Why the Cartier Tank Watch Endures
Louis Cartier designed the Tank watch in 1917 after observing Renault FT tanks on the Western Front.
William Ashford · 2025-08-04
The Vault
Archival features, deep reads, and enduring perspectives.
Showing 141–160 of 166 articles
How Edward VII Changed Menswear Forever
Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, exerted more influence on men's fashion than any other monarch in British history — arguably more than any single individual before or since.
Oliver Ramsey · 2025-08-04
How Turnbull & Asser Became the Shirtmaker of Choice
Turnbull & Asser has occupied 71-72 Jermyn Street in London's St James's since 1885, making shirts for a clientele that has included Winston Churchill, Prince Charles, and every actor to portray James Bond from Roger Moore onward.
Catherine Avery · 2025-08-03
The Complete History of the Beret
The beret's origins are so ancient that establishing a definitive starting point is impossible, but archaeological evidence of beret-like headwear appears in Bronze Age petroglyphs in the Italian and French Alps dating to approximately 3000 BCE.
William Ashford · 2025-08-03
The History of Seersucker and Southern Style
Seersucker — from the Persian shir o shakkar, meaning milk and sugar, describing the fabric's alternating smooth and puckered stripes — arrived in the American South via the British colonial trade routes of the eighteenth century.
Thomas Nakamura · 2025-08-02
Why the Omega Speedmaster Went to the Moon
On July 21, 1969, Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional reference ST 105.
Oliver Ramsey · 2025-08-02
The Evolution of the Cardigan from Cricket Field to Boardroom
The cardigan takes its name from James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, who led the catastrophic Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in 1854.
Oliver Ramsey · 2025-08-01
How Brioni Dressed Every Bond from Tomorrow Never Dies On
When Pierce Brosnan stepped onto the screen as James Bond in GoldenEye in 1995, he wore suits by a variety of Italian tailors.
Thomas Nakamura · 2025-08-01
The History of Harris Tweed and Its Protected Status
Harris Tweed is the only commercially produced fabric in the world protected by an Act of the British Parliament.
Sebastian Cole · 2025-07-31
Why Alden Shoes Remain an Insider's Secret
Alden Shoe Company, founded in Middleborough, Massachusetts, in 1884, occupies a peculiar position in American menswear: universally revered by those who know, virtually unknown to those who do not.
Sebastian Cole · 2025-07-31
The Story of Loro Piana: From Fabric Mill to Fashion House
The Loro Piana family has been trading in wool since the early nineteenth century in Trivero, a small town in the Biellese Alps of northern Italy's Piedmont region.
William Ashford · 2025-07-30
How the Nehru Jacket Briefly Conquered Western Fashion
In 1964, the Beatles arrived in India to study transcendental meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and the photographs of four mop-topped Liverpudlians wearing mandarin-collared Indian jackets sent a fashion tremor through the Western world.
Marcus Wei · 2025-07-30
The Complete History of the Penny Loafer
The penny loafer's origins lie not in American prep schools but in the fishing villages of Norway, where a cobbler named Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger designed a slip-on shoe in 1930 inspired by the moccasins of the indigenous Sámi people of northern Scandinavia.
Daniel Hurst · 2025-07-29
Why the Patek Philippe Calatrava Is the Collector's Benchmark
The Patek Philippe Calatrava, reference 96, was introduced in 1932 as the brand's first wristwatch designed according to the Bauhaus principle that form should follow function.
William Ashford · 2025-07-29
The History of the Aviator Jacket
When the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk in 1903, their open-cockpit aircraft exposed pilots to wind, rain, and temperatures that dropped approximately two degrees Celsius for every three hundred metres of altitude gained.
Oliver Ramsey · 2025-07-28
How Hermès Became the Quiet Pinnacle of Luxury
Thierry Hermès opened a harness workshop on the Grands Boulevards of Paris in 1837, crafting bridles, reins, and saddles for the carriage trade.
James Alderton · 2025-07-28
The Origins of the Tuxedo and Black Tie
The precise origin of the tuxedo is disputed with the ferocity that only sartorial historians can muster, but the most widely accepted account places its public debut at the Tuxedo Park Club in Orange County, New York, in October 1886, when tobacco heir Griswold Lorillard's son and his friends appeared at the autumn ball wearing tailless dinner jackets instead of the full-length evening tailcoats that protocol demanded.
James Alderton · 2025-07-27
Why the Barbour Jacket Crossed Class Lines
John Barbour established his oilskin outfitting company in South Shields, England, in 1894, supplying waterproof clothing to North Sea fishermen, dockworkers, and submariners who needed protection from brutal maritime conditions.
Daniel Hurst · 2025-07-27
The History of Levi's 501s: From Workwear to Culture
On May 20, 1873, Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss received United States patent number 139,121 for the process of riveting pocket seams on work trousers.
Marcus Wei · 2025-07-26
How Ralph Lauren Built an American Dream
Ralph Lauren was born Ralph Lifshitz in the Bronx in 1939, the son of Belarusian Jewish immigrants.
Thomas Nakamura · 2025-07-26