Today's illustration is an old favorite, and a timely one for early spring. Change the plus fours for trousers and both men would be well dressed for country activities eighty years after Robert Goodman drew it.
Of particular interest to me is the use of color. Each man wears at least one element that is seemingly uncoordinated with the rest of his ensemble. On the left, a scarf with a red ground is combined with a green tweed jacket and gray flannels. On the right a gray sleeveless cardigan sits beneath a brown and orange checked cheviot suit.
It is this well-planned use of seemingly unrelated elements that adds the proper carelessness to a look. A free and easy approach gives the impression that we were not trying too hard no matter how long it took to choose the day's clothes.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
An Old Favorite
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9 comments:
Splendid illustration with striking ensembles. I too thought how contemporary each could be with the appropriate modification. Important point regarding the need to not over-coordinate clothing. Relaxed elegance are us!
I never know what to think of plus fours. They look good in some illustrations and older photos but i just dont think that I could pull that off in 2010, especialy at the age of 20.
I've always been a fan of plus fours. Wish they were more acceptable to wear these days.
I actually wore them while I played golf in high school and to all of my golf tournaments in the early 2000's. Theis came more from Payne Steward being my favorite golfer growing up than any sense of style though.
Plus fours are pretty much impossible to pull off except when golfing or shooting. Even then, I suspect they might be overkill...
Country clothes are great though - so much more opportunity for bold patterns and unusual colours.
Will, I love these old illustrations! Where do you find them? Has someone compiled all of them into a single volume perhaps? I'd love to have a copy if they have.
I vaguely remember my pa wearing plus fours in the late forties....one occasionally used to see golfers in them as late as the sixties....on the other hand the plus two is still very common amongst the shooting fraternity in the UK(it's actually slightly different than regular shooting breeches which are more tapered).....plus twos look very good whereas the plus four has always looked a bit silly to me.
A light block coloured waistcoat surely was the only option for Mr Tweedontheright to avoid looking cartoonish.
Breeks are indeed still a common sight on shoots in the UK.
They're also popular with both walkers and on the urban front cyclists (see the London fixed wheel brigade).
For anyone thinking outdoors activities they're a great investment.
Mr Brown said...
"Breeks are indeed still a common sight on shoots in the UK."
.....Breeks are common but so are plus twos....I've got a pair but haven't worn them for about 12 years (I can imagine the effect if I showed up in Alabama for dove shooting in them!)....I personally preferred the Plus two over breeches because it was more capacious and less restricting around the knee...I've never seen anyone wearing plus fours shooting...the four is a wider legged garment and has four inches of overhang below the knee which produces that billowing fold about half way down the calf......before the war shooters used often to wear gaiters with them....I've seen pics of George V and Neville Chamberlain so accoutred.
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