JanSolo
Practically Family
- Messages
- 879
- Location
- Ever so sunny Westphalia, Germany
Hello everybody,
today I'd like to post a quick pictorial review of a recent acquisition. It's a Steve-McQueen-type cardigan with a thick shawl collar made from heavy 3-ply cashmere.
Originally a classic piece of knitwear that has been in production for ages, this type of cardigan has become quite popular during the last couple of years. Some fans call it the "Big Sur Cardigan"due to the location in northern California were many photos of McQueen were taken. It was extensivly shown in William Claxton's book "Steve McQueen" which is an absolute treasure trove in terms of classic casual menswear.
Here's the original which is presumably made from lambswool:
One more in b/w with William Claxton:
McQueen had an incredible timeless taste and you'll find many, many design classics in this book ranging from crepe soled Clarks shoes to heavy welted motorcycle boots, from slim fitting poloshirts to Baracuta jackets, not to speak of Lee and Wrangler jeans, chinos and tons of knitwear. In fact this book might have even inspired recent Hollywood costume designers.
Brad Pitt in "The curious case of Benjamin Button":
The cardigan: It's made from really heavy 3-ply cashmere in the correct shade which is sort of a greyish blue-green. White calls it 'slate grey'.
The sleeves are not set-in (McQueen's cardigan) but the jacket is fully fashioned with saddle shoulders.
The jacket is fitted with five leather wrapped football-type buttons and two smaller buttons to close the jacket up to the neck if you need to.
As you can see the label says "Lochcarron Cashmere". Lochcarron (yes, the company that makes the tartans that are used in Aero jackets) is the parent company of White's of Hawick.
The overall quality of this piece of garment is superb but I expected nothing less from a piece of knitwear that was manufactured in the Scottish borders. The cashmere wool is extraordinary soft but the jacket is very densely knitted. Therefore it's also surprisingly heavy and you can tell that there is a lot of wool in it. The size tag says "L" but due to the tight knit the jacket fits like a medium.
Note the separate knitted pocket bags. The pockets appear to be patch pockets but they are set-in.
Me, knitwear, tree (as usual). What do you think?
The cardigan was bought from this place:
http://www.whiteofhawick.co.uk/categories/Mens-Knitwear/
Their page is quite generic so it's best to give them a call to check what they have in stock.
I've talked to Margaret and some other girls who work there and our conversations over the phone have been a very pleasant experience for me! They really take their time to make sure you get what you want. They even measured a number of sweaters for me whilst we were speaking over the phone. I've also bought a couple of lambswool items from them and the quality is also incredibly good.
today I'd like to post a quick pictorial review of a recent acquisition. It's a Steve-McQueen-type cardigan with a thick shawl collar made from heavy 3-ply cashmere.
Originally a classic piece of knitwear that has been in production for ages, this type of cardigan has become quite popular during the last couple of years. Some fans call it the "Big Sur Cardigan"due to the location in northern California were many photos of McQueen were taken. It was extensivly shown in William Claxton's book "Steve McQueen" which is an absolute treasure trove in terms of classic casual menswear.
Here's the original which is presumably made from lambswool:
One more in b/w with William Claxton:
McQueen had an incredible timeless taste and you'll find many, many design classics in this book ranging from crepe soled Clarks shoes to heavy welted motorcycle boots, from slim fitting poloshirts to Baracuta jackets, not to speak of Lee and Wrangler jeans, chinos and tons of knitwear. In fact this book might have even inspired recent Hollywood costume designers.
Brad Pitt in "The curious case of Benjamin Button":
The cardigan: It's made from really heavy 3-ply cashmere in the correct shade which is sort of a greyish blue-green. White calls it 'slate grey'.
The sleeves are not set-in (McQueen's cardigan) but the jacket is fully fashioned with saddle shoulders.
The jacket is fitted with five leather wrapped football-type buttons and two smaller buttons to close the jacket up to the neck if you need to.
As you can see the label says "Lochcarron Cashmere". Lochcarron (yes, the company that makes the tartans that are used in Aero jackets) is the parent company of White's of Hawick.
The overall quality of this piece of garment is superb but I expected nothing less from a piece of knitwear that was manufactured in the Scottish borders. The cashmere wool is extraordinary soft but the jacket is very densely knitted. Therefore it's also surprisingly heavy and you can tell that there is a lot of wool in it. The size tag says "L" but due to the tight knit the jacket fits like a medium.
Note the separate knitted pocket bags. The pockets appear to be patch pockets but they are set-in.
Me, knitwear, tree (as usual). What do you think?
The cardigan was bought from this place:
http://www.whiteofhawick.co.uk/categories/Mens-Knitwear/
Their page is quite generic so it's best to give them a call to check what they have in stock.
I've talked to Margaret and some other girls who work there and our conversations over the phone have been a very pleasant experience for me! They really take their time to make sure you get what you want. They even measured a number of sweaters for me whilst we were speaking over the phone. I've also bought a couple of lambswool items from them and the quality is also incredibly good.
) I still kick myself for not getting one in green and yellow too. 
