You want the best. And heck, you deserve the best. But there's a lot of choice out there, and sometimes the best is hard to find. Fortunately, we know where to find it. Every week, the Esquire editors reveal their favourite brands, from under-the-radar steals to luxury loves, so you can invest in the best clothes, watches and accessories that money can buy.
This week, the clothes to quell your lockdown blues: Sadwear.
Aries Tie-Dye Sweatsuit (£590, sold separately) by Aries at endclothing.com
Aries
Dan Choppen, Fashion Assistant
"Sometimes you feel like crap. Your mental zen-garden is complete mess and you've got a hangover. Except, you went to bed at 8pm with a Horlicks. That's just life baby! So take it easy. Collapse on your couch, watch TV, eat fruit, light a candle, and be comfortable – that's important.
"You should be comfortable, but not a complete sloth: crumbling on the inside, solid on the out. Make life easy for yourself by picking co-ords: they'll match because they were designed to. No-brainer, but still a big look. My favourite is this bright and energetic tie-dye, acid vat explosion from Aries in a relaxed cotton jersey fleece, perfect for any sad day of the week. All seven of them."
Novel Mart Cacio e Pepe Hoody (£50) at novel-mart.com
Novel Mart
Charlie Teasdale, Style Director
"When I’m feeling the lockdown feels, I reach for my hoody by Novel Mart. The fledgling brand – established in lockdown 1.0, I believe – makes sweats, tees and hats that riff on the preppy, collegiate archetype, but swap out the college names for those of famous wines, cocktails or dishes.
"For the summer, they offered ‘Vongole’, ‘Polpo’, ‘Sbagliato’ and ‘Spritz’, among other warm-weather delights. But now that it’s cold, the dishes and drinks are heavier and richer; ‘Raclette’, ‘Tartare’ and ‘Barolo’ all feature. My Cacio e Pepe hoody (a nod to the Italian classic, which directly translates to 'cheese and pepper') is supremely comfortable and encapsulates the inherent silly-coolness of modern menswear."
Sunspel
Finlay Renwick, Deputy Style Editor
"Versatility is key when it comes to a truly elite piece of Sadwear. It must be something that you can wear inside on a Sunday while rolling around on the sofa saying ‘oh no oh no oh no’; on a designated walk to ‘The Shops’; on a flight (remember those?) and, if it’s a piece by – oh, I don’t know – Sunspel, then it should also look and feel good enough to wear as a standalone piece on a daily basis.
"Using only the best fibres since 1860, Sunspel makes an inimitable lounge-to-Lidl hoodie. With a relaxed, but flattering, fit and a mid-weight loopback cotton jersey construction, it’s finished with a kangaroo pouch and drawstrings (for when you really need to hide from it) all. I’m a fan of the classic slate grey style worn with either black or navy Sunspel sweatpants for a consistent couch potato/home office uniform."
CDLP
Murray Clark, Digital Style Editor
"'Are those silk pyjamas?' came the barbed voice of my housemate as I trotted down the stairs, all slumber party Scarface in merlot co-ords (or at least that was the idea). 'No, stupid,' I snapped. 'It's lyocell. And it's a home suit.' Which, to untrained ears, is a really, really, really soft rayon fabric made from dissolving pulp, and one that's thought to be much kinder to the environment.
"As for the latter, a home suit is arguably one of the greatest creations from already-quite-great cult brand CDLP: a Nordic outfit that's enjoyed a groundswell of support thanks to quality underwear, swimwear, and, now, Sadwear. Because while it's easy to grow anxious over lockdown, and the sacking of hallowed temples of democracy, and the complexities of the government's new ground rent reform (just me?), know that the world can be a comfortable, nice-looking, soft place with a fat glass of red wine, and a home suit in a similar shade. Helps that it didn't batter said world to get here either."
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