![]() Motoluxe utilised the warm, lightweight material to produce coats and travel rugs designed for use “on land, on sea, and in the air”, and branded them with a distinctive triangular label. During the 1830s, the county had been responsible for the first commercial production of Alpaca fabric, and the soft, lustrous, yet resilient fibre was now being used to produce deep-pile fur fabrics. Whilst US fur trappers had been kept busy during the first quarter of the 20 th century, the Yorkshire mills of England were supplying woollens to the world’s clothiers. The Saturday Evening Post cover illustration (1929) Wall Street had crashed the previous month, triggering the Great Depression, and shows of ostentation would no longer fit with the mood of the nation. The image symbolised the Jazz Age, but the party was about to end. The year after Olsen's recording hit the air, the Novemissue of The Saturday Evening Post featured an Alan Foster illustration of several college men wearing raccoon coats. The season for the raccoon coat is here, my boy! It was a sign of fraternity amongst the intellectual elite, and the raccoon coat craze inspired jazz band leader George Olsen to release a recording in 1928 entitled, “Doin the Raccoon”, with the following lyrics:įrom every college campus comes the cheer: oy-yoy! ![]() The extravagance of the look in some ways mirrored the movement at Oxford University at the time, where male students began wearing excessively wide trousers that became known as Oxford Bags. college students in raccoon coats (c1920s) The driving cap was replaced with bowlers, trilbies and straw boaters, and the coats were worn to ballgames rather than on the road. The look was beautifully portrayed in J.C.Leyendecker’s masterful illustration for the cover of Collier’s magazine in January 1918.Ĭolliers magazine cover illustration by J.C.Leyendecker (1918)īy the 1920s, the raccoon coat was more than a piece of protective clothing – it had become an essential fashion item amongst Ivy League university students. It spoke of status, glamour, adventure and excitement. The winter driving combination of fur coat, leather gauntlets, cap and goggles made quite a statement. Raccoon automobile coat advertisement (1906) Natural fur was the more popular choice in the United States, given that many parts of the country experienced much harsher weather conditions than Britain, and also due to the abundant supply of pelts from the native raccoon. During the colder months, the materials changed to heavy tweeds, leather and fur… and in the case of Motoluxe, it was deep-pile Alpaca fur fabric.Įarly C20th British motoring apparel advertisement In addition to the essential hat, gloves and goggles, summer driving called for a long double-breasted dust coat (also known as a “duster”) usually made from durable cotton or linen. It was therefore a necessity to wear protective clothing.Įarly motorists faced challenging conditions Most cars were open-topped, leaving the drivers and passengers exposed as they sped along tracks designed for horse-pulled carriages. In the early 1900s, motoring was a privileged activity and considered to be an outdoor sport. Lord Northcliffe at the wheel of his 135 hp Mercedes (1908) British brand Motoluxe was established at the dawn of the automobile age, designing and making products to keep winter motorists warm, dry and comfortable.
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