Question @Horselesscarriage..re: clothing

Rocacha was the name of my London tailor, his name was actually Rob Crossley, he made many a suit for musicians and celebrities.
Click on this link, and scroll down to the last but one photo to see me.

It's rare that I get back to London these days, looking around locally, local being on the edge of The New Forest on the border where Hampshire and Dorset meet, I came across, by luck, a tailor that I knew from the days of living on the outskirts of East London, one, John Parrett, who trades as Fox Tailoring. John has made a number of items for me and has asked if he can post the blazers on his website. A professional photographer is going to be commissioned to take the photos.
Green blazer grey hat and trousers 003 - Copy.JPGBlue blazer 001 - Copy.JPG
These are the two blazers to be photographed.

Holly might be referring to the lady in my life, my wife. What a talent she is in front of a sewing machine. She has made countless things for me, like a colourful collection of Hawaiian Aloha shirts. She's made my baggy trousers, my waistcoats/vests and much, much more.
 
Going back to my talented wife's skill. The blazer below she came across at one of the events we enjoy going to. There are many traders at these events, one such trader I have dealt with previously, I feel that I can trust him. When I tried the blazer on I found it a tad tight but my wife said that it was a fit all round and, being double breasted, she would be able to reposition the buttons to make it fit with comfort and ease. So it was that it became part of my wardrobe.

Back home my lady gave the jacket a closer inspection and told me that it had been hand made by a very skilled artisan. Later I took it to the tailor who made my latest blazers, he concurred with my wife's opinion that it had been made to measure and had probably cost many hundreds of pounds.

What to wear with this made to measure blazer? First up my lady made similar coloured trousers in the baggy style that would have been the fashion back in the blazer's day: Seeing the jacket with the trousers created a problem.
Blazers 005.JPGmaroon blazer grey baggies 006.JPGmaroon blazer grey baggies 007.JPG
The blazer has enjoyed a life, dry cleaning has given it a lift but next to the new trousers it does look old. My talented lady then came up with a plan "B." She suggested a contrasting colour, and not something like cream that would emphasise the blazer's age but a dark, yet pleasing contrast. She went for grey and made me a full outfit in that said grey. How I loved her handiwork, the result gets many a compliment. The burgundy trousers, being made of a lighter fabric, is perfect for wearing with a Hawaiian Aloha shirt, which of course the lady also made. How fortunate am I?
maroon baggies 005.JPG
 
horseless carriage said:
Going back to my talented wife's skill. The blazer below she came across at one of the events we enjoy going to. There are many traders at these events, one such trader I have dealt with previously, I feel that I can trust him. When I tried the blazer on I found it a tad tight but my wife said that it was a fit all round and, being double breasted, she would be able to reposition the buttons to make it fit with comfort and ease. So it was that it became part of my wardrobe.

Back home my lady gave the jacket a closer inspection and told me that it had been hand made by a very skilled artisan. Later I took it to the tailor who made my latest blazers, he concurred with my wife's opinion that it had been made to measure and had probably cost many hundreds of pounds.

What to wear with this made to measure blazer? First up my lady made similar coloured trousers in the baggy style that would have been the fashion back in the blazer's day: Seeing the jacket with the trousers created a problem.
View attachment 274095View attachment 274093View attachment 274094
The blazer has enjoyed a life, dry cleaning has given it a lift but next to the new trousers it does look old. My talented lady then came up with a plan "B." She suggested a contrasting colour, and not something like cream that would emphasise the blazer's age but a dark, yet pleasing contrast. She went for grey and made me a full outfit in that said grey. How I loved her handiwork, the result gets many a compliment. The burgundy trousers, being made of a lighter fabric, is perfect for wearing with a Hawaiian Aloha shirt, which of course the lady also made. How fortunate am I?
View attachment 274108
Click to expand...
How fortunate are you?>. very fortunate indeed... Mrs HC.. is a lady of immense talent..(y)
 
Jules said:
@horseless carriage Please tell us about your closet(s) and storage system for your wardrobe. By colour, by season? Even share a photo, if you feel like it. Do you plan ahead what you’ll wear to work or just get up and become inspired.
Click to expand...
My working life, after graduating, was as a manager in the distribution industry. Being in charge carried responsibility and a suit and tie emphasised that. My suits were always conservative, dark and presentable. Every year I bought a couple of new suits in the sales.

In my own time, that's free time away from work, I have always had a love of dance and love of the fashions of the early part of the twentieth century. Both those activities went well together, that's how I came to love the iconic fashions that were worn back in the day.

Let me give you an example. Back in the 1920's Douglas Fairbanks Jnr., was Hollywood Royalty.
SJC-shoes - Copy.jpgshoe-7 - Copy.jpg
Here he is with fellow star, Mary Pickford. What do you think of his shoes? I loved them, got to have those shoes. So many ask, "where did you get your shoes?"
Wide bottom trousers were very popular back then. Here's a picture of a young Marlon Brando wearing such a style.
Had to have those too, fortunately my talented lady had just the pattern.
brando.jpgblazer3 - Copy.jpg
I won't swamp the thread with long lists, there's lots that I can add later. Not just what's in my wardrobe either. I have vintage phones, a vintage car, an original jukebox and similar technology of yesteryear. Please comment and tell me what you think, I shall add to this thread regularly if members are interested.
 
horseless carriage said:
My working life, after graduating, was as a manager in the distribution industry. Being in charge carried responsibility and a suit and tie emphasised that. My suits were always conservative, dark and presentable. Every year I bought a couple of new suits in the sales.

In my own time, that's free time away from work, I have always had a love of dance and love of the fashions of the early part of the twentieth century. Both those activities went well together, that's how I came to love the iconic fashions that were worn back in the day.

Let me give you an example. Back in the 1920's Douglas Fairbanks Jnr., was Hollywood Royalty.
View attachment 274433View attachment 274437
Here he is with fellow star, Mary Pickford. What do you think of his shoes? I loved them, got to have those shoes. So many ask, "where did you get your shoes?"
Wide bottom trousers were very popular back then. Here's a picture of a young Marlon Brando wearing such a style.
Had to have those too, fortunately my talented lady had just the pattern.
View attachment 274442View attachment 274448
I won't swamp the thread with long lists, there's lots that I can add later. Not just what's in my wardrobe either. I have vintage phones, a vintage car, an original jukebox and similar technology of yesteryear. Please comment and tell me what you think, I shall add to this thread regularly if members are interested.
Click to expand...
@horseless carriage Feel free to add all you like! It's very interesting and uplifting for us!
 
Jules said:
Keep adding, HC.

Do you ever wear jeans or chinos for work around the home?
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This might sound somewhat snobbish, I'm not a fan of denim. Please don't take that as a criticism of what others might wear. Each to their own. The kind of trousers that I wear around the house are hand made by my talented lady, usually with a floral shirt that she also made. Here's a few of them.
suit16.JPGBlue trousers 004 - Copy.JPGbeige baggies 002.JPGCream baggies 002.JPG
 
horseless carriage said:
This might sound somewhat snobbish, I'm not a fan of denim. Please don't take that as a criticism of what others might wear. Each to their own. The kind of trousers that I wear around the house are hand made by my talented lady, usually with a floral shirt that she also made. Here's a few of them.
View attachment 274461View attachment 274462View attachment 274468View attachment 274476
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I never wear jeans. I prefer more comfortable pants and clothes. Yours in the pictures look very nice and stylish.
 
Dressing the part is double the fun when your other half is just as enthusiastic. My lady and I get out and about together. Here's a few photos of what we get up to.
Just before lockdown we went to a wedding, it was a secular celebration and second time round for both bride & groom. The bride, a dear friend who was a singer in a band. The bride had asked guests to dress in style for their Hawaiian themed wedding. What an opportunity:
wedding - Copy.jpg
Back in the 1960's much of the UK railway branch lines that connected communities to the main line were closed down. Around the country, enthusiasts took over some of those little railway lines and restored them. Today they are known as heritage railways. They put on special occasions like this one, where we are photographed in Devon. Delighted to be photobombed by Hercules, who, that day, was giving children joy rides as: Thomas the Tank engine.
suit26 - Copy.JPG
Our little car is an MG Y-Type model. Originally I wanted an MG sports car, the type that you see a Spitfire pilot driving in a British made war movie. My lady wasn't against the idea but she pointed out that dust & pollen and open top cars are not good for her asthma. That's why we bought the MG that we have. In the UK it's known as a saloon, elsewhere the term sedan describes it. What fun it is.
MG Day 2022 - Copy (2).JPGsuit24 - Copy.JPG
Look at map of Southern England, look specifically in between the communities of Southampton, Salisbury and Ringwood. That is the area where you will find the New Forest. We live right on the edge of it. It's a great location, we can just as easily enjoy walks in the forest, or, get in the car and be down to the sea front within half an hour. Something that we do often when the sun has got his hat on.
suit32 - Copy.JPG
Do you like our mode of dress? All down to the skill of my treasured lady.
 
Blue &white blazer 007.JPG
In my photos you see me wearing a tie, sometimes it's a bow tie, I wear cravats too. What I don't wear is a shirt with the neck open like the one in this photo. That's not to say that I don't wear open neck shirts, far from it.

Going back to the photo, do you like the blazer? I love it, in fact I bought one like it in my size. The lapel on this blazer is slimmer than most of my other ones but the slimmer lapel suits the stripes of the fabric. That is how I like to wear open neck shirts. Ones that have been designed that way. Let me give you some examples.
Shirts 001 - Copy.JPGShirts 003 - Copy.JPGShirts 004 - Copy.JPGShirts 005 - Copy.JPG
The appearance of these shirts is created by the lady that made them. Look closely, see how the pattern matches up where it's buttoned and if you look closer still you might just make out the breast pocket. It's on the left, that's the right hand side as you look at the photo.
In my next post I will show you how I present that striped blazer.
 
horseless carriage said:
My working life, after graduating, was as a manager in the distribution industry. Being in charge carried responsibility and a suit and tie emphasised that. My suits were always conservative, dark and presentable. Every year I bought a couple of new suits in the sales.

In my own time, that's free time away from work, I have always had a love of dance and love of the fashions of the early part of the twentieth century. Both those activities went well together, that's how I came to love the iconic fashions that were worn back in the day.

Let me give you an example. Back in the 1920's Douglas Fairbanks Jnr., was Hollywood Royalty.
View attachment 274433View attachment 274437
Here he is with fellow star, Mary Pickford. What do you think of his shoes? I loved them, got to have those shoes. So many ask, "where did you get your shoes?"
Wide bottom trousers were very popular back then. Here's a picture of a young Marlon Brando wearing such a style.
Had to have those too, fortunately my talented lady had just the pattern.
View attachment 274442View attachment 274448
I won't swamp the thread with long lists, there's lots that I can add later. Not just what's in my wardrobe either. I have vintage phones, a vintage car, an original jukebox and similar technology of yesteryear. Please comment and tell me what you think, I shall add to this thread regularly if members are interested.
Click to expand...
@horseless carriage What music do you have in the jukebox?
 


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