However, one area in which we can nod with pride to British tradition is sartorial. While, of course, the prescribed idea of what we should wear is far broader these days – in most enlightened places, the dress code is, simply, wear what you like and feel comfortable in – there is also a long heritage of traditional British clothing that is worth preserving and championing, even if we do not adhere to its tenets every single day. From tweed to trench coats, they often have generations of craftsmanship at their heart. These are the traditional British clothes to know, plus where to buy them.
How To Dress Like A Brit
Whilst, of course, ‘dressing like a Brit’ has neither quite the same connotations nor prescriptiveness as it once did, nonetheless, the strong legacy of the past means that British-style clothing still conjures images of immaculate tailoring, brollies, and bowler hats. And, as a blog post on JTG Travel points out, much of this has evolved in response to our much-discussed variable weather.
Take, for example, tweed, a hard-wearing and warm material that originated in the 18th century in Scotland (a country not known for its tropical climate). It has emerged from the purely practical but, as the blog post points out, the sweet spot is where expediency and fashion collide: ‘In the Outer Hebrides, the concept behind tweed was simply a protection against the harsh elements. However, word (and fabric) soon spread. By the 19th century, tweed was the height of fashion in British society. Tweed jackets were particularly favored by the sporting upper class and were often worn for riding, hunting, and shooting. Later still, tweed spread across the British class spectrum – becoming an essential farmer’s item of clothing.’
Today, tweed remains popular – whether you wear it to keep you warm as you work out in the cold; whether you’re going out for a smart dinner; or whether you’re strutting down a catwalk (possibly not quite as likely, but still). For more of its insights into British classics, from joggers to umbrellas, click here.
The Gentleman’s Journal, meanwhile, delineates what it considers to be the iconic styles that define what it is to dress the British way for men. As per their suggestion, think Savile Row, leather brogues, and silk cravats, as worn by the likes of Cary Grant all the way through to Eddie Redmayne and Daniel Craig. They ask, ‘Iconic men have typified this style over the last centuries, but how do we today navigate these ‘authentic’ British brands, steeped in history? What should you be wearing and where should you buy the best examples of leather, knitwear, footwear, and even pajamas to get the British look?’
Helpfully, to guide us through the such pitfall-ridden territory, they have come up with a guide for where to shop and what to look for, item by item, from the tweed jacket to the dressing gown to tailoring to cashmere to shoes. Bask in its superior sartorial wisdom on British traditional clothing here.
The Classic Trench Coat
The trench coat is an everlasting icon. Whether you fell in love with it at first sight of Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss posing on Burberry billboards, or you swooned at the image of Audrey Hepburn wrapped up in one in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, it has never and will never go out of style. First developed as a lightweight alternative to the heavy serge coats that British soldiers wore in the First World War (hence the ‘trench’ reference), they started life as a practical choice. As well as light, they were also waterproof, thanks to the original double-breasted designs being made from gabardine. Nowadays, two luxury fashion houses – Burberry and Aquascutum – claim the invention, and both continue to make some of the most popular examples today.
Harper’s Bazaar advises on where to buy the best ones, from the classic at Burberry to the leather twist on the icon from Saint Laurent to the sleeveless at Massimo Dutti. From the high street to the high end, explore the Harper’s Bazaar edit here.
Peter Pan Collar Dresses
Is there anything more traditionally British than a Peter Pan collar? Particularly sweet on children, the style also works with dresses for women too, and both nod to the flat collar with rounded edges as worn by Maude Adams in her 1905 Broadway turn as Peter Pan. Fitting the neckline and lending an air of innocence to an outfit, the trend enjoyed a particular surge in popularity in mid-century weddings. However, as a style of traditional British dress, it remains most associated with children’s wear.
So, where to buy yours? Zalando has a very good selection at a range of prices points which you can shop here, while Ganni has become synonymous with the style (you can shop the label’s collection here).
Classic Boots
Britain has a strong tradition when it comes to shoe- and boot-making, with the town of Northampton being especially known for its profusion of cordwainers. A shoemaking guild was set up there in 1401 to regulate the trade, and there are records of the export of shoes from the town as early as 1378. It is, as ever, one of the happy byproducts of practicality. Living in a cold and unpredictable climate necessitates owning a good pair of boots to stand up to the weather. On the plus side, they can also be very stylish, as evidenced by the selection at Zalando, which comes in at a range of price points and which you can shop here.
Leather Satchels
The satchel long predates our idea of Britishness when it comes to UK traditional clothing. In fact, the concept crops up in ancient Rome, where they were then used by Roman Legionaries to store their belongings. The satchel, then, has staying power. And in the context of the history of British dress, it is most closely associated with school children, although it can also stand in nicely for a briefcase too. In recent decades, the satchel has been reinvented as a fashion item, with brands such as the Cambridge Satchel Company producing very fine examples of the classic in a range of colors and styles, from the traditional to the ultra-contemporary. The Leather Satchel Co too has an extensive range. We’ll take ours in zingy fresh yellow, please. Shop the range here.
Neutral Blazers
As home to Savile Row, British tailoring has always been revered the world over. Ben Schott, the author of the hugely popular Schott’s Miscellanies, once said, ‘Properly cared for, a Savile Row suit can be handed down the generations – like gout.’ That’s the men, but what of the women? British women traditionally do a good line in a neutral blazer, instantly smartening up any outfit – whether jeans or a little black dress – by throwing one over their attire. Tailoring is expensive, of course, but there are excellent imitations on the high street, including Next’s selection of natural blazers, which you can shop here.
Tweed Jacket
Tweed is so steeped in connotations that it is not simply a noun; it is an adjective too. To describe someone as ‘tweedy’ instantly connotes a certain look, most frequently found in seminar rooms, patches at the elbows of jackets very much in evidence. And yet tweed is incredibly versatile and can make cutting-edge fashion too – just ask the late, great Vivienne Westwood. First created in Scotland in the early 18th century, it is a subtly patterned fabric made from the dyed, spun, and woven wool of sheep. Despite having humble origins as a fabric used by outdoor-working Scottish and Irish peasants, it has come to be strongly linked with the upper classes; after all, the landed gentry needed a way to keep warm too. If you’re looking for a modern take on tweed, do explore the collection at That British Tweed Company, which offers everything from tailoring to accessories – just as long as it’s tweed. Shop the collection here,
Cashmere Jumper
So long as you can keep the pesky moths at bay, there is nothing quite like a cashmere jumper for shrouding its owner in warmth, softness, and style. Although strongly associated with Britishness (a tweed pencil skirt with a cashmere twinset is so classic it’s almost absurd), the origins of its popularity actually lie in Egypt – via Paris, that is. The craze for cashmere came about when the General in Chief of the French campaign in Egypt sent his wife a shawl of the exquisitely soft material, which is made from the under neck and belly area of goats. However, for its true roots, the answer lies in Mongolia and the wider Himalayas, where it stands to reason that there is a great call for warm clothing. Despite its distinctly non-British heritage, the cashmere jumper has become a wardrobe staple and a classic piece. Boden carries a great selection of cashmere jumpers and cardigans, from neutral to striped. Shop the range here.
Umbrella
Brits are rarely far from their trusty brollies, thanks to the vagaries of the weather which can see it bucket down in July and August – as well of course, as every other month in the calendar. Dickensian bankers with their brollies, brogues, and briefcases is a strong image, and yet, like others on this list, the history of the umbrella takes us far from these shores – and way back to 3500BC, when the earliest umbrellas were made in China using bamboo sticks to protect users from both rain and sun. The invention traveled well across continents and time. In ancient Egypt, King Tutankhamun was known to have a fondness for a parasol and, as trade routes opened up, the tradition traveled to Greece and Italy too. However, umbrellas fell into disuse after the fall of Rome but made a comeback in Renaissance Italy. It is fitting then that we get our name for the umbrella from the Latin ‘umbra’ (meaning shade). In the 19th century, the long story of the umbrella finally advanced on British shores when Samuel Fox invents the steel-ribbed umbrella, complete with eyelet, allowing it to stay open when in use. Genius. To explore a good range of contemporary umbrellas, head to Brollies Galore’s comprehensive selection. Shop them here.
Summary
While styles are constantly changing and evolving, some things stay the same, transcending time and fashion and acting as standards in the pantheon of the sartorial greats. British style is, traditionally, quirky, eccentric, and classic. It is also eminently flexible. Not one of our picks looks out of place worn with a simple pair of jeans; and nor would they jar if worn with a ballgown. In our minds, the ultimate test of a wardrobe icon.
January 2023
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