Luke Judge

The evolution of the modern lounge suit and its method of wear can be charted historically from the courts of the seventeenth century.  It is a history of aristocracy and all the pursuits such a lifestyle entailed, most notably where the suit is concerned with the sport and need for riding.  Indeed one can find many features of menswear today influenced from historical requirements now long defunct.

Consider if you will the fact that buttons on a man’s jacket are traditionally placed on the right hand side, whilst that of a lady are placed upon the left.  It seems an inconsequential detail in passing, however when one realizes that this was done to allow the wearer, when the jacket was fully fastened, a swift movement to their sword, which would have been worn on the left side, one takes on a whole new understanding of the button placement.  Small functional details remain long after their practical use – take for example, the button on the left lapel of a typical suit jacket, or the buttons on cuffs which seldom actually undo.  

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, formal wear, that is to say court wear, for a man consisted of the jacket, waistcoat and breeches.  Primarily these garments would have been made of silks and embroidered velvets.  The jackets would have had rather prominent revers, allowing the jacket to be fully buttoned across whilst riding.  This feature can be seen as the basis for the lapels of the double breasted jacket of today.  Indeed it is within the riding jacket and breeches that one finds the ancestry of the modern lounge suit.

However what I would like to focus on is a secondary feature which arises from the history of the formal riding jacket and breeches of court wear.  For everyday wear high leather boots were the footwear of the gentleman.  The functionality of country wear was highly influential, from the riding coat, to the riding boot, to the use of gaiters and spats.  Originally made from leather, spats were often coupled with gaiters, when worn with breeches and boots, allowing for a covering to the top of the boot and the lower leg.  They served to protect the lower leg and top of the boot from mud and dirt.

When one considers that even until the Belle Époque that men would often only have the one pair of boots serving as their footwear, looking after such pieces was highly important.  Once shoes were looked down upon by the gentleman, and one finds traces of this disregard today, where traditional shoe designs are actually intended to look like boots cut down.  A simple pair of lace-up oxford shoes or brogues find their construction based upon that of a boot, and indeed most lace-up shoes are essentially cut down boots in their design and construction. 

Spats swiftly found their way into court wear, being paired with breeches in a cream or white silk, thus serving a decorative purpose almost diametrically opposed to their original function.  However with the introduction of trousers, as opposed to breeches, the wearing of spats soon declined, even more so with the preference for shoes over boots.  Indeed it is quite rare, outside of military uniforms and fancy dress affairs, for one to see spats, or even gaiters, being worn today, which I have always felt is rather a shame.  Whilst they are not needed for functional reasons, they can serve, akin to a pocketsquare, as a delightful decorative piece.

As such it was exciting to see a contemporary take on spats in the Etro collection for this upcoming Autumn/Winter.  Taking the inspiration of spats, and indeed gaiters, and their place in country-turned-court wear, the collection took on a luxurious twist to traditional sportswear.  In the typical, yet always welcome, flair of Etro, rich colours and patterns were used to provide a nice depth and interest to the looks.  Indeed I found myself taken by the wardrobe of the Etro man for this Winter, in particular the spats, and the rich velvets (as many of you can no doubt tell there is something about soft and tactile fabrics that I find irresistible for the colder months).

I loved the idea of formal, yet patterned, spats worn over patterned trousers.  It provided a streamlined and slim silhouette that was very much of the moment, whilst being unique in its approach of that ideal.  It was interesting to see that they were not paired with full suits, allowing for a more everyday feel to their use and wear.  Indeed when coupled with the purple velvet coat and pocket watch necklace, above, they seemed perfect for a blustery Autumnal day around London. 

Alongside the use of spats were also trousers with elasticated cuffs.  Whilst there seem to be a plethora of smart-ish joggers and carrot fit chinos with elasticated cuffs in the high street at the moment, it was nice to see more formal trousers with this detailing.  They worked particularly well given the sheen and texture of the fabrics used for the trousers within the collection.  Indeed to be honest I have yet to be sold on those elasticated cuff chinos – I have only seen them worn in, shall we say, a very Topman way, which is not particularly my taste.  These trousers however I would happily sport, especially with the equally funky Etro socks.

I also rather liked the coats within the collection, which were for the most parts traditional double breasted pieces.  The slim cuts, coupled with interesting fabric and lining choices, however provided them a far more unique position in terms of design.  I was particularly taken by the styling choice of the coat worn with a silk pochette in the breast pocket.  

The knitwear pieces were very strong, with long scarves in beautiful Autumnal colours finished with colourful contrasting braided trim.  Indeed colour play has always made Etro alluring, and with this collection that fact was still thankfully apparent.  Whilst colour tends to be toned down during the colder months, it is always nice to see rich colours so well styled and used.  (As an aside more towards the casting and styling decisions, I must say that they paired the colours worn by the red-haired model very well to play against his hair).

Currently playing: Go To Sleep – Lupe Fiasco


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gaiters ancestry, gaiters, menswear

When putting on clothes in preparation for downhill skiing, there is one central goal: to prevent getting cold. Naturally, when one puts oneself in a situation that requires remaining in the snow for hours at a time, maintaining an acceptable body temperature becomes paramount. The accepted approach when selecting skiing clothes is to combine garments that will retain body heat with those that will prevent moisture intrusion. One of the most essential clothing items, as one might expect, are the ski pants. No matter what a skier does, at some point her pants are going to come into contact wit snow. Therefore, it is very important that her pants be able to repel water. At the same time, the legs must be kept warm enough that the muscles continue to function, yet scantily clad enough to allow for adequate movement. Clearly, there are a number of prerequisites that must be met when choosing the correct pair of ski pants.

Downhill ski pants, at least those designed for women, fall into two basic categories: those that go outside the boots and those that go inside. Ski clothing, like all other apparel, undergoes fashion trends. If one takes a look at the pants being worn by the female skiers of today, it becomes plain that most of them favor the outside-the-boots style. However, a similar poll taken fifteen years ago would have revealed just the opposite trend. It is probably safe to assume that these two styles will continue to trade off the top spot.

Inside-the-boot pants tend to be very formfitting. These pants are of a comparatively thin fabric, which allows for a greater degree of movement when skiing. However, the fabric is sometimes not completely waterproof, a definite drawback. A waterproofing spray may be used to counter this problem. Additionally, the style of tucking the pants into the boots does create at least one logistical problem. If a person falls down, snow can often become packed into the space between the inside of the boot and the shin. Not only does this bruise the shin while skiing, but when the snow melts, it travels down the pants and into the boot, making the foot cold and wet. To avoid this problem, boot gaiters may be used. A boot gaiter is essentially a piece of waterproof cloth that wraps around the boot and the pant leg, effectively sealing off the boot.

Most outside-the-boot ski pants are noticeably bulkier than the tucked in versions. This bulkiness can hamper movement to some extent. However, the trade off is that these pants tend to be warmer and are often made of completely waterproof materials. The issue snowpack at the shins is eliminated. An additional bonus is the fact that these pants tend to have more pockets, which are always sealable with Velcro or zippers.

It should be noted that the evolution of snowboarding clothes has effected what people are wearing on their legs to ski. Some skiers have adopted the cargo-style pants traditionally used in snowboarding. Such pants are essentially completely waterproof versions of typical cargo pants: quite baggy and possessing multiple pockets. Snowboarding pants also fall under the outside-the-boot category.

gaiters body temperature, moisture intrusion, skiing clothes, waterproofing