Which items of vintage clothing would you never wear? And why?

[Mario]

Ah ys. Plus fours. I wasn't sure about them either but I will get some made soon. Marcs amazing country suit made me want them. The FL is too much "inspiration" It will ruin me one day.

I agree that SOME can pull off that look but I certainly wouldn't even want to try it. I'd be walking along bent over to keep gawking at those things. Plus-fours are definitely not for me.

[Chasseur]

I think for plus fours to work you also need context. I wear them quite often for out door activities (shooting, hunting, etc.) in Europe and they are fine. Wearing them in town, well its harder to pull them off successfully. I've had some interesting experiences in Parisian cafes getting a late dinner or drink after a day of shooting. One waitress was sure that my plus fours were part of my "traditional native dress in Alaska." Similar with trying to wear a seersucker suit and a panama hat in cold northern city in the winter or fall.

[MikeBravo]

I believe it was commisioned for Mr Coke. He was the customer whereas the Bowler Brothers (of Lock's) designed and made the hat.

An excerpt from a recently borrowed book "Fifty hats that changed the world" by the Design Museum, London

The bowler was designed by London hatters Thomas and William Bowler for the famous London hat shop James Lock & Co. The hat had been commissioned from the shop by English aristocrat, Edward Coke, for use by his gamekeepers, who needed a hard hat to protect them from overhead branches while riding.

[MikeBravo]

There are a few famous bowler hat wearers

John Steed


Sally Bowles


Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp


Rene Magritte's Son of Man

[Mario]

One waitress was sure that my plus fours were part of my "traditional native dress in Alaska."

Now that one made me smile. I thought the traditional Alaskan garb was a blue or red lumberjack shirt...

Similar with trying to wear a seersucker suit and a panama hat in cold northern city in the winter or fall.

*shudder* I have an old 1950's Seersucker suit from Haspel's and I certainly wouldn't want to wear it in a cold Berlin winter...

[Chasseur]

I thought the traditional Alaskan garb was a blue or red lumberjack shirt...

Yes! Matched with either Sorels or Xtra tuff boots!





I've also been asked if I was Austrian by Parisian waitresses in my plus fours, I guess as a type of baggy tweed lederhosen.

But really if you wear plus fours out in the countryside with a bunch of other guys in tweed, loden, barbor style waxed cotten jackets, etc. they are fine. Running about in town, hmm... much less comfortable...

[Mario]

I've also been asked if I was Austrian by Parisian waitresses in my plus fours, I guess as a type of baggy tweed lederhosen.

To the untrained eye it sure looks all the same...

[Chasseur]

Yup.

[old barnacle]

Anything Regency, it makes you look like a penguin !

[Peregrine]

Ah now, John Steed...had the bowler not been invented, he would have invented it himself. Patrick Macnee has been in a gazillion things over the years, but I can only ever picture him in a bowler...