A Timeless Workwear Staple

 Collarless (Neck Band) Shirts.

A vintage striped cotton work shirt dating from c1920s.

Around the 1840's baggy square cut shirts, with high attached collars and frilled cuffs, were ditched in favour a more austere form of shirt. Thus the collarless shirt came in to being.

The neck band shirt was a fixture of the working mans' wardrobe for many years. These shirts, normally made from stripe brushed or flannelette heavy cotton, were fabricated to last.

Two heavy flannelette examples. The early ones can be quite rough... The solution? I suggest long under garments. 

Whereas the more formal poplin business shirts were usually white, work shirts were either coloured or rather gaudily striped. Interestingly, until roughly the 40's shirts were regarded as a second layer of underwear - not something that one should prominently display, as today. All that would have been visible were cuffs, (separate) stiff collar, and a couple of inches of fabric barely visible above the top button of the waist-coat either side of a tie.

Shirts were not mass produced. Normally made by a local tailor, or in some cases by the women of a working family, they came in a wide variety of colours. 

Men would have had few shirts and separate collars were a way of prolonging its life. The shirt may have been filthy (the colours hid the dirt better), but collars were easy to launder and cheaper to replace. Depending on the trade you were in collar & tie might not have been worn at all during the week, but saved for Sunday best. (That said, I was once robustly told off by the haughty proprietress of a vintage shop in the Kings Road for not wearing a collar & tie!)

Some later shirts had softer detachable collars. A step forward in comfort... 

Most shirts sported a half placket opening, meaning that it was pulled on over your head. Fully button through shirts did not come into fashion until the 1950's.

The tails were cut generously long. This, combined with trouser waist lines that hovered dangerously near the nipple, meant that one's shirt, once tucked in, stayed tucked.

As waistlines dropped so did the placket until button through, or coat shirts (because you donned them as you would a coat) became the prevalent style.

This example sports double cuffs & a reinforced front or "bib". 

Cuffs were normally single and button through, though as with the example above shirts for "best" would have had double cuffs and perhaps be fashioned from a lighter cotton, as here.

A heavy flannelette shirt with additional cotton lining. This Somax shirt is actually quite modern. I found it languishing as dead stock in the corner of a sadly now defunct gents outfitters in Whitstable, Kent. It's now been turned in to a Costa Coffee... 

In addition to the heavy weight fabric needing to be durable for work, the fact of their construction meant that these shirts last for years - important if you couldn't afford to replace them. Remember too that almost all houses were coal fire heated, and in the case of working mens quarters, cheaply built and drafty.

I love this type of shirt. I wear them regularly and feel that they still deserve a place in any man's wardrobe. The heavier versions are immensely warm, and worn sans collar are very comfortable. Combined with a round point stiff collar they can look particularly dapper. (More on the important topic of collars and their nearly endless variants later.)

If not able to raid your great uncle's armoire fear not, you can invest in a high quality reproduction at Darcy Clothing. I found most of my original examples at Old Hat in Fulham, London. Run by tailor David Saxby, this place is a treasure trove of vintage mens apparel.

The Guernsey

Knitwear Icon.

The authors' Guernsey - 21 years old and still going strong.

As Danish autumn progresses and the howling winds that are an ever present feature of life in this country get colder one's thoughts inevitably turn to the subject of insulation. This leads me nicely on to the guernsey.

The knitting industry in the British Channel Island of Guernsey dates back to the early 16th century, when licences were granted to import wool from England. In those early days, the Island’s exports were stockings and at the peak of this trade it is believed that 10,000 pairs left the Island each week. Both Mary and Queen Elizabeth (1558 to 1603) owned articles of Guernsey knitwear. Even the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots wore Guernsey underpinnings at her execution.

If it doesn't have one of these sewn in to the seam it's not the genuine article.

The Guernsey sweater came into being as a garment for seamen & fishermen. Venturing in some cases as far as Newfoundland, they required a warm, hard wearing, yet comfortable item of clothing that would resist the sea spray.

So was born the now famous oiled wool Guernsey. During the time of the Napoleonic Wars, Admiral Lord Nelson recommended that the Guernsey be worn by the Royal Navy and it was at this time that the Guernsey, which until then had been knitted in unscoured natural wool, was dyed Navy Blue. Variants of the guernsey, known as a "gansey", are today used from Cornwall to Scotland.

Traditional Guernsey knitwear still functions as a cottage industry, produced using age old techniques that have been tried and tested. They are knitted with close stitches from tightly twisted worsted wool and this gives it its ability to withstand sea spray and rain. The result is a strong, long lasting garment that will hold its shape better in both wear and washing. (Though I prefer to dry clean mine.)

Beautiful cuff detailing

The rib at the top of the sleeve represents a sailing ship’s rope ladder, the raised shoulder seam a rope and the garter stitch panel, waves breaking on the shore. These details used to differ from family to family - it helped identify sailors lost at sea.

Traditionally passed down within families or given as presents I received mine from my grandmother, a Jersey islander, when I was 16. Bought large for me to grow in to, my guernsey is sized 40 inch chest.

They are meant to be worn skin tight to make the most of the their insulating properties & mine fits more like a rather snug 38". 

There really isn't much 'give' in that tightly worn worsted! Some suggest sizing up a full 4 inches, though I feel strongly they should be worn as intended.

Under arm gusset for ease of movement

Ditto the split hem

The Guernsey is a working jumper - the under arm gussets and split hem provide ease of movement despite the snug fit.

My jumper has had a hard life, years ago I used it whilst working as a labourer during the Christmas holidays and various other menial student jobs. However, with a few running repairs it is still serving me well and will for years to come.

A few patch repairs over the years are testament to this garments working life and durability

Beware of imitations made elsewhere from inferior wool - for a guernsey to qualify as such it has to have been made on the island from the correct worsted wool to the traditional pattern. A kosher example will set you back approx £70 / 650DKK.

I have no idea where my grandmother found mine all those years ago, but I can suggest these chaps as a starting point. More on jumpers to follow soon.

British Inspired... American Made: WPG Edwardian Ammo Boots.

Work boots seem to be very popular at the moment.

However, they vary considerably from the cheap rubber soled horrors pedalled by the likes of H&M to undiscerning hipsters, to the beautiful heritage range crafted by Red Wing - fantastic boots that will set you back a minimum of £200/ DKK 1800. 

I'd been after a suitable pair of boots for a while, however a bit of Google research led me to What Price Glory - an American concern that specialise in reproduction military clothing. These Ammo Boots are a true utility option. They were worn from roughly 1900 to 1960; a black version is still worn by troops on public duties today.

Very sturdily made from pebble grained brown leather, with heal & toe irons with thick leather laces, these boots seem indestructible.

I've worn them now for a month and they are softening up nicely. After a couple of polishes the boots have developed a pleasing reddish tan hue. The sizing comes up a bit large, I'm normally an 8 1/2 but an 8 (American size 9) fits me perfectly. These will easily see me through the rigours of several Danish winters to come.

You do have the option of ordering hobnails too, though you'll need to tack those in yourself. If you don't want to sound like you're marching on Berlin the toe and heel irons are easily removed, though I find them very useful in getting situationally unaware Danes and tourists out of the way when battling through Copenhagen crowds. Keeping them on will of course also mean less visits to the cobbler for re soling/healing.

You can order these boots for $95 online here.  

Welcome to New Utility

Who am I?

My name is Mark. By day I earn my living as a photographer and split my time between Copenhagen & London. New-Utility.co.uk is an online mens lifestyle blog with the emphasis on heritage and vintage fashion, but with occasional forays in to design and slow food & drink.

Vision - or why I'm doing this?

It all started with in 2004 with my involvement in The Chap Magazine and The New Sheridan Club. My lateral drift over the last decade eventually took me away from the more formal Savile Row inspired vintage fashion to early 20th century British & American workwear.

I take inspiration form a broad range of periods, but roughly from the 1880's to 1960. This idea of new utility stems from the wartime CC41 clothing that was simply made with an economy of form. 
I can still remember my grandfather doing the gardening in his Army issue leather jerkin and an old beret. 
In our current straightened financial times idea is once again important. Why the false economy of spending money on mass-produced items that will fall apart in a few months when by spending marginally more you acquire beautiful things that will likely last you a lifetime?

Frustration with the production quality of the bulk of modern clothing has led me to seek out either very high standard reproduction or authentic vintage items. The guiding principal is that they be made to a standard, not a cost. An idea that has sadly fallen from favour.

Robert Pirsig came close to the mark in attempting to unify the Romantic and Rational schools of philosophy through the idea of perception of Quality. I like the premise that very simple utilitarian objects can possess such beauty as well as being purely functional. And if you know where to look they need not be expensive.

I intend to share what I find with you, everything from my latest selvedge denim project to breaking in a pair of Edwardian era Ammo boots. I apply this idea not just to fashion but also to other areas of my life; where relevant I'll share these with you too.