April is the month when we’d normally sense that change is in the air, but this year, it’s probably more noticeable than ever. With pubs and restaurants finally re-opening for outdoor punters, it’s definitely time to get your outerwear game back up to speed and start thinking about the best possible beer garden solutions.
You need something that gives you all the characteristics of a shirt with the bonus components you’d expect from a jacket, especially when the weather’s a bit contradictory. It needs to be substantial enough to feel like a coat, but comfortable enough to feel like the easiest springtime option. This is where the new Dockside Overshirt strides onto the scene.
Bold, boxy and ready for anything, this hybrid layer has been adapted from the shape of our best-selling Bakers Jacket. Available in Olive Ripstop cotton, an Indigo chambray/linen mix or Navy Oxford cotton denim, the Dockside has been cut with more ease than the Bakers, making it ideal for wearing over a sweatshirt, chunky knit or long-sleeved t-shirt. Super practical – it’s basically a bag in jacket form thanks to the four front pockets, which have been engineered for those times when you’re experiencing tote bag fatigue and fancy heading out with your valuables shoved in a pocket instead.
Universal Works founder David Keyte is a man who knows a thing or two about pockets, and explains, “We were looking at developing a slightly looser fitting overshirt shape and wanted something a bit roomier than our classic Bakers Jacket block. Alongside this, I wanted to add a closure to one of the chest pockets to keep anything precious from falling out and add more of a military whiff to it. So, I went to work and came up with the Dockside, which, to my eye, has a bit of a naval connection. Obviously, you don’t have to be stood next to a tanker or ocean liner when you wear it – but it might help!”
For anyone who likes the idea of the mid-weight seasonless overshirt, this is the one for you. And because it’s been masterminded from a style you’re already familiar with, there’s none of that awkward getting-to-know-you-stage either. Bingo.
