The Double Monk Strap and the Monastery Sandal That Inspired It
The monk strap shoe traces its lineage to the enclosed sandals worn by Alpine monks in the fifteenth century.
2026-07-18
TN
Thomas Nakamura
133 articles
Showing 1–20 of 133 articles
The Piaget Altiplano and the Pursuit of the Thinnest Watch Ever Made
Piaget has been obsessed with thinness since the 1950s, when the company introduced the calibre 9P, a hand-wound movement measuring just two millimetres thick.
2026-07-18
The Raincoat: A Material History from Oilskin to Gore-Tex
Humanity's battle against rain is as old as clothing itself.
2026-07-16
How Turnbull and Asser Became the Shirtmaker of James Bond
Turnbull & Asser was founded in 1885 by Reginald Turnbull and Ernest Asser at 71-72 Jermyn Street, London, where the firm remains today.
2026-07-16
The Crombie Coat and the Mill That Clothed Victorian Britain
The Crombie coat takes its name from J.
2026-07-16
The Harrington Jacket: Baracuta's G9 and the Subcultures That Adopted It
The Harrington jacket is not technically called the Harrington by its maker.
2026-07-16
The Shawl-Collar Cardigan and the Gentlemen Who Made It Respectable
The cardigan takes its name from the 7th Earl of Cardigan, who led the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.
2026-07-14
The Panama Hat: Not from Panama and Never Out of Place
The Panama hat is not from Panama.
2026-07-14
The Cable-Knit Sweater and the Aran Islands That Stitched Its Legend
The cable-knit sweater is inseparable from the Aran Islands off Ireland's west coast, where Atlantic storms shaped an extraordinary knitting tradition.
2026-07-13
The Zenith El Primero and the Race to Build the First Automatic Chronograph
The late 1960s witnessed horology's great race: three groups worked to produce the first automatic chronograph.
2026-07-13
Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso and the Polo Match That Inspired a Swivelling Case
In 1931, British Army officers in India faced a peculiar problem: wristwatches could not survive polo impacts.
2026-07-12
The Nehru Jacket and the Brief Moment It Captivated Western Fashion
The Nehru jacket takes its name from Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, who wore a mandarin-collared achkan as his signature.
2026-07-12
The Waistcoat: A Garment That Survived Its Own Obituary
King Charles II introduced the waistcoat on October 15, 1666, appearing at court in a long sleeved vest to establish soberer dress following the Great Plague.
2026-07-11
How Burberry's Check Pattern Went from Lining to Icon to Problem and Back
Thomas Burberry founded his company in Basingstoke in 1856.
2026-07-11
The Duffle Coat: Monastic Origins and Military Adoption
The duffle coat takes its name from Duffel, a town in Belgium producing thick napped woollen fabric.
2026-07-11
The Omega Speedmaster and the Race It Won Beyond Earth
On July 21, 1969, Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional, making it the first watch worn on the Moon.
2026-07-10
The Chelsea Boot: From Victorian Riding to the Kings Road
The Chelsea boot dates to 1851, when Queen Victoria's bootmaker J.
2026-07-10
How Rubinacci Became Naples' Most Famous Tailor
Gennaro Rubinacci, born in 1907, founded his tailoring house in Naples in 1932, naming it the London House — a tribute to the English tailoring tradition he admired and intended to reinterpret through the lens of Neapolitan craft and Mediterranean sensibility.
2026-07-09
The Complete Guide to Vintage Watch Collecting
Vintage watch collecting occupies a unique position among collecting disciplines: the objects are both functional and decorative, appreciating in value while being worn and enjoyed daily.
2026-07-09
How E. Marinella Made the World's Most Famous Tie Shop
Eugenio Marinella opened his tiny neckwear shop at Riviera di Chiaia 287 in Naples on June 2, 1914 — a location measuring barely twenty square metres, chosen for its proximity to the Grand Hotel and the wealthy clientele arriving for the Neapolitan social season.
2026-07-09