Dress Right: Military Influences On A Gentleman’s Wardrobe

Some key elements of a gentleman’s wardrobe, especially for the winter months, have their roots in military and naval uniforms. It’s quite a legacy that brings with it several hundred years of fascinating history.

One of the purposes of clothing a body of fighting men in the same manner is to engender a sense of unity, of belonging and of correctness. These are precisely the same qualities that well-dressed men in civilian life, or Civvy Street to use a quaint old English expression, regard as important.

We start our examination of military stylistic influences in the Crimean War of 1853-1856, which was the first major military conflict to be photographed. The astonishing images of pioneering cameramen like Roger Fenton and James Robertson of the troops and the grim conditions in the southern tip of the Crimean peninsula are haunting still.

The commander of the Brigade was Lieutenant-General James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, an aristocrat who is remembered for his arrogance and occasional incompetence as a military leader.

Like many of the career military men in the British Army between the late 17^th and late 19^th centuries he was obsessed with the arcane details of different regiments and he was a notorious stickler for correct and immaculate presentation.

The received wisdom on its origin is that the Earl wore a knitted waistcoat under his tunic in Crimea and, as he was regarded as a brave hero immediately after the charge, the garment became fashionable.

Today the cardigan, knitted in yarns from fine to heavy gauges, is a versatile addition to a practical wardrobe. Fine knitwear can be worn under a jacket in place of a waistcoat. A heavy gauge cardigan can replace a jacket for a smart but casual look.

Given his disability, he found it easier to wear coats in which the sleeve extended in one piece fully to the collar, with a wider armhole than a conventional set-in sleeve. The style might well have been known before he adopted it, but 200 years later we know it as the raglan sleeve and a very comfortable option it is.

Another version of the story of its derivation suggests the construction came about when Raglan had a hole cut in a blanket so he could drape it about him to ward off the Russian cold, but this hard seems in keeping with the correct dress of a British Field Marshal.

Another coat style appreciated by the men fighting in Crimea was the greatcoat, which had its origins in the generously cut coachmen’s coats worn from the 18^th century onwards.

These had, effectively, two layers of cloth: one next to the body and another laid on top, fastened at the edge of the chest to limit the effect of the wind and rain.

Much more commonly seen but with similar roots is the trench coat, which also first came to prominence in The Great War.

All sorts of lightweight fashionable interpretations are available these days, but the originals display the practical requirements of a garment that literally had to serve in terrible conditions as part of a fighting uniform.

Like the British Warm, the trench coat was an optional item of dress in the British Army, bought privately by officers and Warrant Officers Class I, the most senior soldier rank in the British Army.

Classic trench coats have epaulettes, 10 buttons on the DB front, a gun flap at the front shoulder under which the lapel can be buttoned in bad weather, metal D-rings for attaching military tools (some legends claim hand grenades were clipped on here), a deep back yoke or storm shield, welted storm pockets, sleeve straps to close the cuff openings, and a centre pleat.

These practical additions, plus a throat latch to close the gap when the collar was raised and large pockets for map cases, were designed to meet the task in hand.

As officers were expected to buy some of their uniform, many British manufacturers developed their own versions of the trench coat, especially after Burberry began selling its trademarked gabardine cloth to the general market.

Moving from the military to the naval traditions, the British Royal Navy proudly calls itself the Senior Service and with some justification. Although warships had been used by English and Scottish rulers since early medieval times, a national fleet was first organised on the orders of King Henry VIII in 1546.

When the maritime force was formally organised in the year before Henry’s death, it was known as the Navy Royal. The more familiar name was not adopted until after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660.

From this mid-17^th century period and through the 18^th century the British Royal Navy challenged the Dutch and then the French navy for seaborne supremacy. From the mid-1700s until the start of World War II in 1939 the Royal Navy was the most powerful fleet in the world.

Its domination of the waves was instrumental in establishing and defending the worldwide British Empire and such was its influence that many other navies copied its uniform of navy blue and white.

The concept of a common dress code at sea did not exist until 1748 when the first uniform regulations for officers were issued. Some historians suggest that senior naval staff made the request as they wished to be recognised as serving their sovereign, King George II.

Above we see HRH The Princess Royal, in the uniform of an admiral, with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

To the mid-19th century most of the regular seamen wore “slops”, ready-made clothing sold to the ship’s company by a manufacturer. It was not until 1857 that the Admiralty specified the so-called “square rig” uniform for ratings or regular sailors.

Throughout the 19th century, naval (and military) “uniform” was not a strict term or concept. Officers paid for their own uniform and regularly modified it to suit the prevailing civilian fashion of the day. Similarly, captains typically established general standards of appearance for the seamen on their vessel, but there was little or no uniformity between ships. The wearing of tailcoats by officers persisted until the 1880s when a more familiar naval DB jacket became common.

This lack of naval uniformity has contributed to one of the great myths of bespoke tailoring – the origins of the term “blazer”.

In 1987 a flurry of letters on the subject of the origin of the blazer and its name decorated the pages of The Daily Telegraph. Venerable menswear writer John Taylor, who from 1945 until 1970 was a champion of Savile Row and the bespoke craft as editor of the trade paper The Tailor & Cutter, weighed in with his own version of events.

Dismissing all the HMS Blazer connections, in a feature in the trade magazine Men’s Wear he decreed that the original blazer dated from the 1870s and was the vivid scarlet jacket worn solely by members of the Lady Margaret Boat Club of St John’s College at Cambridge University.

The club exists today and its website states the first use of the word “blazer” to describe its jackets appeared in the London Daily News of 22 August 1889.

Today in the UK the annual Henley Royal Regatta, the festival of rowing on the River Thames and one of the highlights of the Summer Season, is the best place to see blazing blazers in their splendid glory.

How many of those wearing them, however, believe they have a naval heritage?

The book was published as an inexpensive paperback in 1964 and republished in hardback by the V&A in 2007.

He added the habit of wearing a DB navy blue blazer as an alternative to a tweed sports jacket (too informal) and a dark suit (too formal) “was almost certainly started by army officers who were able to use regimental buttons instead of plain brass.”

Back on the briny, the double-breasted jackets worn as Royal Navy uniforms in the later Victorian era were “borrowed” by the sporty Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who was a keen sailor.

As we noted in a previous feature on our journal, Teddy was probably the most successful style setter of all the British royals and the navy blue jacket he wore when racing his yachts is another link with the modern blazer.

It is worth noting here that the 8-button jacket worn in the Royal Navy is the only double-breasted uniform jacket in the British services.

One garment with a definite naval link, somewhat heavier than a blazer, is the reefer jacket or peacoat.

A sturdy jacket to keep out the cold was much appreciated by seamen carrying out this demanding task. Classically it has two handwarmer pockets formed from vertical slits on each side.

These days the style is still popular but modern weaving techniques means the cloth is much lighter while still being warm and durable.

As one of The Daily Telegraph correspondents confidently stateds in the 1987 Letters Page debate: “A dark blue double-breasted coat is a reefer jacket, a reefer jacket with stripes is a boating jacket, and reefer jacket ‘blazoned’ with a badge is a blazer.”

At Dege & Skinner we are more easy-going about terminology, but we are able to make all these versions to a client’s specifications.

With its hood able to fit over a Navy cap and the toggles fairly easy to undo even when wearing thick gloves, the duffle, with its deep patch pockets without flaps, was ideal for long voyages in frozen conditions.

Above image of a 1943 short duffel from Vintage Menswear (2012) by Douglas Gunn, Roy Luckett & Josh Sims.

Ironically they became something of a uniform for campaigners against nuclear weapons and military aggression in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

These days the duffle, in lighter, softer modern cloths, makes regular returns as a fashion trend and most people are unaware of its origins on the icy high seas.

Back on dry land, the first incarnation of a British Army, that is a single force under a national command, is usually considered to be the New Model Army formed by Oliver Cromwell to defeat King Charles I and his Royalist troops in the English Civil War from 1642 to 1651.

Although the Roundheads are generally regarded as wearing buff-coloured coats, there was not a uniform as we understand it today. Red and blue were the cheapest and most widely used dyes at this time and both sides wore similar clothes. Buff coats were probably undyed. Officers wore whatever they liked.

Across Europe in the late 17^th century monarchs began to bring some sort of order to the warlike groups that had previously formed military bodies, which often owed allegiance to a local aristocrat, not the central crown.

Uniforms, supplied by the monarch, marked down the soldiers as “their” men, just as their servants wore livery uniforms. Wearing the same outfits helped create an esprit de corps among the troops, gave them something to be proud about, and brought a sense of discipline to the often rowdy fighters.

Order among soldiers, it was noted, won battles and wars.

Alliances bringing together different nations and the widespread use of foreign mercenary troops made for some interesting exchanges of stylistic ideas.

During the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648 French troops encountered light cavalry mercenaries from Croatia who served the Habsburgs. As part of their outfit, the Croats wore neck scarves, possibly for identification purposes.

We continue to sell silk cravats as part of our ready-to-wear and accessories collection.

By the late 1700s military uniforms across Europe – all made by hand at the time of course – had evolved to accentuate a masculine ideal of a warrior, which meant wide shoulders, a deep chest, a small waist and long legs were the desired qualities. That is pretty much a desired look today too.

The stories behind modern menswear never fail to fascinate.

Author: Eric Musgrave