With all that was going on at Pitti Uomo, I didn’t get a good chance to go over the Nigel Cabourn SS12 collection in much depth. As it turned out, I did get another bite at the apple during the shows in Berlin. The spring collection is inspired by General Bernard Montgomery and the “Desert Rats” of the British 8th Army and their campaign in North Africa during WWII. This can be seen very clearly in the photo of the military inspired suits pictured above. Exaggerated khaki jackets paired with long wide leg shorts were at the center of the Nigel Cabourn collection for the season.
Hats off to Nigel and their team for sticking to their guns (pun intended) and turning out the clothes that they want to make, and not clothes that other people want them to make. The remainder of the SS12 line is all of the great clothing that you’ve come to know and love from the British label. I really liked the plaid Irish Linen jacket that is made of fabric specifically developed by the Cabourn folks. More photos below.
One new addition to the SS12 collection is the footwear collaboration between old school Canadian boot maker Viberg and Nigel Cabourn. The leather cap toe boots are the first partnership between Viberg and Cabourn, and will be offered exclusively through Barneys in the U.S. Check out the boots in the photos below.
haha more like desert rats on LSD!
The boots look pretty nice!
The irish linen jacket looks great!
I can’t get enough of linen clothing in the summer. It’s just such a great fabric. Light, breathable, comfortable, just perfect!
And… Nigel’s clothing is a must have.
I picture someone like Gertrude Jekyll in the khaki outfit on the left.
Or rather (I should have said) Vita Sackville-West.
those sneakers in the first pic! score!
in pic 2, is that a color-block button-up or jacket?
looks super cool!
Nice soft colors and fabrics, but the “suits” are destined for Barney’s sales racks ASAP.
i’d gladly wear that ensemble on my next shark jumping trip.
Back in the day when I might have been able to even fit in one of these outfits, the crowd I ran with would have given anyone wearing these clothes, a wide birth. (or pummeled them senseless)
A wide berth, you mean.
I went and looked at Cabourn’s website. I like his knowledge and sense of an earlier time in British history. If you think of it as an art project it is quite interesting and evocative.
Looks even better on his soldiers. I think i posted some images, or i will do. One Love Nige’
Love the military inspiration. That’s a big part of where our inspiration comes from as well. And those desert boots are hot.
With this heat in Chicago, I could use some more linen clothes. Whew!
Thank you andrea for the correction. Guess my fingers were faster than my brain. (its an age thing)
Viberg is a very old Canadian company producing table made boots since 1930. They know their shi(*&t! They only make a handfull of shoes every day…and if you ever wanted to know anything about boots or boot making…these guys are genius’ you can go to their blog and ask Brett Viberg…what is amazing is that they even use 100 % brass nails throughout their boots…which are designed to be bought and last forever and be endlessly repairable….in the pantheon of the top 3 work boot makers in North America!
Nice to see Viberg finally getting some attention. It’s one of those still largely undiscovered brands with a storied history and great products. They’ve been pretty much under the radar for the work boot boom, preferring to construct boots for the BC loggers who’ve kept them in business all these years. I have a pair of Viberg caulk boots made from water buffalo leather that are of unbelievable quality.
Damn that short suit on the right….F*&^ing would be dope this summer to early fall with those Viberg`s.
Inspired! Makes me want to buy some and go find the source of the Nile.
Inspiring and fresh stuff, revisiting this post for the second time and want more!