Sticking my neck out

The chill in the air on the past two mornings has made me think that it is time to dig bring a warmer duvet down from the loft and dig out the cold weather dog walking gear. As I feel the first hint of chill around the throat, I think, as I often think at this time of year, that it is a great shame that the cravat has fallen out of fashion as an item of casual wear.

Actually, they were probably never really in fashion apart from being favoured by the well heeled in the 1950s when they went into a self conscious relaxed mode at the golf club or some similar watering hole. (I’m thinking of Kenneth More playing Douglas Bader at this point). It is not an image I would ever want to cultivate – whatever the practical benefits might be.

Last year my wife visited a lady who sells Japanese silk and kimonos. She brought back several off-cuts of fine fabric, one of which I appropriated to use as an extra layer on cold mornings. Yes, I used it as a cravat. But I wore it like a guilty secret: tucked in and hidden away. I made sure that my jacket was zipped up to cover my shame.

The benefits were excellent; a piece of silk covering the chest really does keep you warm. It is comfortable and practical; it avoids the bulk of a woolen scarf. I reflected that my coyness over this accessory was pure vanity and that I should seek out a proper, more masculine alternative which I could wear with pride i.e. a proper cravat.

One look at the image of Nicholas Parsons shown here was enough to persuade me otherwise. I’m just not ready to enter the world of the 1950s knitting pattern.

I must check whether my woolen scarves are hand wash only!