The Duffle Bag

A number of stylish examples of male clothing and accessories can trace their humble origins to the military. One such item is the useful and ubiquitous duffle bag.

The first recorded use of the term “duffle bag” is credited to the poet E. E. Cummings who used it in a letter he wrote in 1917 while working in France as an ambulance driver during WWI. The bags take their name from Duffel, a town in the Belgian province of Antwerp, where the thick cloth used to make the bags originated.

Many designers have produced their own interpretation of the basic military carryall. Below I will examine a variety of versions, from rugged to lavish, that would be useful for most weekend excursions.

Filson, first opened in 1897 as C.C. Filson’s Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers, produces great outdoor clothes and accessories. Their small duffle bag ($225.00) is made of heavy water-repellant cloth available in brown, otter green and tan. The bag sports leather trimming and a brass zipper.

Temple Bags offers the Re-Purposed Canvas Weekend Duffle Bag ($349.00) made from recycled WWII military laundry bags. Temple Bags adds saddle leather handles, a removable strap and khaki twill lining.

The Saddleback Leather Co. duffle bag ($537.00) is offered in four colors of waterproof full grain boot leather: carbon black, chestnut, dark coffee brown and tobacco brown. The bags feature industrial marine-grade thread and hidden nylon reinforcing straps. Saddleback Leather offers a 100 year warranty.

Brooks England offers high quality leather bicycle saddles and bags including the Hampstead Holdall (€320.00) made of water-resistant cotton fabric and vegetable tanned leather. It is designed to be worn over the shoulder or attached to the rear rack of a bicycle.

Ettinger has designed and crafted luxury leather goods since 1934. Their Cotswold Weekend Bag (₤468.00) is made of cotton drill and trimmed in waxy leather. It is available is five color combinations including olive/Havana, sand/Havana, ivory/Havana, navy/black, and black/black.

Glaser Designs sells leather goods directly from their San Francisco, CA, studio. Their week-end size leather duffel ($715.00) is available with many custom options.

The ultimate over-priced duffle bag is the Louis Vuitton Waterproof Keepall 55 ($2,450.00) made of monogrammed waterproof canvas.

Herdwyck British Tweed Bags by CHERCHBI

Over the weekend I popped in to see my shirt maker Erlend at Stephan Haroutunian Shirts – now shortened to Stephan Shirts, presumably because no one can pronounce the surname. It is a bit of a mouthful.

One of the nice things about what I do is that many of the people who run the independent menswear retailers I highlight eventually become friends. A shopping trip often results in a pleasurable few hours chewing the cud.

On this particular visit Erlend told me of a new client he’d recently taken on by the name of Adam Atkinson, who turns out to be a rather interesting fellow.

Adam is the founder of CHERCHBI which began in 2007 with an idea to make bags using wool from the ancient rare-breed Herdwick. As it turns out the fleece is considered almost worthless and is most often burned. Apparently, Herdwicks have a 1,000-year heritage and a reputation as Britain’s hardiest mountain sheep. It took four years of trial and error and nine weave trials to create Herdwyck No.10, the distinctive pure wool fleece which when bonded with cotton and natural rubber forms the basis of these distinctive bags. That beautifully rich colourway and waterproof textured cloth is the result of this distinctive fleece.

Adam displayed the collection recently at Pitt Uomo and according to the website it officially launches this Autumn - although you can currently buy their bags online.

What I’ve so far seen, and all I’ve read, I’m really impressed. The wonderfully organic look to the bags, provided by that distinctive fleece, is backed up with an extraordinary attention to detail and British craftsmanship. Cow hides are sourced from Northern Ireland, which are then pit-tanned using vegetable tannins. The traditional English leather work is done by Joseph Clayton of Chesterfield, Derbyshire. In fact, all the manufacturing is done in Britain, right down to the brass metal wear which is cast in England. The only exception to this being the zips, which are Swiss-made Riri zips –unfortunately there are no UK zip makers left. I love all this detail.

The designs are simple and practical, but then with that distinctive fleece anything more would be a distraction. They have a robust, organic feel which makes them an entirely adult option which adds character and texture to your look.

This is one to watch, and proves that you should always make friends with your tailor.

In The Fishbowl With Carreducker

Oh does it feel good to be back in London. It’s been quite a few months, but last time I was here I profiled James Ducker of Carréducker shoes. This time I thought I would drop in on him at their new digs at No.1 Savile Row, inside Gieves & Hawkes.

Because of construction, I turned the corner from Savile Row to use the Vigo street entrance, and was immediately surprised to see they’ve smacked James’ face right on the door. This partnership was just getting off the ground in November, so I’m glad to see things have blossomed so well. Entering the building, I could see at the very back of the main room the glass “goldfish bowl,” as James affectionately calls it. There he was, pounding away at some lasts, as I sauntered over to say hello. The couple-meter journey took longer than it might have, due largely to a fine selection of striped knit ties. But eventually I made it and was greeted most kindly.

James took me on short tour of the new facilities at Numbers 1 & 2, which include a blazer room, salon, antique shop, bespoke fitting room / luxe lounge, and workshops, before settling back at his bench to finish the lasts while we chatted.

Carréducker, in addition to the endless possibilities of bespoke, have a few samples exclusive to their new home. My favorite was hands-down an electric-blue suede chelsea boot with a military ribbon pull at the back. And the best part is, because everything is still bespoke, altering existing designs to suit yourself in not only allowed but encouraged. If you want the toe shortened or elongated, great. If you’d rather the gussets be navy than black, fantastic. The best of both worlds, you get an aesthetic from which to draw, but ultimately the choices are yours.

The biggest advantage to trading out of the goldfish bowl though is the intimate relationship the customer gets to develop not just with the finished product, but with the art and artisan as well. You can drop by any day, whether you’re buying or not, and watch James and Deborah at the bench. Lasting, making, polishing, it all gets done right here. When speaking with me, this was the aspect James got most excited about. “Customers,” he said, “are more interested in where their food and things are coming from. And now they can know with their shoes too. You get come in and have a look, and you know we’re the one’s making.”

There is also, just outside the fishbowl, a gent by the name of Justin Fitzpatrick offering shines. Some of you might already know him from his blog, The Shoe Snob. When I was in he had just finished a gorgeous pair of black laceups in whose toes I could see every pore on my face. So if you need a shine and would rather drop your shoes off than take a seat in the Burlington Arcade, get thee to No.1.

The Summer List: Sunglasses

Yes, I’m banging on about lists again.

You see, the last few years I’ve had less disposable income than at any other time in my working life, but I’ve acquired more clothes, of better quality and more complementary to one another than at any other time; all by virtue of taking the time to compile my little lists.

It may not feel like it but summer is on its way. Naturally I’ve begun to compile my list of summer essentials. Whether it is filling gaps or replacing kit that is no longer fit for purpose I usually start by compiling my ‘dream list’. This usually bears little resemblance to my financial means. I then whittle this down to the essentials, kit which will last for years to come and represents an investment.

Two items have thus far survived the initial whittling process. The first is a pucker pair of bins.

I’ve always hesitated at investing real money in a proper pair of sunglasses in the past. Firstly, I don’t trust myself not to lose them, and secondly, I think a lot of the ‘labels’ today offer not very much for an awful lot of money.

I mean, look at Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a prime example of taking something that ain’t broke and then fixing it. Instead of leaving this classic alone, new pairs have Ray-Ban written across the lens! Who asked them to do that? Why take a classic and ruin it with cheap clumsy branding. Of course, for many the label is all that matters. A fool and their money are soon departed.

And so for years I’ve been content to wear cheaper Wayfarer-style sunglasses from a reliable source with good UV protection at next to no cost.

But when London based Lee Yule contacted me to introduce his website Loveiwear, I kinda new this would be my cup of tea.  Via his Shoreditch showroom, commercial website and blog, Lee preaches the gospel of great design and individuality in the form of vintage sunglasses and frames. His blog has become a daily addiction of mine.

Lee and I seem to be kindred spirits, after 15 years in the business, which included helping to launch Police sunglasses in the UK, he became disheartened with the way people get taken for a ride by the big manufacturers; who produce cheap frames, stick on a well known name and charge high prices for them. According to Lee the 50s to early 90s was something of a golden age and this is his focus for his business. That said, he’s begun to stock a few of the interesting new independents that have come to the fore, reprising many of the old school values.

Sunglasses are one of those items of apparel, much like cufflinks, watches and pens which can quickly become an obsession. And like all obsessions it’s the rare and unusual that excites most. In particular it’s his collection of 1950’s frames that most interests me (as pictured above left).

When you think about it, sunglasses play a huge part in the iconography of great dressers, whether from the worlds of film or music.

I’ve decided it’s time I took this accessory a little more seriously, I believe it will be time and money well spent.

In my next post I’ll talk about the second item on the list.

Last Days Of The Coat

It has become my custom to look forward to the new season. Spring is just around the corner, and my thoughts have strayed – as is their wont - from the chilly dullness of the present to the blossom and breeze to come. However, it seems a little age and experience have crept into my thinking of late as I found myself glancing over my shoulder at the dying remains of the recent winter sale; those little red and white signs hidden between the mannequins in the glorious new window displays that beckon the bargain-barons; ‘Sale Continues Inside.’

One such store I passed made it even easier for the insatiable sale hunter. At Ede & Ravenscroft, the sales are relatively discreet and usually, they only last a month. However, their coat sale has continued well into February with tens of covert coats, double-breasted topcoats and tweed coats languishing on the brass-plated rails of their smart stores. With all this looking forward, however pleasant it may be, it is wise to take these glances back – with the seasons, one glance back is worth two forward: by October, a man would be glad of such action.

If you can’t justify a bespoke top or overcoat from the Row – the very last word in outer-elegance – buying a decent sale coat is the next best alternative and there’s no better time to buy than now.

Style of coat

Most of the coats I have seen in the London sales have been single-breasted in navy, tan and charcoal grey. Black is not a colour I’d advise for an overcoat as it is very much a colour for eveningwear and as such would only be sensible if a navy and charcoal grey were already present in the wardrobe. Black coats also have a tendency to look cheap and unrefined as there is no depth to the tone.

Single breasted coats are more versatile than double-breasted coats as they can easily be worn open, although a fastened double-breasted coat is certainly more formal.

Material

Most of the coats you see on the racks of high street retailers are a wool-poly mix; a soft, fluffy fabric but low in durability as increased use will lead to unattractive bobbling. Unless you are buying cashmere (a fabric that defies bobbling), it is best to choose a coat in a hardwearing twill.

Adjustments

Don’t be put off by a slightly short or long sleeve, or a cheap looking button. These things can all be adjusted very inexpensively by an experienced tailor.

Fit

The worst thing to do is buy a top or overcoat that is too small. I have made this mistake before and when done to an extreme, no tailor in town will be able to help. If you’re more likely to button your coat up, go up a size – you can always have adjustments made.