Scozia, 1850 circa. Lady Catherine Dunmore, vedova del sesto conte Dunmore, eredita dal defunto marito le isole Harris, nelle Ebridi Occidentali. Tra quelle lande desolate, battute da inverni feroci, nei pochi villaggi di pescatori e agricoltori, i telai delle donne filano un ruvido, caldo tessuto, che lady Catherine apprezza tanto da riuscirlo a diffondere nel bel mondo della gentry scozzese, che a sua volta lo porta in Inghilterra, a Londra.
Londra, 1920 circa. Ormai il ruvido tessuto delle isole Harris è ben conosciuto nei migliori ambienti nobili e borghesi, e grazie ai migliorati sistemi di riscaldamento domestico, il tweed -questo, il nome del prezioso filato- comincia a profilarsi non più in completi, ma nelle sole giacche, dando avvio alla solida tradizione che riconduce l' emblematico indumento alle magioni britanniche.
Ad onor del vero, datosi che le imprese della pioneristica lady Dunmore sono ormai vecchie di settant' anni, si è diffusa l' errata credenza, dura a morire, che il tweed sia sì scozzese, ma della Scozia "continentale" -passatemi l' inappropriata definizione- e precisamente al confine tra Scozia e Inghilterra dove scorre il fiume Tweed, appunto. Ovviamente, nella migliore tradizione britannica, , la versione dei fatti meno probabile è anche quella corretta (sir Conan Doyle e lady Christie insegnano...): il tessuto, privo di un nome particolare,ma semplicemente chiamato "twill" (tessuto diagonale) -in scozzese tweel-, è stato storpiato da un "disattento" mercante inglese (Sherman, cofondatore dello storico marchio Sherman & Jameson) in tweed. Il mistero si infittisce quando, assunta l' origine isolana del tessuto, che di lì sarà chiamato Harris tweed (nonostante la produzione si sia diffusa anche tra Barra, Lewis e Uist, isole vicine alle Harris), si cominciano a espandere le maniffatture: da Islay, nelle Ebridi Orientali, alla contea di Donegal, fino ai Borders scozzesi, dove scorre l' ormai famoso fiume Tweed! Un po' come la diatriba tra Scozia e Olanda circa il golf, e un po' come per tutte le tradizione made in Scotland, gli aspetti di leggenda ed erudizione storica aggiungono fascino e sapidità al contenuto, ed è quindi necessario raccontarli, passeggiando tra i verdi manti erbosi, spazzati dai vanti del Nord, per raggiungere i giorni nostri, nei migliori atelier di moda del Mondo.
Ebbene sì, se la vulcanica madame Chanel scopre il tweed come tessuto dall' inaspettata carica femminile per i suoi tailleurs, consacrando il ruvido scozzese al dorato mondo dell' Haute Couture, Dior Balenciaga, Courregès, Balmain, Saint Laurent limano il suo temparamento da orso, e si crede quasi che il tweed sia diventato un filato da parties alla moda. Tuttavia, in tempi più recenti, i corsi e ricorsi storici riconsegnano, fortunatamente oserei dire, il tweed alla sua dimensione originaria: vento, freddo, foglie secche, magioni, antiche biblioteche, ed è così che lo vede Paul Smith, che ne fa l' uniforme dei moderni giovin signori d' oltremanica, che lo indossano dai volumi essenziali e dal taglio avvitato e asciutto, sebbene morbido, ad emblema della modernità che non rinnega le auguste origini. E al re dello smart-chic, fa eco il decano del dell' american preppy style, Ralph Lauren, che dedica al tweed un' ampia fetta della sua sempiterna collezione Polo, consacrandolo a quintessenza del casual chic, tanto più casual se, con l' andar degli anni, riceve i due sottogomiti in pelle come altrettante medaglie al valore, tanto più chic se , concedendosi l' assoluta perfezione, si acquista una giacca su misura rivolgendosi ad Huntsman, in Savile Row, specializzato nell' originale e selezionatissimo Harris tweed, o se, in cerca di qualcosa che, senza rinunciare alla classe, smenta tuttavia l' understatement gentilizio, si varca la soglia di Norton&Sons: tra oltre mille tweeds diversi per trama e colore, si trovano dei melangè porpora, giallo e blu cobalto da fare invidia al più dandy dei velluti. Se, nonostante la natura "di nicchia", la giacca di tweed è riuscita a conquistarsi un posto speciale nel cuoredegli Uomini di Stile, vuol dire che, percorrendo le strade dell' eccellenza, sipuò davvero vincere la Traditional Revolution!
Scotland, about 1850. Lady Catherine Dunmore, widow of the sixth earl Dunmore, inherits the Harris islands from the late husband, in the Western Hebrides. Between those desolate moors, beaten by ferocious winters,in the few villages of fishermen and farmers, the frames of the women spin a rough, warm fabric, so appreciated by Lady Catherine that she is able to spread the beautiful world of the Scottish gentry, which in turn port in England, in London.
London, 1920. Now the rough fabric of the Harris islands is well known in the Best Companies, nobles and bourgeois, and thanks to improved home heating systems, the tweed-this is the name of the precious yarn- begins to take shape no longer complete, but only in the jackets, this will start the strong tradition that brings the 'symbolic garment to British mansions.To be fair, because of lady Dunmore' s gestas are seventy years old , has the wrong spread, die hard, that the tweed is really Scottish, but Scotland's "mainland" -excuse me for the inappropriate definition-on the border between Scotland and England where the River Tweed, in fact, is. Obviously, in the best British tradition, the version of events is even less likely the correct one (Sir Conan Doyle and Lady Christie teach that...): fabric, without a particular name, but simply called "twill" -tweel in Scottish idioma- was crippled by a "careless" English merchant (Sherman, co-founder of the historic brand Sherman & Jameson) in tweed. The mystery deepens when, taken the island origin of the fabric, which will be called Harris tweed from that (though the production has spread to Barra, Lewis and Uist, Harris nearby islands), is beginning to expand manifactures: from Islay in the East Hebrides, the county of Donegal, to the Scottish Borders, where runs the famous Tweed River! A little 'as the dispute between Scotland and Holland about the golf, and a little as with all traditions made in Scotland, the aspects of legend and historic lore, add charm and flavor to the content, so we have to tell you, walking through the green lawns, swept by the boasts of the North, to reach the present day, to the best fashion atelier in the world.Yes, if the volcanic discovers Madame Chanel tweed like fabric from 'unexpected charge for its women's suits, embodying the rugged Scot to the golden world of' Haute Couture, Dior, Balenciaga, Courreges, Balmain, Saint Laurent cut out his rude being. However, more recently, courses and historical claims returned, dare I say fortunately, the tweed to its original size: wind, cold, dry leaves, mansions, old libraries, and that's how it is seen by Paul Smith, which makes the 'uniform of the modern young british offsprings , by wearing it with essential volumes and bolted and dry cut, although soft, as emblem of modernity that does not deny the great origins. And the king of smart-chic, is echoed by the doyen of the 'preppy American style, Ralph Lauren, who devotes to the tweed' large slice of his eternal Polo collection, dedicated to the essence of casual chic, the more casual though, with the 'over the years, receiving two leather patches like so many medals, especially chic if, indulging to the' absolute perfection, you buy a jacket tailored to addressing Huntsman, in Savile Row, specialized in 'original and highly selected Harris tweed or whether, in search of something that, without giving up the class, denies, however, the noble 'understatement, it crosses the threshold of Norton & Sons where, from over one thousand tweeds different texture and color, are of mottled purple, yellow and blue cobalt envy at the dandiest velvets. If, despite the nature of "niche", the tweed jacket was able to win a special place in Men of Style heart, it means that, along the streets of 'excellence, winning the Traditional Revolution is really possible!
London, 1920. Now the rough fabric of the Harris islands is well known in the Best Companies, nobles and bourgeois, and thanks to improved home heating systems, the tweed-this is the name of the precious yarn- begins to take shape no longer complete, but only in the jackets, this will start the strong tradition that brings the 'symbolic garment to British mansions.To be fair, because of lady Dunmore' s gestas are seventy years old , has the wrong spread, die hard, that the tweed is really Scottish, but Scotland's "mainland" -excuse me for the inappropriate definition-on the border between Scotland and England where the River Tweed, in fact, is. Obviously, in the best British tradition, the version of events is even less likely the correct one (Sir Conan Doyle and Lady Christie teach that...): fabric, without a particular name, but simply called "twill" -tweel in Scottish idioma- was crippled by a "careless" English merchant (Sherman, co-founder of the historic brand Sherman & Jameson) in tweed. The mystery deepens when, taken the island origin of the fabric, which will be called Harris tweed from that (though the production has spread to Barra, Lewis and Uist, Harris nearby islands), is beginning to expand manifactures: from Islay in the East Hebrides, the county of Donegal, to the Scottish Borders, where runs the famous Tweed River! A little 'as the dispute between Scotland and Holland about the golf, and a little as with all traditions made in Scotland, the aspects of legend and historic lore, add charm and flavor to the content, so we have to tell you, walking through the green lawns, swept by the boasts of the North, to reach the present day, to the best fashion atelier in the world.Yes, if the volcanic discovers Madame Chanel tweed like fabric from 'unexpected charge for its women's suits, embodying the rugged Scot to the golden world of' Haute Couture, Dior, Balenciaga, Courreges, Balmain, Saint Laurent cut out his rude being. However, more recently, courses and historical claims returned, dare I say fortunately, the tweed to its original size: wind, cold, dry leaves, mansions, old libraries, and that's how it is seen by Paul Smith, which makes the 'uniform of the modern young british offsprings , by wearing it with essential volumes and bolted and dry cut, although soft, as emblem of modernity that does not deny the great origins. And the king of smart-chic, is echoed by the doyen of the 'preppy American style, Ralph Lauren, who devotes to the tweed' large slice of his eternal Polo collection, dedicated to the essence of casual chic, the more casual though, with the 'over the years, receiving two leather patches like so many medals, especially chic if, indulging to the' absolute perfection, you buy a jacket tailored to addressing Huntsman, in Savile Row, specialized in 'original and highly selected Harris tweed or whether, in search of something that, without giving up the class, denies, however, the noble 'understatement, it crosses the threshold of Norton & Sons where, from over one thousand tweeds different texture and color, are of mottled purple, yellow and blue cobalt envy at the dandiest velvets. If, despite the nature of "niche", the tweed jacket was able to win a special place in Men of Style heart, it means that, along the streets of 'excellence, winning the Traditional Revolution is really possible!
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento