What's happening to Grey Fox Blog?

I've been contacted by a few people who've kindly asked when I'll be updating the blog and this prompts me to apologise for going quiet all those months ago. 

The truth is that I see the huge damage being done to the environment by the clothing industry and consumers' taste for cheap clothes. As a result I feel ambivalent about promoting style and running the risk of encouraging over-consumption. 

When I raise this issue with friends they point out that my focus is on promoting sustainable businesses which manufacture here in the UK, which is true of course, but I seem to be preaching to the converted here rather than making a difference. It's good to see younger people taking a greater interest in sustainability and buying vintage, but the affordability of clothes from the likes of Shein and Boohoo seem to override any concerns consumers may have about the wasteful and sometimes inhumane way these companies manufacture, transport and sell their products. Changing attitudes is hard when shopping has become a national pastime and can be a comfort blanket in stressful times.

A trip to Antarctia in 2018 sharpened my concerns for our environment

I leaf through 'luxury' magazines like HTSI and see the unattractive taste for goods sold at inflated prices for their names rather than for their true quality and value. Too seldom do these publications mention British goods - which we know are made by people who are paid and treated properly (with the exception of Boohoo) and it's sad to see British magazines so often ignoring the high quality products made in the UK.

I'm not being defeatist by putting the blog on hold for the moment. I've become busier with new interests and with three delightful grandchildren aged between 18 months and five. My seventieth birthday is coming up and now is the time to make time for other things.

I also want to explore another approach to my concerns about sustainability. I took up drawing and painting 18 months ago, for the first time since my pre-teen years. The links between personal style and the arts may not be immediately obvious but both require similar skills in terms of an appreciation of shape, texture, impact and colour. I want to improve my very modest skills here and explore a way of using them to talk about the damage humankind is causing to the environment. In retirement I have time to enjoy the beauties of the world. In these busy, stressful times most of us don't have, or take, the time to see how we are rapidly losing so much of what really matters. 

Many thanks to all of you who've followed this blog which I started in December 2011. I will continue to discuss sustainable style and promote British brands on Instagram. I may revive the blog here to discuss the issues I've outlined above, but that will depend on available time and inclination. I'll announce that on Instagram if I do. 

I always welcome hearing from you and you can do so through Instagram or my email (on Instagram).

Best wishes and  many thanks to  you all,

David

The New Land Rover Defender After Three Years

A year ago I reported (below) on my first two years ownership of the new Land Rover Defender, which I bought in late 2020 and which was delivered in January 2021 during the height of a covid lockdown. My conclusions below remain broadly the same after a further year's ownership and I love the car so much I'm keeping it after the expiry of the PCP agreement under which I bought it.

My Land Rover Defender in its element

I'd like to add a few comments after what is now three years ownership:

- When I bought the car over three years ago I was sure that by now there would be a green alternative with the same capabilities. There is not and Land Rover are still some way off a vehicle of this sort. That's disappointing, but hopefully means that they will produce a truly excellent electric version in due course - they've had enough time to develop one. Having said that, I'm now less in a hurry to own a electric car as the UK's charging infrastructure seems unable to keep up with the demand and its reliability is a concern.

- The car has remained completely reliable. My only grumble has been with the stainless steel wheels which have developed unsightly corrosion - a cosmetic rather than safety concern (I'm reassured by Land Rover), but an unfortunate reminder of the old Land Rover propensity to rust. The wheels have been dealt with under warranty - but why not just make steel wheels that don't corrode?

- At three years I became aware that support for some of the tech comes to an end (such as the navigation system and the hopeless app through which one is meant to be able to communicate with the car (it seldom worked for me)). The limited nature of these elements of the car and the fact that payment would be required after three years for services like updates to the navigation was not made clear when I bought the car. I'm not paying for them and am now using Google Maps and doing without the Land Rover app.

- The Land Rover garage at Torver in Cumbria has been outstanding and I highly recommend their services.

Below are my original thoughts on the car from a year ago:

I've been the owner of the new Land Rover Defender for two years (written January 2023). I have used it for what it was designed for; long motorway drives, winding and swooping A roads, narrow rough country lanes, floods, snow, ice and occasional off-road. I bought it as I needed a tough and reliable car which would be highly capable on poor roads and rough terrain, and that is precisely, with a few reservations (read on), what the new Defender has proved to be.

At the launch of the new Land Rover Defender at Gaydon in September 2019

Mine (pictured below) is the base model 5 door 110; the only extras I paid for are green paint and a roof-rack. Despite this it came very highly-specced and there is nothing I have regretted not ordering. The inline 6 cylinder diesel is powerful, has plenty of torque (but is far from frugal at just over 33 mpg). It's excellent as a quiet and  refined motorway cruiser. The seats are comfortable, the interior roomy with an element of minimalist yet highly practical luxury. I can easily remove the clip in carpets, leaving a washable plastic floor, the seats are reasonably stain-proof and there are grab handles, unconcealed rivet-like bolts and a dash that combines hi-tech with a memory of early Series Land Rover and Defenders in its shape. 

Land Rover country

Indeed the whole car cunningly combines traditional Land Rover styling with contemporary design genius. This is a beautiful, chunky, tough-looking car. Land Rover designed it with durability as its key characteristic and, at the launch, claimed it to be the most capable off-road/road vehicle yet. This is achieved partly through the technology that allows the touch screen to be used to set up the car for most types of terrain. There are no red and yellow headed mechanical levers to be pulled and pushed (as on the olde Defenders) to select high and low range and four or two-wheel drive or (on later Land Rovers) the diff. lock. That's all history. 

Higher models than my basic D300 allow a little more control for extreme off-road stuff, but I suspect these are little used as these cars will rarely be used for extreme off-roading. Although they would be excellent for that they are costly to put at too much risk. The touch screen settings have seen me through all sorts of terrain, snow, ice and floods with consummate ease. It's this reliance on tech that was one of the reasons that traditional Land Rover owners were so against the new Defender who felt that mechanical simplicity is essential to the Defender name. 

I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the new car at Gaydon in September 2019. This was accompanied by a great wailing and gnashing of teeth from die-hard old Defender fans, few of whom I suspect had seen the new car, let alone driven it. I felt it fairer to approach the new car with an open mind (and I own a 1967 Series 2a Land Rover station wagon, so am not entirely in the pocket of the devil). I loved the appearance of the new car and was impressed by Land Rover's determination to make the new Defender a success as the most robust car in their range. 

My Land Rover Defender has seen action in all sorts of conditions.
The steel wheels are ideal on the poor rocky roads I drive on.

We forget that the old Defender had changed very little in its 60 years. While most car manufacturers had changed their models' designs every few years; the Defender remained fossilised, little changed over the years. It's interesting to speculate whether a more conventional and gradual development and updating over that 60 plus years would have led to a vehicle much different to the new Defender. 

Sadly, the old Defender didn't meet emission or safety requirements and, while the diehards may have been unwilling to admit it, was not selling well its last few years. Change was needed and has been achieved: the new car is better than the old off-road and very refined on the road. 

The shortage of computer chips initially caused long waits for those wanting the car. As one of the first owners of the new Defender, it's been interesting watching the types of owner who've been attracted to the car as it became more widely available. The numbers of heavily blinged Defenders that will never see mud or an off-road lane suggests that for some, this is a fashion vehicle. This type of ownership can't conceal the real potential of this car. As one of the (I suspect) minority of owners who drive it as a real Defender, I love its robust practicality for use on poor country roads, off road, in floods, ice and snow and as a refined touring car, rather than as a pimped up toy. 

Our new Defender is a superb tourer: Scotland (top) and Cumbria (above)

I've enjoyed the new Defender immensely. It's been totally reliable (so far). I love almost every aspect of the car. What don't I like? These concerns weren't deal breakers for me, but will be when the contract expires early next year: 

Firstly, this is a large car: it's large for rural use on narrow lanes and roads, suggesting that Land Rover saw its real market elsewhere. I'd have preferred something around 15-20 cm narrower. How much of this width is the result of a need to meet safety requirements I don't know. The cameras help with management of the width in narrow spaces and the driver soon gets used to the size. However, the demise of large cars has been predictable for some years and I don't know why Land Rover felt it necessary to make it so bulky. 

Secondly, like a few other car manufacturers, Land Rover are behind in developing green vehicles. There should be an all electric car with a good range on the stocks but this appears unlikely to materialise until at least 2024 [now 2025 I understand]. There's a dissonance here between the high tech nature of the car's design and the reliance on old fossil technology.

Thirdly, I achieve some 33.3 mpg from the car, not bad for such weight and power, but it looks outdated in a car so advanced in other ways. The car is described as a 'mild hybrid', with a small amount of electrical power being generated by the car which reduces fuel consumption by a limited amount. It would be good to see Land Rover further ahead with green technology.

The Land Rover Defender

Mine is the 5 door 110 diesel model, the shorter 90 has three doors. An even larger 130 model and a V8 powered car have appeared since I bought mine but I've not yet seen one on the road in 2024. There is a basic commercial model, but it's rarely seen as it's pricey compared to other rough and tumble 4WDs. A hybrid model is available but is costly and, like all hybrids, has a limited electric power range of less than 30 miles, fine if you use it mainly for short journeys but pointless for longer - and a car with two engines and batteries is arguably not a sustainable option. A fully electric is promised for 2025 (as indicated recently to me by a LR dealer).

This is a capable and fun car and I love it. Maybe one day there will be a greener car that equals its capabilities.

See Land Rover Defender

PS: I don't mean this post to diminish the old Land Rover in any way. That remains a superb workhorse capable of most tasks. I'd never sully my new Land Rover by throwing a pile of logs, soil, a sheep or a couple of hay bales in the back. That's a task for the original Series and Defender Land Rovers. The last load in my '67 Land Rover was a pile of dirty cobblestones which I wouldn't put in the new vehicle! But I wouldn't venture out for a long journey, or go faster than 40mph in the Series 2a. 

Old and new are different cars, both supremely capable in their own ways. 

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Military Tailoring: Sarah Wilkinson's 40 Years at Dege & Skinner

The year 2023 saw much ceremonial: the sad event of a royal funeral and the happier one of a coronation. The array of uniforms was dazzling. We tend to forget that their complexity relies on rare tailoring and sewing skills that deserve recognition. I wanted to mention just one of the crafts people responsible for some of the displays of magnificence. 

Sarah Wilkinson military tailor at Dege & Skinner of Savile Row

Dege & Skinner’s military tailoring specialist Sarah Wilkinson joined the bespoke tailoring and shirt-making company based in Savile Row in 1983. During her forty year career she has worked on some striking pieces of military tailoring including uniforms for the Royal Family, The Yeoman of the Guard, the Guards regiments and The Royal Company of Archers, which acts as the Sovereign’s official bodyguard in Scotland. She was a trailblazer for women working on Savile Row and has been forty years at Dege & Skinner, who hold the Royal Warrant for work on these specific and historic uniforms.

Sarah told me that, in her teens, she was determined to find an apprenticeship in tailoring but, as was the attitude in the early eighties, she was told many times that tailoring was a man's trade. She persevered and eventually was offered an apprenticeship my Michael Skinner, then Managing Director at Dege & Skinner, joining the company at the age of sixteen and starting in August 1983. 

The intricate work required to make a Yeoman of the Guard uniform

She trained in both military and civilian tailoring, from  making naval uniforms at the time of the Falklands War to attending the Queen's Birthday Parade and seeing the uniforms she had made being worn for The Trooping of the Colour.

Sarah began to specialise in military uniforms, attracted by the wide variety of technical skills required to produce their unique shapes, sew their quilted linings and attach the ornate braids with which they are often decorated.

Examples of Sarah’s work include: 

• The Royal Lancers uniform that featured in Victoria & Albert Museum's 2014 exhibition titled 'What Is Luxury?' and now part of the official archive at the Museum. 
• Prince Harry's wedding day frock coat when he married Meghan Markle in 2018; as well as the attending Page Boys who wore miniature versions of Prince Harry's Blues & Royals Mess Kit.
• HRH Prince Louis' doeskin tunic that worn at the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in 2023.

Sarah Wilkinson shows more of her military tailoring work at Dege & Skinner

Sarah is always busy as their work is so niche and she finds herself making uniforms for non-military clients attracted by their colour, design and the skills involved in their construction. Above all she feels great pride in looking back over her work of 40 years, which has helped establish Dege & Skinner as a leading military as well as civilian tailor. As the owner of two bespoke suits from Dege & Skinner I can confirm the exceptional quality of their work.

With many thanks to Sarah Wilkinson and Dege & Skinner