1968

"THE NOTORIETY of Britain's rainfall is balanced by our fame for rainwear. Such has been our necessity, indeed, that we actually invented water-proofing. Charles Macintosh and Thomas Burberry, both honoured in their generation, are now immortalised as common nouns in the dictionary. The Aquascutum that saved the life of General Goodlake, VC, has a place in the chronicles of the Crimean War.

Manchester, appropriately, became the home ground of more rainwear manufacturers than any other place in the world-by the 1920s there were over two hundred raincoat firms in the city. A doubtful cause for, glory,. if it were not for their long heroic history of exporting to every part of the globe upon which the rain ever falls.

The first threat to our rainwear supremacy came in the 195Os: invasions of iridescent proofed poplin rainwear from Sweden, Holland, Belgium, and Denmark. Until then all a good raincoat had been in mackintosh colours -fawn, putty, khaki, lovat, stone. Bright colours were considered suburban, non-county, utterly un-upper class. Perhaps the British tradition would have held its ground if France had not weighed in on the bright side, bringing a new feeling for fashion to rainwear, styling it closely to the changing mode in other clothes. In London, Alligator appointed Pierre Balmain to design collections for them and other Parisian couturiers designed for other British firms. Louis Feraud for Paul Blanche, Phillipe Venet for Valstar. Then young British and French ready-to-wear designersbecame excited by the idea of designing sharp rainwear fashions. They went for printed poplins in stripes and checks and floral patterns; they seized on shiny PVC in brilliant colours and glossy black and white; they carved out proofed canvas tent coats and rain-dresses bright as awnings.

But now, in this autumn of 1968, there is a reversion to classic styles, a steady downpour of gabardine - originally the patented name for the cloth that Thomas Burberry invented. Gone are shiny PVC macs and psychodelic canvas coats. The fact is they were misery to wear. The PVC creaked and crackled - sometimes cracked. The canvas was stiff and bulky, and creased aboniinably. Gone also are most of the bright, proofed poplins, gone because all fashion has reverted to subdued shades this season. A reaction from strident. colours has set in. Everything that is not white tends to be grey, fawn, beige, anthracite, plum, or black. black, and again black.

This is not just a depression centred over the British Isles . . - rainwear coming from the Continent is just the same - only occasional scattered showerproofs in bright colours. There is also a return to classic, belted styles. The trenchcoat, once an Aquascutum preserve, is everywhere ; and Maurice Attwood's young collection for Valstar includes military styles in a choice of mini, midi or maxi length. Remembering those skimpy little mini macs of the past few winters-and the long, cold, mudsplashed legs - a maxi mac makes sense. Most firms have included, some maxis in their winter collections. Quelrayne, who have a new younger range called Group 21, make a maxi trench coat in Terylene/cotton, with a threequarter quilted lining. Also midi length raincoats with deep-pile linings and collars.

There are three styles of maxi macs in the collection of -a new entrant to the fashion rainwear field : Lee Brothers, makers of riding macs and coats since 1848, who are now manufacturing rainwear and showerproof coats under licence to Pierre d'Alby of Paris. a leading designer of French rainwear. In the riding tradition, proofed covert coating is the favourite fabric in this collection, and Pierre d'Alby goes for plenty of pockets - great big poachers' pockets. You should be able to dispense with a handbag in wet weather. There are also gabardine coats lined with a lightweight fur fabric that in France they call "le Teddy." A raincoat that is also a warm coat, and yet not a heavy coat, is a very practical, many-purpose winter purchase."

Text from The Guardian October 22 1968