How Burberry's Check Pattern Went from Lining to Icon to Problem and Back
Thomas Burberry founded his company in Basingstoke in 1856.
Thomas Nakamura · 2026-07-11
The Vault
Archival features, deep reads, and enduring perspectives.
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Showing 81–100 of 166 articles
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.
Thomas Nakamura · 2026-07-11
The IWC Portugieser and the Fishermen Who Needed a Marine Chronometer on Their Wrists
In 1939, two Portuguese retailers walked into IWC's Schaffhausen offices with an unusual request.
Catherine Avery · 2026-07-11
How the Pocket Watch Yielded to the Wristwatch in the Trenches of World War One
Before 1914, the wristwatch was a novelty for women or a gimmick for polo players.
William Ashford · 2026-07-11
The Driving Moccasin: How a Shoe Designed for the Pedal Became a Summer Essential
The driving moccasin was conceived to give the driver's foot maximum pedal sensitivity.
Marcus Wei · 2026-07-11
How the Aviator Jacket Went from Open Cockpits to Open Roads
When First World War pilots climbed into open-cockpit biplanes at altitudes where temperatures plunged below minus thirty, survival depended on clothing.
William Ashford · 2026-07-10
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.
Thomas Nakamura · 2026-07-10
A History of the Cufflink, From Renaissance Courts to Modern Minimalism
The cufflink emerged in the seventeenth century as shirt sleeves grew longer and more ornate.
James Alderton · 2026-07-10
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How Ralph Lauren Built an Empire on a Vision of Old Money
Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx in 1939, the son of Belarusian Jewish immigrants.
Catherine Avery · 2026-07-10
The Fedora's Rise, Fall, and Stubborn Refusal to Disappear
The fedora takes its name from an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou, in which Sarah Bernhardt wore a soft, centre-creased hat.
Oliver Ramsey · 2026-07-10
The Cartier Tank: How a Watch Shaped Like a Battlefield Became a Symbol of Refinement
In 1917, as Renault FT-17 tanks rolled across the Western Front, Louis Cartier was sketching a wristwatch echoing their silhouette from above.
James Alderton · 2026-07-10
The Barbour Jacket and the British Countryside That Made It Famous
In 1894, John Barbour opened a shop in South Shields selling oilskin jackets to fishermen who needed protection from the North Sea.
William Ashford · 2026-07-10
How the Penny Loafer Crossed the Atlantic and Conquered Ivy League Campuses
The penny loafer begins in Norway, where cobbler Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger developed a slip-on inspired by traditional fishermen's moccasins.
Catherine Avery · 2026-07-10
The History of the Brogue: Drainage Holes That Became Decoration
The brogue's perforated patterns began as engineering, not ornament.
Sebastian Cole · 2026-07-10
Hermès and the Patient Art of Building a Brand Without Advertising
Thierry Hermes opened a harness workshop in Paris in 1837, crafting bridles and saddles for European nobility.
Marcus Wei · 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.
Thomas Nakamura · 2026-07-10
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The History of the Waistcoat and Its Many Lives
King Charles II of England is credited with introducing the waistcoat to the English court on October 7, 1666, as part of a deliberate fashion reform intended to promote simplicity and restraint after the excesses of Restoration dress.
Marcus Wei · 2026-07-09
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.
Thomas Nakamura · 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.
Thomas Nakamura · 2026-07-09
Why the Zenith El Primero Changed Chronographs
On January 10, 1969, Zenith introduced the El Primero — the world's first automatic chronograph movement beating at 36,000 vibrations per hour, a frequency that allows the chronograph seconds hand to measure time in increments of one-tenth of a second.
Daniel Hurst · 2026-07-09