“I grow old/I grow old/ I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled…” Or words to that effect.
More in my experiment with knit layering. It’s a very comfortable way of dressing, if not exactly waterproof. (Why are my trousers so long? The were cut with a very slight break… hmmm….) At any rate, a grey knit scarf, grey cable knit cardigan (over a chocolate-brown knit polo sweater), grey Donegal tweed trousers and brown suede shoes with a mini-lug rubber tread. Brown leather gloves and topping it all off, a brown herringbone tweed flat cap.
I like a flat cap for convenience. It slips easily into my shoulder bag and can be left there for those days when you suddenly find you need some headgear. Tweed is also, by its nature, water-resistant. This cap is by Hanna Hats and comes highly recommended.
Apologies for the photo. I took a dozen shots and believe it or not, this was the best of ‘em.
The thing about stout fabrics and good construction is that the garment will last a lifetime and then some. The tweed coat I’m wearing was made for my father in the late 1950′s and it’s still going strong. The get up above was inspired by the weather. It’s really, really cold first thing in the morning and warms to acceptable mid-40′s (F) by mid-afternoon. In my book, that calls for layers.
Under the coat, I’m wearing a half-zip cashmere sweater that picks up one of the two colours of the tweed herringbone. Under that, the Italian solution. That is to say, a blue shirt. The cashmere tie is light blue and tan puppytooth. Chocolate brown corduroys and leather chukka boots round out the picture. Add a scarf and some gloves and I was driving with the sunroof open (vitamin D is so very essential this time of year) all afternoon.
A word of warning, if the indoor temperature is more than 66°F, this sort of layering may get a little uncomfortable. And you couldn’t get away with it for the really BIG meetings with bankers and the like.
This is my new hat. It was made by Tracy Watts of New York. It’s felt, with a lower crown than a Homburg should have, and that suits me.
The thing about hats is that you have to wear them. They need a bit of rough handling to make them look good on you. At least these days when wearing a hat at all can turn heads.
This one needs a bit of rain. I wonder if she does one with an unbound brim in fur felt?
Since Wikipedia is down today, I’ll throw in a fun fact for you. Do you know why hat makers are called milliners? Because the best of them emigrated to England from Milan. The word is a bastardization of “Milaner”.
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