Getting to know the Rivay crew over the last year has been a great joy. One of the reasons that keeps me doing Red Clay Soul. They are passionate about their craft and want to make what is already great even better. Their catalog is phenomenal, and I find myself clicking around quite a bit.
One piece that has been a very welcomed addition to my late Fall/early Winter rotation is their Correspondent’s Overshirt. Typically when I think of ‘overshirts’, I think of the older, wide flannels by Pendleton or LL Bean, which serve a purpose, but not necessarily a stylistic one. Additionally, I have a couple of chore coats – like the Shacket from Marshwear, but it functions more like a utility jacket vs. an extra layer.
How I would classify the Correspondent’s Overshirt from Rivay is a slightly less casual sport coat. It has a utility/military vibe, but not overly so. It’s a fairly simple design: 8 oz. 100% garment-dyed cotton, oversized chest pockets, adjustable cuffs, and a length that sits right below the belt. The cut is what I’d call updated standard – in that it’s not wide, but it’s not slim. I wear a 40R jacket, and the Medium is just right.
Out of the box, the cotton is pretty stiff, so I washed it in cold, put it in the dryer for about 5 minutes on low, then hung it (the first three pictures are the process: out of the box > wet hanging > dry). That move helped tremendously. From a style perspective, I’ve paired this with jeans and boots over a flannel shirt, as well as top shelf 5-pockets, an oxford, and bit loafers. Both looked fantastic.
Give it a whirl, folks…
Nice piece of clothing. The herringbone pattern keeps the jacket from looking like you got it from an army-navy surplus store. The straight hem looks more put-together and doesn’t look like you threw on a shirt over another shirt.
Rivay’s “Series Chino” is also worth checking out; fits like Levi’s 501 (including a button fly).
Just pulled the trigger on their tweed jacket and chambray workshirt – looking forward to getting a ton of wear out of these pieces.