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[Lasttye]



I've read through this topic but I still haven't grasped what a Tonic suit is it a type of fabric or a style? and what of these towelling socks can I get some pictorial examples?

Tonik is Kid Goat Mohair, suiting cloth, invented by Dormeuil in the 50s, Towelling socks are made with a loop stitch..giving greater comfort and wicking properties ....even today you can buy socks with a loop stitch on the inside of the sock.

 

[browniecj]



I've read through this topic but I still haven't grasped what a Tonic suit is it a type of fabric or a style? and what of these towelling socks can I get some pictorial examples?

Tonik is as Lasttye said-regarding Cloth.It also meant a Two-Tone 3 Ply Cloth(when you looked at the Cloth in one light,it would be Blue,slightly twist it and it would be Green).

I remember the thicker Wool Socks-my Feet would not take anything that had Poly in it(sweaty Feet I suppose).That is why most of my Shoes are Leather Soled.

 

[Sirryacus]

?

I've been given examples from hounds tooth to Donegal tweed, so its just a classic woolen suit with a very solid color? I still can't grasp the concept of the Towelling socks you'll have to forgive me.

 

[Lasttye]



Tonik is Kid Goat Mohair, suiting cloth, invented by Dormeuil in the 50s, Towelling socks are made with a loop stitch..giving greater comfort and wicking properties ....even today you can buy socks with a loop stitch on the inside of the sock.

Tonik by Dormeuil is a patterned trade name and cannot be used by other cloth makers, back in the 60s most suits was not made of Dormeuil Tonik ...how other companies got around this Tonic without the K....Thats why people always seem to spell Tonic with a C.
Also Tonik does not have to be To Tone, it can be plain, or stripes..as my bottle green red pin stripe suit i had made in 70.
As i have said before i never saw many suits in to tone in the early days..maybe because they was popular with the black lads.....In saying that i did get a pair of to tone off the peg trousers from the Squire Shop.

In the end.. skinheads was getting suits from the market that was like a To Tone polyester material everything was getting cheap....and embarrassing.

 

[cerneabbas]

Tonik by Dormeuil is a patterned trade name and cannot be used by other cloth makers, back in the 60s most suits was not made of Dormeuil Tonik ...how other companies got around this Tonic without the K....Thats why people always seem to spell Tonic with a C.
Also Tonik does not have to be To Tone, it can be plain, or stripes..as my bottle green red pin stripe suit i had made in 70.
As i have said before i never saw many suits in to tone..maybe because they was popular with the black lads.....In saying that i did get a pair of to tone off the peg trousers from the Squire Shop.

In the end.. skinheads was getting suits from the market that was like a To Tone polyester material everything was getting cheap....and embarrassing.

I agree with Lasttye and browniecj on this...and yet part of the problem is/was kids ( then ) my age referring to everything two tone as "tonics" including the two tone Levi sta prest.....I still do it ( and I am wrong )..I posted the other day about "tonic" harringtons and raincoats, browniecj correctly replied mentioning two tone harringtons and raincoats..
I think that lots of names get misused,Royals for any brogues....Oxfords when you mean toe caps.....that is one reason why this thread is so important and educational IMO.

 

[wixaqialo]

yes,last year there were no shows going on during our stay unfortunately btw, Nurnberg was where my wife was born .thanks

 

[Gsvs5]

Towelling socks are made with a loop stitch..giving greater comfort and wicking properties ....even today you can buy socks with a loop stitch on the inside of the sock.

I've been using these Boots Socks by Smartwool for the past seven years.They have the internal loop construction .They aren't cheap at around $18/pr.
Just as good,if not better in my opinion are Costco own label (Kirkland) Outdoor Trail Merino Wool Blend.They come in a 4 pack for around $20.Harder wearing and the best boot socks i've had to date.I think Costco is just in the US unfortunately,but you can get them via Ebay or Amazon.Highly recommend them !

 

[Lasttye]



I've been using these Boots Socks by Smartwool for the past seven years.They have the internal loop construction .They aren't cheap at around $18/pr. Just as good,if not better in my opinion are Costco own label (Kirkland) Outdoor Trail Merino Wool Blend.They come in a 4 pack for around $20.Harder wearing and the best boot socks i've had to date.I think Costco is just in the US unfortunately,but you can get them via Ebay or Amazon.Highly recommend them !

Gsvs5 The socks that we are talking about had the towelling loop stitch also on the outside, its hilarious that we are talking about socks...

 

[Gsvs5]

Gsvs5 The socks that we are talking about had the towelling loop stitch also on the outside, its hilarious that we are talking about socks...

Yeah I know mate,we leave no stone un-turned .You can turn these inside out !

 

[Basset]

I agree with Lasttye and browniecj on this...and yet part of the problem is/was kids ( then ) my age referring to everything two tone as "tonics" including the two tone Levi sta prest.....I still do it ( and I am wrong )..I posted the other day about "tonic" harringtons and raincoats, browniecj correctly replied mentioning two tone harringtons and raincoats..
I think that lots of names get misused,Royals for any brogues....Oxfords when you mean toe caps.....that is one reason why this thread is so important and educational IMO.

Everyone's guilty of this, Sellotape, Durex, Biro, etc

 

[browniecj]



Tonik by Dormeuil is a patterned trade name and cannot be used by other cloth makers, back in the 60s most suits was not made of Dormeuil Tonik ...how other companies got around this Tonic without the K....Thats why people always seem to spell Tonic with a C.
Also Tonik does not have to be To Tone, it can be plain, or stripes..as my bottle green red pin stripe suit i had made in 70.
As i have said before i never saw many suits in to tone in the early days..maybe because they was popular with the black lads.....In saying that i did get a pair of to tone off the peg trousers from the Squire Shop.

In the end.. skinheads was getting suits from the market that was like a To Tone polyester material everything was getting cheap....and embarrassing.

I do not believe other Companies used Tonik in their Name(because of the Dormeuil Brand).When you went into the Tailors you would ask for the 3 Ply Mohair Swatches.You had the plain colours but you would ask for Two Tone or Tonik(as the unofficial street name).The Tailor would know exactly what you meant.My OTP Mohair Trousers came from a Menswear shop in "The Cut",near Waterloo Station.You had to be quick because they sold out very quickly-especially on a Saturday(there would be one rail-keep the supply short,for more demand.Old Clothing Trick).At a Tenner a pop they were not cheap.

 

[Lasttye]



I do not believe other Companies used Tonik in their Name(because of the Dormeuil Brand).When you went into the Tailors you would ask for the 3 Ply Mohair Swatches.You had the plain colours but you would ask for Two Tone or Tonik(as the unofficial street name).The Tailor would know exactly what you meant.My OTP Mohair Trousers came from a Menswear shop in "The Cut",near Waterloo Station.You had to be quick because they sold out very quickly-especially on a Saturday(there would be one rail-keep the supply short,for more demand.Old Clothing Trick).At a Tenner a pop they were not cheap.

As i said with my experience of Tailors in the 60s ..I never had a clue what Dormeuil or Tonik, or 3 ply was, Maybe I was lucky and the rest of The Kilburn Aggro Mob, we had a great tailor in George, But by the time i got my second suit made, I knew that Dormeuil was the bollocks. you would walk in the pub with your new suit and show em The Dormeuil label inside the jacket...with pride,.

 

[MikeDT]



Guess who? 1968 was the year.They went on to be sartorial disasters.Answers on a postcard please...

The Monkees?

 

[dusttruffle]

Thought i might ask the posters of this thread a very specific British fashion question. Possibly an odd one

I dont know if this was a proper fashion but everyone was suddenly getting them at my school IIRC around '85 ish.

It was a sturdy traditional black brogue with leather sole, and you asked the cobbler to put metal 'segs' into the sole - 24 or 18 in total or something dumb.

Positioned something like this, not sure about how many around the heel but i am pretty sure about the forefoot pattern.





I remember being super pleased as i raced home through a shiny/slippy surfaced shopping centre which was difficult to say the leased.
Was great fun and noisy to slide down corridors, but ruined many an ice slide.

So the point of this was to question wether this 'fashion' was just a weird microcosm with my school?

 

[Man-of-Mystery]



I do not believe other Companies used Tonik in their Name(because of the Dormeuil Brand).When you went into the Tailors you would ask for the 3 Ply Mohair Swatches.You had the plain colours but you would ask for Two Tone or Tonik(as the unofficial street name).The Tailor would know exactly what you meant.My OTP Mohair Trousers came from a Menswear shop in "The Cut",near Waterloo Station.You had to be quick because they sold out very quickly-especially on a Saturday(there would be one rail-keep the supply short,for more demand.Old Clothing Trick).At a Tenner a pop they were not cheap.

The Trade Description Act became law in 1968, but I'll bet that didn't stop kids asking for tonik/c and shopkeepers describing something as tonik/c when they talked about it to customers, if it helped them sell it!