The Look goes on...

[andyf]

Knock 'em all you like, lads, I stick with Clarks.

I wore my Clark’s dessies today and although a bit chilly on the feet even with thick socks they are comfy. Despite being black underneath. Never been right after a 6 mile walk around majorca. They are the best of the Clark’s range despite what I’ve said about there other footwear.

 

[Botolph]

I dig Astorflex. More comfy on my feet than Clarks. Got the classic tan and the six+(?) eye in cola. Like buttah.

 

[cerneabbas]

I also have the Astroflex,I think that they look better than Clarks (as do the Loake imo) but I never wear them,I don't find them very versatile or even very practical.
I get much more wear out of my Mephisto Frederik boots,they are more comfortable and practical so of course they have stopped making them,they are perfect for Winter or wet days.
In the summer months I now wear Ecco Luca lace ups,these have taken the place of Trainers in my footwear selection,they are very comfy and I can and do walk for miles in the city wearing them which I wouldn't want to do in Desert boots,they have a trainer type sole and a Nubuck 'Mocc' type upper, not everyone will like them (understatement) but they also don't have the Desert boots association/stigma .

The 'Desert boots' with lace loops rather than eyelets are Suede Ghillie boots and Roamers make them,they used to sell them in Silvermans as off duty Squaddies wore them for a while sometimes using Paracord for laces.

One of my favourite war films is Ice Cold in Alex,in one scene you get a close up of John Mills Desert boots (the scene in the minefield) they look to have thicker soles than the Clarks boots which were supposed to have been modelled on WW2 boots.

Clarks did say a few years ago that they were going to bring back the production of Desert boots to Somerset but I don't know if that ever happened.

 

[Clouseau]

Finally Winter is coming here, and the temperatures are below zero for a few days.
I find that it is as complicated to be stylish when it is very cold as when it is very hot. I'm used to layer under my thicker coat (a Loden) but after a while it is impossible, apart if i want to look like the Michelin Man.
So i have no other choice than to wear my very old (and very warm) early 90s Lands End Squall parka (that doesn't look too bad though, if you compare it to their contemporary model). But sooner or later i will have to buy a New Winter jacket. Do you have an idea of a style that could be very warm and stylish at the same time?

 

[covskin]

@covskin you are so disciplined! No room for spontaneity in your life - what about the bespoke opera pumps you have always fancied (but have little need for); what about the perfect navy grenadine tie?

Did you get the T&A hankies? Are they as good as you hoped? I need some more hankies (to replace some older ones, of course).

What cufflinks?

I'm more into optimising my outdoor gear these days as it gets worn out and activities change. A parallel wardrobe really full of names like Ronhill, Rab, Marmot, Paramo, Mountain Hardware, etc but similar principles of minimalism/versatility. I was looking at some Eider and Arcteryx today but it's not really for here. I do like the idea of lounging in a blue velvet smoking jacket in my old age though, so there is that...

I did get the T&A hankies and I'm very happy with them. Made from assorted blue shirt material - stripe, herringbone, plain, etc - each pack is different so I had a shufty first. The cufflinks are Kent Wang crysanthemums, I just liked them when I followed a link from Styleforum, not too showy or chunky (which is what put me off a lot of cufflinks in the flesh).

 

[ojaw]

I don't do cufflinks but those are really sharp, very demure.
We're at the tail end of a cold bit around here (-23C at the moment, and no, I don't do bullshit windchill factors) and style-conscious people around here go from their houses to heated garages to cars to heated garages to destinations - they don't dress much differently now than in summer. For walkers/bus riders like me, fashion cannot compete with sub-zero temperatures.

 

[covskin]

Finally Winter is coming here, and the temperatures are below zero for a few days.
I find that it is as complicated to be stylish when it is very cold as when it is very hot. I'm used to layer under my thicker coat (a Loden) but after a while it is impossible, apart if i want to look like the Michelin Man.
So i have no other choice than to wear my very old (and very warm) early 90s Lands End Squall parka (that doesn't look too bad though, if you compare it to their contemporary model). But sooner or later i will have to buy a New Winter jacket. Do you have an idea of a style that could be very warm and stylish at the same time?

A sheepskin coat maybe...

Does it have any odd resonances in France, like here?

 

[covskin]

(duplicate, again!)

 

[Clouseau]

A sheepskin coat maybe...

Does it have any odd resonances in France?

No, it doesn't have any odd resonances here, but it is just too old fashioned for me, i don't live in the 60s or 70s …
And i don't find it practical : heavy, not rainproof, smelly, etc.
And it is ironic that furthermore they are very expensive. And no i don't thrift. Leave the moths where they are.

 

[Mr Knightley]

I'm more into optimising my outdoor gear these days as it gets worn out and activities change. A parallel wardrobe really full of names like Ronhill, Rab, Marmot, Paramo, Mountain Hardware, etc but similar principles of minimalism/versatility. I was looking at some Eider and Arcteryx today but it's not really for here. I do like the idea of lounging in a blue velvet smoking jacket in my old age though, so there is that...

I did get the T&A hankies and I'm very happy with them. Made from assorted blue shirt material - stripe, herringbone, plain, etc - each pack is different so I had a shufty first. The cufflinks are Kent Wang crysanthemums, I just liked them when I followed a link from Styleforum, not too showy or chunky (which is what put me off a lot of cufflinks in the flesh).

Most of those names are lost on me @covskin It does remind me of my club cycling days when having the right clothing was at least as important as having the right bike(s). A parallel wardrobe as you say.

The T&A hankies sound great and I must check them out. Lovely cufflinks too! I know what you mean about the size of many cufflinks today. Even the more 'modest' ones are far larger than my old vintage pieces.

 

[cerneabbas]

I don't do cufflinks but those are really sharp, very demure.
We're at the tail end of a cold bit around here (-23C at the moment, and no, I don't do bullshit windchill factors) and style-conscious people around here go from their houses to heated garages to cars to heated garages to destinations - they don't dress much differently now than in summer. For walkers/bus riders like me, fashion cannot compete with sub-zero temperatures.

I think that your post ( and Clouseau's) show us the problem with Winter coats/jackets,if people want to stay warm then there are many options but if you want something that looks good too then its much harder.

Modern materials can give us warm,breathable,lightweight,windproof,waterproof but rarely do they look good.

Older materials might be able to look good but they aren't as practical as the modern stuff, maybe we have to compromise ?

I bought a new Snugpak Sleeka jacket last year and if its cold (down to -15c) or windy or raining (not monsoon type rain) or I am driving then its perfect,it is very lightweight,I wear it with Jeans and a LS polo,but I couldn't wear it with shoes/trousers/shirt so I need two Winter jackets (not the end of the World),the question now is which jacket can be worn dressed up or down,looks good,and has some type of weather resistant properties ?

 

[Man-of-Mystery]

Well (here I go again ) I love my sheepskin, AND I got it at a charity shop, AND it doesn't smell.

Don't knock 'thrift'. You never know what is going to turn up. As you know from earlier posts of mine, I have managed to pick up some utter bargains in good condition. Having worked in a charity shop, I know that a lot of items come in that have never been worn. The trick is to pick your charity shop - get to know which ones only put out good quality clothes and consign anything else to the rag man.

Also, don't write off 'vintage' shops, markets, etc. for hard-to-get items. If you have gone off the 60s don't worry, because 60s items are almost non-existent in such outlets. But I did get a crombie-style leather coat, again in very good condition, from a local antique centre, at about 1 tenth of the price it would have been labelled at a certain top-end vintage store in Edinburgh.

 

[Kingstonian]

Well (here I go again ) I love my sheepskin, AND I got it at a charity shop, AND it doesn't smell. .

I agree. I also have a sheepskin that I picked up second hand. Morlands - a top brand in the day when Glastonbury, Somerset was the leading sheepskin manufacturing site in the world. Did not cost much either.

Used overcoats are also a great bargain. The demand is not there. People now mostly wear black or navy polyester top layers, often quilted or with a label on the outside. A coat does not get as worn as a suit or a jacket. So they are usually in good condition. People nowadays don’t worry if their legs get wet when it rains.

Also got a Crombie British Warm with a ‘made in Britain’ label that I like a lot. Not really part of ‘the look’. Something Captain Peacock and pompous characters in sitcoms used to be dressed in. I don’t care about that either.

 

[ojaw]

Well (here I go again ) I love my sheepskin, AND I got it at a charity shop, AND it doesn't smell.

Sheepskin can look very good, but that's still car coat territory around here. I use a combination of old and new tech; an older Canadian military extreme cold weather parka with (depending on temps) a Montane smock or Montbell down sweater underneath. Long johns on the bottom underneath tousers or again military insulated salopettes. Balaclava on head underneath toque underneath hood. I generally just wear trainers, I find that as long as I'm moving it's not a problem, besides my feet are kinda f**ked and don't get along with boots. This is obviously for really cold conditions.

 

[Kingstonian]

At least in the 70s and 80s when people wore rally jackets around town or those bright ski jackets they had a bit of style, a bit of colour. Modern polyester is just drab and now 70s ski jackets are only ever worn on ski slopes and in an ironic fashion.