The Arrival of the Donegalistan


Here it is, only hours out of the tailors, modeled -for expediency's sake- by yours truly:

The cut is more generous than previous jackets, but still elegant. I could fit a thin jumper underneath, but little more. There is space around the chest though, so a thick sleeveless cardigan would probably feel fine, or even -for the more traditional gent- a waistcoat.

The collar and piping is of super-soft Donegal tweed and the lining is a heavy twill. There is a thin layer of fleece in there too, between the cloth and the twill, so the jacket feels heavy and robust... It feels like it could stop a saber slash.

Costellos of Illford

Costellos is a tailors which has been going since 1970. They sepcialise in uniforms and costume for the stage. When I visited today I was shown the full dress uniform of the ambulence service as well as evening dress for a plethora of different regiments in a wonderful mix of colours and cuts. Most interesting of all was a set of bight scarlet breeches and coat, the uniform of London's watermen, unchanged in cut since the seventeenth century (unfortunately I didn't get a photo, but have a look at the generic image blow to get an idea).

Costellos have been working on Hindu Kush's next coat -The Donegalistan... and they have done a great job. I picked it up today, so pictures to follow in the next post!