Anyone who has walked in England's beautiful Lake District will know Alfred Wainwright's beautifully-produced guides. The early editions contained not one letter of print, even the prices were handwritten by AW.
Fell walkers of his generation would wear tweed and carry a cotton mac in case of wind and rain. Here AW has sketched himself on Lanthwaite Hill, overlooking Crummock Water, wearing his trusty Harris tweed jacket (carefully labelled as such). Naturally he has a pipe clamped firmly in his jaw.
Tweed can be worn in all weathers; it's warm, breathable, shower-proof, robust and you don't rustle like a paper bag. Properly layered., it can be used on most (cooler) days in the UK.
[Post edited to add a bottle of Thwaites Wainwright beer].
Italian men would sell their mothers to achieve this level of genuine sprezzatura:
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Love it. I'm a Canadian woman, living way on the west coast with its raining but mild climate and I'm a tweed lover. Though everyone else wears it here, I will NOT wear gortex! A London Fog raincoat, yes, but not Gortex.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the lake district, but there's a kinship:
http://www.sublimemercies.com/2013/01/the-beauty-in-getting-older.html?utm_source=BP_recent
Me doing my very best tweedy librarian (when, in fact, I'm a tweedy college English instructor): http://www.sublimemercies.com/2013/01/tweedy-sexy-librarian.html?utm_source=BP_recent
Thanks. The books are beautiful, and Wainwright's kit is very dapper indeed, and not a poly-fleece in sight.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what's going on with his tie knot, but kudos to him for wearing one half-way up a fell!
Even if you're not a hill walker, it's worth reading Wainwright's books, they're magical.
ReplyDeleteRegards
David
Thank you Charlotte, Nick and David. Lovely images, Charlotte, you're very lucky. Yes, the books are masterpieces in themselves and will be classics for a long time.
ReplyDeleteGF.
Roll over castiglione. Great post
ReplyDelete