Captain Hastings - well-dressed man-about-town

I should've known it wouldn't take long.  Miss Retro Chick recently did a post entitled - yes, you've guessed it - "Style Icon for the Working Woman - Miss Lemon" (fair do's, of course - I doubt I'm one of her core audience!).  I must admit I might have underestimated you ladies and how short a space of time there would be between Miss Lemon-themed posts.  Still, I told you what I'd do if I read another one, so here we go:

I'm going to, where possible, cover one episode per post.  This will, if nothing else, give me enough ammunition to match any future Miss Lemon-fests (I hope!).  We therefore begin with The Clapham Cook.

Captain Hastings' wardrobe varies little over the course of this mystery, which is probably as it should be.  Even so a few fashion gems make an appearance, not least the great Fair Isle pullover!

I'm guessing the jacket is corduroy, maybe?  Classic '30s pointed collar and a patterned tie to complement the Fair Isle.  Jolly good.  You've got to love his facial expression, haven't you?

A slightly fuller view, paired with a fine and, again, complimentary overcoat.

I do like Poirot's extravagant neatness, but Hastings' more closely represents the '30s standard and I have a weakness for Fair Isle(!)

In the country Hastings' colour-coordinated ensemble knocks the spots off Poirot's rather plain look.

Speaking of Fair Isle, I find it's damned hard to come by for us chaps these days - certainly more so than for the ladies, for whom it seems to have retained some semblance of popularity.  Those that I have found are often eye-wateringly expensive.  For example:

Fair Isle Knitted Slipover, one of several
designs from Darcy Clothing, £70-£78

Polo Ralph Lauren
Navy Wool-Alpaca Fairisle
from My-Wardrobe.com -
£101 from £145 (currently sold out).

Polo Ralph Lauren
Cotton-Cashmere Fair Isle
from Mr Porter - £215
(ouch! - it's lovely, but not £215 lovely)

Back to the story, and a new day sees Captain Hastings wearing a variation on the earlier Fair Isle pullover - the Fair Isle cardigan.

Pay no attention to Miss Lemon and her patterned dress.  Look at Captain Hastings.  LOOK AT CAPTAIN HASTINGS.

I adore the tie he's wearing with this outfit - classic '30s!

This is the best shot I could get of the trousers, which are in a wonderful shade of steel blue and which contrast well with the brown jacket yet compliment the blue cardigan.

Something that is, if anything, even more difficult to come by these days.  The only thing I could find like it was this:

Knitted Fair Isle Waistcoat
from Darcy Clothing - £67.50

Of course, there are plenty of original Fair Isle patterns available from the likes of Ebay and various pattern websites but this requires someone who can knit skilfully and who has a lot of time on their hands (at least that's what my mother tells me).  My knitting ability stops at things that are short and squarish (i.e. scarves) and although mater can knit skilfully, she hasn't got the time to do fiddly Fair Isle.  So when she eventually knitted me a pullover (it took me 5 years of badgering to get it out of her, and originally I just wanted a plain white cricket jumper!) she cheated a little and used a type of wool called, I believe "creative yarn", which is somehow pre-treated so that a Fair Isle-ish pattern emerges as you knit.  It's not perfect but it's a fair approximation and a worthy alternative (I love it Mum, in case you're reading this!).

Not the best picture perhaps, but you get the idea.

So the first salvo has been fired in the Battle of Hastings (vs. Miss Lemon) ;-P.  Next time (and that time will depend on you, girls) Captain Hastings will return in Murder in the Mews.