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Mr
Saxby, proprietor of London's finest vintage clothing outlet, Old Hat,
is The Chap's sartorial agony uncle. Whether you are unsure which button
to leave undone on your trousers, how many pairs of spats to take on holiday
or whether a double-breasted waistcoat can be manufactured from aluminium,
Mr Saxby is bound to know the answer.
Should you have
an insatiable urge to browse Britain's largest collection of hand-made
silk cravats and a first class collection of vintage tweed, worsted and
cavalry twill, Mr Saxby's charming assistants await you at number 66,
Fulham High Street, London SW6 3LQ
Send your questions
to David Saxby, The Chap, PO Box 39216, London SE3 0XS or saxby@thechap.net
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Andrew
Simmons, of Edinburgh, would like to know:
We are currently debating the correct approach to
the wearing of belts, more specifically whether a belt should be worn
with the pin of the buckle sitting to the left or to the right. Could
you please advise?
The correct approach, as everyone knows, is to wear braces. Raincoats
and Norfolk jackets have belts, however, so I will give you the benefit
of the doubt. Pin direction is gender specific, and gentlemen dress to
the right.
St. John Clews would like
to know:
As a novice hat wearer, I am unsure at what angle
the aforementioned headgear should be worn. Particular confusion surrounds
the unclear area whereby a trilby can be worn at either a "rakish"
or a "jaunty" angle.
When a medieval knight first raised his visor to say “Gosh you’re
a pretty little damsel and no mistake!” little did he know that
he had originated a practice that continues in the military salute and
the courteous hat doffing that we see today. At a ‘jaunty’
angle, eg Mr. F. Sinatra with his ‘Denver’ style narrow brimmed
trilby perched on the back of his head, any doffing attempt could result
in the hand overshooting the head, dislodging said hat, or worse still,
a lower near miss could leave a chap desperately grasping his frontal
hair in the familiar manner of the lower orders. Avoid social setback
by adopting the ‘rakish’ angle, as portrayed in the Chap logo
– a shining example of headgear harmony to the novice and adept
alike.
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Eliot
James Faulkner, of Horsham, seeks counsel:
I am student, and I am quite often mildly appalled
by the general quality of my peers, in both their attire and behaviour.
In attempting to distance myself from such peoples I have taken on the
proper attire of a chap. After some time of conforming to this lifestyle
as best I can in my present occupation, I now find myself with a strange
urge to don a cravat. I ask, is a cravat part of the proper attire of
a Chap?
As usual, when important issues divide the nation, politicians and pundits
who need answers beat a path to the door of The Chap Magazine. Recently
it fell upon me to comment, on the wireless and television, on the proposed
ban on cravats by ‘Veritarse’, the new political party headed
by Robert Kilroy Silk. His lighthearted comment was no small faux pas.
For a man busy forging a career based on English patriotism, it was plainly
suicidal. The cravat is quintessentially English – the rest of Europe
do not even have a proper word for it. As the only cravat maker on today’s
Jermyn Street, I must of course declare an interest. And that, I think,
is enough on the subject of cravats, for the time being.
Jeremiah Cornelius Phibes-Mordecai
simply must know:
In late 1996 I purchased an excellent pair of black
ankle boots hand crafted in the punched leather, or ‘brogue’
style. Each step I make is accompanied by a plainly audible squeak. How
can I eradicate this discordant perambulatory grace-note?
I’m afraid I don’t really see much of a problem here, rather
a blessing. Apart from the obvious difficulties of sneaking up on people,
what better way could there be to draw attention to your splendid footwear?
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