Mark your calendar! For anyone who is around London for the upcoming four weeks, The Plexippus Cape will be available for trying on in person at Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. The exact dates are 17/10 to 9/11.
Long-time readers will know that the team at Whitcomb — Suresh, Mahesh, John, Bob, Sian, and Richard — are some of the most approachable and knowledgable individuals within the trade. So it's always nice to go up there to have a chat and observe their work.
They do operate on a by-appointment-only basis, so I would strongly advise those who plan to visit to shoot them a message on Instagram or phone them up (+44 20 7493 2636) in advance.
In other news, I recently brought the Plexippus along for a short trip to Lake Como, Italy. I wanted to see if I could account for any mercury drops without necessarily carrying any of my overcoats.
I found the cape to be something that I could easily layer over my pajamas early in the morning and late in the evening when relaxing on the balcony, as shown in the stills above and below. Or alternatively, over my black-tie dinner ensemble, at the polar opposite end of the spectrum. Then, of course, it works with anything in between.
Notably, the drape of the cloth also made packing for travel easier. Upon arrival, no steaming, let alone ironing, was required for the cape.
I know that some may find the weight of the Plexippus to be substantial. That being said, readers and friends who have tried it on seem to agree that since the cape wraps around your body rather than hugging it directly, they don't feel as hot as one would in an overcoat of equivalent weight. And most importantly, it does block wind effectively.
So something to keep in mind when you try on the cape in person.
One last thing. At the moment, only the medium size will be available for trying on at Whitcomb.
I should, however, clarify that it is not difficult to get a sense of how the size small or large would fit you, considering there are only two measurements you would need to take into account. That being a 7cm difference at the sleeves and a 10cm difference at the back.
Needless to say, the medium is also designed to accommodate the broadest range of shoulder sizes, ranging from EU size 46-50. (See the full size guide here.)
That's all for now. For any other questions you may have, do shoot me a message at linus@thesuitstainableman.com.
Photography: The Suitstainable Man team