In Celebration of the Monty Jacket
Every May, London’s most elegant neighbourhood showcases the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, this year running from 20 – 24th May. All eyes tend to be on the sumptuous flowing floral outfits adorning the female attendees, but there is an often-unsung hero of the gardening world that has given Cordings inspiration for our best-selling casual summer jacket – Monty Don. Photographed on press day this week in a textured navy blazer, pale-blue shirt and jaunty polka-dot tie—plus his trademark canine companions—he proved once again that horticultural chic can be both relaxed and refined. Photographed below at a previous Chelsea Flower Show:
One of Britain’s best loved gardeners. Monty Don is a regular fixture at the Chelsea Flower show, and his early adoption of organic gardening and his relaxed, self-professed ‘amateur’ status has struck a chord with the British public. His sartorial choices follow his relaxed style, and his adoption of the French ‘chore’ jacket within his wardrobe lends him a painterly workman’s aesthetic that is unpretentious and timeless.
Monty’s signature look is the French bleu de travail—the century-old cotton work jacket once worn by railway engineers and artists alike. Fashion writers have crowned him the “patron saint of the blue cotton work jacket,” noting how its big patch pockets, hardy cloth and forgiving indigo hue suit life spent among soil and secateurs. Little wonder Gardens Illustrated recently ran an edit of “Monty Don jacket look-alikes” for fans eager to copy his gardener-meets-painter aesthetic.
The Cordings Version
The Monty Keel Jacket – weighty workwear heritage
- Cloth: 100% Irish linen, 11 oz / 340 gsm
- Details: Three roomy patch pockets, engraved horn buttons, internal Cordings label
Cut in the spirit of Monty’s beloved chore coat, the Monty Keel swaps traditional moleskin for a rugged, open-weave linen whose 11-ounce heft echoes vintage canvases yet keeps you cool on sun-dazzled garden paths. The unlined body drapes with the easy slouch Monty favours when he rolls up his sleeves to inspect delphiniums.
The Provence Jacket – Mediterranean lightness
- Cloth: 100% linen, 6.5 oz / 200 gsm
- Details: Two flap pockets with button closure, Alcantara suede trim on collar and pocket jets, engraved faux-horn buttons
Think of Provence as the chore jacket’s Riviera cousin. Half the weight of the Monty Keel, it feels more overshirt than outer layer—ideal for greenhouse mornings or city terraces. The Alcantara touches nod to Cordings’ sporting heritage and add a discreet dash of luxury.
Why Linen Is the Gardener’s Friend
Linen fibres are hollow, wicking moisture and releasing heat faster than cotton—exactly what you need when pruning roses under a late-May sun. At 340 gsm, the Monty Keel’s cloth echoes canvas in toughness; at 200 gsm, the Provence floats like a petal in a Chelsea breeze. Both grow softer—and more characterful—the more you wear them, much like the jackets Monty has broken in over decades of digging.
A Note on Sustainability
Monty’s advocacy of organic gardening sits comfortably alongside linen’s eco-credentials: flax needs little irrigation or pesticide, and every part of the plant is used. Choosing either jacket is a slow-fashion decision that mirrors his earth-first philosophy.
Whether you’re touring show gardens, tending allotment beds or simply chasing the relaxed elan of Britain’s most beloved gardener, Cordings’ linen jackets offer a cultivated shortcut. Slip one on, let the pockets fill with seed packets and secateurs, and join Monty in proving that practical workwear—done properly—blooms far beyond the potting bench.
