A Near All-Purpose Winter Topcoat

[storeynicholas]

MA - Thank you very much and also for the photograph of the Duke's coat. I believe that he had this for a good deal of his adult life; a splendid example. It is a pity that all his clothes were not preserved in a public collection. I know that many were - but there are still the images.
NJS

[Guille]

"the Windsor coat sold at auction in NY" I've seen that photograph several times and I knew it belonged to the duke of Windsor, but I didn't know it was sold at auction. Do we know who was the lucky buyer? (probably some russian billionaire or something).

[le.gentleman]

The picture of this lovely coat is probably from the Sotheby's auction catalogue: http://www.amazon.com/Duke-Duchess-Wind ... 30&sr=8-31
There are a bunch of them left - just search amazon for "Windsor Sotheby's" and you will find them.

A large portion of the Duke's clothes at this auction was sold to Ciro Paone from Kiton! (Apparently a nephew bid for him: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_h ... _n14978571 )

Here you can have a look at the full auction results:
http://www.sothebys.com/liveauctions/sn ... al7000.PDF

@ NJS - great coat!!!

[marcelo]

NJS, this is really a lovely OC. With global climate change, chances there are you can don your OC in Rio de Janeiro one of these days. As the German say: "Abwarten und Tee trinken."

Le Gentleman, thanks for the links. In a private exchange you once called my attention to the aforementioned Sotheby's auction catalogue, and I am quite happy to have acquired the three-volume set a couple of weeks ago. Thanks!

[storeynicholas]

Thank you all for the kind remarks - all tribute to the maker and my good fortune in finding him before he retired. I think that it is a good idea to celebrate our good finds as well as to seek counsel from each other on problems - let us hope that overall we have more to celebrate than to be anxious about!
NJS

[marcelo]

Well, here is my version, for morning, noon and night; in town, over: town lounge suit, morning suit, DJ or tails and it will even go in country towns - however, unlike Churchill's less structured coat earlier in this thread, it would not really pass in the field. I agree with MA that a tough tweed Raglan is the thing for the country. The photograph was taken by Mrs Norman Parkinson (or was it Lady Parkinson?) - anyhow, not by the master photographer. But the coat was made by a master cutter (and his team) - Bill Matthews (retired), formerly of Davies & Son; it is dated 8th September 1998 and is made of a black wool and cashmere mix (weight - forgotten - but heavy enough to make cloakroom attendants / hat check girls wince), lined with black satin; the buttons are black horn; it has fold-back cloth cuffs and 4 cuff buttons (all functioning) and a Persian lamb shawl collar/lapels; there are 2 sloping side pockets and a ticket pocket on the right. When I wear it, I feel as I look - very pleased!! One might wonder why I brought it to Rio de Janeiro, when many more useful clothes are in storage 7,000 miles away. It's because this coat was a childhood dream come true and I didn't want it lost at sea; it fits me; it's very comfortable; I feel comfortable in it and, although the fur might be an unusual feature, these days, the overall design is a timeless classic (it came straight out of Thornton's) and, for me, it is totally irreplaceable. I am sure that it could be remade by another master - but it wouldn't be the same - and it has to see me out:




NJS

Now I suspect I know when you first dreamt of having that coat. With that coat, she should ask him in, says the Esquire writer...



But what gloves with that coat?

[storeynicholas]

Any - chamois; mocha; kid (lavender or cream ) - any others - I've even used black. Best lining (if any), would be imperial blue sable.
NJS.

[RWS]

. . . . Best lining . . . would be imperial blue sable. . . .

Hot -- in more senses than one.

[storeynicholas]

. . . . Best lining . . . would be imperial blue sable. . . .

Hot -- in more senses than one.

Smokin'. But only for Old Britannia - I discovered, yesterday that Britannia has an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography. Probably, any sort of lining would be unnnecessary today. The Duke's coat doesn't look as though it had any. Good story about F E Smith - when he was in office as Lord Chancellor, he was walking along in his fur-lined coat and met a political opponent (socialist) who said that he was visiting a socialist country where it was cold and F E just took his coat off and gave it to him.
NJS

[RWS]

. . . . Britannia has an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.

Astounding! (At least, if in my somnolence I understand this correctly.) I'll have to check . . . no, the DNB's packed.

. . . . Probably, any sort of lining would be unnnecessary today. . . .

Global warming? Still, the thought has its attractions.

I really should read a biography of F.E. -- someday. What little I know of the man is mostly in relation to his more powerful friend.

[storeynicholas]

. . . . Britannia has an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.

Astounding! (At least, if in my somnolence I understand this correctly.) I'll have to check . . . no, the DNB's packed.

. . . . Probably, any sort of lining would be unnnecessary today. . . .

Global warming? Still, the thought has its attractions.

I really should read a biography of F.E. -- someday. What little I know of the man is mostly in relation to his more powerful friend.

Packed eh? So we might be neighbours! My favourite biogs about FE are the one by his son and another by Campbell. The son's book, actually, is very balanced, although it doesn't go into detail about the drinking and the relationship with Mona Dunne.
NJS
NJS

[marcelo]

What is the most conspicuous feature of a Raglan OC? Is it the form of the sleeves, going over the shoulder in one piece? Sherlock Holmes wears what I assume to be one most of the time, and even indoors in The Woman in Green (1945).



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[storeynicholas]

Marcelo - that's my understanding about the Raglan. Interestingly, Basil Rathbone is most closely identified now as the first talkie-film Sherlock Holmes (it is his silhouette at Baker Street station - smoking in the underground ) - but in fact it was Clive Brooke another one of the 'Hollywood Raj' - as Sheridan Morley called the early British in Hollywood - but he returned to the UK with his family, having set the prcedent for Holmes to wear tweeds. Brook is remembered most for his role, opposite Marlene Dietrich, in Shanghai Express - probably the first train suspense-thriller on film. He should be more remembered for Cavalcade which, although largely forgotten now, gave rise later to a host of nostalgic series, such as Upstairs Downstairs.
NJS

[marcelo]

... he returned to the UK with his family, having set the prcedent for Holmes to wear tweeds...

Another film where Mr Rathbone, alias Sherlock Holmes, wears the very same Raglan OC is The Secret Weapon. In this film, he also wears a Norfolk jacket which, for those acquainted with Roetzel’ Der Gentleman, will appear familiar. But, interestingly, though it is clearly the same Norfolk which Mr Rathbone wears in The Secret Weapon, the photo published in Roetzel’ book stems from some other film I am unable to identify. Perhaps these are also films in which the actors themselves were responsible for the wardrobe. And if the garments fit and please their wearer, why to have different ones for different films…?

[storeynicholas]

The Rathbone-Holmes films were, in part, wartime propaganda films - made in America by British actors too old to fight (Nigel Bruce Dr Watson used to go up to young British actors and say "I suppose you'll be going home then" - and offer to pay their passage!) - and I expect that they didn't want to send home an appearance of oppulence and indulgence.
NJS