Our team reminisces about the classic items they still rely on.

As you might have guessed, at MR PORTER HQ we spend a significant amount of time considering clothes. You might say it’s our job. However, whether it’s writing about them, styling or buying the things – since we’re such a selfless bunch – it’s almost always for you, our dear readers, to enjoy. Rarely do we put ourselves first in any sartorial goings-on around here. Staff Picks, therefore, is always a welcome outlet for us. A forum, if you will, to share all the things we would like to see in our wardrobe. This week we’ve been thinking about clothes that make us feel all warm and fuzzy. We’re not talking about cashmere (the combination of summer and disobedient office air-con has put paid to that). No, we mean items that feel… familiar. The things we return to time and time again because they provide comfort and put us at ease. Perhaps some evergreen jeans by a trusted brand we’ve bought from for years. Or a scent that reminds us of childhood. Maybe a watch that represents a significant moment. Before we get carried away, let us remind you that our personal attachment to the below should not prevent you from snapping anything up. Just make sure there’s some left over for us.

The denim jacket is a hard-wearing piece of clothing that, for me, is associated with good times, of the throwing-caution-to-the-wind variety. Though you might wear it into the office, you’re more likely to sling it on for a road trip, or festival, or something else a little less clichéd. This one has additional details to pull at the nostalgic heartstrings: not only is it a reinterpretation of a classic Levi’s cut (the enduring success of which proves the eternal truth that every man secretly thinks of himself as a little bit like Mr James Dean), it incorporates some appealing archival Japanese fabric with its elbow patches. Get that rebel-heart feeling by pairing with some thick twill chinos and a perfect white tee.

There is nothing more versatile than a pair of well-worn jeans. I buy a new pair from Jean Shop every year that are either raw or rinsed and wear them for months and months before the first wash. After washing them I then wear them as regularly as possible. I have around eight or nine pairs from this brand dating from 2004 – which is when I first discovered Mr Eric Goldstein’s shop on West 14th St in New York (it has now moved to Crosby St). As you might have guessed, they are pretty much my jean of choice.

I am a watch enthusiast with pretensions and intentions to become a real collector as I get older. But I can only justify the outlay for a decent piece to mark a special occasion such as a landmark birthday, a sizeable promotion, or one of life’s big-ticket items such as marriage or the arrival of a child. The chosen watch then becomes a symbol of that particular moment in time, and so it has the power to take you back, especially if you have the watch engraved. For me, my Bremont World Timer will always remind me of getting a new job and moving to New York, with all the life-changing excitement that brought. And it is, of course, a beautiful watch.

When I was a kid, my dad, a former sailor in the Italian navy, used to tell me that whenever he travelled he would remember three things: his passport, a picture of the family (including our dog) and his lucky charm – a grey cashmere sweater. I’ve tried to steal his several times – without success – so I decided to start my own tradition by investing in this beautiful bottle-green one by Massimo Alba. It’s fairly light and can be worn in every season, so will be an inseparable travelling companion. And, I hope, a lucky charm. Grazie, papá!

Scents and remembrance are closely linked for me, and a crisp citrus fragrance casts my memory back to boyhood summers and dressing for dinner with my grandfather in the men’s locker room after a day spent playing tennis and swimming. When I splash it on these days before heading to the office, I can almost feel his hands putting a hit of Lime Sec on my sunburned cheeks. To complete the old-school vibe, I’d pair it with a Boast pique tennis shirt and jacket.

In vague, sepia-tinged memories, I recall weekend wear for my grandad was a chunky, beige cable-knit jumper worn over an obligatory shirt and tie, paired with ill-fitting slacks (made in a material that made them a bit of a fire hazard). In an attempt to continue the family sartorial standards, I’ll be investing in this updated version of the old-man sweater. I may stop there, however, lose the shirt and tie, replace the slacks with some relaxed, dark wool trousers and add a pair of Birkenstocks. Bob’s your uncle: an effortlessly English, spring-evening outfit.

Growing up in Australia on the beach, my two brothers and I could often be found in sun-faded, tie-dye T-shirts getting up to no good. To those who know me now, this rather casual approach to style might seem surprising, but since it reminds me of the good old days I’ll be investing in this piece from Remi Relief to try to relive them. It’s a little less colourful than some of the T-shirts I went for in my youth, but I can still have a lot of fun in this one.