Looking at the World Through Rose-Colored Glasses

It's said that some unfortunate people never take their rose-colored glasses off, but everyone wears these spectacles occasionally.

Man returns from the car wash wearing saddle shoes, green corduroy trousers, a linen sweater and a green fedora with his rose colored glasses.

There's a New Fibre in Town

There's a new fibre in town, and it's name is Qiviuk (pronounced key-vee-ook). Rarer than pashmina and more legal than shahtoosh (which isn't legal at all), Qiviuk is the inner down of the Canadian Arctic Muskox. I didn't find any numbers but the fibres are said to be half the diameter of merino (which would make it noticeably softer than cashmere) and eight times warmer.

The muskox is a ripe-smelling Pleistocene era contemporary of the wooly mammoth that's alive and thriving today. Their survival through the last ice age was largely due to a combination of their isolation in the far North, and their remarkable coat. They are shielded from the minus 50 degree C temperatures by a combination of an outer layer of guard hair that grows up to 24 inches long and an inner layer of down.

Because of their shaggy coats, muskoxen appear to be massive animals when in fact they are mere 400-800 pounders that are closely related to sheep and rarely grow more than chest high to a human. In May, when the arctic temperature begins to rise, muskoxen shed their inner coats, and the tundra becomes littered with the fleece. About 3,000 kilograms of Qiviuk are collected by the area's Inuvialuit people each season, which is not very much and one of the reasons Qiviuk is three to four times more expensive than cashmere.

Qiviuk garments are available directly from Qiviuk Boutique stores in Canada, and from resellers. Traditionally designed earth toned knitwear (scarves and sweaters) made from the stuff retails for between $350 and $6,000.

Sweaters for the Cold

Alpaca, linen and cashmere make the best sweaters in my opinion. Alpaca and linen are great for temperate months, because they are warm when it's cool and cool when it's warm. Cashmere is what I want when the temperature goes down. I like the feel, though I have to admit that merino wool is most of the way there and only half the cost.

I wrote recently about the sleeveless v-neck vest for wear under a jacket. Three other styles of knitwear are the backbone of a cold weather knitwear wardrobe for less formal occasions: the crew neck (cabled or plain), the to-button cardigan, and the rollneck. The crewneck goes over a shirt, with odd trousers. The cardigan is worn informally in place of a jacket. And the rollneck can be worn under a jacket in place of a dress shirt, like the man in the illustration.

Before dyeing, cashmere comes naturally in tones of mid-grey, cafe au lait and a dirty cream. Add navy to that list and those are the colors I prefer.

All cashmere fibre comes from the underhair beneath the exterior coat of the cashmere goat living on the frigid plateaus of Mongolia and China - and it takes the underhair of at least three goats to create one sweater. The best feels soft and smooth, but never slippery or buttery which are signs of over processing.

The Scots, starting with Johnston's of Elgin, have been knitting cashmere the longest but the Italians have closed the quality gap. The best makers are the 16 members of the Scottish Cashmere Club such as Alex Begg and Murray Allen, and a couple independent Italians like Loro Piana and Colombo Cashmere.

I wasn't familiar with Colombo until Jonathan Fischer at Four in Hand lent me a box of their new knits. I was really impressed. The two ply sweaters look like worsted cashmere, smooth and tightly knit.

Unless he lives in an unheated castle in the Hebrides, two ply is all the sweater a man needs. A cabled cashmere crewneck over a chambray shirt, worn with moleskin trousers and moccasins is about as comfortable as it gets on the weekend. Paired perhaps with a polka dotted silk neckerchief and a bit of single malt.

The "Fake" Classic

Another of Autumn's classic sweaters is the Aran fisherman's knit, which takes its name from the islands where it originated, off the West coast of Ireland. Arans were, and to a certain extent still are, knitted by the wives of fishermen using unscoured wool that retains its natural oils, making them water-resistant. But they have a back story that's questionable.

Sellers of Aran sweaters like Clan Arans assert that the jumper is an ancient design that has been used on the island for hundreds of years. The Clan Arans site also says that each family had a sweater with a unique design, so that if a man drowned and was found maybe weeks later on the beach, his body could be identified.

It's a great story, but according to Wikipedia there is no evidence to support there being a systematic tradition of family patterns. For that matter, there is some doubt about whether Aran sweaters were ever widely used by fishermen as the originals with their untreated yarn may not have been suitable for this use. Finally, it appears as though knitting didn't begin on the islands until the twentieth century.


Setting controversy aside, Aran sweaters are unquestionably a trad classic that's equally at home with corduroys, moleskins and flannel trousers. I particularly like Inis Meàin's shawl collar version offered by J. L. Powell in merino wool ($435.00).

Sweaters and Suits

I like the more-casual-than-a-vest look of a sweater under a suit, but the sweater had better not have sleeves or it'll be too hot to wear indoors. Fortunately, there are plenty of sources for armless v-necks, including this very refined cashmere pullover from Parisian designer Marc Guyot.


Guyot's knitwear is made to measure and the vest in the photo below is constructed much like a conventional waistcoat, down to the strap across the back.


Men who wear belted trousers should consider spending their money on sweaters rather than waistcoats. The unattractive sight of the belt buckle under a vest is covered by sweaters with round bottoms. Which is as it should be.

Sources: J. L. Powell

Once the pollution from Indiana's steel mills was cleaned up a generation ago, Chicagoans began to seek out the dunes of Southwestern Michigan for their country houses. Today, in a century old former New York Central Railroad station, leisure and adventure wear purveyor J. L. Powell sells them apparel for outdoor activities ranging from walking to wingshooting (an edited version of their inventory is also available on the World Wide Web).

Inspired by Willis & Geiger, a great name that Lands’ End purchased and then shut down, Powell's tasteful selection includes some of my favorite suppliers, such as Inis Meàin knitwear and Edward Green shoes. Indeed, two of the site's better values are EG's Belgravia casuals in Edwardian for $735 a pair and Warwick half boots in dark oak for $835, about 25% below current prices elsewhere.

The way the firm appears to be integrating itself into the community bodes well for its longevity. I've seen photos of a long abandoned gasoline station on the main highway that's been re-purposed for merchandise display. And last month the company sponsored a Side by Side Classic shooting competition with exhibits by Barbour, Filson and Fieldsport. This is similar to the way that James Lock and John Lobb London remain visible to their British customers in the countryside.

To my taste, Powell is one of the more interesting new purveyors in North America.

Sweaters to Travel For

I love Irish linen sweaters. Like alpaca, they make a garment that's warm when it's cool and cool when it's warm. Ralph Lauren's Purple Label has linen sweaters once in a while but generally they're not easy to find, and that's probably because the best source in the world is at the end of it.

Inis Meáin is the middle of three Aran Islands lying 15 miles off the west coast of Ireland, which makes it about as far West as you can go on land from Europe before you get to North America. It is just three miles across, with a unique landscape of terraced limestone and 200 inhabitants that make a living from farming, fishing and knitwear.

Ruairí de Blacam and his wife, Marie-Thérèse, started the Inis Meáin Knitting Company to earn a livelihood that would allow them to live on the island. The knitting company is by far the island's largest employer, and it makes high quality Irish influenced garments from alpaca, cashmere, Irish linen and merino wool. The first two pieces of theirs that I picked up were hip length linen sweater coats more than a decade ago. I wear them still.

To the best of my knowledge, the only places to buy the knitwear in the United States are Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, or online at Hartford York. But if you're looking for a worthwhile clothing-related adventure, visiting the island gets you to the factory store, which has a range of garments available at what are essentially wholesale prices. I guess their reseller channel doesn't worry about the handful of visitors they get each day during the summer.

The better way to get there is to go to Galway and hop one of the two-a-day ferries out of Ros a'Mhíl (Rossaveel). Or, Aer Arainn Islands operates a commercial air service that takes seven minutes each way. And I'd appreciate it if you'd pick up a couple things for me while you're there.

Pique for Play

The polo shirt was the first sports shirt, created early in the twentieth century for men who played, you guessed it, polo. Originally a short sleeved white knitted wool pullover with a turned-down collar, the polo was the pattern for the tennis shirt of the late 1920's. Men kept finding new uses for it and today the polo is as ubiquitous for casual wear as the dress shirt is for more formal occasions.

We arguably have the polo to blame for the current glut of clothing items with cute little logos. 1953 saw the introduction of the short-sleeved Lacoste shirt, a cotton knit with a long tail and an alligator on the breast. It was a high quality shirt and quickly became popular.

I've never been fond of long sleeved polos but I like the short sleeve versions in both linen and cotton. In my opinion, properly made polos should have a tail, so they stay tucked in while the body is moving, and both logos and breast pockets should be avoided (Bullock & Jones, which offers some otherwise attractive versions, seems unable to execute a polo without a breast pocket). Solid colors are best, particularly classics such as white, navy, chocolate brown and wine. And contrast collars can add a stylish touch.

My favorite source for polos used to be a U. S. mail order company named Tuttle, which had its own, now apparently discontinued, line of double mercerized cotton shirts in two weaves and what must have been thirty colors. Some of them are still available on the company's online clearance page where they are good values at $54.50, and there are still a variety of other versions at prices ranging from $45 to $125, including the original, resurrected and rehabilitated Lacoste. Unfortunately it still comes with a little alligator on the breast.

Reader Questions

From Zegnamtl

"I have my eye on a beautiful Alpaca sweater but I have reservations about how long it will hold up. Any thoughts?"

Alpaca is a luxury fibre that's lighter, silkier, and warmer than wool. It's usually used in open weave garments that are a great choice for golf (like the impeccable fellow on the left) or any outdoor activity in weather that goes from warm to cool and back again. Take care to avoid snags and Alpaca sweaters will last as long as other knitwear. Among the best are the Lemmermayer links cardigans available at Florida's Maus & Hoffman.

Sources: Louise Irvine

The late Duke of Windsor, when still the Prince of Wales, made an effort to help the economy of Scotland's remote Shetland Islands by wearing a Shetland "gansy" when he played golf at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in the 1920's.

Later, for a portrait painted by John St. Helier Lander and pictured at the left, he wore another hand knit jumper in the traditional Fair Isle colours of madder, indigo and "scrotie" (a natural yellow dye from lichen) mixed with the natural colours of the local Shetland sheep.

Today, Louise Irvine continues a Shetland custom that began around 1850, offering hand-made knitwear to order in a variety of Fair Isle patterns as well as solid colors. The knitting is done by local women in their homes (mine was knitted by Joan Shewan of Scalloway) and requires as much as 100 hours for a piece, with prices around $200 for a slipover vest and $300 for a crew neck. In addition to the hand-knitted items, Irvine also offers a small range of hand-spun knitwear in natural wool colors. Hand spinning adds an additional 100 hours to the work, and more than doubles the cost.

Whether hand spun and knit or simply hand knit, each piece is made to order and you should allow four to ten weeks. Email correspondance can take a day or two but your efforts will be rewarded. I know of few comparable opportunities to obtain an affordable garment of similar quality, with a personal connection and a hundred fifty years of history woven in as well.