In the last couple of weeks, you may have noticed that we dedicated one article each week to an old fashion illustration because they all provide so much inspiration for us to dress differently. Today’s drawing is a particularly good example of pluralistic outfits that make you really yearn for bolder patterns in your wardrobe.
The scene takes place at a horse race or a stadium, because you can see the typical horse race accessories and people sitting and standing on what seems to be a stage.
Fall Outfits
Let’s start with the different outfits from the top left corner and proceed clockwise. The first gentleman wears a green-blue-tan overcoat in a heavy diagonal weave topcoat fabric. I really enjoy these bold structures. He paired it with a cigar brown pair of cuffed trousers and beautiful mid-brown full brogue derby shoes, which show a nice patina. Note that there is no break in the trousers although the man is standing; most men I see today wear their trousers considerably longer, which can make an outfit appear sloppy. It seems like he wears a pair of natural colored gloves and in his right hand, he holds a brown leather case for binoculars and a leather covered flask in his other one.
To his right, we see somebody in a dark overcoat and grey trousers with a blue windowpane plaid. His horizontally striped socks in red, blue and white definitely stand out – not the best choice in my opinion – though the cognac semi-brogue derby shoes harmonize beautifully with the trousers.
The next chap wears an over-knee long overcoat in what seems to be a grey cheviot with a bold herringbone pattern. Paired with mid–grey (flannel) trousers and black medallion cap toe Oxford shoes, he could also go to a business meeting in town. Note: although the length of the topcoat seems to be rather long for today’s standard, this used to be the absolute norm back then.
The person to his right wears a tan overcoat and trousers in a small checked steel-blue pattern, which reminds me of a huge needle head pattern. His mid-brown oxford long wing brogues have an interesting pattern.
The next person wears probably the “loudest” overcoat of them all. It literally screams for attention – a bit over the top in my opinion. These orange/rust plaids on the light tan make you look almost like a colorful bird from afar! The plain green-grey trousers are just insignificant bystanders to the overpowering topcoat; the same goes for the plain brown captoe derby shoes.
In the row underneath, we can spot at least part of an outfit consisting of a brown hat, off-white scarf and navy blue topcoat.
The gentleman looking at the woman has a very nice green-gray snapbrim felt hat that features an interesting molded crown. His bold houndstooth double breasted overcoat with wide lapels and ulster collar in beige brown is one of my favorites. I own a scarf in a similarly bold pattern that I quite like.
The lady in the orange-red hat wears a gigantic fur stole or collar – stunning! Also, I should mention this particularly beautiful homburg hat next to the lady in mid grey. It has a very high, creased crown and a wide black ribbon while the edge has a ribbon edging in the color of the hat.
Conclusion
Of course, this scene may have been totally made up, but it is not unlikely that you would have actually seen such a variety of fabrics, constructions, and forms during a horse race. This drawing makes me wish that more people would wear bolder patterns and different colors, other than navy, black and khaki.