The Vault

Archival features, deep reads, and enduring perspectives.

Showing 141160 of 166 articles

Why the IWC Pilot's Watch Became a Classic
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Why the IWC Pilot's Watch Became a Classic

The International Watch Company, founded by American engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in 1868, produced its first purpose-built pilot's watch in 1936 — the Special Pilot's Watch with a rotating bezel and antimagnetic inner case.

Daniel Hurst · 2026-07-06

The Story of Loro Piana: From Fabric Mill to Fashion House
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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 · 2026-07-05

How the Nehru Jacket Briefly Conquered Western Fashion
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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 · 2026-07-05

The History of Harris Tweed and Its Protected Status
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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 · 2026-07-05

Why Alden Shoes Remain an Insider's Secret
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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 · 2026-07-05

The Evolution of the Cardigan from Cricket Field to Boardroom
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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 · 2026-07-05

How Brioni Dressed Every Bond from Tomorrow Never Dies On
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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 · 2026-07-05

The History of Seersucker and Southern Style
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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 · 2026-07-05

Why the Omega Speedmaster Went to the Moon
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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 · 2026-07-05

How Turnbull & Asser Became the Shirtmaker of Choice
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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 · 2026-07-05

The Complete History of the Beret
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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 · 2026-07-05

Why the Cartier Tank Watch Endures
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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 · 2026-07-05

How Brooks Brothers Defined American Style
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How Brooks Brothers Defined American Style

When Henry Sands Brooks opened his clothing emporium at the corner of Catherine and Cherry Streets in lower Manhattan in 1818, he could not have imagined that his family name would become synonymous with American dress for the next two centuries.

Sebastian Cole · 2026-07-04

The Story Behind the Burberry Trench Coat
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The Story Behind the Burberry Trench Coat

Thomas Burberry was twenty-one years old in 1856 when he opened a small draper's shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

Catherine Avery · 2026-07-04

Why the Rolex Submariner Became an Icon
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Why the Rolex Submariner Became an Icon

The Rolex Submariner, reference 6204, debuted at the Basel Watch Fair in 1953 as a professional diving instrument rated to one hundred metres.

Catherine Avery · 2026-07-04

The History of Levi's 501s: From Workwear to Culture
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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 · 2026-07-04

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