Wax and wool-cashmere mac

The dry-waxed mac takes the weather-proof properties of the Manchester-made cloth from which it takes its name, and marries them with a bespoke wool-cashmere from West Yorkshire — providing a luxury interior counterweight to a thoroughly functional exterior.

Dry-wax mac — worn open (above) and done-up (right) — with off-white pinpoint raglan shirt, light grey narrow cord trousers, and sensible shoes.

The common-sensical but often-forgotten notion that what happens inside a garment is as important as outside is close to the heart of the mac. It’s there in its three fit-for-purpose cloths, the most obvious of which is dry-wax cotton made by British Millerain — a six-generation-old purveyor of fine technical fabrics in north-west England. As its name suggests, it has a drier handle than regular waxed cotton. It requires less maintenance and is in general more obedient, but is still very wind- and water-resistant.

The colour of the cotton is dark-green, as is the wool-cashmere used most prominently for the collar of the mac, as well as its internal facing, pockets, and placket facing. Made by the ever-excellent cashmere mill in West Yorkshire, it’s a humdinger of a cloth — a pin-dot pattern of off-white and dark-green, made to order to match the colour of the British Millerain wax. Being in part cashmere, it is remarkably skin-friendly. The collar is very pleasing when worn up, while use of the internal pockets — one foolscap document-sized, the other small and chest-height — assumes near-life-affirming quality.

The mac has a small, mildly curved collar, deep, dry-wax lined hip-height pockets, and a concealed placket of natural corozo buttons. It has raglan sleeves — and is thus plenty roomy at the shoulders — and cuff-length arms, so as to reveal an inch of so of shirt cuff.

Very limited amounts of cashmere yarn make for very limited amounts of mac. Indeed, only five have been made, and they can be investigated in more detail, here, in the shop.