The art of mismatching

Jennifer Meguro of Cravat Club believes the colours and patterns of a cravat and pocket square ensemble should be the sartorial equivalent of chalk and cheese

As a general rule of thumb, just like with neckties, you should avoid matching pocket squares with cravats. It looks far more sartorially elegant and sparks more interest if you opt for contrasting patterns, colours and textures for your outfit.

For example, pictured above, this Kelso printed silk cravat paired with a Hadrian woven silk pocket square introduces two different textures, colours and patterns to a very simple navy suit that really makes the whole ensemble come alive.

Here are more mismatched cravat and pocket square pairings that work well:

1. Donald Cravat with Vlad Pocket Square

2. Eikki Cravat with Sinclair Pocket Square

3. Raul Cravat with Hunter Reversible Pocket Square (on the reverse side)

Discover more about Cravat Club and their silk cravats and pocket squares in our online directory.

This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with Cravat Club. For more information on partnerships and joining our directory please email advertise@ernestjournal.co.uk.

Elements of wit

Perpetual calendars, letterpressed stationery and clever innovations to streamline your desk space – Ernest has chosen wisely from design duo Witshop's playful wares

Perpetual Calendar, £21A stroke of design genius, this calendar sits neatly on your desk and there’s even a blackboard for you to chalk up the month.

Perpetual Calendar, £21
A stroke of design genius, this calendar sits neatly on your desk and there’s even a blackboard for you to chalk up the month.

Maths Paper Notebooks, £9A celebration of school maths papers in a set of three: dotted, squared and isometric, bound in letterpressed covers. 

Maths Paper Notebooks, £9
A celebration of school maths papers in a set of three: dotted, squared and isometric, bound in letterpressed covers. 

Veg Tea Towel, £10.50Screen-printed in Yorkshire, depicting root veg in the style of a school science chart, but with a modern graphic feel. 

Veg Tea Towel, £10.50
Screen-printed in Yorkshire, depicting root veg in the style of a school science chart, but with a modern graphic feel. 

Fish Print, A3, £18Vibrant risograph print of hand drawn illustrations of trout, sole and sea bream, inspired by an old science poster. 

Fish Print, A3, £18
Vibrant risograph print of hand drawn illustrations of trout, sole and sea bream, inspired by an old science poster. 

Spirograph Sketchbook, £7.50Inspired by Witshop’s visit to Kerala where street hawkers sold spirograph sets.We love the silver ink letterpressed covers. 

Spirograph Sketchbook, £7.50
Inspired by Witshop’s visit to Kerala where street hawkers sold spirograph sets.We love the silver ink letterpressed covers. 

Aztec Gift Wrap Pack, £5.40To make your pressie zing with colour this pack comes with jazzy green gift wrap, yellow greeting card and orange ribbon. 

Aztec Gift Wrap Pack, £5.40
To make your pressie zing with colour this pack comes with jazzy green gift wrap, yellow greeting card and orange ribbon. 

Wood Gift Wrap Pack, £5.40Ideal for nature lovers this pack comes with a sheet of wood grain gift wrap, greeting card, envelope, gift tag and raffia ribbon. 

Wood Gift Wrap Pack, £5.40
Ideal for nature lovers this pack comes with a sheet of wood grain gift wrap, greeting card, envelope, gift tag and raffia ribbon. 

Hanging Organiser, £38Write notes on the pad, pin reminders on the cork board and store paper in the nubuck leather pocket – an office godsend. 

Hanging Organiser, £38
Write notes on the pad, pin reminders on the cork board and store paper in the nubuck leather pocket – an office godsend. 

Discover more about Witshop and their design-led stationery homewares in our online directory.

This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with Witshop. For more information on partnerships and joining our directory please email advertise@ernestjournal.co.uk.

Christmas Gift Guide: for the cyclist

Salmon-coloured bike lights, Welsh blanket musettes and hand-woven baskets: these gift ideas are sure to inspire more two-wheeled adventures in the New Year


Bookman Lights, £16.95 (choice of four colours), Godspeed

Functional and stylish, these Bookman lights are result of a clever collaboration with The Deadly Nightshades and they come in four awesome colours with awesome names; Pitch Black, Sea Foam, Velo Yellow and Spoked Salmon. They're easy to attach and have three different light modes.


'Chop 'til you drop' print, £25, Godspeed

For the Chopper geek in your life, this fun silk screen print is illustrated by Harriet Seed on white A3 paper. This is a limited edition of 35 and each one is signed and numbered by the artist.


Handwoven Bicycle Baskets (selection), £45, Godspeed

Jazz up your bicycle with one of these of a kind baskets, woven from tropical elephant grass. Each one is completely unique and made by hand, and comes with the name of their personal weaver stitched inside it. Bring a touch of the exotic to your handlebars!
 

Pocket t-shirt, £35, Pilgrim

These hand-printed t-shirts celebrate the soulful side of cycling rather than lap times and padded lycra. Pilgrim is a Kickstarter funded project and its organic cotton t-shirts are made via a climate neutral manufacturing process solely using green energy from wind and solar power. We love this understated t-shirt with the Pilgrim logo and handy phone pocket.
 

Welsh Wool Blanket Musette, £35, fforest

According to fforest, the musette is used by professional cycling teams the world over, not only to carry food for their riders but also to advertise and market their sponsors and are always designed to be bold and colourful. These Welsh blanket musettes don't fail to deliver on that promise. Comes with an adjustable strap, a reflector tab and an internal pocket to store your phone. Available in six colours and patterns.
 

Embroidered patch, £7.50, Godspeed

Illustrator Carl Partridge produced these ace embroidered 'Shut up Legs' patches in celebration of the recently retired and very legendary cyclist Jens Voigt. There are limited numbers though so get one while you can! 
 

Christmas Gift Guide: men's accessories

Knitted ties, tweed hip flasks and phone cases made from discarded wellies – these aren't just men's accessories. These are men's accessories curated by Ernest.

Instrmnt watch 01-A GM/T, £160, Instrmnt

There’s a lot to be said for things that concentrate on doing the things they are supposed to do, and doing them well. These watches are the result of clever chaps in Glasgow.They’ve paired quality Swiss components with simple, utilitarian design to produce a timepiece that will look attractive and tell you the date and time, nothing more, no bells and whistles.

 

Knitted tie, £45, Sharp & Dapper

Add a bit of texture to your or a loved one's ensemble with one of these 100% silk knitted ties, available in a wide range of colours but we find this burnt orange beauty particularly fetching. Imagine this against a crisp white shirt and a dark purple suit. Yes, sir. 

 

Phone case, £42, Francli

We do harp on a bit about Francli but there's a reason why. As part of their Fresh Fields Project, they turn wellies, tents and other perfectly good items left behind at festivals into gorgeous products, including this phone case, which led its former life as a wellington boot. The neck cord is made from tent guy rope. Give this little beauty a new home, and pray the previous owner didn't have athlete's foot. 

 

Tweed hip flask, £28, Walker Slater

Continuing the tweed theme (because Ernest likes a bit of tweed) we've chosen this charming little hip flask to keep your warming nip in on winter walks. The stainless steel flask is wrapped in Borders tweed and trimmed with dark red leather. *Warning: if you dare attempt to put a cheap whisky in this flask it will disintegrate.
*not really

 

Pocket square, £35, Cravat Club

We're of course enamoured with Cravat Club's signature cravats but we're positively salivating over their beautiful 100% silk pocket squares woven and made in England. There is a huge range of sumptuous patterns to choose from but it was Nicholas that caught Ernest's eye with its pine green and teal paisley pattern. Mix and match with a cravat and you're good to go.

 

Herringbone Tweed braces, £70, Sharp & Dapper

Sharp & Dapper are at it again, winning us over with their sartorial know-how. According to them, "A good quality brace is a staple product for your wardrobe as they are truly the best of keeping your trousers from falling down. Belts are nice but tend to clinch the trousers, whereas braces will let them hang off your hips just as the suit maker intended." Who are we to argue? The tweed is woven in Yorkshire and trimmed with black or chestnut leather. 

You can find more sartorial inspiration in our Timeless Style section of print issue 2 of Ernest Journal, on sale now.

Christmas Gift Guide: winter warmers

Scarves made from Welsh blankets and slippers made from offcuts of upholstery leather – these are cosy winter warmers, Ernest style

Welsh Blanket Sock, £16, fforest

Fforest use their Welsh wool blankets as inspiration for their super warm, soft, thick cotton socks. A stroke of design genius. Made by Welsh sock makers Corgi who've been at it since 1892. Available in colours fire, sea and rock. 

 

Leather Slippers, £35, Motties

Alex Mottram founded Motties while working for a furniture company and discovered that all the offcuts of upholstery leather were being thrown away. She took them home and turned them into soft, cosy and durable slippers. And the rest is history.  £1 from every pair sold goes to a homeless charity.

 

The Clunie jumper, £110, Quiggleys

It’s fitting that this simple lambswool crew-neck jumper is named after a river that runs through the Cairngorms. At one end of the journey is the yarn, produced by JC Rennie, which has been hand-mixing wool since 1798. At the other end is Quiggley’s good friend Bob and his team of craftsmen in the scottish Borders, who knit the jumpers to ensure a faultless fit and finish.

 

Lorgill Scarf, £25, Skye Weavers

On the Isle of Skye there is an amazing couple in an old crofters' cottage weaving beautiful scarves, throws, blankets and cushion covers on a bicycle-powered loom. We particularly love their bold yellow Lorgill scarf in herringbone weave. Perfect winter gift for a man or woman.

 

Welsh Wool Blanket Scarf, £55-£75, fforest

This is what we love fforest for – their Welsh blanket scarves woven at a tiny wool mill near the banks of the River Teifi in West Wales. Available in four colours and two sizes.

 

Deerskin Gloves, £59.95, Pedal & Tread

These cork-coloured deerskin gloves are just perfect for winter with their soft, warm leather and boa fleece lining that traps air, retains heat and wicks away moisture. Made by Swedes. They know a thing or two about keeping warm in the cold.