Responses to a recent question on correct hunting attire for an honorary whipper-in provoked orthodox viewpoints from our Panel of Experts and some unorthodox comments. FHL is always happy to publish thoughtful commentary from our readers. Here’s one from Matthew Klein: foxhunter, professional photographer, and self-confessed contrarian.
As an orthodox iconoclast, I take exception to the notion of “proper attire.” Proper, or “correct” being something different from standards of cleanliness, durability, utility, etc.
The venerable Colonel Wadsworth saw a need for setting a dress code, and he drew on his military background to create one. As a Master, he was correct to do so—for his hunt. But foxhunting attire is a mode of dress, not a uniform. It has always had within its gamut, much latitude for individual expression and variation. It has evolved through the last couple of centuries in many ways, for many reasons.
A good example is that of top-boots. We wear them today as formal attire, but their origin is casual and humble. In the seventeenth century and earlier, boots were cut over the knee. They were usually soiled with mud and horse droppings from the roads. The insides were cleaner, so when a rider dismounted they were often turned down over the lower part of the boot. Some dandies saw that if one had a fine lining in the boot this would be a way to show it off. Over a few years the turned out lining became abbreviated to what we currently wear as top-boots. In that regard it is arguably more proper to wear them informally, as befitting their origin.
Red coats? A reminder of British officers. Col.Wadsworth hated them, and had his members wear navy blue like the officers in the Continental Army. I suspect that if foxhunting were to be re-invented today, we might be wearing Desert Camo….
January 24, 2011