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A dirty protest in a balsamic vinegar factory

The profile of Nepenthes brand Rough & Tumble has exploded in the UK this season. And by ‘exploded’ I mean, a couple of  e-tailers have started stocking a few more pieces and bells like me who spend all their time pouring over websites have noticed and gone, “Mmmm?”, quietly, to themselves. This Rough & Tumble shirt/jacket is the sort of thing that makes me go “Mmmm?”

It’s a jacket shape, but made of shirt-weight fabric. Oh, and it’s got shirt-style cuffs, but lapels like a jacket. In many respects it seems to have been designed specifically for those frequent occasions when only a shirt-weight-jacket-shape with shirt cuffs and jacket lapels will do.

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Engineered Garments’ head-brain Daiki Suzuki is behind the brand thinking and he bills it as an “untraditional shirtmakers“, delivering an “anarchic take on traditional tailored pieces.” Which is good. Because I’m not comfortable dropping 183 quids on anything unless it comes complete with a significant amount of supporting flowery philosophy.

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I’m down with the poeticness. But, all I really know is that this ‘Charcoal Marble’ pattern jacket – think dirty protest in a balsamic vinegar factory  – would look abject sickness with cream shorts, pale bucks, some clear sunnies and a scowl that says, “I really need a poo but I’m gonna have another fag first.”

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