"Hunting Macleod" Harris Tweed

The quintessential British country squire wears tweed and the classic image of a stuffy old professor generally includes a tweed coat, but tweed is, in my opinion, cool!  Originally woven by small crofters for their personal use, tweed is one of the original working man’s fabrics.  In the early 19th century, the surplus of these crofters made its way into the London shops with ‘tweel’ (the pattern in which it is woven) being misread as tweed (a famous Scottish river).  Under this name, it was advertised and after the death of the 6th Earl of Dunmore in 1843, his widow commissioned a pair of sisters, known as the Paisley Sisters, to weave fabric in the family tartan.  This fabric was then made into uniforms for the staff of the Dunmore estate.  Being hardwearing, water-resistant, and warm, it was ideal for the gamewardens and the Countess quickly realized that it was ideal for a range of other outdoor pursuits.  By the late 1840s, with the Countess’s constant promotion, Harris Tweed was the fabric of choice for the landed gentry and the aristocracy. Read more »

Classic Americana!  Worn by America’s Greatest Generation and by some of the greatest icons of the silver screen, Schott Jackets are still handmade in the US of A! As a company, they have been around since 1913 and in 1928, they invented the motorcycle jacket.  Then, at the outbreak of World War Two, they started to supply the military with quality garments!

One of those pieces that they designed was the B-3 Sheepskin Leather Bomber Jacket.  Designed for the crews of WW2 bombers, today, it is still (possibly) the ultimate in winter/cold-weather gear.  While the Perfecto motorcycle jacket may have the cool factor, I prefer the B-3 for its utilitarian style and pedigree.

The BBC has a great new program that I have been watching on iPlayer called Around the World in 80 Days.  It is part of their charity appeal for Children in Need and is a very interesting program.  Based on Phineas Fogs fictional adventure, this program has six pairs of celebrities racing around the world for charity (there is only one rule: No Flying).  While you may say, “what another travel program” or “another reality TV show”, it is not that simple.  This is real travel!  They miss trains, get turned away at borders, have car trouble, and everything else that happens when you travel.  But, that is not why I am writing this post … it is because in the last episode (which I have not actually watched but needed to post about this before the auction ends), John Barrowman (of Captain Jack fame) gets a pair of custom cowboy boots from Rocketbuster boots.

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Heading off to my Viva ...

Yesterday was one of the last steps on my journey to earn my doctorate!  I had my viva and it went well.  I have two weeks to make my minor corrections and return the finalized document.  So, I am that much closer to be done!

Before the Viva …

After the Viva …

So, does taxidermy have a place in fashion? Well, according to Reid Peppard, it does! Honestly, I think that this is done more for reaction than for actual fashion … and like haute couture it has been created not for wear on the street but to show what is possible. Also, like couture, I don’t expect to see any pigeon wing hair decorations or mouse coin purses out and about anytime soon. Read more »

Jaxon Deadman Top Hat

Made famous by Johnny Depp in Dead Man, this is one cool topper!

Of all the top hats that I have seen, I think that this type would suit me the best.  Not too high of a crown and with the slight flair on it, I think that it would look good on me.  Personally, I don’t like the feather on the side, but I imagine that it would be removed or replaced with one of a different color.

It would be perfect if the band could be replaced with one of a different color … not sure what color, but a cream one would make it look quite spectacular.  Or maybe the whole hat in brown.

Ah, too many hats, too little time!

Okay, I have done several hat histories recently and here is a short round-up of them …

• The Top Hat
• Cowboy Hats
• Pith Helmets
• The Flat Cap
• The Bowler (aka, The Derby)
• The Panama Hat

At least for the time, I am not going to write any more of these posts … there are a few more hats that I could do, but for the time being, I am not going to write any more posts like these.

Hope you enjoy them!

Okay, we are not talking any old straw hat here, we are talking about traditional panama hats made from toquilla straw.  With a history dating back to at least 4000 BC (and the modern form taking form after the appearance of Spanish conquistadors in Ecuador), these hat have a long and glorious history.  The prehispanic cultures of Ecuador used the toquilla to make headwear for thousands of years before Spanish explorers made contact and got local artisans to produce hats in traditional European styles for them to wear while in the tropics.

In 1835, an entreupenuer named Manuel Alfaro settled in Montecristi and opened his hat weaving business.  Shortly after, he started to export to Panama before setting up shops there.  After this, these hats became known as Panama Hats because Panama was the most important commercial centre for the trade of the hats (and many other items), despite most of them being made in Ecuador. Read more »

The Original Bowler Hat

As mentioned, in 1850, Lock & Co designed the Bowler Hat, which they call The Coke because it was made for William Coke, a progressive farmer from Holkham in Norfolk.  This is a real bowler hat!

Lock & Co was first founded before 1676 and has been called the “best hatters in the world”.  Originally established to serve the court of St. James, today they provide hats to customers around the world.  According to their website, they have survived because:

Its’ survival is the consequence of progressive conservatism, of confidence in quality and a demonstration of the effectiveness of persistent personality and individuality in an increasingly mass-minded world.

Their hats are not cheap … the Coke costs £259.00 and the Extra Firm Coke for riding costs £289.00 … but I bet that I would look great in one of them!  Jill thinks that I look good in a bowler and this would be a great one to have …

This chart is from an interesting little booklet printed for ‘Society Brand Clothes’ in 1931 that was evidently distributed at men’s clothing stores as a kinda style guide.  Here is a slightly updated version of the chart that was featured in the book.  I hope that someone finds it useful …

Color Chart:

Key: Hm = Harmonizing, Pk = Pink, Gr = Green, Lt = Light, Dk = Dark, Wht = White, Br = Brown, SS = Solid or Stripe, SSP = Solid, Stripe, or Pattern

~~ Suit — | — Shirt — | — Tie — | — Shoes & Socks — | — Hat ~~

Dk Blue | Wht, Gr, Pk, Tan, or Lt Blue | Hm SSP | Blk or Dk Br | Grey, Gr, Tan, or  Straw

Blue Grey | Gr, Grey, or Wht | Hm SSP | Blk or Dk Br | Grey, Blue Grey, or Straw

Lt Grey | Pale Blue, Pk, Yellow, or Wht | Hm SS | Blk w/ Hm Socks | Grey, Gr, or Straw

Dk Tan | Gr, Off-Wht, or Wht | Hm SS | Tan w/ Hm Socks | Tan, Br, or Straw

Blue Gr | Gr, Tan, Grey, or Wht | Hm SS | Blk or Dk Br | Grey, Br, Tan, or Straw

Dk Gr | Gr, Tan, Grey, or Wht | Hm SS | Blk or Dk Br | Gr, Grey, Br, Tan, or Straw

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