As a man who’s tried many a sartorial venture, I have never stepped into the world of silk neckwear outside of ties. My curiosity around ascots has increased as I’ve aged, and while I’m not an old man, the years have put a few grey hairs in my beard and I’m into the idea of dressing the part.
With this in mind, I picked up a few items from Cravat Club, an England-based accessory company founded in 2014.
They carry a massive range of ascots, cravats, pocket squares, and other beautiful silks.
Cravat Club Ascot Review
Below is a review of the silks themselves and also many pictures of how we here at Bespoke Unit wore them. We were fortunate to get our hands on a few limited edition pieces too, which you’ll see more about in photos below.
Shipping Time
From the time I ordered the silks to their arrival was approximately two business weeks, which is exactly what their shipping policy states on their website. My expectations were managed perfectly well.
As an added bonus, Cravat Club offers free international delivery. Being here in the United States, I have to admit that I’m pretty spoiled in this regard, and frankly it was nice to not have to pay freight!
The Boxes & Presentation
The presentation out of the box was very, very impressive. You can tell that the focus on quality goes past the product itself, and I always appreciate that from a high-end brand. At £85-95 for the ascots and around £160 for the scarf, these items wouldn’t be classified as “inexpensive” by any stretch of the imagination.
The box itself was sturdy and had a lovely two-tone color scheme. Relatively compact, it’s going to be great for storing these long-term.
The Look & Feel
I absolutely love the way this ascot takes up the space left by an unbuttoned dress shirt. It adds lots of style and is still casual despite its rarity and perceived dressiness.
[Above: Mike Oxman wearing a navy blue cravat with yellow polka dots on a crisp fall morning.]
When we talk about the word “hand” in menswear, we’re referring to “how an object feels.” The hand of the Cravat Club items I got is just phenomenal. The silk is supple, soft, and indescribably smooth.
It feels great and the weight of the silk is perfect for a fall day in the 50-60 degree range. It is a luxury that you absolutely must try.
Finally, these look extremely cool. Take a look at Mike’s ensemble below to see how the cravat pairs well with jeans and yellow socks to compliment the yellow dots:
Below my ensemble featured the paisley scarf, which is smartly paired with a tweed sport coat and flat cap. Also note how the pocket square picks up on the color of the scarf, bringing the whole ensemble together.
Further, I pair the stunning cordovan Wolverine boots with this outfit, making for a great example of the “high-low” concept: putting dressy and casual items together in the same outfit.
Notes On Wearing An Ascot
Ascots (or neckerchiefs or cravats or whatever you’d like to call them) are somewhat like suspenders in that they are widely viewed as the purview of men of middle age and older. Younger guys -let’s say under 40- run the risk of coming off as a whippersnapper, encroaching on the sartorial territory of their elders at best, and coming off as affected at worst.
While I’m typically of the mind to throw that kind of thinking out the window, that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world agrees with me. With that said, I would happily wear this to the office (we’re a men’s lifestyle magazine, after all), but I wouldn’t wear one to a job interview, and certainly not a funeral.
As always, keep your audience in mind when you’re getting dressed.
How To Wear Ascots
We have an extensive neckwear guide in which we cover ascots, cravats, and scarves. We also go over the usage (and misuse) of common terminology and offer how-to-tie diagrams. Click the preceding links to jump right to those respective pages.
Rating: 5 Out Of 5 Stars
My maiden voyage into neckerchiefs was a lot of fun thanks to Cravat Club. I’m looking forward to building my collection with them and broadening my style horizons in the process.
Cravat Club Neckwear
Reviewed by Paul Anthony, on
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“I’m very impressed with these ascots and scarf!
The feel of the silk is second to none, and the colors and patterns are unbeatable. Highly recommended!”
Rating: 5.0 ★★★★★
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