Trunk Clothiers
Founded by outrageously well-dressed Swede Mats Klingberg in 2010, Trunk pulls together a seasonal edit of upscale but understated pieces from brands across the world, including Salvatore Piccolo, Mooncastle, RoToTo and Barena. Its in-house Trunk label features some standout staples including super-covetable merino cardigans and soft cotton shirts. In 2018, the team opened a second store in Zurich.
8 Chiltern Street, W1U 7PU; trunkclothiers.com
Clutch Café
Home to Eastcastle Street and its clutch of always-interesting commercial art galleries, the southwest corner of Fitzrovia is one of little pockets of London that somehow still flies under the radar despite being so close to the centre of the action. The neighbourhood’s main menswear attraction is the brilliant Clutch Café, owned by the Japanese magazine of the same name. The shop’s super-knowledgeable staff on are always on-hand to talk you through their immense collection of workwear-inspired pieces and Japanese brands you won’t find anywhere else.
78 Great Portland Street, W1W 7NT; clutch-cafe.com
John Simons
One of the singular (and criminally unsung) heroes of British menswear, Dalston-born John Simons has a six-decade career at the sharp end of the London fashion scene. Famous for introducing the Ivy League look to the UK and naming the Harrington jacket, Simons now operates out of his store on Chiltern Street where he sells a number of brands including knits by Jamieson’s of Shetland and Nico sunglasses. Fans of the Ivy look should check out his own brand, John Simons, famous for its Harris Tweed overcoats and tapered cotton chinos.
46 Chiltern Street, W1U 7QR; johnsimons.co.uk
Oliver Spencer
Lamb’s Conduit Street is a kind of leftfield Main Street for the London’s menswear scene. The real draw here, though, is the flagship Oliver Spencer store, which opened back in 2008 and was key to establishing the street’s indie cred. The brand’s enduring success can be put down to Spencer’s rare gift for knowing what men actually want to wear. Now, his laid-back, contemporary menswear – think softly structured jackets and relaxed shirts – have become go-to staples for those looking for a modern British wardrobe that’s always stylish but never stuffy.
58 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1N 3LW; oliverspencer.co.uk
Dover Street Market
“The best shop in the world” in the opinion of a great many fashion insiders, Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe’s Dover Street Market remains – some 20 years after it first opened its doors – the pioneering example of what a boutique can be. Over its five floors, ambitious art installations are interspersed with capsule collections and all the fashion world’s avant garde elite are present and correct. Ever-changing and always interesting, it is as Kawakubo put it, a place of ‘beautiful chaos’.
18-22 Haymarket, SW1Y 4DG; london.doverstreetmarket.com
David Annand is editorial director of Secret Trips
