is there some kind of fashion initiation into the upper middle class in this country

[NyeEve]

and does it in volev quilted jackets, suede loafers on men, strange 1980s haircuts and wax jackets?

oh nad vile coloured cords?

Its like stepping back in time

i have never seen as much quilting in one place.

*pointyhat

What's pubic school??

What I HATE is seeing Samantha Cameron in blouses with floppy bows. They make my teeth itch.

I went to something once and there was a woman, size 18 at least, straight out of Sloane Central Casting. Velvet alice band. Ski-pants. Padded pumps. Called Bells or Hills or Plum or something.

Plum, oh I like that.

at prunerz.

Nearly everyone I went to boarding school with had a mother like that or ended up like that.

Dexter I am at your outlet. Our nearest one is in Essex and I am NOT driving there because it involves motorways.

yes bubbles of somethign
v good

This is where they buy all the hid cord trousers in mustard, racing green, red and so on.

Darlings, it is the 'Shooting Season' up here and there an uncommon amount of khaki/snot green covered 'guns' to be found roaming the countryside.
They have paid Sir Fatwad Chinless-Smitherington an absolute bucketload of spondoolacks so they can bag a pheasant and look the part whist bagging.
The look tries to capture the spirit of an underpaid authentic gamekeeper.Note the elbow patch detail made from rustic handmade tweed.

Otter, the thing is all these guns that pay a fortune for their day out are actually local business persons trying to buy into that huntin shootin fishin culture. Dh's old boss tries so hard to be a toff when he's a reformed nightclub bouncer/salesman. He used to go racing dressed like Samuel Whiskers

Scratch that veneer, though and he was rough.

Am thinking DH would look quite good in the olive moleskins, Bleh

I wish they realised how ridiculous they look.
Ditto the golfing set. I mean, do they get dressed in the dark from a mishmash box of Pringle sweater, Argyll socks and silly-bugger trews?

It is really warm though!

And I will admit I am rather partial to my pearls, leather wellies, various quilted jackets and gilets.

• sloans off to hide in the potting shed!

i regularily stop at house of brohah when heading up to the highland (they have nice loos and good sponge cake). it is like a parallel universe of brightly coloured trews and alice bands. i think they have a 'sloane clone' machine out back.

something strangely sexy about them though

maybe it is because the all seem to carry it off well

maybe because it smacks of money

House of Bruar has great loos, indeed. And some nice cashmere.

Good ice-creams and some stepping stones over a river for the children (not just if you want to drown them/yourself after hours on the A9 sitting behind a caravan doing a stead 45).

Don't buy clothes from there (apart from the cashmere, though).

Well of course there is no fashion initiation any more than there is an initiation for common people to press the way they do. They just always ^have.

I prefer the upper middle class look to polyester Next short sleeved shirts or big brand cheap sports wear that is never actually worn for sport.

Me too OMDB, I am almost in a state of permanent ecstasy down here. I love a hunting and fishing man. I was talking to someone earlier in full tweeds with some dead rabbits over his shoulder and it made me quite breathless.

I think it would me too.

(so long as they were slim and tall).

I need to find a place to observe.

lol
i dont get the universal hatred for short sleeved shirts.

..spec with a nice manly forearm

We have a band of male teachers who always wear short sleeved shirts and seem to take great pride in wearing them into the depths of winter outside with no jacket. I think we are supposed to be impressed.

mustermix me too!

My mother comes from a huntin shootin type family, and the reason why they look the same and have done for years is that they pass their clothes down. Seriously, when my grandmother died my mother said that her clothes had plenty of wear and then started wearing them. It was not good! My father comes from more of an academic family, and his family are all very formal in dress. I can't actually remember seeing my grandfather in anything other than a three piece suit.

Cords, quilted jackets, chunky jumpers and sensible walking shoes can be quite stylish in my view. It is just a look that suits the countryside. The Italians copied it in what they call the style angalise. Ralph Lauren did it too.

Compared to some of the sights I see walking round most cities - English country styling is positively haute couture.

Abeta I love it when you talk dirty.