There is nothing new in the idea of a blazer designed for cycling, but the conflicting demands on it require clever design. The city cyclist and commuter needs a jacket he can wear on the bike and which is also wearable in the office. Oliver Spencer has collaborated with Brompton Cycles, whose folding commuter bikes are famous worldwide, to make a practical, comfortable and exceptionally well-designed blazer for all-round use.
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| The Oliver Spencer x Brompton Cycles Blazer |
Features needed for such a jacket start with the cloth: an airy, flexible, weather and crease resistant fabric is essential. Then comes requirements like reflective sections, good and secure pockets and a means of carrying the coat over the shoulders if removed. It needs to fit well, the should be longer than usual to accommodate reach to the handlebars, an action back helps reach and movement while cycling and finally the garment needs to be robust.
Oliver Spencer is no stranger to garment design and his blazer has all these features. On first seeing my review sample I was immediately struck by the feel, quality and the complexity of the construction. There is even a cloth messenger bag with a shoulder strap that provides yet another way of carrying the blazer (which can be folded up small without creasing) when removed - fiendishly clever.
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| Some of the features of the Oliver Spencer x Brompton Cycles blazer |
This is a remarkable garment, the product of exceptional design and construction. A small observation relates to the sleeves, which are, of necessity, longer than normal to cover the wrists when riding. For those who notice that the cuffs ride down over the top of the hands when off the bike, I wondered if a further set of cuff buttons, or a Velcro closure, would have allowed them to be tightened to keep the cuffs in place; but this is a minor point indeed.
The fabric is stretchy and the jacket feels comfortable to wear - particularly when riding - yet it looks good off the bike as well. There are a lot of excellent features packed into a blazer costing £385. Go to Oliver Spencer for more information and to buy.
This is an unsponsored post. The blazer was given to me for this review.
