'He claimed to have inaugurated pink shirts... and suits with two buttons instead of three. He described his style of dress as 'trad''. The Review was modernist, firmly under the influence of Le Corbusier.
I note the useage of the word 'trad' here in an entirely different context to that found online. Lancaster was fascinated by clothing and costume, without, perhaps, being a historian of it in quite the same way as, say, James Laver. Russell Street will appreciate the distinction. The Anglo roots of Ivy shift and blur around this point, but Lancaster was perhaps slightly more 'dandified' than any post-war Ivy dresser; in the USA, anyway.
The reference to the journal was more for Gibson Gardens' benefit. Interesting that Betjeman was involved at the same sort of time.
Why is that surprising? Lancaster and Betjeman were close friends since they'd been up at Oxford together. I also notice you forgot to date the quote- in his younger days Betjeman was an aesthete and modernist, a far cry from his later persona as everyone's favourite fogey.
I had no idea.
God help me from becoming an old fogey, no disrespect to Betjeman.
David Niven and John Le Mesurier for me.
Well, that's rather the point I was trying to make, isn't it? Betjeman, although he turned himself into an old fogey, never was a 'young fogey'.
Last edited by zuckermandl (2010-07-14 03:29:39)
anyone ever read that ridiculous book about o'toole,burton,harris, and oliver? the niven anecdote is the best thing in it.