The Brakspear Shirt

The distinctive Brakspear Shirt, made from a unique brown & cream stripped organic cotton, offers a truly unique option to your wardrobe.

It was our own hunt for a shirt we loved that started our foray into shirt-making. We just couldn't find one that encompassed all the features we loved... so we set about creating it ourselves.

Stanley Biggs shirts are directly inspired by patterns dating back to the 1930s. We have sought the very best cottons to offer four unique options for your wardrobe. They combine our passion for authenticity with our drive to creating a versatile garment that is made to last. All Made in England.

A few details that we love about our shirts...

• The single cuff, with double button - a very period feature, since lost in modern shirt designs. This allows the wearer two options with just one shirt.
• Our shirt arms are also a little longer, to allow for the billowed look often seen in period shirts at the time - it means you enjoy a good bit of cuff when worn under a suit jacket.
• We love the authentic 'fisheye' buttons we have opted for. Not only because they are made in England and about as authentic as they get, they are made entirely from Corozo and thus natural & biodegradable.
• Our shirt collars are directly inspired by British shirt collars of the 1930s. After many years of research and collecting collar after collar, shirt after shirt, we chose an understated and authentic 'spearpoint', most often seen in 1930s Britain. Unlike the overly long 'spearpoint' collars, our style is by far the most versatile collar we have come across. Easily worn with a tie, it can be worn with or without collar pin. Or it can be worn without a tie also, buttoned up, or open, with or without a neckerchief. Our shirts truly offer a formal as well as informal option for any ensemble.

We'll be writing a little more on the history of the 'spearpoint' collar and its various incarnations for The Biggs Journal soon.

• The half fronted placet really adds the final touch and allows us to offer extra long shirt tails, allowing you to remain 'tucked in' at all times, regardless of what you get up to.

The Brakspear is named after architect and archeologist Sir Harold Brakspear. Responsible for the restoration of so many of Britain's notable and iconic historic buildings and houses at the turn of the 20th century, as lovers of architecture we thought it the perfect opportunity to celebrate his work.

It was in our research of The Haddon Cap that we came across his work. In the 1920s he was responsible for the restoration of Haddon Hall, in the Peak District, following a fire. Without his work, the Hall would not be what it is today; it is considered one of the most authentic Tudor homes in the world.

For much of his life he lived and worked in in the South, in and around the picturesque market town of Corsham in Wiltshire; inspiration to Charles Dicken's novel 'The Pickwick Papers'. He was responsible for the restoration of several ancient and historic buildings in the area, notably Bath Abbey and St Cyriac's Church in Lacock village. He did venture toward London once though, and restored Windsor Castle. What a legacy to leave behind.