Outdoor clothes - a very British heritage

Traditional weatherproofs are made from natural materials; closely-woven cotton such as Ventile and Grenfell or the oiled cotton used or made by Barbour, Belstaff and British Millerain. British-made, they have recently had a significant revival and been much copied. With winter fast approaching, over the next few weeks I'll look at what is available to the man of style wishing to recreate an outdoor heritage from British-made or designed garments.

Their origins lie in sailors' oilskins, canvas proofed with linseed oil, and also with the British love of outdoor activities - field sports, mountaineering, exploring, motor sport - in all weathers.

Closely woven cotton, Ventile or Grenfell, is wind and water-proof

They offer much in the way of comfort over modern fabrics such as Gore-Tex or SympaTex. While admittedly less water resistant than hi-tec materials, a cotton-based jacket is softer, more robust and quieter when worn. Its design owes less to mountaineering or rambling, so it's as wearable on city streets as on the grouse moor. I remember some twenty years ago I would wear a Barbour waxed jacket (I have it still) with my city pinstripes and highly-polished brogues. There has been a revival of this, led by Barbour's recent massive reincarnation.

As with most clothing classics there is an interesting heritage recorded in old photographs - find what inspiration you can here.

The oldest jacket in the Barbour archive - 1910

Royalty and waxed jackets

Steve McQueen in Barbour

Barbour and the Royal Navy

Che Guevara in Belstaff

Inspiration from Scott's Last Expedition - Natural History Museum

The Scott exhibition at the Natural History Museum has been on for some time (and runs until 2nd September 2012) and I've only just managed to get to it. Readers with good memories will recall I've talked about Robert Falcon Scott two or three times before - in particular, at the time of the centenary of his death returning from the South Pole in March 1912.

The exhibition emphasised for me that Scott's expedition, unlike that of Amundsen, who won the race to the Pole, was only partly about reaching the South Pole. A staggering amount of scientific research was carried out, which laid the basis for much modern work on glaciers, wildlife and polar weather and which filled several volumes with published research papers. This legacy, and the stunning photographs, show how rich and productive Scott's expedition was in comparison with that of Amundsen. For me, Scott did not lose the race to the Pole, he led an expedition which blazed a trail for subsequent polar explorers to follow.

The work to gather this scientific data was carried out in harsh conditions - and the clothes the men wore were, by our standards, basic. However, I was struck by the photographs of the clothing, often tweed and knitted wool, which seems to have served the men well - they looked comfortable. There is much there to provide inspiration for today's clothes designers - and indeed we have seen Wolsey and Nigel Cabourn, among others, use the example of these robust and workmanlike garments.

I appreciate that the height of the European summer is not time to be thinking about such warm clothes, but winter is not far off and you can think how your wardrobe might be influenced by the clothes worn by these hardy and heroic men a hundred years ago.

Blazers - Mr Porter video

Here's yet another helpful video from Mr Porter about that staple of any man of style's wardrobe, the blazer. Often the term is used loosely nowadays to describe any dark jacket, rather than the traditional navy or yachting-inspired dark blue coat with shiny buttons.

I try to avoid being a fashion policeman, but please don't go for a look designed to make others think you've just stepped off your private yacht. It's a bit sad to have a blazer with a badge on the breast pocket and fake rank stripes round the cuffs (unless you're a real naval officer or an official at the Royal Yacht Squadron). I joke not, there's one leading men's fashion site selling just an abomination as we speak.

Incidentally, I love the word blazer - it's thought to have been named after HMS Blazer, whose crew was rigged out in jaunty blue and white jackets by a proud captain in the days before Royal Navy uniforms were standardised. Anyway, blazers have moved on from the shapeless polyester sacks with horrid fake-brass buttons we bought in the eighties. Richard James has some calm and invaluable advice for you here.

Scott of the Antarctic - 100 years ago today

One hundred years ago today Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his party of explorers reached the South Pole to find that they had been beaten by the Norwegian, Roald Amunsden's expedition.

I am always struck by the expressions of sheer exhaustion and disappointment tinged with determination on the faces of Scott's men as they are photographed shortly after their arrival at the Pole, where they found the Norwegian flag already in place. We know, of course, that all these men died on the return journey, adding such poignancy to the picture.

And here are photographs of Scott taken in happier times. Long may the spirit of courageous exploration live on!

Ventile - a classic waterproof revived

Ventile is a pure cotton material used since the thirties when it was developed for use by pilots operating from aircraft carriers. It was designed to keep them warm and dry for long enough to enable them to be rescued before they were overcome by exposure.

Photo Ventile

It was widely used as a breathable and waterproof fabric before materials like Gore-Tex were developed. Since more modern fabrics have become available its use has gradually declined among outdoor types, although Ventile claims that it is still used by fighter pilots in their flight suits. Others still prefer Ventile, claiming that it is quieter, more breathable and robust.

Ben Fogle wearing Cabourn Ventile parka

The recent resurgence of interest in vintage work clothes has seen its revival by modern designers. Private White V.C. is one of several companies that markets garments made from Ventile. Ben Fogle used a Nigel Cabourn recreation of Edmund Hillary's Ventile Arctic parka when he went to the South Pole a few years ago. My Nigel Cabourn Tenzing jacket has Ventile shoulder and arm patches which enhance its shower-proof capabilities to the extent that I only leave it at home in persistent rain. 

Nigel Cabourn Tenzing jacket

I bought an old Survival Aids Ventile jacket last Autumn to see how it compares to my modern breathable mountaineering jacket. It is very wind-proof and keeps out all but very heavy and persistent rain. The cotton fibres that make up the Ventile expand when wet, which means that the jacker becomes slightly heavier and stiffer and takes a while to dry out.

Vintage Survival Aids Ventile jacket

Overall my modern jacket is slightly more waterproof, but it does get damp inside from condensation, something that I haven't experienced with the Ventile garment, which is also quieter and more comfortable to wear as the cotton is softer and warmer to touch.

Ventile jacket

To sum up, I would take the modern technical waterproof into very wet conditions, but would use the Ventile for shorther or more sheltered use or where quietness is needed (bird watching, wildlife photography, field sports). An added advantage of Ventile is that it does not readily take up dye during manufacture, so it develops a lovely distressed patina of age with use!

Vintage work clothes 2 - the classic duffel coat

In middle age why shouldn't a man look to classic and even vintage clothing in the search for personal style?

In my last vintage post I looked at an old submariner's jumper.  Here is another classic - a veteran duffel coat, the influence behind the recent resurgence in duffel, or duffle, coats in the fashion world.

And here it is in its modern reincarnation (Barbour) -

Barbour

Named after the Dutch town of Duffel, where a heavy wool fabric was made, they were used by the Royal Navy in both World Wars and before.  They were worn over layers of uniform and sweaters to keep warm those on watch on deck.  Before the widespread use of radar, warships had draughty and cold open bridges to ensure good all-round vision.

Here is my old R.N. duffel coat, bought from Oxfam; it is heavy and huge in size, designed to fit over layers of uniform jacket and jumpers.

Grey Fox

Grey Fox

Grey Fox

Grey Fox