The Lyle and Scott brand of fashion

Think knitwear, golf and there is only one name you can come up with. Lyle and Scott, established in 1874 in the small Scottish township of Hawick, by William Lyle and Walter Scott quickly established themselves as a premier brand among the golfing fraternity. Their designs which are a unique blend of original as well as exhibiting influences of Pringle continue to be a trailblazer with their Golden Eagle insignia leading the way. Starting off modestly manufacturing only underwear and other hosiery material, they forayed into making pullovers, cardigans and other attire for golf in 1926 and carved out a niche for themselves. Other milestones followed as under:

· In 1938, they gave a new lease of life to the shaky underwear business by entering into an arrangement with Coopers of US to manufacture Y-Front underwear and enjoyed brisk business in the European markets.

· In 1954, they joined hands with the French designer Christian Dior which gave them access to the Canadian market.

· Finally in 1967, they launched their own range of brightly colored golfing attire motivated by Doug Sanders, and embellished with their insignia, the Golden Eagle. This logo was a fitting tribute to Scottish tradition and fitted perfectly with their niche product – golf attire.

· In 1985, they introduced the golf attire for ladies called La Femme which became hugely popular.

This trend continued with some of the famous golfing professionals like Malcom Gregson and Brian Huggett endorsing and donning their clothing through the sixties. Other professionals from this sport continued the tradition and proudly led the Golden Eagle to various triumphs.

In the year 2002, the company ventured into designer wear with a new identity and is now one of the foremost brands in this category.

This brand has gained popularity among the non sporting public also with product offerings in the polo shirts, T-shirt, jumpers, windbreaker and shorts segments.

When it comes to polo shirts, we always seem to refer to only Lacoste or Fred Perry collections. Recently, Lyle and Scott unveiled their range of checkered polo shirts with different combinations of red/white, black/white and blue/white patterns. Their collection of neon tip polos bearing neon colors on the sleeves were a big hit. At one point in time in the year 2007, these shirts outsold even the Lacoste brand of polo shirts.

The brand’s knitwear products are manufactured from the best and finest cashmere and wool and their recently refurbished machining process oriented towards full fashioning has ensured a smoother and snug fit. This has enabled the brand to move away from pure golf and sports categories and cater also to the trendier and fashion conscious.

Lyle and Scott are also credited with dressing up some of the top bands in recent months with the cardigan and responsible for the return of this garment. This outfit with its cuts and button holes has been referred to as a very soft jacket and is very functional with pockets.

Fashion World Today readers voted Mainlinemenswear number 1 for their online selection and prices of Lyle and Scott

Bespoke Mens Shirts

Personalized shirt tailoring is the in thing and very much in trend in UK. Men feel they would get more value for money if they get a tailor made shirt than going in for expensive designer wear. Custom made shirts are perfectly cut and the wearer can choose what style of cut he wants to wear. It enables the wearer to understand the feel of the shirt.

Here are certain tips which one would need to follow in case one wants to go for a tailor made shirt.

• A made to stitch shirt should be perfectly cut and stitched. It should neither be too loose or too tight around the shoulders and chest.
• The wearer should be absolutely comfortable in the shirt, as he has got it tailor made. The cut of the shirt should be contoured according to a person’s body. Depending on the wearer’s build, it should be tailor made. A professional tailor would know what would suite the person.
• The shirt’s cuffs should belong enough so as to enable the cuffs to be folded. There should not be too much fabric left to dangle near the cuffs.
• There should at least be 1 finger distance between the collar and neck when you button your shirt. It should neither be too tight or too loose.
• The cuffs of the shirts should be tight so that when the cuffs are buttoned, the wearer has to unbutton the cuffs before sneaking his arms into the sleeves.

There are other factors which need to be considered while getting a tailor made shirt.

Fabric: it is of utmost importance while selecting. Men’s shirt should be stitched out of cotton fabric. Cotton is most comfortable as compared to other fabrics. The count of the fabric should be high. The higher the count, the better is the quality of the fabric. Some of the most popular cotton weaves are twill,fits and fits, poplin etc. Oxford is the heaviest weave among them.

Collars: Collars should be handmade and not machine made. Collars should have a smooth look and should not look twirled or twisted at the corners. The shape of the wings should be perfect. Both the collars should be of equal shape and length.

Stitching: The tailor should ensure a simple line needle stitching.

If the tailor ensures a single needle stitching, there will be lesser wrinkles and creases, line needle stitching will ensure stronger seams.

Pattern matching : Appropriate use of patterns should be matched. Leave it to your tailor. He knows what best suits you.

Sleeve Packets: They need to be appropriately used. Tailor should ensure proper placing of sleeve packets.

Split yoke: a 4 piece split yoke should be ensured to enable the shirt fall well on the shoulders.

Buttons: They need to be stitched properly by expert hands neatly so that they do not become loose. One needs to ensure that the shirt has a round tail supported by a gusset.