From The Annals Of AngloMania

[rnoldh]

pejsek,

Beautiful and amazing finds as usual.

When you come across stuff like this and it doesn't fit, do you leave it behind.

Now that you have a digital camera, you could sell stuff that doesn't work for you, on the B & s forum. It wouldn't take any more time than this thread did, and you would have some happy buyers as well as some very deserved profit.

Just an idea.

 

[stickonatree]

very nice finds!!!

 

[texas_jack]

Could I put in a request for a bespoke camel overcoat in about 46L? I'm thinking A&S, maybe mid 60s? Thanks for looking.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Those are all fantastic. I would love to get my hands on the tartan DJ. It would fulfill a youth fantasy of mine to dress like that. Oh, the 80s. Other than that one, the two sportcoats are sublime.

 

[Anthony Jordan]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Pejsek, you are KILLING ME. Those are some incredible finds. I'm in love with that Poole three piece.


Me too...

 

[pejsek]

Thanks again for all the kind replies and comments.

Alan, yes, those buttons may very well be made from antlers. I must admit that hunting died out in my family a generation ago. My grandfather and uncles used to shoot pheasant, but I can count the number of times I've handled a gun on one hand--and I've never shot at anything alive. Make of that what you will.

whnay, no, my unknowing bespoke patron is not WLB. WLB is perhaps the best ever walking advertisement for high-end Italian rtw, but I'm not sure he's ever set foot on SR. I do have a few of his old Versace ties.

freelance robotics and iammatt, the Sexton jacket is a rare gem--so assured and authoritative in spite of its obvious eccentricity. I love the extra long lapels. Do you think it could be worn as anything besides a dj?

rnoldh, as the years have gone by I've become less prone to leave things on the rack. I'm afraid I'm edging towards more of a collecting and curatorial approach. But I still have way too many things and likely will put some stuff up on the B&S forum. I may even have something for texas_jack (but not a mid sixties A&S coat, unfortunately).

LK, interesting that you bring up carnations. I'd really like to grow some of the great florists carnations from the 1930s, but none of these are currently available in the US. They are all locked away in the UK. US agricultural import restrictions make them nearly impossible to get a hold of. And the penalties for smuggling are surprisingly harsh.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by pejsek

freelance robotics and iammatt, the Sexton jacket is a rare gem--so assured and authoritative in spite of its obvious eccentricity. I love the extra long lapels. Do you think it could be worn as anything besides a dj?

Yes and no. I think if you wore it as something other than a dinner jacket, you would need to do so with a bit of irony and a good sense of humor. I could see it with a white buttondown and jeans, or with a white buttondown, gray flannels and a black tie (not bow tie) if you had guests for dinner and wanted to be a bit interesting.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by pejsek

rnoldh, as the years have gone by I've become less prone to leave things on the rack. I'm afraid I'm edging towards more of a collecting and curatorial approach. But I still have way too many things and likely will put some stuff up on the B&S forum. I may even have something for texas_jack (but not a mid sixties A&S coat, unfortunately).

LK, interesting that you bring up carnations. I'd really like to grow some of the great florists carnations from the 1930s, but none of these are currently available in the US. They are all locked away in the UK. US agricultural import restrictions make them nearly impossible to get a hold of. And the penalties for smuggling are surprisingly harsh.
Pejesk,

I hope you put up some excitingly unique things for sale, preferably in a small size.

U.S. carnations are inevitably too large and rustic-looking for proper wear. I think the great boutonniere carnation is the Malmaison carnation, a specific British--maybe French too--species.

During the glory days of boutonniere wearers--by City Gents probably--the florists used to do an artificial carnation composed of two flowers inserted into one another. It was secured by a wire stem.

 

[pejsek]

Today I'd like to take a brief detour into the realm of ancient tweeds. Of course no self-respecting Anglomane can get by without a few shreds of tattered tweed swathed in the mists of time. I believe each of these pieces predates my arrival on this earth in the early 1960s.

First up, this Henry Poole jacket is one of my favorites of all time. The label is quite worn and faded, but I can make out several locations on Savile Row--which means that it predates the move to Cork Street and the subsequent return to SR. I would guess this one is from the 1950s/60s:

This jacket is all about the pockets and the tweed (a sublime melange of heathery hues; they really don't make them like this anymore):

The slightly curved shape of the pockets is amazing and recalls the crescent-shaped pockets of even earlier years. Pockets like this could easily look clunky and awkward (esp. given the weight of the tweed), but notice how they nearly disappear into the body:

A close-up of the patch ticket pocket:

A good juxtaposition of the shapes and textures:

Here's a three-button Huntsman tweed jacket dated March 3, 1959. Note how it is lined only at the shoulder (and in the front, of course):

Over the last forty-eight years the loose weave has led to some drooping. We shouldn't be afraid to show our age:

The pocket arrangement:

A good view of the cloth:

The label and flapped interior pocket:

Finally, a superb example of a real live country hacking jacket. This one has been relined so all the labels are gone. From the remaining sleeve lining, however, I suspect it may be from A&S. Note the boxy loose cut ready to accommodate any manner of heavy shirt or sweater:

Hacking pockets:

Throat latch. Much simpler than the one shown on the Poole jacket above. This is just a button fixed to go through the lapel buttonhole:

The banded sleeve puts the jacket squarely in the country tradition:

Long live something old!

 

[Baron]

I you were killing me before, now you're kicking a dead horse. Those tweeds are so freaking awesome. The hacking jacket...sigh.

 

[whnay.]

So much character to each of those, should remind us all of the value beholding only to bespoke clothing.

 

[pejsek]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Pejesk,

U.S. carnations are inevitably too large and rustic-looking for proper wear. I think the great boutonniere carnation is the Malmaison carnation, a specific British--maybe French too--species.

During the glory days of boutonniere wearers--by City Gents probably--the florists used to do an artificial carnation composed of two flowers inserted into one another. It was secured by a wire stem.

LK, here's a good link to old carnations. The Malmaison carnations originated in France and were so called because they were thought to mimic the famous rose Souvenir de la Malmaison. The Malmaison Duchess of Westminster is the only Malmaison available in the US.

http://www.allwoods.net/acatalog/Mal...arnations.html

Feel free to send me a pm with your sizes and I'll see what I have.

 

[texas_jack]

Patch ticket pocket is sooo awesome.

 

[pejsek]

Originally Posted by texas_jack

Patch ticket pocket is sooo awesome.

I agree. It's one of the details that makes this jacket a favorite. I've never seen a patch ticket pocket anywhere else. I imagine it's very hard to pull off. It works well with tweeds, I think, but it has to be just right, as ethereal as this one here--blink and you've missed it.
I would love to see Rubinacci take a stab at this with one of his vintage tweeds. That could be one of the most inspiring jackets ever. So, iammatt, if you're listening....

 

[rnoldh]

pejsek,

Amazing stuff as usual. I understand where you are coming from as to a collecting and curatorial approach.

Here's a question. I had started an SF thread about dating the age of an A & S suit on Ebay that turned out to be from 1974. It truly does not compare to your vintage SR stuff.

Here's the 1974 A & S thread

In that thread, SF member Will (who is very expert on clothes as we know), said that A & S didn't start using working button holes till the 1990s. I wasn't sure of this, and your A & S coat (well it probably is an A & S), seems to have working button holes and it's from the 1950s or 1960s. And the Huntman and Poole coats have working button holes.

Does anyone know if working button holes were the norm on SR in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s....

pejsek, you probably have more vintage SR fine garments than most stores that specialize in it. What's your experience as to working button holes on the vintage SR stuff you have?