Vintage Harris Tweed - A Closeup

Ah, late summer is my favorite season in Bavaria only surpassed by my love for autumn.  I'm feeling autumn in the air these days, although I hope for a beautiful September, I love the crispness in the air, which of course is all the justification I need to begin to think about taking out the tweeds.  Of course, Harris Tweed being my favorite for both it's textureous, rustic nature and it's availability is a nearly endless variety or weaves.  Vintage Harris Tweeds especially come in nearly infinite varieties.  This jacket is a perfect example of this assertion.  Essentially a black and white herringbone with some barleycorn added in with very subtle gold and teal vertical stripes.  Certainly not a weave you would ever expect to find in shops today (except perhaps those selling vintage wear), this jacket was made up by a company (no longer in business sadly) called Cricketeer.  Purchased last spring from Misters E & Bay, this past spring, this is the first real opportunity I've had to wear it, which is a real treat.  Tailored with a beautiful 2-3 roll, which along with the weave itself and the patch pocket details was the reason for my purchase.  I think this jacket looks very sporty in an old school sort of way.  Indeed, this particular combination was inspired by my recent re-viewing the movie Chariots of Fire, one of the most influential style movies of my youth.  I love the casual way that tweeds and other sportswear such as the ubiquitous cricket jumper were combined in this movie, to set a mood of classic monied elegance. incidentally, some great stills from this classic movie have been gathered on Goldneagemenswear blog.

Also, looks great with tan, woven leather buttons:

Wool Pocket square from Gutteridge in Milan:

This sports coat is nicely done with patch pocket, which to my mind really makes it more casual and therefore conducive with sportswear (here shown with Chino's, White Polo shirt and cricket jumper).  Half-lined, and tidily finished on the inside, makes it breathe a bit more than a fully lined jacket and easier to wear in shoulder seasons when the weather can be a bit warmer (even here in Bavaria).

The Close-ups:

Provided for my own enjoyment and for that of my tweed obsessed brethren: Harris Tweed in black and White herringbone with a bit of barleycorn - giving the jacket a light gray overall presentation and with teal and gold/mustard stripe, which in this jacket just adds to its sporty feel.   Of course, as is nearly always the case with Harris Tweed, upon closer inspection the range of colors in the weave is amazing, adding up to a richness and depth of color that is just phenomenal:

I think it looks great over a pair of chinos from Marinepool, Cricket Sweater in ivory cotton and merino wool with navy stripe detail by Abercrombie & Fitch, white Polo shirt by Lacoste, and white and tan saddle shoes by G.H. Bass & Co.

Classic Saddle shoes from GH Bass & Co.

Casting about for a great looking summer shoe that incorporates white leather or nubuck, I had been considering White Bucks, Spectators, and these classic Saddle shoes.  And I landed on these beauties from G.H Bass & Co. from their Monogram Collection.  Saddle shoes are not shoes intended to be used for equestrian purposes, but because the center quarter section in contrasting leather (in this case tan), has the shape of a saddle when looking at the shoes for the side.  Offered with Navy or (like these) tan contrasting leather these offer a great an perhaps less common alternative to Spectator shoes (which G.H. Bass & Co Also offers).

The fit of these sizes US 11/UK 10/EU 44 shoes are a bit tight to begin with so I've been wearing them with thin No-See-Um socks and they seemed to loosen up with a bit of wear, but if they were available, I would have preferred to go up a size. 
These look great with Chinos in just about every color and offer a bit more spiff than my deck shoes:

 

Never Ending Search for Pefect and Well Priced Chino - Solution Marinepool

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

On my neverending search for the perfect reasonably priced Chino, I came across these 'Gavan' chinos from Marinepool (by the way, these chinos are on current sale for 50 Euros!!)  They tick all the boxes for me: button rear pockets, deep front pockets, with coin pocket, and medium weight, all cotton fabric (no dreaded stretch fabric here)  These also have other great features such as 8 belt loops (more typical is seven), signature buttons, double button closure, solid brass zipper fly, and real leather patch branding (like high-quality denim), and 3 colors: Navy, Stone and Rosewood (the Rosewood is a perfectly faded Nantucket Red/Breton Red color).  I'm a big believer in stocking up when I find a product that I like, so I bought all 3 colors.

Belt loops will easily accommodate a 3cm wide belt:

All look great with boat shoes - it's hard to get a more traditional summertime look:

At Nymphenburg Palace combined with my newly arrived Bass Saddle shoes: 

Some backstory to Marinepool:

Founded in 1991 right here in Germany by 2 sailing buddies as a small importer of deck shoes, the company has grown to be one of the leading sailing clothing and life jacket brands and successful maritime lifestyle label.  Some of this gear is very much technical clothing, so if you are planning to solo sailing around the world, Marinepool would be our outfitter of choice.  Being a local company, my family and friends have been buying their great sailing jackets for years now, so can attest to their high quality.  I've also got my eye on some of their deck shoes, so expect a review on those soon as well.

Marinepool 'Gavan' chinos in Stone:

the details: Quality leather patch and otherwise subtle branding, which I appreciate:

The fit is the perfectly tapered flat-front Chino with just enough length to allow for a rolled cuff:

 

Looks totally perfect with me mid-tan Serry Top-Siders

These 'Gavan' chinos are a perfect slim-tapered fit for me.  They also have a 'William' chino with a fuller, straight leg with a larger leg opening (I would guess 9 inches).  My waist is 36 inches, but in some cuts, I wear a 34-inch waist, these chinos come in a medium through XX-Large so I'm glad I got to try them out in person.  It's great that Marinepool's company headquarters is located right next to my office, and they have just opened a retail store a couple of blocks away, so I was able to try them on in person.  I chose the Large and the fit is just about perfect is a 36-inch waist and 34-inch inseam, they are still long enough to allow me to cuff them without being too short.  The leg is what I would call slightly slim with a gentle taper to a 7 1/2 at the hem.

Great Navy color:

I've been basically living in these chinos for the past 10 days since buying them and I couldn't be happier with the fit, solid tailoring and comfort.  Honestly, they feel like they were custom made for me!

Cricket Sweater from Abercrombie and Fitch

Those of us who were aware of the glorious past of Abercrombie & Fitch (even if the company greatest glory had faded long before we were born) struggle with the identity of the new company.  The new owners have taken one of the all-time great outdoor gear brands supplying essential equipment to some of the great historic expeditions and safaris of the 19th and 20th centuries ( Teddy Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, and Ernest Shackleton being but a few of their long list of famous customers) and turned it into a fashion brand better known for selling ripped jeans to teenagers. 

Having said all that, I must say that I was very impressed with the layout and design their recently opened retail outlet in central Munich (although to be fair their wares are in no way equal the stunning interior architecture).

In any case, now that I've run down the company, I must say that I'm very pleased with the cricket jumper that I've recently purchased from their website.  Finding a reasonably priced cricket sweater knitted from natural yarns has proven to be a bit of a difficulty.  Acrylic jumpers, of course, is readily available and wool versions are available but at a price that I wasn't happy with. I do intend to order a custom Cricket Jumper form Rochford or Luke Eyres in the UK for next year, but I was interested in adding one into my summer sweater rotation to see if it works with my style without a large investment.  I picked this jumper from A&F on short notice (and on sale) and having done so, I must say that I'm overall very pleased with it.  Nicely knitted from 80% cotton and 20% wool, which is a great blend for summer, it's a high-quality piece.  The knitting is tidy and doesn't after a couple months of regular wear have any pilling whatsoever.  And with its very traditional look has turned out to be just what I was looking for at a fraction of the price of many ones I've seen on luxury websites.

All this is to say that while I still have my reservations with Abercrombie & Fitch, they can and at least occasionally do make some pretty nice items.   Who knew!?

 

British Army Khaki Drill KD Shorts 1941 model from Solier of Fortune UK

  


I've been looking for some proper Khaki Drill shorts for a while and couldn't decide between Gurhka Shorts and the British Army KD 1941 pattern shorts.  Ultimately, I decided on the KD 1941's from Soldier of Fortune UK largely due to the fact that the legs looked a bit narrower and I could buy them from within the EU, avoiding high shipping costs, customs duties and potentially a long trip to German Customs.

No rear pockets, but the front hand pockets are so deep and can easily accommodate my wallet, cellphone, and keys:

I will say that the legs on these turned out to be quite wide and necessitated a trip to my alterations tailor.  As you can see from these photos even after having the leg openings tapered, they are still wider than current fashion, but I think they look great and still very traditional.  Built from heavyweight Cotton Khaki Drill, these shorts are built to last with two deep hand pockets and a small cargo pocket on the right side with very useful expansion pleat detail.  The stitch work on these shorts is serviceable, but not excellent.  It appears as though the machine that sewed then together was having difficulty with thread tension, which you can see in the close-ups.  Also the buckles while of a nice weight, don't grip the fabric wait straps well, so they've got to be doubled back to prevent the fabric from slipping and loosening in the waist.  On a happy note, all the buttons are solid brass and appear to be well sewn on.

Straps will slip when fed through the buckle as per buckle at top, but are nice and secure when doubled back as per buckle at the bottom:

These shorts are high waisted, which is one of the primary things I was looking for and also very comfortable and with the larger leg openings, allow for plenty of ventilation on hot days, which I really like as well.