Keeping cool in the 30s

Serving me well on my 30th birthday last year

While I (and, I suspect, many others) have been enduring the heat of a glorious British summer as this country continues to swelter in temperatures consistently in the high twenties (centigrade) - and sometimes uncomfortably into the 30s - I find my mind turning to more casual, lightweight vintage fashions for the chap.

My go-to wardrobe staple in warmer weather is my trusty and well-worn brown linen suit, purchased from Primark (as a two-piece; alas neither of my local branches had the waistcoat in stock!) and which has served me well for what must be coming up to eight years now.  Paired with a linen or cotton shirt, a cravat, brown leather shoes and Panama hat, such an ensemble has helped to keep me cool through various summers while giving me a semblance of vintage style in what have been some lean times.

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The light-coloured, lightweight suit has long been the standard outfit for gentlemen during the hotter months and such a look is still my ultimate goal - although with my lemonade budget it may yet be some time before I reach it!  Fortunately, as has been noted before, menswear has by and large changed little over 100 years so it is still possible to approximate a certain decade's look using some high street items.  For example, I have several pairs of cream cotton trousers (chinos, as they are known today) acquired over the years that I like to mix with the linen jacket, or a navy blue single-breasted blazer - the latter of which is one of my favourite current outfits.  Again in the longer term I would dearly love a proper brass-buttoned double-breasted number as sported by Bertie Wooster and Captain Hastings.

Further inspiration for ideal summer wear is drawn from my Pinterest board Gentlemanly Attire, where light suits and Twenties & Thirties styles are dotted throughout.

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A spiffing illustration of a couple of Jazz Age summer suits, double- and single-breasted with peak lapels, finished off with some topping hats and - of course! - co-respondent shoes.  Here's an actual example from 1931, too:

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Brioni S/S '12

As I've mentioned before the only problem with white, cream or off-white suits - at least in my experience in Britain - is the danger of being likened to Michael Jackson, Martin Bell or The Man From Del Monte by those who haven't been exposed to their wider use and for whom standard summer attire consists of shorts and flip-flops.  Still, that hasn't put me off and nor should it you.

The peak of today's white-suited sartorialism comes courtesy of high-end names like Brioni and Polo by Ralph Lauren - clothing that I fear will forever remain aspirational to the likes of me(!):

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Ralph Lauren S/S '13

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Ralph Lauren S/S '12

Of course white isn't the only cool, summer colour.  Linen doesn't always have to be white, cream or beige.  Blues and browns look just as good.

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Lightweight clothing is, after all, more about the weight of the fabric than the colour and even a suit in a lighter wool fabric - say, 8oz or so - can have cooling properties. 

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Boating blazers are another summer option that can come in a bewildering array of colours.  Some tend to be more gaudy than others so it can be a matter of personal taste what colours you prefer, if any. 

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Jasper Conran navy college stripe blazer
£49.50 @ Debenhams

Jasper Conran navy narrow stripe blazer
£29.70 @ Debenhams (currently sold out)

One of the best places I have found for decent boating blazers in recent years is Debenhams, whose Jasper Conran concession usually has a couple of styles each year.  Their current stock includes two rather fetching blues and I can attest to their quality, having tried couple on in my local branch last weekend.  Alas sizes are limited and my humble purse cannot quite stretch even to sale prices, so I've yet to own one of these beauties.

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Finally I want to touch upon the more casual vintage summer look - an area that I freely admit to having little knowledge of.  In the back of my mind I feel sure I have seen pictures at some time of men in the 1930s (including Noël Coward, Fred Astaire et al.) wearing open-necked short-sleeved shirts while at the beach or on holiday.  Yet my most recent researches can throw up precious little imagery or information beyond the usual sporting [tennis] wear, such as that in my 1940s Fashion Sourcebook.  Certainly this is an aspect of vintage menswear that deserves further investigation, as it would be nice to get a more casual Thirties look before I wilt in the next heatwave.

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On the subject of tennis shirts, my parting offering comes courtesy of Miss Rayne's Vintage Chic blog, which I have followed for some time and which Google happened to throw up as a result during my searching.  This knitted tennis shirt from the 1930s looks a pip, doesn't it?  I've tried getting mater to have a bash at it but she remains firmly unconvinced, not least because we can't work out from the pattern whether the needle size is correct, which needles to cast on with and what wool to use - any suggestions?

There, then, are my thoughts and desires on what the vintage-loving chap can wear to survive global warming.  As it's forecast to remain warm for at least another month (and in the long term get warmer still if climate change scientists are to be believed) I hope to be able to employ some of these smashing styles.  I'd love to know what you think, and what you're doing to keep cool!  Anyone for Pimms?!

A pattern emerges

Readers may recall the massive knitting pattern haul that mater scored at the last vintage fair we both went to back in December.  Two 20-plus page booklets dating from the late 1930s chock full to the brim with knitting patterns for man, woman and child!  Mother took copies of a couple to get started and the books now reside with me for further patterns to be selected at will.

I'm pleased to announce the first garment has been completed!  It's not the one you might have expected, though.  Despite there being several covetable men's pullover patterns, mother's prerogative (quite right too!) meant the first pattern to be knitted up was one of the ladies' jumpers. 

The pattern of choice was taken from the second booklet, the "My Weekly" supplement.  Not sharing such an innate love of the period as myself, mater selected one of the more timeless designs - the "Two-Colour Jumper with a Yoke in Moss-Stitch". 

Since knitting terminology is still a bit beyond me, mother explains: "Instead of making separate pieces [as per the original pattern] I completed the cast off on the front piece but then picked up the number of stitches required from the yoke and just knitted it up from that, then it was not necessary for me to stitch it on separately.  Then I adjusted the pattern accordingly, making the sleeves quarter-length, shortening the body [mater suffers the same short body-long legs problem as I - albeit shorter!] and added the knitted flower to the neckline."

The original pattern also called for two shades of green but, of course, colour choice can vary according to preference and mater decided on a simple grey and black that only adds to the timelessness.  She very graciously offered to model the finished article for inclusion on this blog so without further ado I give you the updated Two-Colour Jumper with a Yoke in Moss-Stitch:

So taken was she with the style and general ease of knit of this particular pattern (being used to more modern patterns with varying size instructions mum did note the need to adjust the needle size to account for any differences - most of the patterns being for a 32-34" bust - and she remains very much amused that there are patterns for "the matron" and "the bigger woman" - the latter still only 38" under the arms!) mother is already knitting another in a pink colourway.  After that I am assured a men's jumper or cardigan from a pattern of my choice will be next on the list, and I look forward to featuring it on here as well!

Fairs, letters and patterns

Earlier this month - the 15th to be precise - I found myself at another of my local Essex Vintage Fairs.  Fast becoming a quarterly tradition thanks in no small part to its proximity to m'parents' home it is also a well-run yet intimate event with some good bargains to be found if one is prepared to search beyond the "vintage" (in the worst possible sense as used to describe stuff from the 1970s, '80s - or even later - that just looks old or has a bit of retro about it) and "[insert decade here]-style".  (Those two types of items are, of course, found everywhere these days so this event is not unusual for that.)

While perhaps not quite up there with the summer fair in terms of atmosphere (despite the "Special Christmas Vintage Fair" tagline of the advertisements there was really very little to differentiate it from any other time of year beyond some occasional Christmas music and a few decorations) it was still great fun and we - mother and I - were both able to find a couple of things to take our fancy.

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Mine has lost the wording
but is otherwise identical

The first find was mine - another book for my library and quite an apposite one in view of next year's centenary of the First World War.  In The Royal Naval Air Service is comprised of a series of letters written by RNAS Flight-Lieutenant Harold Rosher to his family (in Beckenham, South East London) from the outbreak of war in August 1914 until February 1916 when he tragically died in a flying accident.  I've already leafed through the first chapter and it looks to be a cracking read and a welcome addition to my World War One book collection (it should be a particularly good companion piece to James McCudden's Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps).  It's my intention to read through all (or as many as possible!) of my Great War books in 2014 as part of my own commemoration of the centenary and this one will be top of the pile.  I'm also delighted to note that it has been republished twice in the last eleven years and that copies are still available to buy or even read/download online.

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At £3.50 for an original 1916 copy, however, there was no way it wasn't coming home with me.  It also has a fascinating pencil inscription on the frontispiece - 'G. Barham N.A.A, "Hood" Division'.  A little bit of digging has found that Hood Division was one of eight battalions of the Royal Naval Division, an infantry unit made up of surplus Royal Navy and Royal Marine volunteers not serving on ships.  A clear link to Harold Rosher, then, who served in the Navy's air force (before it was merged with the Royal Flying Corps on the 1st April 1918 to form the RAF).  Maybe this G. Barham knew Harold Rosher, who can say?  Interestingly enough, towards the end of 1916 the Royal Naval Division was re-deployed to the Army as the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division with the eight battalions losing their names (all famous naval commanders) so it should be possible to precisely place this Barham chap in the timeline of the RND. 

Now, for the second find (mater's, but equally exciting for me too) I must ask any ladies reading - particularly those of you who knit - to please be sitting down or holding on to something because I don't want there to be any swooning.  Yes - knitting patterns!

Not just any old patterns, either.  Hiding in amongst piles of Seventies- and Eighties-tastic booklets (dubious cardigans, three-piece sets where one of the pieces is a hat - you know the sort of thing) were a couple of absolute gems from a far earlier period...  Just feast your eyes on these!

From the 25th September 1937 issue of Woman's Own, a whopping 44 pages of woollen wonders in the Big Knitting Book!!  I mean,everything!  Look at it all! Quite literally the mother lode.

Cardigans!

Jumpers!

Pullovers (for chaps too)!

Even the kiddies are catered for!

If that wasn't enough mother also nabbed an "Autumn Woollies" book from "My Weekly, of approximately the same vintage (sadly there's no date to be found in it, but the styles look very much the same and the fact that it has some colour pages and is roughly A4 in size leads me to believe it is also pre-war).  

Got your breath back yet?  OK, here we go...

Not as many pages as the Big Knitting Book, but still some corkers for the whole family dwell within.

Why not indeed?!

Mater was quite tickled to note that the older, larger lady was referred to as a "matron"...

We chaps are well-catered for too!

By Jove, what a lot of patterns eh?  Should keep mother busy well into the next year.

I'll certainly be returning to the next fair on the 26th of January, with an even bigger one scheduled for the 2nd of March at a larger sports hall in Southend, to look out for more bargains, patterns and books for 2014.

Knit for Britain from Above

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Knit for Britain from Above 

Returning to another series of articles that previously appeared on Eclectic Ephemera you may recall the posts from 2011 and 2012 about the creation of the wonderful online history resource Britain From Above, which aims to catalogue and digitise over 90,000 aerial photographs of Britain taken between 1919 and 1953.  By the sounds of things the project is going well and all 95,000 images should be available at the end of the 4-year project, in 2014.  It really is a fascinating site and I urge you all to check it out if you haven't already.

Now I see that the Britain From Above people have this week started a jolly little wheeze that should appeal to the [many] knitters who I know make up my readership.  I have to say I didn't realise that it was World-Wide Knit In Public Week (I have to admit I sometimes think these things are thought up on the spur of the moment by people with a vested interest and too much time on their hands - I mean, National Sausage Week, really?!) but hurrah nonetheless.  Although I'm sure those of you who do knit do so in public any day of the year here's an opportunity to have a bit of fun and get a bit involved in the Britain From Above project.

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The team behind the site invite you to knit an aeroplane (they even helpfully provide a pattern if you don't have one of your own) and then, finding an historic aerial photo of an area near you, take a snap of your knitted aircraft in the same spot and post it on the website.  It sounds like a splendid way to get out and about and, as the site says, "showcase your knitting skills and find out more about the history of the place you live in".  Not to mention raising the profile of the Britain From Above project a notch or two in a wonderfully clever way.

So how about it, then?  Any knitting-wizards out there fancy knocking up a little flying machine and maybe taking a pic or two?  If anyone does have a go, do let me know on here!

Pullover, it's Captain Hastings!

When I first started doing posts on the wardrobe of Captain Hastings a little over 2 years ago I good-naturedly complained that, unlike many of Miss Lemon's outfits including that ubiquitous bow cardigan, I (or rather those in the family with the requisite skills, i.e. mother) couldn't knit the good Captain's numerous 3-piece suits and other similar ensembles.  Although the second episode to receive my attention, Murder in the Mews, did feature two items of clothing that could be more easily recreated it wasn't until recently that I was able to have something similar made up in the same style.  Those two items were the lovely jumpers sported by Captain Hastings during the golf course scenes and later at the dénouement (as seen above and below). 

Rather than put mater to the trouble of knitting both I settled on the idea of having the shawl-collar one (above) in the colour of the golfing one.  As her pattern collection already contained just such a [modern] design it made even more sense and so the Captain Hastings Combination Jumper was born.  Last week it was delivered and these pictures are the result:

I'm afraid even one of Hastings' much-coveted suits wouldn't imbue me with half of his stylishness and ease (although I can easily do "vague and confused"!) but as my first real attempt to replicate the Captain Hastings "look" I'm not at all disappointed.  It might be a slightly chunkier knit than the ones worn by our favourite chap and, as it was pointed out to me, the armholes' positioning differs slightly (mainly a result of the modern pattern, although I don't deny the effect would be lessened if I were a bit more heavier-set!) but overall - and seeing it next to the screen shot of the same design - I think it's very close.  It doesn't show up very well in these pictures (I really need to think about getting a new camera) so you'll have to take my word for it that the colour is almost an exact match for Hastings' first jumper - much more a burnt umber hue than the coral that seems to have come out in the photos. 

Now all I need is a golf course/London flat and a Belgian 'tec with whom to investigate crimes and I'm away, eh?!

In the meantime, I have just this afternoon got off the 'phone with the creator of this garment who tells me that she has found a '50s pattern almost identical to the golfing jumper.  Perhaps that, in the grey of Captain Hastings' shawl-collar example, will become a suitable companion piece.  Certainly with the recent haul of '30s/'40s patterns we picked up I hope to have some more knitteds to show you in the future.



The Captain Hastings posts will also continue, of course, with The King of Clubs next in line when I get a quiet moment (and, ladies, where have the Miss Lemon posts gone?  I'm almost missing that cardi!).

If you can't knit 'em, blog 'em!

Another week seems to have flown by, again without a single blog post from me!  How terribly remiss of me, to be sure; I can only say that I rather immersed myself in convalescing (fat lot of good it's done me - now I've gone and caught a cold!) to the point where I've almost neglected this poor little blog.  I must apologise to you, dear readers.

Other than the sniffles, however, I think I can safely say things are all back as they should be (or as near as makes no difference).  I've still got the previously-mentioned drafts to finish but once again something unexpected has come along to upset the order of things (albeit in a totally good way).

That something was another Antique and Collectors Fair at Runnymede Hall in Benfleet, Essex.  Literally just around the corner from my parents, I took full advantage of the fact and stopped in for lunch before mater and I went down there for an afternoon's browsing.  I can hardly believe that it has been a whole year since last I went to one of these (they're roughly bi-monthly at Benfleet, with others held at various locations in Essex), although of course I've had my reasons(!).

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When I attended the February 2012 event, at which I picked up two 1930s non-U.K. pennies as told here, I mentioned my surprise at the high prices in evidence and speculated (hoped!) that it was the exception rather than the rule on the basis of other antiques emporia I had visited around the same time.  I'm delighted to say, based on my experience yesterday, that that seems to have been the case as prices this time were much more reasonable and there were several things that, were I more flush with cash, I might have considered buying.  I don't think for one minute that the antiques and collectibles market is in any kind of trouble either locally or nationally; I believe this was more a case of dealers coming to their senses, reigning in their ambitions and being keener to sell (there was much more of that on display too - lots of deals, half price tables, "everything must go", "make me an offer" and the rather amusing "buyers wanted, no experience necessary!" signs).  It was a slightly smaller affair than last year - the picture above, taken in April 2012, gives a good idea of the scale this time too - but it was well-attended and there were some interesting items, as I mentioned.

I (or, I should say, we) didn't come away empty-handed this time either and it was thanks in part to mother's eagle eye.  One of the first tables we came to contained heaps of odds and ends, many of them Second World War vintage (ironically it was run by a friendly German stallholder who, like most of the traders there, was keen to chat).  Half hidden beneath some old matchbooks, pin badges and similar knick-knacks were some papers.  Closer inspection revealed them to be - knitting patterns, all it seemed from around the early/mid 1940s!

Having leafed through all ten and with mater on a bit of a knitting kick we agreed to buy, for 50p, the one that looked the best for yours truly - as illustrated by the handsome chap above (I can guarantee I won't look as dapper, I'm afraid!).  We then continued round the rest of the hall, stopping for some tea and cake on the way.  During this break the discussion returned to the remaining 9 patterns and after some deliberation I went back to see if I could take our Teutonic friend up on his offer to "do a deal" on all of them.  As if to underline my earlier point about this particular fair, he was happy to let the rest go for a paltry £3!  So, without further ado, here are the rest!

Might see if I can get Ma to have a crack at the men's slippers, although I think she might be rather dubious about using "rug wool" and making the leather soles(!).

Researching Sirdar Wools I was surprised and pleased to find that they're still in business!

A great advert for Lee's Wools in one of two Woman's Weekly pattern sections, this one from November 1940.  Perhaps Tups will be able to tell us the name of the model? ;-)

On the other side, a double pattern for "Stocksize" and "Outsize" ladies vests.  Unfortunately, the "opposite page" which details the materials needed is missing.  Any suggestions from the knitters out there?

Shoulders!

No such problems with this great, brilliantly modelled pattern from a later Woman's Weekly dated the 5th August 1944.

Mum has offered to do these gloves too.  I'll have to supply the binoculars and tin hat myself, though! ;-p

Hang on, this model looks familiar(!).  Could it be Tups' favourite and subject of her latest post, Miss Peggy Chester?!

"They Always Need Socks", is the subtitle on the reverse of this pattern.  Something that still holds true today, I can tell you.  Maybe I should see about dusting off my very basic knitting skills with a pair of these fellows...?

Even mother was getting carried away at this point, but she did say that she might have a try at the bag too.  If she does I'll be sure to try and get some pictures of it.

All in all a splendid day out for all concerned.  I get some vintage knitting patterns to blog about (and reap some woollen rewards from!) and mother gets some more things to knit.

I'm looking forward with renewed anticipation to the next fair in April, as well as some others elsewhere locally that I may blog about in the future. In the meantime I hope you've all enjoyed sharing in my latest acquisitions and I hope to have some new knits to show you soon.