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Percival Clothing Offers Timelessly Tailored British Style With an Edge

Percival has done pretty well for a brand that almost went out of business in the mid-2010s. The UK-based clothing label, led by founder and head designer Chris Gove, found itself following a jolt of investment and some restructuring to become one of the most progressive brands in British fashion today.

This isn’t to say Percival is doing anything outlandish or bringing in looks from left field to lead the way. Instead, the brand employs a smart blend of classic British style with a contemporary sensibility. Occasionally, there will be a fun pattern, color, or graphic, but for the most part, Percival clothing is sharp and timeless with enough humor to not take itself too seriously. 

The brand has dressed a number of celebrities in recent years (including England’s Manager at the last Men’s Euros), showing an increasing influence both in the UK and abroad. 

As Percival begins to find its way stateside, SPY was curious to learn how the brand compares to similar high-quality outfitters here. To test this, SPY took an extended spin in Percival clothing to see if the sharp looks stand up to the needs of everyday wear.

Hot Fits from Percival Clothing

Best Overall

Percival Blanket Overshirt

Buy at Percival $165 Jump to Details
Football x Fashion

Percival x Throwing Fits Football Shirt

Buy at Percival $135 Jump to Details
Size Carefully

Percival Linen Tailored Trousers

Buy at Percival $195 Jump to Details
Percival
Best Overall

$165 $330 50% off

Buy at Percival

The Percival Blanket Overshirt is a best seller for the brand, having wedged its way into daily wear that isn’t too warm but won’t leave a man cold. Ranging from XS to XXL, the core version of this shacket is offered in 10 color options with seasonal materials mixed in throughout the year.

The brightness and feeling from the wool outer layer is the stuff of dreams. It’s a fine choice to use for layering that may be the next logical iteration of a classic Pendleton shirt — redefined and reimagined for the 2020s.

The Corozo buttons are a nice addition to an overall wonderful shirt jacket, cleverly differentiating it from other similar jackets. And though the dry clean-only recommendation is less than ideal, the jacket continues to break in nicely, which undoubtedly will lead to months of wear even before a cleaning is needed.

Football x Fashion

Hailing from the UK, soccer (football) is a cultural mainstay for Percival. The sport has sneakily worked its way into several capsule releases in partnership with some of the most important names at the intersection of football and fashion.

Throwing Fits is a popular podcast that interviews pop and fashion culture leaders with their own spin on current affairs. This shirt is a fun and sensible take on the classic burgundy and light blue combo seen on several UK teams with a timeless red and white collar.

This is the perfect shirt to wear to your local soccer pub when you have no rooting interest in either team but still want to show you care. It’s a comfy, slick long-sleeve t-shirt. Be cognizant of the prominent slim cut on this shirt (and everything else from the brand).

Size Carefully

A best seller amongst all Percival trousers, this linen pant is a mainstay for warmer weather. Ranging from sizes 28 to 38 in five different color options, these are the complimentary trousers to Percival’s Linen Tailored Blazer.

Despite the high-quality material, useful color palette, and styling excellence, SPY found that Percival’s trousers might be more difficult to order for Americans. Whereas most American brands use a popular vanity sizing metric that isn’t based on hard measurements, Percival sizes based on hard numbers.

In the brand’s Fit Guide, they recommend measuring one’s normal pants by laying them flat and using a measuring tape to gauge the width of the waist, hips, and length of the inseam to find the best size.


Before You Go…

While SPY deeply admired Percival’s commitment to quality, it needs to be understood that the sizing will skew from normal American standards. Men with shorter, stocky builds will certainly have a hard time finding the proper fit unless sizing up and further tailoring.

Despite that, for the slim-fit man or those who fit well into brands like Top Man, for example, this is certainly the brand to invest in for staple pieces that hold enough cultural prowess to persevere trends and fads.