A Very Dashing Jacket

Regular readers will know I have a bit of an infatuation with tweed, especially the really colorful stuff.  Now there is the very traditional Harris Tweed, loads of overchecked Estate Tweeds, and then there is Dashing Tweeds, which is a totally different animal altogether.

Dashing Tweeds is a part of the Hills McDougall weaving studio, the Hills half of which is Mr. Guy Hills, a good friend of mine.  Mr. Hills is a photographer, and when he began shooting things for folks up and down Savile Row decided he loved the tailoring, but wanted something with a bit more modern pizazz.  So, he did the sensible thing and started his own line of cloth.  Now you can find Dashing Tweeds at many of the world’s best tailors, and Mr. Hills has been releasing bits and bobs of Ready to Wear and Made to Measure over the last few years.

The newest of these mad creations is actually not mad at all.  The new cycling jacket is a brilliant mix of modern couture (those shoulders are very Thierry Mugler) and functional sportswear.  The pockets are angled so you can reach across while keeping one hand on your bicycle, the tweed and inlayed strips are reflective, and the underarms are cut out so you don’t arrive at your destination soaking wet.  They should be up on the Dashing Tweeds website soon enough, but I’ll be sure to keep you all updated.