There's no doubt that Harris Tweed is the king of all wool fabrics (I suppose you could make cashmere the queen, based upon the virtue of the king being rugged and awesome and the queen being nice and umm... soft, I digress). It's a perennial favorite here at The Natural Aristocrat and for many others around the world. It's also a notable luxury fabric that is "100% pure virgin wool, dyed, spun and finished in the Western Isles of Scotland. It is Hand-woven by crofters in their own homes on the islands of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra." With so many companies resorting to cheaper fabrics and textiles while chasing profit margins, Harris Tweed has never strayed from their roots sticking to hand-looming using the same techniques in the same location for more than a century. In fact, they are so meticulous about their tweed that there is a Harris Tweed Authority that regulates and inspects every piece of cloth to leave the mills to ensure it's up to their high marks.
Of course, with that sort of pedigree, you can't settle for second rate garment manufacturing, you have to have the best haberdashers and tailors to work with such a medium. Luckily, Harris Tweed has typically only been made into garments by respectable manufacturers who befit such an incredible fabric. The jacket above comes from a company named Harris Tweed Scotland, who has their own mill in Harris and produces five different tweeds to make their jackets. Like the fabric, the jackets are also made on site in Scotland using classic design and techniques, it's a 2-button darted twin vent with three sleeve buttons, all very indicative of tailoring from the United Kingdom. Also note how the second button hole is almost invisible, a sign of near perfect hand stitching.
A jacket like this is great with everything from gray flannel slacks, to cavalry twill khakis, to classic blue jeans. It can be work with nearly any manner of straight or bow tie since the neutral base and flecks of color play excellently with either similar or complementary colors. A tweed jacket is also the ideal base upon which to play with pattern, color and texture. As long as the jacket is well fitted, you definitely won't come off as a stuffy professor, instead you'll subconsciously impart an air of intellect and manliness. If you're new to the world of men's style and want to immediately take it up a notch this winter, or if you for some reason don't own one, pick up a tweed blazer (Harris obviously preferred, it will last you forever), and use it for everything from drinks at the pub to dinner to hunting to traveling.
Of course, with that sort of pedigree, you can't settle for second rate garment manufacturing, you have to have the best haberdashers and tailors to work with such a medium. Luckily, Harris Tweed has typically only been made into garments by respectable manufacturers who befit such an incredible fabric. The jacket above comes from a company named Harris Tweed Scotland, who has their own mill in Harris and produces five different tweeds to make their jackets. Like the fabric, the jackets are also made on site in Scotland using classic design and techniques, it's a 2-button darted twin vent with three sleeve buttons, all very indicative of tailoring from the United Kingdom. Also note how the second button hole is almost invisible, a sign of near perfect hand stitching.
A jacket like this is great with everything from gray flannel slacks, to cavalry twill khakis, to classic blue jeans. It can be work with nearly any manner of straight or bow tie since the neutral base and flecks of color play excellently with either similar or complementary colors. A tweed jacket is also the ideal base upon which to play with pattern, color and texture. As long as the jacket is well fitted, you definitely won't come off as a stuffy professor, instead you'll subconsciously impart an air of intellect and manliness. If you're new to the world of men's style and want to immediately take it up a notch this winter, or if you for some reason don't own one, pick up a tweed blazer (Harris obviously preferred, it will last you forever), and use it for everything from drinks at the pub to dinner to hunting to traveling.
8 comments:
D@mn, that looks fantastic.
This one is absolutely lovely, and even gets bette with the tatersall checked shirt and the orange/red sweater...
As for tweeds: i regularly browse ebay, some great finds out there to make :)
Topman has a very similar jacket with mr harris tweed for around $250 if I remember right. Might be worth looking into.
Not a big Harris devotee like so many, but I've found some vintage sport coats that are (as a fellow blogger would say) bulletproof.
I love the subtle windowpane here.
I love the whole ensemble. It just works in the right way and also teaches a novice like me on how to mix and coordinate colour.
Another thing, David, I can't wait for your store to be up and running. I need to get me some shoes. Some of the shoes you find are incredible.
Oh, and another thing, reading your Twitter feed and seeing that comment about Cam'ron, that hyped me.
Speedy, thanks for the mention!
Spoozy, no kidding, I come across them all the time while shopping. I've been picking some of the better ones to put up in the shop once I get a new camera.
Anonymous, thanks for the tip. The problem is stores like Topman only offer one length, I'm not much into the Band of Outsiders look so I need a long length.
Scott, they're definitely well made coats. I wasn't much into tweed until I started wearing them and discovered just how rugged they are, now I wear them everywhere.
Mxolisi, that's what caught my eye as well. Their other jackets are very nice, but this one's particular picture stood out at me with the shirt/sweater/tie combo and how it really flatters the jacket. Definitely check out those mixtapes, they should be pretty easy to find online for free. What shoe size are you and what style are you looking for? I'll keep an eye out for you.
Thanks for the heads up and link. I like the new lighter-weight Hamish Harris Tweed jacket. Very smart!
David,
Thank you for your pro-activeness. A while back I was taken by a pair of tan tasseled loafers you were rocking. As my statement suggests I am into tasseled loafers, of any style, colour or fabric. So if you find anything of that sort then please don't hesitate to source them for me. I take a UK size 10, by the way.
Thanks
Mxolisi
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