A brief history of Blackwatch tartan

Our W303 Men's Wax Tartan Harrington Jacket

http://oxfordblueonline.co.uk/products/220/w303-mens-wax-tartan-harrington-

It is amazing to see just how much military has given to the world of fashion, a seemingly unsuspecting world giving so much to aesthetic appeal is just uncanny in all senses of the word.

The term "Blackwatch" does not refer to the style of pattern in a direct sense, but a Scottish military regiment, charged to watch and patrol the highlands, wore this dark pattern and has now become known as "Blackwatch tartan", or more accurately - the Black watch's tartan. It is also known as the "Universal" or "Governmental" tartan.

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http://www.tartansauthority.com/tartan/the-growth-of-tartan/military-tartans/regimental-tartans/

The origins of The Black Watch can be traced back to 1725, when George II requested a series of 6  Independent Companies to watch and patrol areas of the Highlands. Following the Jacobite uprising in 1715, the watch was charged with carrying out the duty of:

"Employed in disarming the Highlanders, preventing depredations, bringing criminals to justice, and hindering rebels and attained persons from inhabiting that part of the kingdom."

The Regiment would at first where similar dark colours to each other but would later on have one regional uniform. The Military captains of the six companies were; Lord Lovat, Grant of Ballindalloch, Munro of Culcairn, Campbell of Lochnell, Campbell of Carrick and Campbell of Skipness. A month down the line in mid May 1725, General Wade sent out the following command:

“"Take Care to provide Plaid Clothing and Bonnets in the Highland Dress for the Non-Commission Officers and Soldiers belonging to their Companies, the Plaid of each Company to be as near as they can of the same sort and Colour."

Some have interpreted this as Wade indirectly saying he would prefer if they were all consistent in dress.

Our top selling W49 Ladies Tartan Wax Katrina on the left and W113 Quilted Biker Jacket on the right.

http://oxfordblueonline.co.uk/products/160/w49-ladies-tartan-katrina

Later on as with many other items of military dress, the Governmental Tartan saw it's way into mainstream fashion and secured its territory within the realm of the non military, Oxford Blue's range of blackwatch items branches into coats, jackets and coats which have proved to be popular choices.

A Brief History of the Duffle Coat

The Duffle coat is another one of Britain's iconic items of fashion that found it's way from being an item of functional wear.

It is now one of the best raise to fame success stories in respect to fashion that Britain offers, more often than not, an essential item in every wardrobe, perhaps because it is the only garment in a gentleman's wardrobe to have a hood. Initially starting off as predominately a man's item of fashion, it rose to popularity during it's years and now is widely worn by women.

The iconic "Monty" Duffle coat

The genesis of the duffle coat lies with 19th century British fashion designer John Partridge, the common myth is that the coat comes form the Belgium town "Duffel" but this however is a misconception, the iconic toggle fasteners on the garment had been used in Britain for over 200 years. the garment was initially used by sailors as a piece of functional wear, thus it found popularity within the British Navy during WW1 and WW2.

The iconic "Monty" Duffle coat worn by the Navy

However while worn by the armed forces, two gents in particular really did act as trendsetting trailblazers and set the scene for the duffle coat - namely Field Marshall Montgomery and Sir David Stirling as shown in the picture below:

Though of course not yet in it's fashionable state, these large, functional, work-wear duffle coats were popular amongst various circles within the armed forces.

The trend kicked off during the 1950's and 60's moreso and the garment became more fitted and adapted to fashion trends and thus found it's way in popular culture and TV through the likes of Paddington Bear first seen in 1958, becoming a large hit amongst children:

Most nowadays probably would not know who the Field Marshall who fist donned this jacket is but know what Monty jacket it - a true testament to the power of the success of this garment.

A Brief History of Tweed

Tweed, an icon of British country life, nothing is perhaps more instantly recognisable as British fashion than a classic tweed woven garment.

A HW45 Thelma Hat (Biscuit) and LTW09 Ladies Field Jacket 

The story of tweed is an amusing one, many would think it is after the river tweed that flows through Scotland, however it is quite comical to learn the fact that the name owes it's inception to a simple error in misreading an invoice! Tweel was the original name as a Scottish take on the word twill - its genesis being the fabrics twilled pattern, in 1826 William Watson hailing from Hawick to a London trader James Locke, due to a legibility error or some other factor, Locke misread the name as Tweed rather than tweel and thus the name Tweed as we know it was born. 

W221 and W226 Blazer and Waistcoat respectively (C001L Harris Tweed)

However the style of tweed and its association with gentry, aristocracy came about mid 19th century with the British nobles bringing about what was called estate tweeds. It was common practise amongst the classes of nobility to purchase estates purely for hunting and game keeping, the tweed would protect the wearer from the cold and moist and is considered informal wear by the social classes who adorned it in those days and would often be worn with Wellington's (when hunting) or with tanned shoes when not in the fields. 

The hunting estates coupled with the typical wearing of tweed hence gave birth to what was known as estate tweeds, the staff that would look after the estate were also clad in estate tweed to follow Highland traditions and also to ensure their staff were appropriately shielded from the elements,  

http://pages.rapha.cc/stories/tweed-the-original-performance-fabric

The Highland tradition of specific patterns serving as a distinct identity of each clan surfaced by each twilled pattern specific to an estate as a part of staff uniform. From the 1830's onwards, tweed had become a widespread fashion throughout all estates, and aristocrats would not be seen as genuine had they not followed trend.

LTW09 Ladies Field Jacket, HW57 Helmsley Cap, LTW08 Gilet (Light Green)

In the 1840's the countess of Dunmore introduced Harris Tweed amongst her circles and promoted it heavily to the extent that tweed is now synonymous with the quality and commanding stature of Harris Tweed.

We at Oxford Blue sell a wide range of Harris Tweed garments from blazers, waistcoats, hats and many more, one can always tell a genuine Harris Tweed garment by its smooth feel even though typically tweed is characteristically coarse, visit www.oxfordblueonline.co.uk for more. 

A Brief History of the Wax Jacket

Oxford Blue in it's inception over four decades ago started with just making wax jackets, over the years we have honed this garment to perfection and have now become international selling in Europe, Asia, and even the United States enabling us to become wax garment specialists.

However, what is the wax jacket? How did it come about? Why put wax on a cotton jacket?

All interesting questions.

Like most items of fashion these days, the garment was once an item of functional wear. The wax jacket owes its origins to the initial development of wax fabric itself which found itself first made use by innovative British sailors as a raincoat around the 19th century.

But it all began when sailors noticed that the sails on their ships when wet would slow the vessel down considerably, imagine how heavy your normal everyday jacket gets in heavy rain - now imagine how heavy a large sail a hundred feet in the air on a colossal 19th cent flagship would be! 

The North Atlantic can be a very harsh and inhospitable environment, those sails men who worked at sea over 150 years ago would constantly be slapped by claps of rain, cutting winds and turbulent sea waves. Hence the brave sailors of the day donned a form of armour that shielded them from such harsh working conditions. Survival was of course dependent on the quality clothing one would wear, if a man on deck was soaked he would most definitely render his limbs heavy, slow down work and tire himself out at best, at worst he could catch disease such as pneumonia.

Initially they were apply linseed oil onto their sails and tear off any remains and use them as waterproof smocks - the stage was set for the gradual slope of evolution into the British fashion icon that is the wax jacket.

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However, problems occurred with linseed oil, gradual ageing would turn the garments and sails yellow and in cold the fabric would turn incredibly stiff, it seemed one problem solved turned into a myriad of many more problems. Nevertheless the innovative minds of the day turned to using wax. It rendered the jacket weatherproof yet lightweight and pliable enough for the sailors to carry out their duties.

The traders of the day started selling these garments out to everyone who would benefit from such work wear, thus in the British countryside gamekeepers, farmers, hunters, fisherman and all those exposed to the elements would eventually buy into the wax jacket market. 

Oxford Blue in it's inception started off mainly with functional wear such as:

Our W73 Hobart Cape

W19L Ladies Drover

And indeed we still do make them, however over the years as technology advances, garments such as the hobart cape tend to find themselves reborn into fabrics such as nylon, a much more longer lasting, robust material that does not require re - proofing.

So why keep making traditional wax garments?

The answer is simple, the modern fabrics just cannot displace the image of the aged, antique look of the traditional wax fabric, it has character, history and will continue to live on. The country look would not be the same without a wax jacket on top of a classic shirt and tweed hat. 

That's why we are, classic country clothing, from Oxford Blue.

A Snapshot History of the Military Jacket

The military jacket is considered widely as a staple garment to have in the wardrobe. It is quite interesting to note just how many items of fashion actually owe their roots to the military - a line of work which one would usually expect it to be all about function rather than form. 

However, this is where 17th - 18th century Napoleonic European military gifted the world of fashion with the iconic jacket that is so widespread today, more specifically the Hussar and Majorette jacket, the Hussar jacket would've most likely lead to the 19th century American civil war era style Majorette jacket, later in history the Navy would release it's "Pea Jacket" for its crew on board the war ships of Europe.

Left - a Hussar Jacket Centre - Navy Pea Jacket Right - Majorette Jacket

The Hussars, refers to a number of types of light cavalry. This type of cavalry first appeared in the Hungarian army of King Matthias Corvinus, the title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European and other armies. A number of armoured or ceremonial mounted units in modern armies retain the designation of hussars. 

During the 16th century onwards right until mid 19th century, the mode of warfare primarily used muskets, a type of rifle which once fired caused alot of smoke owing to the sulphur powder, the armies of old still meeting face to face in the field en masse would have a hard time distinguishing friend or foe had it not been for their brightly coloured and distinct garments, this function would then lead the jacket to form more of a statement of rank, pomp and gentry even amongst military.

The same strength of highly visible, distinct uniforms however would later prove detrimental to an armies war effort soon after the technology shift of rifles ensured minimal smoke and guerilla units would easily pick off the packed in mass of stark clad soldiers. Segments of the British army was the first  then to shift to camouflaged khaki uniforms in India shortly before the Sepoy rebellion of 1857.

The young 21 years old Cornet, (Second Lieutenant) Winston Churchill of the 4th Queen's Own Hussars, 1895

The first written mention of the word "Hussarones" (in Latin, plural; in Hungarian: Huszár) has been found in documents dating from 1432 in Southern Hungary (at the time the Ottoman military frontiers of the Hungarian Kingdom). A type of irregular light horsemen was already well-established by the 15th century in medieval Hungary.

Henceforth, the light cavalry is called huszár, a name derived from the word húsz ("twenty" in Hungarian), which refers to the drafting scheme where for every twenty serfs a noble owned, he had to equip a mounted soldier.

A premise over the etymology of the word Hussar is offered by Byzantinist scholars, who argue the term originated in Roman military practice, and the cursarii (singular cursarius). Through Byzantine Army operations in the Balkans in the 10th and 11th centuries when Chosarioi/Chonsarioi were recruited with especially Serbs, the word was subsequently reintroduced to Western European military practice after its original usage had been lost with the collapse of Rome in the west.

Hungarian king and founder of the Hussars Matthias Corvinus

The hussars reportedly originated in bands of mostly Serbian warriors, crossing into southern Hungary after the Turkish invasion of Serbia at the end of the 14th century. The Governor of Hungary, John Hunyadi, created mounted units inspired by his enemy, the Ottoman Turks. His son, Matthias Corvinus, later king of Hungary, is unanimously accepted as the creator of these troops. Initially, they fought in small bands, but were reorganised into larger, trained formations during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus. 

So the first hussar regiments were the light cavalry of the Black Army of Hungary. Under his command, the hussars took part in the war against the Ottoman Empire in 1485 and proved successful against the Turkish Spahis as well as against Bohemians and Poles. After the king's death, in 1490, hussars remained the preferred form of cavalry in Hungary. The Habsburg emperors hired Hungarian hussars as mercenaries to serve against the Ottoman Empire and on various battlefields throughout Western Europe.

Hussars were often portrait as dashing and un - matched in valour, it is no surprising then that the jacket should find itself within mainstream fashion, those wanting to associate themselves as dashing albeit with a touch of class would fit well wearing the three century old garment marvelling exactly that. 

The jacket would see itself form a variation amongst some military units into the majorette jacket, typically worn by cavalry officers during the American Civil War and various other European armies across the globe and it is this jacket that more commonly seen is the fashion realm.

The Majorette in it's modern day habitat

http://www.stylehive.com/bookmark/free-people-majorette-jacket-1164382

The jacket is designed to be flattering and at first amongst civilians saw itself more popular with women, perhaps to do with the women aiming to show off their husbands and thereby families link with the military and show her support to her husband's warrior - hood. To this day it remains a popular garment amongst those who prefer a fitted and gentry style garment and it does indeed still bare the connotations of the aristocratic and noble values of the social classes who first clad them.

Various pop stars wore the garment and thus expanded the garments use and place in mainstream society, such as guitar legend Jimi Hendrix who himself served in the US military:

httpwww.feelnumb.com20111117jimi-hendrix-royal-hussar-british-army-veterinary-corps-military-jackets

This specific jacket's origins date back to the 1700's when General Lasalle otherwise known as “The Hussar General” wore this type of tunic as depicted in the painting below. Inspired by the Hungarian fashion of the day, it is adorned with heavy horizontal tasseled gold rope (pelisse) across the chest and Austrian knots on the sleeves to show rank.

The King of Pop Michael Jackson also surfaces when he too donned the jacket:

Here at Oxford Blue we have our own tribute to this time honoured classic coupled in fine tweed and also wax:

This ladies tweed jacket is made to the same high quality as you expect from Oxford Blue. Elegant and fashionable the new look military jacket looks great when worn in and around town or in the country. Made from 100% Wool Tweed that is Teflon coated.

Our LTW07 Tweed Military Jacket in Sea Blue, Light Green and Biscuit

The Military jacket seen here with our Pilot Jacket

Sea blue

Our best selling and fine quality garment can be purchased on our site here: http://www.oxfordblueonline.co.uk/products/137/ltw07-ladies-millitary-tweed

The jacket can be nicely coupled with our LTW08

Ladies Tweed Gilet (100% Wool, Teflon Coated) available for purchase here: http://www.oxfordblueonline.co.uk/products/154/ltw08---ladies-tweed-gilet

Indeed, the military jacket is a timeless piece that will last through the ages as it has already proved to have done, spanning over three centuries, this garment will be a prized possession for anyone's wardrobe. 

Select history sourced from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussar

The prestigious visit of HRH Princess Anne to Oxford Blue

1996, the roads blocked off and HRH’s security arriving early to do a preliminary check around our premises, the scene was set for one of the honours a business could achieve.

The Princess Royal, the second child and only daughter of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, was born at Clarence House, London, on 15 August 1950, when her mother was Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptive to the throne. She was baptised Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise at Buckingham Palace on 21 October 1950. 

She received the title Princess Royal from The Queen in June 1987; she was previously known as Princess Anne. Her Royal Highness is the seventh holder of the title.

Princess Anne had come to know about our export success through the BKC, Oxford Blue is heavily involved in exporting goods and strengthening the British economy by doing so, indeed, the unique selling point of Oxford Blue is that our garments of made in Britain, each of our garments have been carefully handcrafted by skilled British workers as a classic British country clothing brand should be - something a lot of our competitors cannot offer.

By helping the economy in such a manner, HRH decided it apt to visit our premises just outside the Birmingham city centre on Constitution Hill to take a look at the production of the renowned garments of Oxford Blue.

 HRH’s visit made it to the Evening Mail

Princess Anne was shown around the building and was introduced to all the staff from all departments, from the manufacturers, sales, suppliers and distributors the entire process was shown step by step of how the company HRH came especially to visit achieved their feats.

Various snapshots of the day

Oxford Blue exports many of its clothes to international markets in Europe, Asia and even in the USA, the style of classic British country clothing strikes well with those not residing within the UK, many like the novelty of tweed and the look and feel of British made wax jacket, not to say of course that the products do not sell well at home here in the UK, but in terms of export - harkening back to the reason why HRH came to visit the factory.

Along with HRH, other special guests included rugby legend William "Bill" Blackledge Beaumont CBE (born 9 March 1952, Chorley, Lancashire, England) was captain of the England rugby union team as a lock, at a time when they struggled to win games, his greatest moment as captain was the unexpected 1980 Grand Slam. He is currently a member of the International Rugby Board and Chairman of the Rugby Football Union, Bill Beaumont Textiles specialises in traditional and contemporary fabrics for use in window coverings and upholstery.

When Beaumont played rugby in the 1970s and 80s, it was an amateur sport so unlike the stars of today, he had to have a normal job. When he left school he joined the family textile business, which he eventually bought from the family in 1998, and played rugby locally for Fylde Rugby Club where he progressed to play for Lancashire, the Barbarians, England and the Lions. He is still involved with rugby and is currently Chairman of the Rugby Football Union and was awarded an OBE in 1982 and a CBE in 2008 for services to Rugby.

Bill is the great-great-grandson of Joseph Hargreaves, the business’ founder who set up a weaving shed in Chorley, Lancashire in 1888. Bill works alongside his wife Hilary, the business’ Design Director. Bill and Hilary work with their eldest son Daniel who is the Managing Director. 

                                                     

At the end of her visit we gifted HRH with one of our HW44 Ladies Thelma Hats, a classic and charming piece of headwear featuring a brown 100% cotton checked lining, brim band around the centre and a bow at the back. This hat is also available in honey and blackwatch tartan – both going really well with their W47 & W49 Katrina jacket counterparts.                                        

 A close up of the newspaper article

HW44

HW38 Honey and Blackwatch edition

After which we received a letter from the crown stating how enjoyable the experience was for The Princess and how she will wear our hat with great pride:

Since then Oxford Blue has been going from strength to strength, the visit from her majesty was indeed a testament to the quality of our garments - fit for a Princess.