The Powell has been the Chelsea-style quilt everyone reaches for. This is that same easy shape cut in waxed cotton instead, and it fills a gap we get asked about every fall: a proper wax jacket without the bellows pockets, studs and hunting-field volume of a Beaufort. Zip the front, button the placket over it, and the wind has to get through two layers before it reaches you.
The outer is waxed cotton over a cotton face with a polyurethane membrane behind it, so it sheds a wet October afternoon rather than just shrugging at it. Deep collar lined in corduroy so it sits soft against the neck turned up, tartan across the back panel, a jetted zip pocket for the phone and flapped pockets low on the hip. Waxed cotton is maintenance rather than maintenance free: re-wax it every few years and it keeps shedding water for years.
Modern is the operative word in the name. The block is trimmer through the body and longer than the classic country jackets, with a back length around 32 in (82 cm) on the sample, so it covers the seat without reading as a coat. Take your usual menswear letter size. It is cut closer than a Classic Beaufort or Bedale, so if you plan to run a heavy sweater underneath all winter, go up one.
Sage sits on the greyer end of the olive family, warmer than pine and quieter than a bright olive, and it reads well with denim, tan cords and navy knits. Wear it over a Florcombe cardigan on the weekend or an oxford and grey flannel to the office. Sponge it clean, re-wax it every three to five years, and it will outlast most of what hangs beside it.
