I know it sounds old school, but I love Tweed–Harris Tweed to be exact. But from what I read in the latest Esquire magazine, Tweed is in again this fall. It goes to show that if you hold onto something long enough, it comes back into style again. Increasingly, that cycle of what’s old is new is getting shorter. Nonetheless, only wool spun and dyed in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland can be called Harris Tweed. Any garment made from the cloth receives the official seal. Once highly sought after, the fabric has gone in and out of fashion. But the fabric has always had a loyal following, myself included.
It’s rather bookish too. According to Wikipedia, “the fictional character Robert Langdon, from the novels Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, wears Harris Tweed[8], as does the fictional detective Miss Marple[9] , the eleventh portrayal of the fictional Doctor from the television series Doctor Who[10], and Glasgow University Rugby Football Club. Jasper Fforde also uses a fictional character named Harris Tweed in his Thursday Next series, most notably in Lost in a Good Book and The Well of Lost Plots.”
From Esquire’s Style Blog: “British comedian and actor Vic Reeves was given the uncommon opportunity to make the “Reeves Weave”: he picks the colors, visits the home weaver of and eventually has a suit made from his very own tweed on the Isle of Harris. While watching the silly but informative video — part two, here, and three are the best — we were struck with equal parts amusement, fascination, and jealousy.”
