Celebrating 175 Years of Understated British Style
Transcription
Celebrating 175 Years of Understated British Style
DISTRIBUTED to DASHING COUNTRYMEN Foreword by Eric Clapton Celebrating 175 Years of Understated British Style www.cordings.co.uk ‘Boot room circa 1900’ ‘Upstairs circa 1900’ W elcome to the Cordings 175th Anniversary Journal – a newspaper bringing together all that is great about Cordings. The answer to what makes us unique is right here. Over the ten years that Eric Clapton and I have been involved with Cordings there have been two distinct threads. Firstly, our customers from across the world have supported and encouraged our continuing pursuit of providing quality cloth in well made garments. Secondly, there has been huge change in how we service your needs with our very active website. This is a perfect example of how Cordings has retained its heritage but remained contemporary in a modern world as we enter our 175th year. ‘Cordings circa 1900’ We look forward to welcoming you to our store in Piccadilly or online at www.cordings.co.uk. We have also recently opened an outlet in Harrogate at Orvis whom we are very proud to be associated with, so please pop in if you are in the area. Buying quality clothing is a big decision and you need to be sure you are choosing the right style and fit, so please let us help you make these important choices. Best Regards Noll Uloth Managing Director and Joint Proprietor Cordings Flagship Store 19 Piccadilly, London W1J 0LA Cordings at Orvis 21-22 West Park, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 1BJ 2 www.cordings.co.uk Clapton on Cordings Foreword by Eric Clapton Joint Proprietor When I first became involved with Cordings it was for my personal benefit. However, I very quickly realised that you are all extremely passionate about this fine shop and that I am the custodian rather than owner of Cordings. Its 175 year journey has made it one of London’s oldest and best stores. I’m extremely proud to be involved with Cordings and I thank you for all your support over the past ten years. I hope you continue to shop here in the future and enjoy the experience as much as I do. Happy Shopping Eric Clapton CBE 3 The Cordings Covert Coat T his is the original covert coat, often copied but never bettered. It is made by Cordings from exclusive cloth woven in the West Country by the famous Fox Brothers mill. It was here that the cloth for the first Covert Coat was woven over a century ago. A classic since its creation, it is crafted for style, quality and comfort to enable the wearer to go from country to town and back again on almost any occasion. The famous fawn Cordings Covert twill cloth was originally designed so that horse hair does not show up on it. The hallmark ‘lines’ on the cuffs and the hem hail from the coats hunting heritage. A new stitch line was added by the tailor each time the coat was damaged in the chase. Young thrusters wore these lines as a mark of their derring do over the fences. The famous Fox Cool under the Collar Earning your Stripes The V&A museum recognise that Cordings are the originators of the Covert Coat as the one that they display has Cordings on the label. Regarded as the mark of a true country gentleman it is favoured by royalty and rock stars alike. It personifies classic simplicity and effortless style and is still the world’s favourite Covert Coat. The Tailor “Cordings make the best Covert Coats. When I need a Covert Coat I get it from Cordings rather than make one myself and I’m a tailor so I should know! Cordings are without doubt, the best at what they do; they produce a quality which surpasses any other company of its kind in Britain.” Covert Coat OV070-ALLXX £445 Mark Powell, Tailor The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News August 1905 4 The one and only Cordings Covert Coat at www.cordings.co.uk The Cordings Mackintosh Hand made since 1843 W aterproofers to the King is the headline in a Cordings advertisement in 1916 referring to “nautical and sporting waterproofers and tailors”, and lists such items as “the new dreadnought coat – warranted to resist the effects of any climate” and “sheet India rubber fishing boots”. Cordings were one of the first to recognise the weatherproof advantages of rubberised cotton. They joined forces with Charles Mackintosh and Thomas Hancock who had patented the ‘vulcanisation’ process in Scotland. The famous Cordings Mackintosh was born. We are proud that the partnership flourishes to this day. The Thomas Hancock company still produces the Cordings raincoat with its dashing yellow lining, checked shoulder lining and the leg straps that in days gone by stopped the wind blowing your coat off your knees and getting wet when riding in a howling gale. The same techniques are still employed today in the Hancock factory. Each Cordings Mackintosh is hand cut with tailoring shears, its seams are smeared with glue by a skilled index finger, the seams are hand rolled with tapes of vulcanised cotton and rubber. Fit for a King indeed. Punch Magazine 27th September 1916 Hampton Mackintosh MK033-Khaki £595 “I want you to be around for ever.” Erik Anders Oslo Norway 2013 See the video of your Mackintosh being made at www.cordings.co.uk 5 Yellow Tattersall SH184-YELXX £65 Olive Tattersall SH186-GRNOL £65 Yellow Navy Tattersall SH189-YELXX £65 Green Purple Tattersall SH184-GRNPL £65 Rust Puppy Tooth SH256-RUST £65 Brown Green Tattersall SH182-BRNGN £65 Blue Pink Tattersall SH185-BLUPK £65 6 ....the going will always be good to soft in a Cordings Tattersall Shirt, put your money on one today. Visit www.cordings.co.uk to see more of our shirt collection. The Cordings Tattersall Shirt T he Cordings mens Tattersall checked shirt was introduced in 1900 and was adopted almost immediately as an indispensable part of a gentleman’s wardrobe. These classic shirts have become an everyday, odds on favourite. Cordings don’t believe in skimping on the cloth, only the best Egyptian brushed cotton is used. So our shirts have a traditional generous cut ensuring freedom of movement when shooting. Their long tails stay tucked in, to keep draughts out on the first drive. ‘Brushed cotton shirts at their best.’ Made with traditional unfused collars (with removable collar stiffeners), which creates a superior collar shape. A time honoured method which most have sadly abandoned as it is a skilful and expensive technique. The style was originally inspired by the check on the blankets worn by thoroughbreds at Newmarket. Whichever runner you choose and whatever check, small, medium or large, the going will always be good in a Cordings Tattersall shirt. A wide range of colours and styles always in stock at www.cordings.co.uk 7 Pale Blue Tattersall SH185-BLUPL £65 Colourful Characters The famous trouser rail at Cordings boasts almost all the colours of the spectrum. In more chivalrous times Lords would be preceded by their heralds proudly displaying their standards. In modern times our cords have been adopted by some equally colourful characters. Barristers and Baronets, Lords and Lairds, Royalty and Rock stars set off their understated tweeds with a dash of colour. The inspiration for our colours comes from the furrows of a ploughed field, the stipple of a freshly landed brown trout or the purple hues of a Scottish moor and of course a pheasant’s feathered finery. Moleskins, corduroy or chinos; the modern gentleman has a rich palette at his disposal for town or country. The task then is to choose the accessories; a pair of coloured socks, a waistcoat, a lambswool jumper and of course a Tattersall shirt. All to be found in store at No.19 Piccadilly or online at www.cordings.co.uk Yellow Corduroys TR202-YELXX £99 (the yellow Torrish) 8 Take your pick from the famous trouser rail at www.cordings.co.uk Black Needlecords TR034-BLACK £99 Khaki Chinos TR134-KHAKI £85 Garnet Red Moleskin Jeans TR453-REDGA £89 Royal Corduroys TR202-BLURY £99 Tan Corduroys TR202-TANMD £99 Moss Corduroys TR202-GRNMS £99 Pink Needlecords TR034-PNKXX £99 Cinnamon Corduroys TR202-CINA £99 Purple Corduroys TR202-VLTPL £99 Bordeaux Corduroys TR202-BORDE £99 Yellow Corduroys TR202-YELXX £99 Bell Celtic Jacket JK570-ALLXX £425 Moleskin Waistcoat WA73-ORNXX £150 Moleskin Jeans TR453-REDGA £89 Raise your colours at www.cordings.co.uk Navy Jeans TR005-NVYXX £89 9 The Fabric of Society Q of warps, wefts & weaves uality cloth lies at the heart of Cordings philosophy today. Whether it’s a tweed shooting jacket, a smart city suit or a ladies velvet waistcoat, only the finest will do. Over 175 years Cordings have learnt that there is truly no substitute for quality and experience. With our shooting tweeds we like to think that a grandson can come to Cordings and choose some breeks that will match his grandfather’s favourite shooting jacket. Such continuity is a demanding mistress so we place great trust in our weavers. The Cordings extended family includes some of the most prestigious and established Mills in Britain. F Delph Blue Check Jacket JK568-ALLXX £425 ox Brothers have been in existence since 1772, that’s even longer than Cordings! Their fabric is collectively known as ‘West of England’, the location of the mill, near Taunton, set apart from the rest of the major textile producing areas of Britain, gives it a distinct ‘handle’ quite different from others. In 2010, Cordings and Fox Brothers started work to recreate the original Covert Cloth and after much hard work the new (old!) West of England Covert Cloth was recreated and woven. Douglas Cordeaux their Chief Executive who was encouraged by Deborah Meaden their major shareholder with this re-creation explains ‘it felt important to both Companies to honour the work done a century ago to create this unique cloth, and we are proud and excited to have managed to produce it so precisely once again.’ L ovat Mill; nestled on the banks of the river Teviot in Hawick became recognised as the home of Tweed some 200 years ago. It has been reinvigorated thanks to two men steeped in the mysteries of warp and weft, Stephen Rendle and Alan Cumming. The term ‘tweed’ was coined accidentally by a London cloth merchant who misread a label marked ‘tweel’ – the Scots word for twill and a legend was born. Today the renovated mill is a pleasing blend of old and new. A seemingly unruly assembly of flying pistons and arms rattle away in a corner while, across the room, a computerised loom weaves at 50 times the speed at 500 threads a minute. Cordings share Lovat Mill’s passion for their superior cloth and are proud to work with them. O n the Isle of Harris they have a saying ‘from the land comes the cloth’. It is a phrase that rings true with Cordings who have been working with Harris weavers for many years and are proud to display the famous Orb. Each yarn contains a myriad of different colours which when woven create a cloth of immense depth and complexity. With hundreds of distinctive patterns developed over the centuries, the choice is limitless, and selecting just a few designs can be a slow process. Soft, tactile, breathable, warm, colourful and sustainable the Harris Tweed of today extols all the qualities and virtues of a truly luxury 21st century fabric. “Practically every brand and designer has included Harris Tweed pieces in their collections. It is timeless, a classic, an essential item of any wardrobe” Lorna Macaulay, Chief Executive The Harris Tweed Authority W e were delighted and flattered when those dashing ‘young guns’ at Jack Wills asked us if we would be interested in collaborating on special ranges, inspired by Cordings for their shops. Jack Wills were keen to replicate the combination of a traditional cloth with unexpected, rich colours that epitomise our collection, and so amongst other garments the Jack Wills Copthorne trouser was born. It’s nice to know there is a little bit of Cordings DNA in such a vibrant young brand! Fathers, sons, grandsons and great grandsons keep the Cordings tradition alive but we also owe a debt of thanks to the British Mills and companies such as Lovat Mill weave many of the exclusive Jack Wills who love to collaborate and recognise the importance of supporting Estate Tweeds, which have to be up to tackling the rigours of the snow, rain and and keeping alive our British textile heritage. wind of the British winter climate. 10 Choose your tweed at www.cordings.co.uk 11 The Right ‘Kit’ by Jonathan Young Jonathan Young, editor of The Field magazine and one of the leading fields sportsmen of the modern age gives an amusing take on what he feels is the right approach to the correct ‘kit’ for a day’s shooting this winter. A lthough chained under the tightest security, having narrowly escaped an ASBO order, my favourite set of tweeds is totally bespoke, the plus fours and matching shooting vest sport a pattern based on the colouring of a Michigan pheasant, the blue rather prominent. Otherwise, it’s a thin merino/silk vest, tie, green shirt and green jumper. Colour’s vital here. I love my fellow guns but not to the extent of sending wild game, especially grouse, over their heads because the birds have seen a flash of white shirt. Regardless of weather, most Shots wear hats, either to keep out the rain or the sun. Mine are big tweed caps, as they allow me to wear full ear-defenders. Trilbies also work, for taller men. Below it’s plus-fours or plus-sixes, which stop the cold and unsightly gap between breeches and shooting stockings. Some friends now sport plus-nines and even plus-12s, arguing, rightly, that the tweed overhang stops rain dripping into your boots. But I think that style is the preserve of grouse keepers and should be respected as such. It’s not quite Mr Toad of that hall but wearing the ensemble requires that outré amphibian’s jaunty self-confidence. Donning it involves a personal challenge: grouse must bounce on heather, pheasants obligingly drop from the cirrus. Dufferdom must be exiled or the tweeds send out another message, connected instantly to the unforgiving critics in the beating line: “prat”. Another three sets of tweed breeks n’ vests jostle for space in the wardrobe in differing weights and shades. With a recoil pad cunningly slotted into a hidden pocket behind the shoulder pad, they’re perfect for most forms of driven shooting. The deep pockets hold plenty of squibs and the absence of sleeves means there’s no rucking in the shoulder pocket, giving a much more consistent gun mount. I also own some more traditional full shooting suits but seldom wear the jacket after the meeting and greeting. In recent years we’ve all shed our kit faster than Dita Von Teese in a sauna, thick jumpers and jackets being discarded for light layers that provide maximum warmth and minimal constraint on gun movement. If my shooting host doesn’t wear a tie (an increasingly common phenomenon), then I’ll pull on a silk roll-neck vest, roll-neck merino/silk pullover and light padded gilet. My children have christened this the “Dodgy Seventies Ski Instructor Look” but it works. 12 Then comes the stout brogues and shooting socks, the only consideration being that the latter are long enough to wear comfortably over the breeks (never under) and innocent of “amusing” bon mots. Olive Tattersall SH186-GRNOL £65 But if it does pee down, wear a jacket that’s actually waterproof, has a safe, dry pocket for cash, fags and car-keys, and is the right shade of green. Unfortunately, add a dash of rain and that olive-green turns a couple of shades darker, and there’s nothing grouse love more than a large, black blob visually shouting danger. So, a paler green is better and camouflage better still, though pitching up at a shoot resembling an ambling oak can dry up invitations. Whatever the colour, the coat must be light, truly waterproof and have cartridge pockets that hold at least a box. House Check Tweed Shooting Waistcoat FC268-GRNXX £295 I’m not a celeb, so baseball caps are verboten (though they are fetching worn by women with pony tails), and lack of clannish blood discounts a deerstalker. Our fathers’ generation often favoured the “fore and aft”, a twin-peaked cap, and I’m surprised they’ve fallen out of favour. If there’s an overnight stay in the house, then I check exactly what’s required, having once pitched up at a “kitchen supper, come-as-youare” affair in Perthshire only to find everyone else in black tie. A tweed jacket, cardigan and strides normally suffice though grouse parties tend to dress in their own plumage of cream shirt, no tie, smoking jacket, dress trousers and velvet slippers. All this takes some packing, and I’ve found an old cricket bag, stolen from my son, the ideal piece of luggage. Unpacking it at the other end is also a chore, but best done by oneself. A chum allowed the butler to do it for him at a smart grouse lodge, and when he came up from drinks he found it all neatly laid out, including the three pairs of wispy thongs his girlfriend had left in the bag from the previous weekend! “...pheasants obligingly drop from the cirrus.” Jonathan Young Editor The Field 21oz Windowpane Field Coat FC250-GRNLV £595 21oz Windowpane Shooting Breeks FC239-GRNLV £165 See our full range of ladies and gentlemen’s field clothing at www.cordings.co.uk 13 A Week in the Life of a Cordings Suit Monday 7 Tie TI300-RUST £65 Tuesday 8 Wednesday 9 Thursday 10 Cufflinks AC1120-GRNEM £230 Friday 11 Saturday 11/ Sunday 12 14 Find a shirt to match your suit at www.cordings.co.uk Cashmere Scarf LAC545-REDXX £79 Navy Chalkstripe Suit SU295-NVYXX £595 Navy Birdseye Suit SU293-NVYXX £595 Grey Birdseye Suit SU293-GRYXX £595 Dog not included Navy Chalkstripe Suit SU295-NVYXX £595 Exquisite city suits at www.cordings.co.uk 15 Clapton on Cordings .......part of the heritage of England An extract from the programme ‘British Style Genius’ aired on BBC Two. I became aware of Cordings, I think when I was in my mid teens. I come from the country, and the highlight of our week would be to come up to London and listen to guitar players and musicians, and it was difficult to get home. I’d spend that time till dawn just walking the West End and I remember Cordings. It stuck in my mind as a place of tradition, part of the heritage of England. I went off on my life, travelling around the world playing guitar but every now and then I would look in the window at Cordings. One day, I saw this suit. It was a sort of a moss green herringbone tweed suit, three piece, and I thought, God, that’s beautiful, it was just the most exquisitely cut jacket. I had to pluck up courage to come in! I don’t know what that’s about, but, perhaps its something to do with the fact that I’ve always considered myself a working class country boy and this, in a way was like entering a gentlemen’s club. I felt that I really wasn’t entitled to come in here. So in I came very shyly, and tried it on and it was immaculate, it was stormproof, and solid. I mean it was like wearing a green wooden suit! From then on I visited Cordings every week......My favourite tweed jacket is this herringbone. I just feel like I’ve come to a kind of home in terms of what clothing I need to be in the country. ....it was like entering a gentleman’s club” 18 16 To view the rest of Eric Clapton’s interview see www.cordings.co.uk and click the link on the home page Firley Herringbone Jacket JK472-ALLXX £425 A page from the The Prince of Wales address book circa 1929 17 Ribbon Jacket LJK438-GRNOL £435 Velvet Waistcoat LWA083-GOLD £85 Cashmere Scarf LAC545-WNEBG £79 Valeria Liberty Shirt LSH151-MSTXX £65 18 Ladies Floor 19 Piccadilly Rebecca is wearing Fairisle Shawl LAC486-REDXX £65 Tweed Hacking Jacket LJK326-GRNOR £365 Burgundy Velvet Waistcoat LWA083-WNEXX £85 Camel Loden Skirt LSK161-CAMEL £169 Country Girls T he Cordings shop window in Piccadilly has seen many fashions pass by in the course of the last 175 years. Sleeves that puffed then narrowed, rising and falling waistlines, highwayman or rever collars, ostrich feathers and louis heels. Hats on hats off - The Greatest Show on earth. The ‘Cordings Style’ however rises above the whims of fashion. Our elegant illustrations found in Madame magazine at the turn of the century would still turn heads in Tatler or Harpers today. Yet will never look out of place in W1 or on peg 1. Our Autumn Ladies Collection is our most colourful yet. The Valeria Liberty shirt matched with the Cordings Gold velvet waistcoat then crowned with a flamboyant fedora hat. Ladies, stand under the magnificent stained glass dome in Cordings and be transported to a more gracious age. Polly is wearing Fairisle Shawl LAC486-GRNXX £65 Lace Trim Edwardian Tweed Jacket LJK419-GRNOL £425 Olive Loden Skirt LSK161-GRNOL £169 Gaucho Heeled Boots LFT122 - BRNXX £189 To see our Autumn Ladies Collection visit www.cordings.co.uk 19 DISPATCHES CORDINGS Here is a brief history of Cordings from 1839 to the present day, if you have a Cordings Story please let us know. 1839 - 1876 1877 - 1899 1877 1839 Mr John Charles Cording In 1839, at the age of 35, opened his first shop at 231 The Strand as outfitter and waterproofers. The building stood in the shadow of the Temple Bar the famous symbolic entry point to the City of London. Queen Victoria paid her first official visit to the City with the grand procession passing right outside number 231. Charles Dickens Publishes Nicholas Nickleby. “The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.” The business transferred to 19 Piccadilly, and in 1902 was incorporated into a Limited Company – J.C. Cording & Co Limited. Off-the-peg tweed suits were introduced and the famous Covert Coat appeared. Cordings’ range of clothing soon expanded to include a complete tailoring service. An advertisement in 1860 refers to “nautical and sporting waterproofers and tailors” The Cordings Traditional Riding ‘Mackintosh’ The famous rubberised Macintosh - essential kit in the hunting field and for early motorists in their open top cars and still sold in Piccadilly today. 20 Croom-a-Boo Cycle Cover Cordings high-grade waders were long-lived because the rubber could not be of better quality. Sadly, the Croom-a-Boo cycle cover at twenty-five shillings was not such a lasting success. Invented in 1897 by Lord Fitzgerald and manufactured by J.C. Cording, the cover was made of stout waterproof canvas with strong leather straps. It completely enveloped a bicycle whilst still enabling it to be wheeled on to train or steamer. “Cordings? Oh yes, they’re the people who invented the Covert Coat.” Malcolm Maclaren (Manager of the Sex Pistols) 1871 The first place to stop before any adventure. Cordings kitted out Sir Henry Morton Stanley , before his famous journey to find Dr Livingstone near Lake Tanganyika. Cordings, I Presume 1860 circa 1900 1900 - 1925 Cordings salute British inventors , eccentrics & cyclists as proud sponsors of the annual London Tweed Run. Diamond Geezer ‘Wot a Shop!’ Damien Hirst Artist “Dressing for Africa, I buy my cotton trousers, with turnups, or what the Americans call “cuffs”, from the long established house of Cordings in Piccadilly. The trousers keep their crease and hang extremely well.” William Francis “Bill” Deedes, Baron Deedes, KBE, MC, PC, DL Soldier, Statesman, Editor of The Daily Telegraph. 1909 Waterproofers to the King J.C. Cording & Company were granted the Prince of Wales warrant, as Waterproofers to the future King George V. In 1922, the young Prince of Wales adopted Cordings as one of his outfitters in the manner of his father before him. The Famous Waterproof Boots Its worth noting that the rugs used on the thoroughbreds trained at Newmarket were also the inspiration for the Tattersall shirts produced by Cordings and are now copied all over the world. Cordings is best remembered from that period by the famous Canvas/Leather Newmarket boot submerged in a water tank in the shop window to demonstrate its water resistance. It remained there both resilient and watertight until the early seventies. 1971 - 2013 The Millennium Tweed To celebrate the 150th anniversary, 150 metres of special jubilee cloth was woven in conjunction with Reid & Taylor of Langholm on the Scottish Borders. 2003 1926 - 1970 In the 1920s, the famous Newmarket and Idstone boots were patented. Cordings made Newmarket boots for the Queen Mother, the Duke of Windsor and Mrs Simpson. In February 2003 the current management team approached Cordings best customer and asked if he would assist in a management buyout. A presentation was prepared for him and after 3 minutes of this carefully prepared presentation he declared he would support it, he never did hear the final 17 minutes! The best customer was Eric Clapton. The stylishly dressed guitarist moonlights as the co-owner and design Director and since February 2003 has been masterminding its re-launch. “My favourite pieces are the tweed shooting and hacking jackets,” he says. 2013 “Never explain, never complain” Wallace Simpson 21 “Presents for her” Grey Rabbit Trimmed Scarf LAC313-GYSLT £69 Velvet Waistcoat LWA083-WNEXX £85 Truly Scrumptious Shirt LSH149-BRNXX £65 Purple Suede and leather wide belt LAC304-PURP £49 Wristwarmers LAC571-REDXX £30 Brown Leather Gaucho Boot LFT122-BRNXX £189 Scottish Lambswool Plum Fairisle Poncho LKN154-PLUM £115 22 Trimmed Shawl LAC313-REDXX £69 See the full range of ladies accessories at www.cordings.co.uk “Presents for him” Red Paisley Silk Scarf AC1107-REDBK £125 Angry Birds Cufflinks AC1123-GRNEM £230 Green Paisley Silk Scarf AC1107-GRNBE £125 Fife Check Jacket JK569-ALLXX £425 Red Sitting Duck Silk Tie TI299-REDXX £65 Green Running Hare Silk Tie TI300-GRMUS £65 Brown Green Tattersall SH182-BRNGN £65 Yellow Green Tattersall SH184-YELXX £65 Navy Bengal Poplin SH191-BLUXX £65 Sporting Check Flask AC1161-ALLXX £95 Blue Pink Tattersall SH185-BLUPK £65 Red Check Poplin SH190-REDXX £65 Red Blue Tattersall SH184-REDBL £65 Blue Check Oxford SH181-WHTXX £65 Yellow Check Oxford SH181-BLUYE £65 Purple Merino Waistcoat KN136-VLTPL £145 Olive Tattersall SH186-GRNOL £65 See the full range mens acccessories at www.cordings.co.uk 23 175 Years of Brilliantly British Clothing. Cordings Flagship Store 19 Piccadilly, London W1J 0LA Cordings at Orvis 21-22 West Park, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG1 1BJ www.cordings.co.uk