On The Height Street: Next

There's barely a highstreet in the country that doesn't have a Next adorning it, such is the pervasiveness of this long-standing British brand, but how does it stack up when it comes to catering for the taller man?

You might not know it, but Next has been around for an awfully long time. Founded as Joseph Hepworth & Son in 1864, these inauspicious beginnings ultimately gave rise to one of the UK's most popular and ubiquitous clothing outlets. That popularity has been often derided more recently, with Next (somewhat unfairly) being looked down on as a purveyor of 'Dad fashion', with a lowest common denominator appeal; nothing could be further from the truth. The modern Next is stylish, contemporary, and most of all, affordable. What's more, their range of sizes make it an ideal place to shop for taller men. Let's take a look.

Suits

Suiting is where Next really shines as a highstreet retailer. Combining affordability with a variety of styles, cuts, and lengths means that you're never short of options, and whether shopping in store or online, blazers and trousers are available separately, so there's no need to play around the industry standard six inch drop. I can't stress enough the affordability of Next's suits and how much this is a major strength for the company, but naturally this does come with some caveats. Full suits are available for as little £65-70, but, as always, you get what you pay for, and almost 100% of the time you'll find that these suits are made entirely of polyester and viscose. That's not inherently a bad thing, a little man-made fibre can often go a long way to help increase the rigidity and longevity of an otherwise all natural materials suit (think wool blend or 50/50 suits), but when the fibres are 100% man-made this can be very obvious when worn, and at their worst these suits can look plastic-y and cheap.

Thankfully, there are a range of options available, though as expected these do come with an increase in price. Jumping ahead to the top of line in store (though there are often even more options available online), Next's own Signature range represents fantastic value and quality alike. Their Italian collection is a particular favourite, with a variety of suits available made from Super 110 and 120 grade wool. It's a real step up in quality, and an absolute steal at around £200. My wardrobe is replete with Next suits as they make fantastic workhorse options for the 9 to 5, with dressier choices on offer for parties and wedding season.

When it comes to size and fit, Next occupies a very prominent place in the market. They run the gauntlet from the very-much-in-vogue skinny suits through to slim, tailored, and regular fits. As is often the case, however, not every suit is available in every cut, so it can lead to disappointment if there's a particular style you like that isn't in your fit. Best of all though is that fact that pretty much every single suit in Next's armoury is available in a long length. This alone would put Next fairly high on my list, but with the aforementioned quality and attractive pricing of their Signature range it really elevates the options on offer. As expected there are slight variations in how long that length is when you shuffle between cuts, so just be aware that at the skinny and slim end of the range you might lose a couple of centimetres.

Likewise, their cotton summer suits seem to crop a little shorter in the trouser as a stylistic choice, but almost all their trousers (and blazers, for that matter) have enough material inside to lengthen as required. Lastly, you'll most likely find that you'll want to taper the sleeves on your suit jackets, as the armholes can be excessively wide on some blazers, almost certainly due to the volume in which Next produces its suits. This isn't too much of an issue, and in fact is a good habit to get into, as it's one of those small details that can help elevate any suit.

Knitwear

In all honesty, I'd avoid Next when it comes to knitwear. It might just be my experience of it, but it's in this range and it's range of casual shirts and t-shirts that Next maintains vestiges of its old reputation. Things have improved, but a universal problem with sizing still persists, in that much of the knitwear on offer seems to be half a size below what you think the label would indicate. Comparatively, a Next medium jumper runs both shorter and tighter in the body, and shorter in the arm, than many of its highstreet counterparts (and the same can be said of the larger sizes too). Moreover, often the quality of these pieces can be a bit lacking, with polyester and viscose again being the number one ingredients on the label. More so than with suits, I'd avoid these 100% man-made fibres in knitwear altogether, as you'll find yourself suffering from dropped collars and saggy elbows quicker than you can shake a stick at.

Shirts

Shirts are a bit of a funny one here. On the one hand, their casual shirts are poorly designed and cut, often running short in the sleeve and with excess material at the back that billows all too easily and completely disrupts your silhouette. On the other, their range of formal shirts is actually very, very good, again at a very attractive price point. It's their Signature range that does it again and you can pick two-fold cotton shirts at just £30 a pop, which is great value. However, the main thing to note here is that whilst Next do do a longer length sleeve these can often be quite hard to find, especially in store, and even searching online can often bear little fruit. Before I eventually moved to Charles Tyrwhitt and TM Lewin for the majority of my formal shirts, Next were my go-to place for years. There's always a wide variety of colours and styles on offer, but my acid shirt test is always on the quality of a store's plain white shirts, and Next passes this test easily.

Shoes and Boots

At the risk of sounding like a broken record here, if you're looking for good quality at affordable prices, then look no further than Next. And yep, you guessed it, it's their Signature range that really stand out here too. That being said, Next's Hell For Leather range (sitting just below their Signature range at around £35-65) are also comfortable, long lasting, and available in sizes 12+. Their cheapest shoes may seem like a bargain, but just make sure that you're buying full leather as otherwise the danger is you'll spend more replacing that pair with another than you would on one good, solid pair.

Miscellaneous

You might start to notice a pattern through these articles in that I love a bargain, and even in spite of Next's affordability, there are actually deeper bargains to be had. The Next sale is practically a British institution at this stage, for better or worse, but there a few tips and tricks you can use to maximise your savings, and your time. In fact, scratch that, there's one trick, with two key points. The first point is that the Next sale is available just as much online as it in store, so spare yourself the 05:00 get up and just hop online at a more reasonable hour to grab yourself a bargain. The second, and arguably more important point, is that this is actually available all year round! On the Next website you'll see that outside of sale periods, the usual sale button in the top right hand corner of the screen changes to read 'Clearance', and the same bargains you can find the sale can be found here throughout the year, winner!

Summary

I'm a big fan of Next, I think that's clear to see here. The combination of quality and price is hard to beat, especially if you work in a smart/business environment. To that end, stick with the suits, shoes, and occasional shirt, and you won't go far wrong here.

Suits: 4/5

Knitwear: 1/5

Shirts: 3/5

Shoes and Boots: 4/5

Affordability: 5/5