Current location:sport >>
Ditch the head to toe tweed, DO wear skinny jeans
sport455People have gathered around
IntroductionThe cut of your jeans, the mere act of carrying an umbrella or your choice of luggage can immediatel ...
The cut of your jeans, the mere act of carrying an umbrella or your choice of luggage can immediately expose you as a townie in the countryside —from the very moment you step out of your car.
Giving the game away is far easier than you think. In my corner of the Cotswolds, not even your dog is free from scrutiny — if he is wearing a coat, there is only one acceptable brand. So, any time you are planning a trip to the country, unless you want it to be screamingly obvious you are not a local, follow my simple country-chic rules to avoid rural ridicule.
THE GREAT TRAINER SNOBBERY
Inappropriate footwear is the number one way to stick out like a sore thumb. You must always have sensible shoes in the boot of the car and, above all, never wear trainers.
You want to look like you get your fitness fix walking the dogs or exercising horses, not in a gym. Invest in sturdy leather boots from Blundstone or Penelope Chilvers.
L-R: DO WEAR boots, £160, lechameau.com; AVOID trainers, £55, riverisland.com
Those scarlet or polka-dot shin-high fashion wellies might (just about) pass muster on the mean streets of Harrogate or Haslemere, but they are not fit for purpose in the country proper.
One needs knee-high wellingtons to stop mud seeping in over the top, and sensible grips to the soles to stop you ending up wriggling on your back like a frantic earwig when you slip.
Don’t worry about the brand — Le Chameau and Aigle are chic, but the poshest people are often found in agricultural Dunlops. The worst crime? New, expensive wellies clearly bought for striding through a Daylesford Organic shop.
PACK AWAK THE PUFFER COAT AND BUY A GILET
DO WEAR a gilet, £59.50, bambooclothing. co.uk
AVOID a puffer, £300, thenorthface. co.uk
While we recommend a cosy, down Uniqlo layer under your Barbour to keep you warm, the bedraggled hamster look when a puffer coat deflates in the rain will immediately mark you out as a city visitor.
Buy a gilet instead.
Perfect for swerving incipient hypothermia on visits to unheated country houses, and for dashing in and out of the car without having to keep pulling your coat on and off.
Smart Cotswolds women are wearing By Soren gilets made from recycled pure new wool blankets, and the men are in Schoffel vests or gilets.
SKINNY JEANS - NEVER FLARES
DO WEAR skinny jeans. Cape, £525; belt, £125; bag, £295, and boots, £245, fairfaxand favor.com; shirt, £95, and jeans, £185, ba-sh.com
AVOID flared jeans, £89, hush-uk.com
The fashion pages want us dressed in loose-fit jeans this season, but country dwellers know that there is nothing worse than acres of wet denim flapping around an ankle.
The skinny leg reigns supreme when tucked into boots, and looks neat under a suitably aged Barbour. Stick to classic blue jeans, or try cords.
While stretch leather trousers do have the advantage of being spongeable when they are mud-splashed, they can be a challenging look to pull off. (They’re best paired with a moth-holed cashmere jumper for the perfect dressed down insouciant air.)
CHOOSE A WEEKEND BAG OVER A WHEELIE CASE
As with the redundant umbrella, your hands will be full already and, anyway, you will be driving everywhere, so you don’t need a designer top- handle commuter bag full of essentials for the day.
If you must carry a bag, make sure it’s strapped to your body (try Tusting’s Hettie, or Barbour’s Isla), and no bigger than absolutely necessary — keys, lipstick, dog treats and poo bags covers all bases.
DO CHOOSE a weekend bag, £130, marksandspencer.com
AVOID a wheelie case, £170, antler.co.uk
When packing for a trip, keep the wheelie suitcase for air travel, and opt for a leather, nylon or canvas weekend bag or duffle. Try Bric’s, Rains, or Marks & Spencer for good examples of holdalls — or mimic every girl at boarding schools across the country and opt for a Pliage by Longchamp.
DITCH DESIGNER LOGOS AND THE GIRLIE COLOURS
DO CHANNEL stealth wealth. Jacket, £495, and bag, £275, fairfaxandfavor.com; hat, £89, hicksandbrown.com
AVOID logos. Crew top, £79, holland cooper.com
Think stealth wealth, not conspicuous consumption. Please don’t turn yourself into a walking billboard, advertising a brand by wearing it head-to-toe, complete with flashy logos and interlocking monograms.
You may think your full Holland Cooper tweed outfit screams country lady, but just pick one well-cut piece — not the entire collection.
Don’t dress like a rainbow — learn to love a colour palette of sludge, greige and browns.
You wouldn’t want to scare the horses, and there is mud EVERYWHERE. Speaking of which, the only white clothes that should be seen in the country are the vicar’s surplice or a wedding dress.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HAT
To get ahead, get a hat, runs the old adage, and nowhere is this truer than in the English countryside, where umbrellas are an unnecessary and frankly often useless affectation. You’ve only got to try keeping hold of a dog lead and an umbrella in driving rain while trying to enter the local antiques shop to realise they are best kept in the city. What is needed is a good hat.
L-R: DO WEAR a trilby (Hat, £68, reiss.com); AVOID caps (Cap, £95, jacquemus. com)
For years I relied on my grandfather’s battered old Christys’ trilby, which I recently replaced with a Rachel Trevor-Morgan felt version for the races, and a fleece bobble hat for everyday. You’ll want to swerve the Supreme beanies or Jacquemus baseball caps.
PS: DON'T DRESS UP YOUR DOG
Unless your dog is a shivery whippet, retired greyhound, or low-slung sausage, country dogs do not wear coats. (In very muddy or Arctic conditions, an Equafleece coat or jumper is just about acceptable.)
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Global Glance news portal”。http://wakeisland.bankruptcyintn.com/html-31a899954.html
Related articles
Verona confirms Serie A status for another year after beating Salernitana
sportSALERNO, Italy (AP) — Verona secured a place in next year’s Serie A after beating Salernitana 2-1 on ...
【sport】
Read moreLuke Littler's Premier League darts rival Michael van Gerwen, 34, says the 17
sportAn unfiltered Michael van Gerwen slammed Luke Littler once again after beating the teenager in the f ...
【sport】
Read moreDonald Trump's Georgia judge dismisses some criminal charges
sportBy Max Matza for BBC NewsDonald Trump is among 19 people charged with a conspiracy to overturn Georg ...
【sport】
Read more
Popular articles
- Ricky Stenhouse punching Kyle Busch could lead to suspension
- VOX POPULI: LDP lawmakers’ remarks about political funds create a paradox
- SWAT team pulls suspect out of car after standoff in grocery store parking lot
- VOX POPULI: Nikkei index soars but real economy still feels sluggish
- What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?
- Hong Kong waste levy to come into effect next April
Latest articles
LINKS
- China Issues Guideline to Strengthen Conservation of Water, Soil
- China Focus: China Steps up Protecting Vulnerable Groups amid COVID
- China's Tibet Beefs up Free HPV Vaccination for Teenage Girls
- China to Strengthen Home Visit Services for Elderly
- Xinhua Headlines: China Sees New Year Consumption Recovery, Eyes 2023 Growth
- GLOBALink
- China Focus: China Conducts Survey on Population Most Susceptible to COVID
- Chen, Marin advance to semis of BWF World Tour Finals
- Young People More Keen on Flexible Work
- China and Japan to Meet in Women's Final at Table Tennis Team Worlds