Right, this is one of those articles I have longed to write but had not been able to until now. And I have to admit, sometimes the reason is more unusual than the rest, but in this case, it's because the brand simply had not launched products in my size yet.
Natalino is a brand that I have been paying close attention to even before its launch back in 2018 since I got to know its founder, Nathan, who shares a similar taste for high-waisted gentle tapered trousers.
So when this London-based online smart casual, classic menswear brand first offered its debut collection last Fall, I particularly looked forward to trying on one of their trousers.
Unfortunately, however, the smallest size they did back then has fit me loose; thus explaining the reason why I haven't introduced you all to the brand until this season.
With a broader range of trouser sizes and an improved cut, Natalino has returned this summer with a collection of single pleat linen trousers coming in 5 different colorways; olive, ivory, tobacco, dark brown, and navy.
As you have probably guessed it by now, I chose olive since it truly resonates with the brighter shades I would use for summer jackets, namely with cream and beige, by reducing their level of contrast.
But as you could see from the pictures, it is also useful for dressing down more formal jackets like the one I've featured here. Not too dark, however, or the level of contrast would be too much.
Anyway, the fit of the trousers is quite good overall speaking; and that was rather surprising to me initially.
To put this into perspective, let's say the width of my bespoke trousers at the thighs is usually around 29-29.5cm (See the review on the trousers Whitcomb and Shaftesbury made for me), and they are rather on the comfort side of the spectrum already. This is 31cm wide.
But it works somehow for multiple reasons. Firstly, because the trousers are designed to be worn high, I could pull them even higher up so that the section that is meant to cover the thighs is now closer to the level of the seat.
Thus, from there onwards, it would only be a gentle tapering down to an 18cm leg-opening at the bottom.
So it might still fit slightly loose (as you could see from the picture below), but it's at the amount that actually accentuates my body shape rather than making it look sloppy.
To add on to that, considering I am much slimmer on the thighs than the average, chances are you are not going to have the same issue I am facing in here.
The second reason concerns more of its cloth.
Made out of a 13 oz Irish Linen from Ulster Weavers (a rather decent supplier for both garment and homeware linens), the weight of the fabric is heavy enough for the trousers to drape naturally along the leg even if it seems to be wrinkling a lot at the back of the knee.
And as you could see from the picture above, even after a whole afternoon of walking in a park, the trouser still withholds its shape rather nicely.
The same thing wouldn't be applicable for its other summer cloth counterparts. A pair of wool-silk-linen trousers, for example, would be not as good as this because of its usual weight and fabric properties.
Altogether, this makes the linen trousers to have a relatively clean leg line at the front, something that is often difficult for an RTW pair to achieve.
Needless to say (and this is something I've given feedback on to Natalino), if the trousers could be worn with braces, the leg line would be even cleaner.
By the way, the brand also offers more than just decently-priced tapered trousers.
Though probably not what you would first consider for this season, its long sleeve polo and denim shirts are some great alternatives to linen shirts that could fill your wardrobe with casual yet elegant garments.
With these clothings bridging the gap, you won't look as if you're attending a meeting or going to the gym during the weekends regardless of where you are going.
In any case, find out more about Natalino here.
Photography by The Suitstainable Man Team. Shot at Mudchute Park and Farm.
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