Belstaff Mansion chequered shirt in olive and black

This new-for-2025 Mansion shirt is very different to the lightweight, cotton version that has been around for a few years. And the key difference is that its made from a pretty substantial Cordura Stretch Denim. And it transforms the Mansion from a simple shirt into something that feels much more like a riding jacket. A bit like Rokker's flannel shirts, it's probably the epitome of what some people term a 'shacket'.

We've never come across the term 'Cordura Stretch Denim' before, but it's not difficult to work out what it is. Cordura is a combination of cotton and Nylon. In this case it is obviously woven in to a denim fabric, to which a bit of Elastane has been added for a touch of extra comfort. And indeed this is attested to on the label. 

It all makes for an outer fabric that feels commendably tough, although it still has a soft enough handle to ensure the jacket is comfortable to wear. The chequered design is printed on to the fabric, but you'd never know. It looks like the design is woven in, but it's not.

The fabric is sufficiently abrasion resistant to earn the jacket an AA rating under EN 17092. For impact protection the shirt is fitted with Level 1 Ghost armour in the elbows and shoulders. Now a lovely upgrade would be the new Level 2 Diablo, which offers double the level of protection for a weight penalty of just 12%. There's a pocket for a back protector, but a protector is not included. If you wanted Level 2 back protector without adding a lot of weight the Rheon one would be perfect.

The front of the shirt fastens with brass poppers. The bottom one, thoughtfully, is rubber coated to protect the bike's paintwork. Obviously even though the shirt appears to fasten by means of these poppers, there's a full-length zip behind the flap. There are more poppers at the ends of the sleeves to adjust the fit over a glove.

We do really like this shirt, or jacket, or shacket, or whatever you want to call it. It's still what it is, which is a riding shirt, so it's designed for a particular kind of riding. I think it will go down really well with the Harley and Indian guys. The Bike Shed crowd will also be all over it, I reckon. But if it's a riding shirt you want, the new Mansion is something you should definitely look at. It's quite different to Rokker's shirts, but in terms of substance the two are pretty similar.