Photos by Kerry Taylor Auctions
In his 1960 memoir A Family Album the Duke of Windsor, somewhat implausibly, claimed that he had never been obsessed with his wardrobe. “Let it not be assumed that clothes have ever been a fetish of mine. Rather, I have become, by force of circumstances and upbringing, clothes-conscious. My position as Prince of Wales dictated that I should always be well and suitably dressed for every conceivable occasion,” he wrote.
Although it was made in 1950 or 1951, some 14 or 15 years after he ceased to be Prince of Wales, this checked evening suit undermines the Duke’s argument. Who else but a menswear fetishist would select the MacDonald Lord of the Isles tartan for a three-piece suit – and then have it made with a double-breasted jacket? Only a clothes-conscious obsessive would request covered buttons and a flamboyant Edwardian-style cuff, which has a curved turn-back of a fulsome two and a half inches to accommodate the four cuff buttons.
This suit was a popular one with the former Prince Edward, who held the title of Lord of the Isles as the eldest son of the British monarch (George V in his case). The Duke sometimes substituted the checked backless waistcoat with a similar item in green corduroy, which is hardly a common cloth choice for an evening ensemble.
The suit jacket was made by Scholte of London, while the trousers, with zipped fly, were tailored by Harris of New York. The matching waistcoat was made by Hawes and Curtis, as were the two pique waistcoats. Scholte made the green corduroy version. Who else but a menswear obsessive would involve three tailors on different sides of the Atlantic for an outfit?
In the 1998 auction of the Duke’s wardrobe at Sotheby’s in New York, this four-piece ensemble, plus a couple of white pique highland-style dress waistcoats, sold to an anonymous buyer for $4,887 (the equivalent today would be $6,884 or £4,438). It is under the hammer again on June 26 in the latest auction organised in London by vintage fashion specialist Kerry Taylor, who coincidentally handled the 1998 sale when she worked at Sotheby’s.
The estimate this time for the suit, which has a 38in chest and a 29in waist, is £8,000-£12,000 (about $12,400-$18,600), which suggests that the allure of the Duke, who died in 1972 shortly before his 78th birthday, is only getting stronger.
Frustratingly, there seems to be no record of the mill that provided the MacDonald Lord of the Isles tartan. In the 1998 auction an aluminium box of about 75 swatches of the Duke’s suits, including evening suits and Highland dress, and 14 overcoat cloths, was unsold. Its whereabouts today are unknown to me. The cloth is widely available today from firms like D C Dalgleish of Selkirk (“The world's last specialist mill weaving only authentic traditional quality tartans”) and Strathmore Woollen Company in Forfar (“One of Scotland’s most renowned suppliers of authentic tartan fabric and manufacturers of superior quality traditional Highland wear”).
The title of Lord of the Isles is now held by Prince Charles. I am not expecting him to be seen in a suit like his great-uncle David’s anytime soon.
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10 comments:
The dark green corduroy waistcoat is simply marvellous. And somehow it works.
Not clothes-obsessed my foot! Who did he think he was fooling?
Interesting piece.
However, maybe, the big difference between the Little Dook and the fussing i-Gents of the modern day is that the Little Dook was tremendously accomplished in a range of activities (none of them especially cerebral but nonetheless; he was a good horseman and all round sportsman); whereas the i-Gents, with their obsessive-compulsive disorders over their clothes, are remarkable for little apart from the frequency of their internet interactions with those with similar problems in the various fora. Moreover, although I am not a great fan of the Little Dook, it needs to be said that he had, thoughout his life, the very easy means to indulge quite extravagant tastes across the board and delighted in doing so. He probably did not regard it as strange or obsessive to continue as he had started out and, when he had started out, he had been the most eligible bachelor in the world; one of the most admired, popular and one of the richest young men of his generation anywhere, and heir to the greatest (still thriving) territorial Empire in all history. Accordingly, I should suggest that he was a far cry from needing the medication and analysis for obsessive-compulsive neuroses that some i-Gents seem to need!
Can someone explain to me how this would ever be appropriate evening wear? (I am not saying it is not; it is just so different from the traditional dinner jacket, and seemingly at odds with the reasons we are told a dinner jacket is perfectly evolved for what it is).
It would be worn at home in the country. Plenty of precedent for that.
Fantastic suit. Love it and love the possible versatility with different coats and pants.
At first glance my immediate reactions were:
Elton John.
Tommy Nutter.
Grand Marshal of St. Patricks Day parade.
Sorry--- But it screams "Look at me! Look at me!""
For all his great style, The Duke's taste was not infallible. (I don't care WHO you are.)
He didn't have to scream (as i-Gents do) "look at me!" because all the world was already looking at him. Besides, this was (as Will has already said), an outfit to be worn at home. It's a fun outfit. Period. Good for the Little Dook, I say! Or, in modern parlance: "Yo!"
As has been said before, "Clothes should be fun". The DOW could afford to play with his wardrobe and so he did. It is an attitude that should be better cultivated among the sartorially inclined. Certainly it is a far better outlook than obsessing about imagined and imaginary 'rules'.
I attended that exhibition at Sotheby's in NY, but not the auction. The auction schedule was pushed back half a year when Princess Diana died in Paris. I remember that swatch box listed in the catalog: it was how he remembered which clothes he kept in which city. When the auction was rescheduled, it was no longer available.
I am a huge admirer of the Duke's style, but this outfit is only something he could get away with. No-one else would have the confidence.
By the way, what is an i-Gent?
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