Nicholas Daley Pleated Trouser- Turmeric and Navy

At thirty-three percent, mohair stops being an addition to a wool cloth and starts being a defining part of it. Mohair comes from the angora goat and it brings three things wool does not: lustre, so the cloth reflects light instead of absorbing it; a dry, smooth handle; and a resilience that keeps a trouser from bagging at the knee across a long day. In a check, the lustre is what matters most. A matte wool check sits flat and reads as a printed pattern from ten feet away. A mohair check moves, and the turmeric shifts against the navy as the light and the leg change.

Turmeric is the more interesting half of that pairing. It is a yellow with earth in it rather than brightness, closer to ochre than to gold, and it is a colour Daley uses repeatedly across the collection, in this trouser, the Stone Jacket, and the Work Cardigan. Set against navy it produces a check that is warm without being loud, which is a difficult thing to draw.

Underneath, the cut is period: high on the waist, one pleat, generous through the leg. The pleat releases cloth across the thigh where a body needs it and the trouser hangs from the waistband rather than pulling across it.

Why we selected it

We bought this for the mohair content, which is high enough to be the reason the trouser looks the way it does rather than a line on a label. Turmeric and navy is also the best check Daley has drawn, and we took it here and in the Stone Jacket because we wanted the cloth in the store in more than one form.

Nicholas Daley designs his own checks rather than reproducing existing ones, which is what lets a turmeric and navy sett exist at all.

Materials and construction

Sixty-five percent wool, thirty-three percent mohair, and two percent nylon. Made in England. Single pleat, high waist, generous through the leg. Colour: turmeric and navy check.

Fit notes

Worn on the waist, with the pleat releasing across the thigh. The mohair content means this pair holds its shape through a day considerably better than a pure wool trouser would, and it resists bagging at the knee. It will hold a press. Between sizes, take the smaller waist.

Styling

Plain everything else. The Waffle Rollneck in chocolate is the best answer, since the brown sits between the turmeric and the navy. A black or ecru shirt also works. The Stone Jacket is the same cloth and wearing both is a decision rather than an outfit.

Care

Brush it rather than clean it: hang it, brush it down after wearing, and air it between outings. Mohair and wool want a good cleaner occasionally rather than a scheduled one. Press on the reverse through a cloth, since mohair will take a shine under a hot iron and will not lose it. Our fabric care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Stone Jacket is cut from the same turmeric and navy cloth. The Pleated Trouser in ND Tartan is the same trouser in the house tartan, the Work Cardigan the turmeric layer, and the Wrap Kilt in turmeric and navy the wrap in mohair. Everything we carry from Nicholas Daley is listed together.