leather with a detachable shearling coat.