Our Barchetta Blazer is our version of a soft unstructured jacket. Oscar always wanted to make the lightest and softest jackets possible. There is no competition nor prize, but intellectual curiousity, and to push the limits of what is possible.
We started and ended with fabric, sowing thread and buttons. That is it. There are no shoulder pads, no padding, no lining, no canvas, no plastic, just the bare essentials.
This is a clean sheet design. We didn't take an existing jacket and try to engineer it backwards, like Giorgio Armani famously removing the stuffing from a jacket. Our jacket is more of a shell than a whole jacket. It is soft and weightless. Many of our clients comment that they don't feel that they are wearing a jacket.
We cut a one piece front, the way jackets used to be made over a century ago. This requires more fabric but removes a whole seam that would need to be finished which adds bulk and weight. We couldn't have that now.
The blazer sits at the neck points not at the shoulders like most jackets which ensures a better fit in our opinion, and further enhances the feeling of weightlessness.
The jacket is crafted with a notch lapel, patch pockets and a patch ticket pocket that caused quite a stir when we introduced it over a decade ago. Side vents and functioning cuffs complete this jacket. The curved breast pocket which mimics the profile of a small boat - a barchetta in Italian, also gave its name to this jacket.
Our Barchetta Blazer can be worn as a separate jacket / blazer, or combined with matching khakis in to a casual suit. For summer we craft quite a few seersucker suits, and winter we cut corduroy, moleskin and tweed versions - including rare Scottish tweeds. We also cut jackets in jersey fabrics which make great travel jackets, are decadently comfortable and still retain their shape. These are available to order during one of our trunk shows. If you would like to know more about our unstructured approach, more information can be found here: https://udeshi.co.uk/blogs/news/the-unstructured-approach
The duffle corto is our version of a shorter, more sporty duffle coat - think less Dead Poets' Society and more Steve McQueen in Bullitt. The cumbersome toggles are replaced by our corozo (vegetable ivory) buttons. There is a ticket patch pocket for keys, lighter or other small items. The side pockets are deep enough for a pair of gloves, a few cigars, sunglasses and the other essentials.
