A Sweatshirt of a Certain Age

I've dragged this hooded sweat shirt around since 1985. I haven't been able to wear it since 1992. It's not that I've gained weight. I have. And like the weight I've packed on -- this sweatshirt is witness to years of change -- In myself and in my closet.

I wore this sweatshirt on a date in Philadelphia one night. Under a leather flight jacket with skin tight 501s and Timberland work boots. I complained to my date, later my wife, later my ex-wife, that I had been hit on by two gay men on my way to pick her up. She looked me up and down, arched an eyebrow and said, "Maybe it's the way you're dressing."

A lotta oxford has flowed through the closet since 1986. What I swore I would never wear: bow ties, double breasted blazers, suede shoes, club collars...not only reside in my closet but fit as well. My sweatshirt looks on. No longer worn. Not because it's too small, but because it isn't who I am anymore. A medium.

Ask The Trad: Eight Hours To Make Socks?

Customer photo courtesy of Scotweb

Edinburgh Castle guard - Photo courtesy of Corgi
42nd Regiment Officer circa 1780

A reader expressed doubt about how it could take Corgi eight hours to make a pair of socks adding The Trad should add a "Gullible Approved Badge." That's a stamp up there, mate and these are tartan hose not socks. With help from Corgi and a little research I learned why it takes eight hours not to mention some other tartan facts.

"To start with the yarn is specially twisted and dyed for us and is not generally available. It is a 4 ply pure merino wool. We knit the leg part of the sock on a flat knitting machine and it is then linked together by hand into the tube shape of the leg. By knitting it flat we can vary the thickness of the leg to allow more room for well developed calf muscles.

This 'tube' is then picked up stitch by stitch by hand on a 100 year old hand sock knitting machine and the foot section is added completely by hand. The toe is then linked closed, again by hand. Finally the sock is washed, then pressed in a 60 year old flat bed press on specially shaped wooden boards." Chris Jones, Corgi Hosiery

There are a number of hose patterns Corgi make to be worn with a kilt. The idea is not to match the hose to the kilt but rather for the hose to compliment the colors of the kilt. As an example, I've seen both red and navy checked hose with the Black Watch kilt as well as a burgundy and white check.

When it comes to who can wear tartan, Alastair Campbell of Airds, writes in Brian Wilton's, Tartans, "So the answer to the question 'What tartan am I entitled to wear?' is - Any tartan you fancy. The sole considerations are good taste - some tartans are appalling clashes of color!"

And you don't have to wear a kilt. When the Urban Outfitter designer showed me the Black Watch golf jacket, I mentioned the ugly lining should be replaced in three panels with the 42nd's regimental colors of green, navy and burgundy. This is where - what you wear - not only looks good but has some intelligence and thought behind it. Even if it's just you who understands what's going on.

Fare Figura & A History of Men's Fashion

A highly recommended addition to the serious sartorial library.


Written by Farid Chenoune & translated by Deke Dusinberre

" Italians have never understood the the major principle behind civilized stylishness, which should appear unconscious." Jean-Francois Revel

Fare Figura: To cut a figure, to keep up appearances, to swagger in a society where men are habitually addressed by their professional title, such as Dottore or Ingeniere. A History of Men's Fashion

I'm always intrigued by men and their devotion to a 'type' of dress. I assume these are brand loyal guys who stick with a cigarette, cigar, scotch, gin or breakfast cereal their entire lives while running around on their wives.

Monogamy has it's place but it ain't in clothing. I love Italian clothes and they love me. At just under 5'9, the Brioni jacket has always fit well. Borrelli linen trousers are cut large enough for my waist but are tapered through the leg and are the most flattering pant I own. And while you've heard it a million times, fit is everything, it's different for everyone. It must suit you.

Ivy, Trad, Prep, NAG (North American Gentile), whatever you want to call it - is known for it's casual fit, rumpled appearance and whiff of, "I don't give a shit." Give any man a gray sack suit, a button down and rep tie and that man can pull off a decent and classic look.

From A History of Men's Fashion (1993), " ...Italians tend to be more attired than dressed, a distinction that led to disapproval, in the name of British understatement, of this penchant for preening. Igor Margovitch could thus deplore, in 1946, the Italians' lack of naturalness in their love of "newness," leading them to "prefer changing often rather than pay dearer for finer quality... This is completely different from the English taste for garments that are so broken in that they wind up an outer skin." Igor Margovitch, Made in Italy, Lausanne, 1946

I take what fits and always try for calm. Mixing Italian clothing that fits with English or even Ivy shirts and ties takes some effort. Is it worth it? It is to me. Fall and Winter speak to American and English wools, tweeds, tattersalls, hacking pockets and Polo coats worn for protection and warmth. Summer and Spring are made for the Italians with paper thin sweaters, brightly colored ties and bright jackets light in color and weight and certainly in swagger.