the festival | fashion
dye the wool – heathers, peat, lichen, moss or lovat green, bracken, gorse and russets. Colours originally intended to imbue indigenous camouflage to waft and weave, enabling hunters to blend in and providing thornproof practicality. Initially worn by weavers and local workers, local estates then went on to have their own identifiable tweed designs, almost an estate livery, popularised by Prince Albert’s introduction of Balmoral tweed.Those caps being doffed were, in all probability, estate tweed. This practical garb was essentially work- wear for ghillies, gamekeepers and the like, but the appeal of tweed’s functional characteristics spread. Soon 19th century gentlemen and aristocracy were in on the act and tweed, in all its variants, became a wardrobe essential, the practical preserve of the sporting weekend and countryside. The Prince of Wales check, designed for the future Edward VII, himself an avid participant in field sports, was immutable confirmation that tweed had shaken off its rudimentary workwear beginnings and that its appeal was universal. T weed continued to be a weekend wardrobe staple that helped set the rules in the Edwardian adage of ‘no brown in town’. Its association with sport meant that it was never considered acceptable as professional business wear, but as fashion’s nuances shifted through the years, what was right for Edwardians wasn’t necessarily ideal for new Elizabethans. A humble Downton Abbey character’s tweed three-piece suit would now be regarded as gloriously dandified. In the age of smart casual, simply by virtue of being in suit form, tweed can now be considered formal wear at some events. As sporting wear, tweed’s popularity has rarely waned. It is essentially a performance fabric that many would argue has yet to
be bettered. Generations of punters have continued the tradition of wearing tweed to race meetings, secure in the knowledge that they will be comfortable and protected from the worst of any inclement weather. Often perceived as the elbow-patched domain of fusty academics, there are plenty of examples of tweed-clad characters in life and fiction: Old Tom Morris wore tweed when he won the Open Championships at the dawn of golf, George Mallory wore it as he attempted to conquer Everest, Sherlock Holmes’ tweed cape and deerstalker are iconic, James Bond was suave in tweed jackets and Toad of Toad Hall tootled around resplendent in it. For ladies, there are fewer things more desirable than a Chanel tweed suit, preferably vintage. Miss Marple-esque suits are also sought-after vintage pieces, but the new vibrant colours, patterns and lighter weight cloths available have sparked a renewed interest in tweed that designers are finding inspirational. Cheltenham Racecourse recently created its own 100 per cent wool tweed, designed and woven in Yorkshire by Norton and Townsend. Known for her fresh take on the fabric,
designer Jade Holland-Cooper started selling her designs at Cheltenham during The Festival. “The new lighter-weight wool blends bring versatility. Having a stand at Cheltenham has provided me with an invaluable insight into what the market is missing,” said Jade. Now also operating from Harrods and her Moreton-in-Marsh studio, Jade credits both a change of mindset and the renaissance of tweed in fresh colours for aiding her success. “There used to be a general perception that tweed was both stuffy and impractical, with jackets being stiff and itchy and only coming in one shade of green,” says Jade. “My initial aim was to change the face of tweed-based fashion by developing pieces that tailor both style and practicality, while celebrating and supporting the British mills that have woven tweeds for generations.” Jade believes tweed’s appeal is becoming universal. “Racing is where fashion and the countryside come together, with tweed as the binding factor between the two.” only are there prizes for the racing, there are also awards for ladies attending, including a prize you’ll love to drive away in. Last year thousands of women sported grace and glamour as they attended one of the biggest days in the racing calendar. For more information about the prizes on offer, follow @CheltenhamRaces on Twitter and @thehomeofjumpracing on Facebook.
sporting grace and glamour
A highlight in the fashion calendar is Ladies’ Day at Cheltenham Racecourse, which falls on the second day of The Festival and has become as much about fashion as about the racing with the Grade One, Queen Mother Champion Chase the main event. The day is about dressing to impress and there’s tweed suits on show as well as vibrant colour. Not
Winner Una O’Farell-Feeney, centre
46 Kalendar
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