For sale here is a button down shirt from the S.E.H Kelly label, a pretty small-scale manufacturer based in London. S.E.H Kelly is unique in a couple of ways. For one, their clothing is produced entirely in the UK. That is, all aspects of their clothing are sourced from British manufacturers. The designer, Sara Kelly, originally started out on Saville Row in London and was able to make a number of contacts with British fabric mills, button makers and traditional manufacturers. This is an increasingly rare thing, where these days many labels outsource to the developing world. Not only is S.E.H Kelly’s clothing imbued with British history, but many of these textiles are otherwise largely impossible to get outside of exclusive made-to-measure British tailoring.
Another unique aspect of S.E.H Kelly is their business model, where they are currently only available directly from their own shop (with very limited operating hours) or online. They used to have some Japanese distribution, which seems to no longer be the case. The label is kept intentionally very small, just a two person operation, with very small production runs given the scale and the type of materials involved. Still, S.E.H Kelly present an entirely unique take on classic British clothing, where their materials are some of the best available, while the designs tend toward the more casual. It’s a niche that few others are able to occupy, and really none as well as S.E.H Kelly.
With all of that said, this is an iteration of S.E.H Kelly’s “Kelly collar” shirt. One of its distinctive features is the curved points on the collar that can fasten together with loops and a button, creating a very nice collar roll. You can wear it with the collar fully buttoned, unbuttoned, or any combination thereof to your preference. The real appeal with S.E.H Kelly, however is in their fabrics. Material is an 80% cotton, 20% linen blend. Normally this would imply a lighter weight material but that is really not the case here. S.E.H Kelly really specialize in heavier materials and this shirt is on the heavier side of things. It has a pleasantly uneven and highly textured weave throughout, complimented by genuine horn buttons. There is also a curved hem with splits in the sides, allowing you to wear the shirt tucked or untucked.
No expense is spared with any S.E.H Kelly pieces, the quality is pretty much some of the best out there. These shirts currently retail at 270 pounds, not particularly cheap but well worth the investment in its own right. Get it here much cheaper.
Size is labeled a small and fits true. I measure the chest at 19”, shoulders at 18”, length at 27” in front and 28” in back, both from the base of the neck, and sleeves at 23” from the shoulder. The shirt comes in lightly used, generally good shape. There is a small stain on the back at the bottom-left side (see pics) but otherwise no holes, tears or stains. Made in the United Kingdom.
Shipping from Japan to anywhere will be $24.