Turnbull & Asser cavalry twills with Poulsen & Skone suede cap-toesI totally forgot to add this to yesterday's "Mind the Winter - Spring Gap" post. And I had a point... that was promptly forgotten as I reminisced about Polo sales girls. Anyway, if you'll scroll back down to yesterday's post you'll see a very English approach. You could also call it Canadian. The hunt tie, the tattersal shirt and the cashmere vest combine brilliantly with tan cavalry (not Calvary you civilians) twill trousers and suede shoes.
No cuffs on the trousers. Despite what the salesman at Saks will tell you - - most Brits don't cuff. I've worked with them since 1988 and in Lloyd's of London, a helluva place to view style in London, you'll see very few cuffs at work. Besides, you don't have to cuff everything.
Notice how the twill compliments the suede? Contrast is thrown out the door where trouser meets shoe and while calf wouldn't be outta place - - I just happen to like the suede and twill better.
There's a belt and a drink that cap this off perfectly but I need that for tomorrow.
Allow me to correct you: Brits DO cuff, but only (or mostly) in the countryside. Cuffs were made popular by Edward (of Wallis fame), and he took the idea from country squires.
ReplyDeleteTo my knowledge, when wearing brogues, always wear cuffs above it. (Just as the cuffs, the holes in brogues used to serve a practical function: cuffs to avoid the trousers getting dirty, the holes to allow the water to seep back out of your shoes...)
So there's the reason you shouldn't wear cuffs in an urban setting, just as one shouldn't wear brogues there.
As for the colour of shoes, there's a British saying: 'Don't wear brown into town'. Brown is for the country, black for the town.
Dhr. DeLuxe- Thank you for stopping by - - Yes, I agree about the cuffs. Although the Brown in Town rule is fairly dated with brown everywhere in London.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough cuffs in the country are a huge pain. A walk in the woods / field and the cuff picks up all kinds of crud and mud. Most of my cords are uncuffed for that reason.
Thank you, I like your blog and I might be back in the future.
ReplyDeleteAs for your remarks: True, true. I love to wear brown into town nowadays (any town that is); brown brogues or monkstraps, even desert boots. Rules are there to be bent.
Cuffs in the country are a gentleman's nightmare and a forensic detectives's dream. Sometimes it's nice to find souvenirs inside ones's cuffs on a later date, but a very cynical first hand example is the mistake I made by wearing cuffed trousers while spreading my mother's ashes. Upon returning home I found out that I caught quite an amount of it in my cuffs. Very awkward to deal with, afterwards. Ashes to ashes, literally.
(There are people who collect lint from their trouser pockets, for that matter...)
I do not trust you
ReplyDeleteThat makes two of us.
ReplyDelete