Week-end wardrobe for travelling light

Esquire, July 1936: “For a quick trip involving both town and country or resort appearances, where luggage must be kept down to little better than a briefcase, the answer is a pair of white or grey flannel slacks plus the outfit pictured here. These clothes look normal enough for informal town wear and still go very well against a rural or resort background.

The suit is grey flannel with red stripes, a combination of colour and fabric that has been accorded market popularity in London. It is made in a two-button single breasted peaked lapel model with welt (that is, unflapped) pockets.

With it are worn a fine checked madras shirt with a relatively long pointed slotted collar to match, a foulard tie of maroon with white spots, wine colour lisle hose and brown calf monk-front shoes. The hat is a brown felt pork pie. With the substitution of plain coloured slacks for the suit trousers the outfit is effectively transformed.”

This is one of my favourite Esquire illustrations. The red stripe looks subtle enough to work and I adore red socks with tan monks. I’m not sure I agree with wearing a striped jacket with slacks though – a plain or check would always look more natural in an odd jacket, and hence more versatile for travel than this outfit.