I. Gentantithesis
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 5, 2009
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Noticed Invertere mentioned recently on a thread. Invertere Coatwrights was established early in the 20th century in Newton Abbot, Devonshire, England on the SW seaboard, near Torquay - the site of Fawlty Towers.
Invertere made high quality sporting and travel outerwear. It originated the reversible cotton gaberdine/tweed Balmacaan style raincoat. It was also famous for its shawl collar, hip length 'Buffer' coat in various fabrics. The 'Gotthard' was an iconic double breasted Ulster steamer/storm coat, oft alpaca pile collared and lined - Paul Stuart called its version with an exterior shell of alpaca pile, sans epaulettes, the 'Bearcat'. It was oft private-labeled without an indication of 'Invertere' - Bullock & Jones being an example. T'was a staple of upscale "Ivy" shops specializing in ye olde Englishe shoppe type raiment in the mid 20th century - Cable Car, The Andover Shop, Herzfelds. Alan Flusser's Style & The Man mentions Invertere when listing brands of European Anglophillic stores. Some deemed Invertere rain-wear superior to Burberry and Aquascutum.
At one time the Invertere entity also marketed outerwear under the West Country Clothing brand.
Unfortunately, Invertere at this point is defunct. In the UK the last of Invertere's factory inventory was acquired by www.tweed-jacket.com and has been eBayed. There may be a small cache remaining. In the U.S. the distributor was www.kuehnert.com (also long the U.S. representative of Traditional Weatherwear of Cumbernauld, Scotland - the maker of the 'Mackintosh' brand). Kuehnert's Invertere inventory was liquidated on eBay by the owner's wife's equestrian oriented 'Outfoxedfarm' seller identity.
Two Invertere items currently appearing on Yoxx would appear to be of the type that actually retailed for circa $1000. Another source of old stock Invertere is O'Connell's of Buffalo, NY.
Another one bites the dust.
(I first contacted Mr. Graham of Invertere in the early '80s and subsequently acquired seven or eight coats, including three Gotthards; camel colour bearcat type, alpaca lined small check undyed homespun tweed and alpaca lined lovat whipcord. Now all one require's a series of unending crossings of the pond on the QM, lle de France, etc. twixt The Wars.)
Addendum: 'Invertere' is from the Latin 'to turn about', a reference to its original reversable motoring Balmacaan.
