“ I love it. yeah. yeah. yeah.”
Corduroy has a particular groove. (Boom, boom!) Thanks to The Beatles’ penchant for corduroy suits, the fabric experienced an explosion in popularity in the 60s. British Prime-Minister-to-be Edward Heath even went so far as to say the Fab Four had “saved the British corduroy industry.”
With its air of dusty academia, corduroy can be one of those style clichés that divides opinion. But I’ve always had a soft spot for the fabric. The cloth is actually descended from 2000-year-old Egyptian weaving. During the 18th century, London tailors began to adapt the textile for outdoor wear in our cooler climate. However, the raised form of corduroy we know today didn’t emerge until the 19th century in Manchester, where its hard-wearing properties found favour with factory workers in the industrial revolution.
This jacket is part of a two-piece suit I’ve had for the best part of 20 years. Over time, it’s gone in and out of fashion. But if corduroy was good enough for The Beatles, it’s good enough for me. I love it, yeah, yeah, yeah.
“I always feel suave in suede”
Being a teenager in a small town can get boring. To escape our sleepy surroundings, my friends and I would often take the train into Edinburgh on Saturdays and mooch around. One weekend, we ended up in a charity shop. As a music obsessive, I always thought leather jackets oozed rockstar cool, but never thought I’d be able to pull off wearing one. However, this all changed when a black suede jacket caught my eye.
I ran my finger across the pleasingly soft, fuzzy material and decided to try it on. When I looked in the mirror, I felt like I’d been transformed into an urbane man of the world. I was a scrawny teenager when I bought the jacket. It was slightly too big for me, but now it’s a perfect fit. However, it doesn’t get as many outings as I’d like.
Suede doesn’t like the rain, which means it isn’t ideal attire for the temperamental Scottish climate. But why have practicality when you can have style? I’ll always feel suave in suede. Incidentally, the watch was given to me by my grandfather for my 10th birthday. He was German, and bought the watch on a trip to Switzerland. Truth be told it was quite a fancy watch to give to a 10-year-old boy, so I only wore it occasionally. I was worried I’d misplace it or accidentally break it. It’s still in great condition. I love the gold and silver details around the circumference and the roman numerals on the clockface. It’s a classic touch. Maybe I’ll hand it down a couple of generations myself one day.
