Wednesday 23 June 2010
Le Style 'English Gentleman'
I notice that whenever I'm in France these days, I tend to get taken for a Frenchman. This most definitely isn't down to my grasp of the language, as whoever hails me as a fellow frog-eater very soon discovers; I think it's actually because I look so 'English'. Paradoxical? Not really. My style of dress - along the lines, I suppose, of the style the French resourcefully describe as 'English gentleman' - is now far more commonly seen among Frenchmen than les rosbifs. (In Trouville, for the record, I was wearing a white cotton suit and, much of the time, a zinger of a linen shirt, the gift of Mrs Nige.) So, a style that was quintessentially English has become French, while today's Englishman abroad lets the side down by dressing very badly in ugly 'leisure wear' - shapeless tops, hideous colours, ill-fitting trousers cut off at any point from thigh to ankle. Admittedly the French seem to be heading in that general direction too, but at a far slower rate - and at least those old enough to know better do still dress, for the most part, with dignity and style. I even saw quite a few cravats.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oh dear Mr Nige, if you do ever make it to these shores I fear you might actually pass out at the sheer abundance of hideous leisurewear... wet 'n' windy climate and outdoorsy lifestyle do not go hand in hand with sartorial stylishness. Maybe I need to introduce the Kiwis to your guide to dressing for the country!
ReplyDeleteA capital idea Kate!
ReplyDeleteCet été, nous portons les pantalons de jogging gris, comme les gentilshommes anglais.
ReplyDelete