Bloody Red

[Guest]

What is it with the British and the color red?!

Recently, visiting London for the day and trying to ease into the morning with breakfast at the Wolseley, I was accosted by the most ungodly sight of bright bloody red accessories adorning several otherwise properly dressed gentlemen.

One wore scarlet socks with a staid navy business suit, another bespoke fire engine red lining on his dark coat, yet another pulled out a garish red bandana-like handkerchief from his trouser pocket and proceeded to loudly and happily blow his nose.

I didn't dare study the room further for fear of what I might encounter, so proceeded to finish my coffee post haste and make a hurried exist onto Piccadilly.

Have the British truly gone mad and abandoned all good taste?

Or is this use of the color red a quaint British eccentricity?

[Guest]

The red socks are certainly a quaint English thing. Loud linings were "in" about 8 or so years ago.

[Guest]

I must say, I don't see anything wrong with red socks, loud linings, or red handkerchiefs, old chap.

[Guest]

The use of colour in socks, trousers and lining you describe is not only typically English, it is also considered fashionable in certain circles. There are rather fine nuances that allow the expert to distinguish between raffish and sophisticated. However, it is a style that sometimes causes consternation in more monochromatic cultures.

[Guest]

Red socks are rather snazzy and were quite acceptable until that arse (pardon the term) Meyer, former British ambassador to the US, revealed his fondness for them.

Bright red lining has always been in dubious taste, more common to the 90's influx into the City, our financial district.

[Guest]

To my mind, red is a very paradoxical colour to splash around - it is redolent of conservative rebellion.

On the one hand it is striking, but on the other quite safe, masculine and martial.

Were they truly hoping for flamboyance, a pochette of orange, pink or green might do the trick. Red is too safe.

[Guest]

After viewing the "Anglomania" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum it seems that red has always had a presence in English mens clothing.

The exhibit's entrance features a red suit of the 18th century (knee britches, wig, and gold buttons).

Fox hunting suits have red coats. The same for hunt ball formal dress. Ditto for some regimental dress uniforms. The guards at Buckingham Palace wear red coats. The British soldiers of the 18th century wore red coats and were easy targets for American revolutionaries. (Remember, "the red coats are coming, the red coats are coming!")

In regular city/business suits, red is present as an accent color in either accessories or the coat lining. Some of the punk/contemporary clothes feature much red, such as an orange red suit by Oswald Boateang.

[Guest]

I agree that bright red is an abomination, a failure of imagination.

Any unimaginative fool can be duped into believing that he is making a subversive statement by wearing red with an otherwise conservative, proper suit.

What possible statement can a 'suit' be making when he wears red?; that he is really a free spirit, super guy and not a corporate lackey, pay no attention to his navy suit and staid profession!

Tsk. Tsk.

I would say that if the Briton truly wishes to communicate that he is bold, imaginative and his own man via his red socks, than better make the statement through the considered , sophisticated use of odd coat and trousers and a dazzling interplay of color, pattern and texture ala the Italians.

I'm afraid that red is such a blunt and blatant color which shouts one's pretense, or aspiration to be a dandy, but lacking the skills and education.

[Guest]

The Brits and red. I picked up a pair of cordoury trousers from Roderick Charles in the most vibrant shade of red - red enough to make my wife's eye slightly twitch when she saw them. (Just kidding but you know what I mean)

DDM

[Guest]

Well, what passes muster in London on a weekend can cause diplomatic incidents elsewhere.

I recall coming off a plane in Germany, having dressed as I would for the weekend: yellow moleskins, green bengal striped shirt, DB navy blazer, dark brown suede loafers and mauve socks. I know, a bit garrish, but it is actually the elaborate mismatch that makes this look work. Fine in Chelsea, but not in Germany. The aged relatives bundled me off into the car and I was told to change immediately into something less blinding when reaching home.

[Guest]

Well, what passes muster in London on a weekend can cause diplomatic incidents elsewhere.
.

True enough, it is easier to be a peacock when others are strutting around, but hold your ground. Those corn-yellow moleskins are a wonderful trouser, don;t let anyone dissuade you from wearing them.

Back to the subject of red - it should be noted that Brits almost NEVER wear red ties, leaving them to the identi-kit of American businessmen and politians. I did a couple of years in graduate school at Jesus Col, Camb and the tie is a marvelous scarlet and black striped affair, but that is a tie with "red" in it rather than a red tie.

DDM

[Guest]

Britons certainly do wear red ties and I have no quibble with that. They do so with much panache and forethought.

And I also agree that the abysmal habit of American politicians to wear a bright red tie, I suppose to stand out in a photo opportunity, is sartorial ignominy, particularly as they do it with so little style as to insult a perfectly good red tie.

Politicians generally dress poorly. See Manton's Machivellian explanation of why.

If you ask a good tailor who his clients are, the number of politicians will figure very low in the mix. Italian tailors insult politicians, if not for their politics, then for their lack of sartorial style and taste.

But red, or pink or kelly green socks, apropos of nothing worn elsewhere on one's outfit, is inelegant.

I did this for a short time but could not abide the discordant appearance. Nor could I take myself seriously, wearing red, anywhere outside of London; can you imagine wearing red socks or flashing bright red lining in NYC or Milan?! I think not.

So I switched to more subtle colors in socks, still interesting, but more tasteful. Coat linings always relate to the coat cloth. And my personal handkerchief is always white.

Why not keep it clean, simple and elegant and disregard this bit of British style.

[Guest]

I'm sorry, but you all have it wrong. There is a very distinct reason that the Brits wear red a great deal and it has nothing to do with fasshion and everything to do with valor and honor.

As you are all aware, the Brits are a proud race of people with a sense of style of manner seen very rarely about the world. THey have always been a war-faring country. So it is quite obvious that the Brits wear red so that, when wounded by musket fire or sword and their blood is freely flowing, they can soldier on without letting others know of their injuries and without (and this is most important) letting their side down. Better to die with your head held high fighting to the last than to allow a little thing like the loss of blood stop them.

So, as you can see, it's valor and honor and tradition that still sees the Brits wearing red..

[Guest]

This is an interesting explanation though quite doubtful.

Is there some reference in the literature to support this explanation?


Certainly the British are warfaring and valorous and if this explanation is indeed a valid interpretation of the modern usage of red among quite a few well dressed gentlemen, it would be very interesting indeed.

[Guest]

So it is quite obvious that the Brits wear red so that, when wounded by musket fire or sword and their blood is freely flowing, they can soldier on without letting others know of their injuries and without (and this is most important) letting their side down. Better to die with your head held high fighting to the last than to allow a little thing like the loss of blood stop them.

I'm not British, but I have spent some time studying military uniforms; and one thing that should be pointed out is that not all Brits wore red. It was traditionally the color of the infantry and heavy cavalry, but the Royal Artillery has worn blue since the 18th century. Blue also appears in the light cavalry and sometimes in the Engineers. Green was worn by Rangers, riflemen and some American loyalists during the Revolution.

I think more likely explanations for the traditional red are the relative cheapness of madder dye, and that red and blue are the traditional royal livery colors of England.