I also remember him on a few occasions back in the day wearing a cravat. Only JL could get away with that.
John's balance and levity were a great counterbalance to Ian Strachan's broody intensity. Similarly John's tastes in clothes were more open-minded, experimental and playful than Ian's navy blueness. I always think of his wonderful tan scotch grain Bass penny loafers. And he is quite short, so had to adjust a lot of his clothes to fit him properly. Very fastidious. Always brushing through his wavy hair, though not much remained of it. He was a good alterations tailor and has done this type of work at Chiltern Street from time to time. And the cravat! Yes. I remember that now. He was very opinionated about clothes and didn't always follow the Ivy orthodoxy. BTW must say how much I love the contribution of the great Shamrock Monkey in this thread. Lally's from a good Irish family, like Shamrock's chums in Chicago.
Shamrock, a great guy, often had his tongue firmly in his cheek: doubtless pondering the prevailing nuttiness of the English contingent. I miss him.
I remember his Scotch Grain Bass Weejuns. I complimented on the colour, he described it as bacon coloured.
When I asked him how he obtained it, he said "a mixture of 3 polishes, Tan, Oxblood and a bit of black.
Used the method on an old pair of Scotch Grain Buffalo Creeks.
Now who else would think of blending polish in that way? I'm virtually neurotic about using the correct polish.
I bumped into JL in the Princess Head pub in Richmond around 15 years ago, TBH he was dressed more like John Lydon than John Lally, he was wearing big check chef's trousers and a big baggy sweater but he was still the smiling friendly guy we all know, I've mentioned this before but he told me only waiters wore black trousers when I enquired about them in a rash moment in the IS around 1980, he was always the most friendly & approachable of the IS guys in the late 60's for us 15/16 yr olds, last time I saw him as in Chiltern St maybe 10 years ago, don't think he calls in much, if at all these days,
I might be mistaken - TRS will know better than I and correct me if I am - but I often detect a degree of solitariness and wistfulness amongst the older Ivy chaps in London. Hardly surprising (if true) when the modern world is so impersonal, even hostile, with its fucking 'apps', wall to wall TV, inane muzak and so forth.
Black trousers - Stax, I'm not sure how they'd work. I bought a pair of black 'beater' Wranglers last year but they were only for sitting around the house in.
I believe, however (from TRS), that Sir John was rather partial to black knitwear. Merino polo neck sweaters perhaps.
Black trousers - Stax, I'm not sure how they'd work. I bought a pair of black 'beater' Wranglers last year but they were only for sitting around the house in.
I took the advice on from JL, of course they wouldn't work, as mentioned it was a ' rash' stupid question to ask by me !
Irritatingly, some of the discussions/memories of John Lally and the Ivy Shop are to be found on ArseAboutFaceBook, a realm in which I refuse to wander, partly because I have a chronic inability to remember/type in passwords (my wife often has to do this for me), partly because I'm bone idle, partly because it's an aspect of the Internet (unlike, say, those showing teenage ballet dancers with no knickers) I truly hate. Same, needless to say, goes for IG etc etc.
Yet I noted 'a herringbone Crombie'. I like the sound of that. Who owned one? Who made them? When?
TRS may correct me on this but I think I remember seeing JL in cords (not sure of the colour) oversized BD chambray with a a navy roll neck underneath.
I stand in defence of the black trouser. Recently bought some heavy Bills chinos.
The dark grey Keydge herringbone I own looks silly with navy as the grey is bordering on black.
As for looking like waiters didn't someone on here say that exact same thing about white shirts
Perhaps Sir John informed his boss he looked like a waiter.
No: you can do things with a white shirt. It's like a blank canvas.
If wearing black, though, it would have to be knitwear if anything.
Not my first choice, although my father wore a black polo neck with a soft tweed jacket.