"Your flight is delayed at O'Hare Airport. Somebody neglects to complete a deicing of the wings. You take off in a fog and moments later the plane is broken in three pieces, half in icy water and half in slick, frozen shoreline.There are numerous fires burning. You get up, and in leather shoes walk on debris, some still glowing with heat. The wing is slippery, you slide into waist deep water, but manage to gain the shoreline. You collapse, but the tweed is just enough to keep your core temperature from falling dangerously low. At triage, they remove your jacket and waistcoat. You let out a sudden gasp. You have 3 broken ribs the clothing kept relatively immobile. looking around, you see people with melted polyester wounds literally from head to toe. They are lucky. Many post crash survivors succumbed to shock hastened by the onset of hypothermia. Weeks later, you get the newly cleaned and pressed suit back from the cleaners. You see numerous ember burns that give it a peened surface. But by God not a fiber is completely seperated.
You, and it are still presentable."
-Kav on Ask Andy About Clothes
It's not even the middle of august, but I can taste the chill of fall in my warm, mulled wine dear readers. Why am I drinking mulled wine? I'm sitting in my air conditioned apartment imagining myself into a tizzy. A crisp, golden tizzy of a fall day. And what better fabric for the impending cold than tweed?
The gentleman with the pipe is astonished that tweed's seasonal dominance could even be questioned
Who Wears Tweed?
Tweed is rough, tough, sturdy and warm fabric for the country gentleman. Tweed cries out for fox hunts on horseback and a cocked shotgun. Tweed says "I shaved at sunrise and I have 1/8th of an inch of beard before noon."
Tweed is also for aristocrats, ponces and those wishing to gain an air of respectability.
The Duke of Windsor
Tweed makes even Robin Williams look like he might not be a jackass.
Where to buy
If you want the full English gentleman experience, get a tailored suit in a tweed of your choice from Bookster. A standard 3-piece custom made suit starts at a lowly $650. Thats actually a steal for a tailored suit of the quality of fabric they offer.
Bookster Tweed Suit
Of course, custom made is out of reach for most of you twenty somethings. There are a few good vintage options on the web at your disposal. The key to buying suiting online is truly knowing your measurements, not just your suit size. Get a seamstress or helper to measure you fully (or measure a suit jacket that you like the fit of) and keep your figures handy while browsing so that you know how a jacket will actually fit you.
Many Images courtesy of Tweedland and the Gentleman's Club
Previously in Boi's Dandy Handbook:
- 8/24: A Boi's Fabric Handbook
- 8/2: A Boi's Future Handbook
- 7/21: Tie Alternative Handbook
- 7/13: A Boi's Dress Shoe Handbook
God loves a cheerful giver.
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