The internet is full of photos of mid-century Americans in Brooks Brothers and sprezzed-out Italians, but what about the British? No Man Walks Alone writer William Phips had a nice post yesterday about the various ways you can wear a tweed sport coat. Included was something he called the “Old British Dude” look, where a tweed jacket is combined with a soft Viyella shirt, pair of whipcord trousers, and wool tie. A woven silk tie with dogs or pheasants would also do, he suggests, as old British dudes apparently love their hunting-themed accessories. “Before moving to England, I wasn’t sure anyone really dressed like this, but British country look is indeed alive and well,” he writes.
The post reminded me of this photo series by Allen Warren, an English photographer known for his portraits of people in high society. In the early 1980s, he photographed a bunch of non-royal and royal dukes, some of which he later published in his book The Dukes of Britain. The English peerage system was on a “slow boat to extinction,” he thought, so he worked on documenting the disappearing class.
The men photographed weren’t exactly sporting the kind of Cordings style that Phips describes, but they perhaps embody the Old British Dude look more than anyone. Most are wearing conservative, structured suits (most likely made on Savile Row), although there’s a bit of British eccentricity here and there – the occasional pair of green cords, yellow socks, or colorful neckerchief. Also, did the 10th Duke of Northumberland seriously just use his tie as an ascot and stick a tie-clip at the top? That might the most sprezzy thing I’ve ever seen.
In a recent article about Prince Charles, Patrick Grant noted that that Kings of England and Princes of Wales have always been style ambassadors for the UK, helping spread a certain British look around the world (well, that and imperialism helped, I’m sure). Those days are obviously long gone. Fashion has become a lot more democratized since the end of the Second World War, and people take their style inspiration from more than just members of high society. I think that’s a good thing, although there’s also something awesome about that Old British Dude look that I hope never goes away.
