These days, everyone is a curator. That’s as true of our tightly managed Instagram feeds – guilty! – as it is of the contents of our wardrobes. At MR PORTER, we’re no different. Which is why we like to keep a careful eye on the brands that we stock. Everything you see here on our virtual shelves has earnt its place. And while we’re a lot nicer about it than the bouncers at Berghain, we’re still pretty rigorous when it comes to our editing process. If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in.

Anyone who has felt the indulgent, silky embrace of cashmere will know that it rightly deserves its accolade as the king of yarns. And for the months when the mercury is southward-bound, it’s a warm, fuzzy antidote to any Arctic fronts that blow into town. Its wondrous ability to keep you snug as a bug is down to the hollow structure of the fibre, which traps myriad air particles, forming a body-heat-fuelled barrier against cold air. You are, essentially, your own self-contained central heating unit. As with all items of worth, cashmere requires due care to ensure it stays in shape. We’ve got the insider knowledge to keep your prized woollens in fine fettle.

Michael Rider is an American designer who cut his teeth in Paris. He worked under Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, before helping to shape CELINE’s vision during the Phoebe Philo years. From there, he was selected by Ralph Lauren himself to become the creative director at the eponymous label.

Anyone with a passing interest in menswear will know that many of the clothes that occupy our wardrobes owe their original designs not to creative expression, but utilitarian function. The American bomber jackets that first appeared in WWI and WWII were cropped so that the wearer could sit unencumbered in the cockpit, just as the roomy French chore coat had its sleeves attached at a more pronounced angle to facilitate freer and more comfortable movement. As these honest garments wended their way through society, they gathered meaning along the way. By the time Lou Reed and Sid Vicious wore black double riders with trim black jeans and leather combat boots, these three utilitarian items had become symbols of anti-establishment identity, even though their cut and detailing were initially made for bikers, miners and soldiers, respectively.

These days, everyone is a curator. That’s as true of our tightly managed Instagram feeds – guilty! – as it is of the contents of our wardrobes. At MR PORTER, we’re no different. Which is why we like to keep a careful eye on the brands that we stock. Everything you see here on our virtual shelves has earnt its place. And while we’re a lot nicer about it than the bouncers at Berghain, we’re still pretty rigorous when it comes to our editing process. If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in.

Anyone who has felt the indulgent, silky embrace of cashmere will know that it rightly deserves its accolade as the king of yarns. And for the months when the mercury is southward-bound, it’s a warm, fuzzy antidote to any Arctic fronts that blow into town. Its wondrous ability to keep you snug as a bug is down to the hollow structure of the fibre, which traps myriad air particles, forming a body-heat-fuelled barrier against cold air. You are, essentially, your own self-contained central heating unit. As with all items of worth, cashmere requires due care to ensure it stays in shape. We’ve got the insider knowledge to keep your prized woollens in fine fettle.