Blog
The Polo Shirt: We've Come A Long Way, Baby
One cannot speak of the history of the modern day polo shirt without discussing the evolution of dress codes in the sport of tennis. Why? Well, because the polo shirt, despite its name, was actually invented by a tennis player for other tennis players. But today, the polo shirt can be found everywhere (in fact, most often off the tennis court) and is available for everyone to enjoy. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, tennis players sported what were then known as “tennis whites” while playing the game. These “whites,” which included flannel pants, a white, button up...
What's a Chino?
Spring is here, and that means it’s time to shift away from heavyweight denim towards lighter weight trousers or, in many cases, chinos. But what’s a chino? And where did they come from?While today the word “chino” has become interchangeable with trousers or khakis, the word itself has a specific connotation rooted in the history of the West. Beginning in the 1800s, the British military was interested in finding new, hardwearing fabrics to replace the traditional heavyweight wools that had been used in military uniforms up to that point. At the same time, Western imperialism was reaching its’ peak....
The Duke of Windsor
It’s hard to isolate legendary figures in the development of fashion – who knows who the first person to roll their jeans was? Who first decided to tuck his pants into his boots? But from this historical ambiguity, there have been a select few whose personal style helped transform what was understood to be classic menswear, and their appreciation of fit and pattern paved the way for what we know today. Within classic menswear, Prince Edward, the Duke of Windsor, the namesake of the Windsor and half-Windsor knot stands out. Born in 1894 to...