If you've discovered Wax London and found yourself looking at a Whiting Overshirt wondering whether it's actually worth the money, you're probably not the only one.
Wax sits above the price point of everyday high-street menswear, so it's reasonable to ask:
Is Wax London good quality?
Are Wax London clothes worth the price?
And what are you actually paying for?
We've recently introduced Wax London at TRIADS, so here's our take on the brand, what we like about it and what you should consider before buying.
For us, yes — otherwise we wouldn't have brought it into TRIADS.
But that's not a particularly useful answer on its own.
What makes Wax interesting is the way it combines wearable everyday menswear with distinctive fabrics, textures and patterns.
The clothes don't need to shout.
Instead, a lot of the personality comes from the material itself.
That's particularly obvious when you look at the piece Wax has become best known for: the Whiting Overshirt.
If you're only going to associate one product with Wax London, it's probably going to be the Whiting.
And there's a reason for that.
The Whiting sits somewhere between a shirt, overshirt and lightweight jacket, depending on the particular fabric.
That makes it an incredibly useful piece of clothing.
Throw it over a tee in spring.
Use it instead of a jacket on a summer evening.
Layer it through autumn.
Put it underneath heavier outerwear during winter.
When we're deciding whether a more expensive piece of clothing represents good value, we don't just look at the price tag.
We ask:
How often are you actually going to wear it?
A £30 shirt you wear twice isn't necessarily better value than a more expensive overshirt you reach for every week.
That's where the Whiting makes a strong case for itself.
Fabric is a huge part of Wax London's identity.
Rather than taking the same basic overshirt and changing nothing except the colour, Wax regularly experiments with checks, textures, weaves and different fabric compositions.
That's why two Whiting Overshirts can have the same fundamental silhouette but feel like completely different garments.
Some are bold.
Some are understated.
Some feel more like shirts.
Others have enough weight and texture to work more like jackets.
It gives you the familiarity of a silhouette you know works while still making each version feel distinctive.
This is worth clearing up because the name can create some confusion.
Wax London is a British brand, but that doesn't mean every Wax London garment is manufactured in London or the UK.
The brand works with manufacturing partners in different locations depending on the product and fabric.
So if country of manufacture is particularly important to you, we'd recommend checking the information for the individual garment you're considering rather than assuming based on the brand name.
This is where buying clothing online can become difficult.
You can see a check on a screen.
You can read the fabric composition.
But it's harder to understand texture, weight and structure until you've actually got the garment in your hands.
That's something we particularly like about Wax.
Many of the pieces have more going on when you see them up close.
The texture of a Whiting, the depth of a woven check and the way the fabric holds its shape can be difficult to communicate through a product photograph alone.
If you're close enough to visit us in Yarm, come in and actually try one on.
You'll understand the product much more quickly.
Generally, Wax London says its clothing fits true to size.
However, we'd always check the measurements of the individual garment.
The Whiting, for example, is designed to have enough room to function as a layering piece.
That doesn't mean you automatically need to size up.
For most people, we'd start with your regular size and then decide whether you want the intended fit or something deliberately more relaxed.
We've put together a complete Wax London Size & Fit Guide if sizing is what's stopping you from ordering.
No piece of clothing lasts forever, and longevity depends heavily on how often you wear something and how you look after it.
Different Wax London products also use different materials, so we'd avoid making one blanket claim about the entire collection.
What we would say is that buying something you're going to wear repeatedly is a much better starting point than buying purely because something is currently fashionable.
That's one reason we like the Whiting.
The overshirt itself isn't a particularly trend-dependent silhouette.
It's simple enough to keep wearing season after season.
Look after the fabric according to the care instructions for your particular garment and it should remain part of your rotation rather than becoming something you forget about after a few months.
We don't think that's really the right way to look at Wax.
A good overshirt doesn't suddenly stop working because you've reached a particular age.
You can style the same Whiting completely differently depending on the person wearing it.
For a younger, relaxed look:
Whiting + T-shirt + Service Works Chef Pants + trainers.
For something cleaner:
Whiting + straight trousers + loafers.
For an everyday classic:
Whiting + denim + simple trainers.
Same garment.
Completely different wardrobes.
That's a sign of good design.
This is another area where we think the brand earns its place at TRIADS.
Wax works extremely well with the labels we already carry.
We'd put a Whiting Overshirt over a Carhartt WIP or Wax London tee, add Service Works Chef Pants and finish with Duke + Dexter trainers.
Want to make it smarter?
Swap the trainers for Duke + Dexter loafers.
You don't need to build your entire wardrobe around Wax London.
The pieces are easy to introduce into what you already own.
This depends entirely on what you're comparing it with.
Compared with fast fashion and much of the high street, Wax London is obviously more expensive.
But price and value aren't necessarily the same thing.
When we're deciding whether something is worth buying, we'd consider:
How good is the fabric?
How does it fit?
How often can I wear it?
Does it work with clothes I already own?
Will I still want to wear it next season?
If the answers stack up, then paying more for the right piece can make considerably more sense than buying several cheaper alternatives that don't get worn.
We think it can be.
But we're also not going to tell you that every Wax London product is automatically worth buying for you simply because we sell the brand.
If you want an inexpensive shirt for one night out, Wax probably isn't what you're looking for.
If you're looking for interesting fabrics, versatile silhouettes and pieces that can become part of your regular wardrobe, then we'd absolutely recommend taking a look.
For your first Wax London purchase, we'd particularly consider the Whiting Overshirt.
It's the piece that best explains what Wax does well.
This is one of the advantages of buying Wax London from an independent retailer like TRIADS.
If you're about to spend your money and you're not sure whether a piece is right for you, message us first.
Ask us about the fabric.
Ask about sizing.
Tell us your height and usual size.
Send us a picture of the trousers you're planning to wear with it.
Ask us whether we'd choose one colour over another.
We'll give you our opinion.
And if we think something else would suit what you're looking for better, we'll tell you.
You don't need to be spending hundreds of pounds to ask us for help.
Fashion is something we genuinely enjoy, and we'd rather help you buy one piece you love wearing than push you into buying three things you don't need.
So, is Wax London good quality and worth the money?
For the right customer, we think so.
Interesting fabrics, versatile designs and pieces like the Whiting that can be styled repeatedly are exactly why we decided to bring Wax London into TRIADS.
But don't just take our word for it.
Explore the collection online, or come and see us in Yarm and get the clothes in your hands.
And if you need help deciding?
Give TRIADS a shout.
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