Getting Dressed With Percival
Knitted polos, embroidered garments, shirts for a special occasion, and more great menswear!
Here at SNL I’m always looking to discover new brands, not only for the readers but for myself as well. Recently I connected with the great people over at Percival, a brand out of London that focuses on creating its own versions of classic staples that will complement anyone’s wardrobe. I had a chance to check out their upcoming Summer ‘24 collection in person during Paris Fashion Week and was thrilled with what I saw — unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a little bit longer in order to see what they coming but from what I can say, there’s is a lot of cool pieces that will ensure a summer filled with exciting fits!
In today’s newsletter, we’re diving into the world of menswear with Percival! I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the brand by reviewing some clothes I recently picked up from them, going through their current selection, checking out an upcoming collaboration with Umbro that I’m looking forward to, and some stuff in between.
GREAT FOR CASUAL VIBES
Before diving into the clothes I wanted to take a second to introduce you to Percival as a brand. Based in East London’s Hackney, Percival aims to combine British sense of style with internationally sourced fabrics to create their menswear line. The team consists of about 20-ish people that design, produce and shoot everything from their London studio. Most of the collections you’ll see are created in small quantities, this allows Percival to quickly offer fresh and varied styles that they mainly sell directly to their customers on their website — shipping is really quick, and I had no issues securing my order!
The brands garments are great for vacations, formal activities, casual fits and even a more streetwear look — with a brand like this, it’s pretty easy to shift the vibe based on how you style individual pieces. Knits can be dressed up in a more professional setting, but also can be dressed down in a streetwear vibe if you pair them with some baggy pants for instance. Overall the simplicity and the lack of branding on their clothes makes it extremely easy to incorporate within your existing wardrobe.
I ended up picking up four different items to check out: The Knitted Zip Polo, Zip Overshirt, Kowloon Linen Cuban Shirt, and the Towelling Shorts. I’ve been looking to acquire a similar knitted polo to add to the rotation so I was really hyped when I saw Percival offering pretty much exactly what I was looking for. I sized down on this top because I’m on that small top, big bottoms vibe and things turned out great — I’ll say this though, the garments run true to size, so if you’re looking for something a bit more loose fitting then go ahead and size up!
Made in Portugal, this is a pretty straightforward piece. Very minimal branding which is located on the bottom of the polo — a huge plus for me. The collar fold is done in a classic polo style, which means that they are small and don’t leave a lot of fabric folded over. For me, some polos are nice with a larger collar but sometimes I just need something basic, and with this simple knitted pattern this ended up checking off all the boxes for me. Percival also offers their garments in sizes that run from XS all the way up to XXL, which is just a cherry on top, making their garments much more accessible for a lot more body types.
You know what I find funny? There are way too many jackets out there that don’t have any loops. Sure, most of us hang our clothing using hangars or even fold our pieces, but sometimes a hook is the only option and it irks me trying to use a hook without a loop. Luckily the folks over at Percival seem to agree because they equip their jackets with a neat little metal loop. I know, it’s not that big of a deal but you’d be surprised about the amount of jackets I have that keep falling off the hook because of the lack of the loop.
Embroidery is very much at the core of the brand, and is a feature that is offered on a lot of their items. Some embroidery is louder than others, which is a great option to have since I ended up opting for this specific jacket because while it had embroidery, it was more low key and much more enjoyable for me to wear. It is rather thin, great for the summer night out and can honestly be worn like a shirt if you’re looking to go the layering route! Double zipper is a great detail that I’m happy to see Percival lean into.
I needed a proper shirt for vacation under the sun, and I’m happy to say that this linen cuban shirt has scratched that itch. Some nice subtle designs that run along the fabric keeps things elegant and exciting. Sure, you could rock this with some shorts and go about your regular day in the city, but this one really makes me want to pack my things and get to the beach as soon as I can.
The fit on this one is the most true to size thing I’ve ever picked up — I grabbed myself a size L, and it ended up fitting like a glove. The shorter front gives it a more of a cropped-ish cut while the longer cut at the back makes sure the fabric flows nicely throughout your body. While the linen fabric is breathable, it’s on the sturdier side, which means that you won’t get those pesky creases as easily as some other linen shirts out there.
Last but not least I was really interested to check out a pair of their terry cloth shorts. Pleasantly surprised by the comfort levels on this one — I’ve been rocking them a lot around the house and I have no complaints. I sized up just because I wanted more room in the leg opening with slightly more length, and with the elastic waistband it’s easy to adjust the waist size on the go. I don’t really have sage colored shorts so grabbing these was a slight step out of my comfort zone, but I’m glad I did because the color is really nice in person.
Made in Portugal using 100% organic cotton, these are really soft to the touch and are perfect for those warmer days. Feel really great against the skin in a way that just sets a cozy atmosphere.
I’ve showed you some of my personal picks but there is a plethora of clothing that is worth checking out. What Percival does well is offer a variety of elevated basics with a mix of louder pieces using embroidery and various collaborations. I believe that people looking to up their wardrobe game where there able to rock the pieces to both work and in a more casual setting will feel right at home with Percival.
FOR A MORE FORMAL LOOK
Percival offers an entire casual suit section for those who are looking for a bit more from their outfit. Sometimes you need to go full blazer and pant mode for a specific function, and it’s hard to know exactly where to begin. Luckily, Percival offers an outfit-builder on their site, which allows you to easily see different pieces that you can mix and match together in order to help you build an entire fit all in one place.
Additionally, you can always visit Percival’s Soho location on 7 Marshall St in London, UK, for the in-person experience. Check out their products, try things on, and get help from their friendly staff while you build your perfect outfit.
Now that we’ve discussed the current vibes you can purchase right now, let’s talk about an upcoming collaboration that I’m excited about. They’ve recently announced a collaboration capsule with Umbro, which features a few jerseys, shorts, knits, jackets and some other items. You can check out the full collection here.
With my current obsession with football kits this collab couldn’t have come at a better time. Huge fan of the knits as well, which is a good medium for those who still want that football feel but don’t want to rock a full on jersey. Below are some of the items from the upcoming collection that I have on my radar:
And that’s about it for today’s newsletter featuring Percival!