And it can be worn by a 17 year old, or a 70 year old. You wear the clothes rather the clothes wearing you.
GG summed it up in a description of Ian Strachan "pseudo-military - a strange kind of asceticism laced with panache." At least that's a part, along with ultimate functionality and cool timelessness - a nonchalance to the vulgarities of extreme fashion. Michelango's David transferred to mid-century America and laced with jazz. Classicism of dress and avant garde thoughts.
An adventure, a different way of doing something common and ordinary, a gateway into style and art.
Wearing it bestows confidence. Cotton, cashmere and leather. Pale blue or/and navy. Shoes with heft or simple elegance. The tapered khaki. The haircut, the shave, the talc.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Functionality plays a big part... It's been a long time since I've worn any of the "technical" outerwear- down jackets or synthetic parkas. As the weather turns colder I wonder if wool is ultimately the best option? I love wool but if most of the rest of the world is content with like a down jacket over a tee shirt, is it really an inferior option to my layers of wool?
I have got a goretex 3/4 length jacket with a zip out liner, it's a pleasant olive green colour that goes with most things but it's totally unexceptional and has very little style or flair, very much the sort of thing that the average Joe wears ini the winter in the UK. It's waterproof, amazingly warm with the liner in but okay for spring and autumn without. I paid 30 quid for it in the Debenhams sale about ten years ago. It does everything well, but I rarely wear it as I have more stylish coats that cover every situation. However if I was only allowed to have one coat it would be the one I would keep on the grounds of sheer utility.
you can have it all ....
you can have wool coats and 60/40s and down jackets and vests and waxed cotton etc ....
there are definitely uses for all of these things ...
the question is are you a '50s/'60s purist or do you enjoy throwing some stuff from the '70s and '80s in as well?
I was thinking about this with regard to the polo shirt and Top-Siders discussions ....
specifically I was thinking that I could be very happy with the best of '70s solid L. L. Bean preppy ....
and in fact I was .....
Sierra Designs or Woolrich or Baxter State 60/40 parka or good down jacket preferably of 60/40 cloth or supertightly woven khaki cotton
Lacoste or Fred Perry polo shirt, long or short sleeves
Levi's straight cords or Bean or Orvis 8 oz. khaki chinos or 501s
Bean or Wigwam or Burlington ragg socks
Sperry Kudu, Sahara, Captain's Oxford or canvas Top-Siders deck sneakers or Incontinence pants Country or Co-Op unbranded Maine-made blucher mocs
and the next day it might be hardcore Ivy:
navy wool peacoat or tan duffle coat or tweed sack from Press or Keezer's
Shaggy Dog Shetland sweater or Brooks made in England lambswool v-neck
J. Press flap-pocket ocbd
Levi's cords or Press wide-wale cords or Bean wool woodsman's pants
Brooks lambswool scarf from England
Barrie plain-toe brown calf blucher shoes from Northampton or Walk-Over dirty bucks from the USA or USA Weejuns when they were nice
and in this way one went between the two great styles seamlessly because the overall approach was Americanness with British fillips that could be had within a three-block radius of the dorm ... L. L. Bean was obtained through the mail
here's another good hybrid:
Levi's blanket-lined denim trucker's jacket
J. Press flap-pocket Viyella shirt with plain collar
Bean khaki or Dickie's olive twill chinos
ragg socks
Jack Purcells in navy or off-white
all day long ....
Bean chamois shirt
Levi's straight cords
Red Wing 675s
t-shirt of whatever kind, Hanes were good back then
Champion sweatshirt made in USA
and later on the Barbour and then the Patagonia and the Filson made inroads and they were great too .....
I don't care about only wearing clothing that existed in the '50s, so long as it looks classic. My current heavy overcoat is a chunky herringbone number but I feel like it's not as warm as it could be. Next overcoat I get, I want to invest in something I'll be happy to use for the rest of my life. This one I got as cheap as possible because I didn't have a lot of money to spend but I knew I wanted a heavy wool coat before what's supposed to be a long, hard winter.
I'm beginning to really dig the look of the buffer coat. Might be more along the lines of what I'm looking for style-wise.
I've seen some overcoats with the external features of the '50s-'60s, like a tweed stadium coat, but with a quilted lining for extra warmth. If it's as effective as it looks, wouldn't that be about the perfect blend of modern technology with classic styling?
I tried on a 50s/60s NOs overcoat recently (JS, London) and it was very thick wool - it felt so warm I really can't see anyone could possibly want more. My point is that old school overcoats (if combined with scarf, hat and gloves) can be as warm as hi-tech modern coats.
My vintage overcoats don't have substantial, or even full, linings. But they're warm enough for even the coldest days in my climate when worn over layers. They'd never suffice on their own over just an OCBD. But they were designed to be worn over sweaters and tweeds or suit jackets. In that application, they are plenty warm. That McGregor coat I bought recently is probably my warmest coat, as it has a zip-out sherpa lining. That's a warm coat.
I have a Paul Smith one I bought a few years back, wonderful birds eye wool perfect for wearing over a suit - but....
It no longer appeals, my taste has changed, this looked neat in the structured mod style that I leaned towards (though I never owned a covered button suit) at the time, but now I yearn for that natural shoulder - I have one in my favourites on Etsy, but I will only buy if I can sell on the PS.
See I always thought the same- that the thick wool coats were as good as any modern technology- but I still get cold in my overcoat. Maybe I got a lemon. Or maybe I'm just a baby.
If I were to look ahead into the future from my vantage point here in 1960 to say... 2014, I imagine they will have accomplished leaps and bounds in thermal insulation technology in outerwear and all-weather wear.
Tomiskinky, what's the sizing on the Paul Smith coat?
Sorry.
I had a trenchcoat made of a cashmere wool blend and silk lined. It works a treat at -18C.