There just aren't many places where a man can turn up in a three-piece suit, a silk cravat and a carefully chosen accessory these days. However, we're pleased to say that the Goodwood Revival is one of them. Every September, Goodwood Motor Circuit becomes a glorious time machine, bringing together historic racing cars, vintage aircraft, period clothing and some incredible vintage fashions. As such, it is quite frankly one of our favourite weekends of the year.
While you certainly don't have to dress in period style, embracing a little of the vintage-inspired aesthetic is very much part of the fun. Now, you want to look as though you belong at Goodwood Revival, not as though you've just escaped from a fancy-dress shop, so balance is the key.
If we have your attention, we'd like to humbly suggest a few ways to introduce a little vintage style to your Revival wardrobe, with some help, of course, from our fine silk accessories.
Tweed is a great place to start
The easiest way to build a Revival outfit is to start with something you might already have in the wardrobe. A good tweed jacket is almost disproportionately useful at Goodwood. Brown, olive, grey and earth tones all work beautifully, and these darker colours woven through a good piece of tweed give you plenty of opportunities to introduce something more adventurous elsewhere.
Rather than trying to match everything precisely (and driving yourself mad in the process), try picking out one of the quieter colours in your jacket with your cravat, tie or pocket square. You can use this as something of a "pivot point" for your ensemble. A hint of yellow or burgundy in your tweed becomes the signpost to a cravat featuring the same colour, for example, making your palette choices that bit easier.
Another tip; if you're stuck, have a look at your jacket's lining. It's likely to feature a colour, often an adventurous one, that will just bind everything together. Don't feel duty-bound to match accessories to each other, or to think that you;re dressing thematically. Your eye is king here, and while there are shortcuts, you're not in costume. Remember to dress as yourself!
How to Cravat
Of all the accessories you could choose for Goodwood, the cravat is probably demanding your attention most persuasively. It's also one of the easiest ways to make an otherwise ordinary outfit feel much more interesting.
Worn with a good jacket, an open-collar shirt and tailored trousers, a silk cravat can feel relaxed, rakish and entirely at home in this context. It's also effortlessly comfortable to wear, requiring much less fuss than a tie. And don't be put off by the word “cravat”. While it's a cliché we deal with all the time, owning one doesn't necessitate owning a country estate, a hunting lodge, horses or anything of the sort. In fact, despite the cravat's association with classic country styles, we sell many more cravats to the bigger cities.
For a timeless and classic look, we recommend paisley, polka dots or another traditional design. If you're looking for something a little more adventurous, we'd like to direct you to our bolder colours and prints – perhaps a Japanese dragon, or tiger motif? The most important thing is to let the cravat complement the rest of the outfit rather than compete with it. Remember also that for some ensembles, the cravat is the look, so accompany it appropriately.
Don't fear the three piece
If your tastes tend towards buttoned-up, squared-off and never knowingly underdressed, you’re probably familiar with the three piece suit. If you're a fan of the style, there's nothing else that really has the same unapologetic confidence. Thankfully, Goodwood Revival is the perfect stage.
The waistcoat is first and foremost an extremely flattering item of clothing, giving the wearer an unmistakably smart silhouette. It also can’t help but give an outfit a "times gone by" quality, particularly when used properly as a key piece. This is not to say that you necessarily need a vintage style, though - modern tailoring works beautifully provided the silhouette and details feel right. In fact, unless you're unusually good at shopping for used fashions, a well-fitting modern suit is probably a more practical option. That way, it can provide a slightly more versatile backbone to your wardrobe, while pulling off your three-piece look all at the same time.
Remember that if your suit is patterned, it’s wise to keep your cravat relatively simple. Conversely, plainer tailoring gives your accessories space to shine, and lets them introduce a little personality on your behalf.
A silk scarf for relaxed elegance
Is it possible that you're not quite ready for the cravat? Perhaps you’re curious, but not quite ready to lift both feet from the riverbed and swim out? Believe it or not, we do understand. While the cravat is a staple in our book, we understand you may need a way in.
A silk scarf can have a twofold effect. It both offers a slightly more relaxed way to introduce colour and pattern, while introducing it with significantly more swagger. Whilst a scarf may bear less baggage than a cravat, it’s certainly not a garment for those lacking in confidence. You can wear it loosely around the neck, tucked beneath a jacket, or style it almost like a traditional day cravat, but the glorious patterning and innate elegance will never leave you in need of more.
For example, The Huntsman V would be particularly suited to Goodwood, with its butterscotch, olive green, cocoa brown and Spanish orange palette. The illustrated design adds more than a little interest, while the colours work beautifully with tweed, brown tailoring and earthy autumnal tones.
The subtle, effective pocket square
Not everyone wants to wear a cravat or scarf. While we think either one is an incredible look, they do both represent a look. Sometimes a pocket square is all you need – it never ties you to a period or aesthetic, and indeed can even pass unnoticed in itself, simply making the rest of the outfit around it look better. They’re more or less hassle-free, relatively affordable, and are morse code to anyone who knows menswear well.
One tip to bear in mind; we tend to think it’s more elegant to avoid a direct match with your other accessories, rather it works best as a coordinating or contrasting colour. Again, it’s a delicate tool that picks out one of the colours in your jacket, shirt or accessory and brings the disparate parts into a harmonious whole.
For something understated, Harper is a popular choice from our catalogue, in natural pearl with lawn green polka dots, working beautifully with navy, grey, olive and brown tailoring. If you're feeling a little braver, our larger multiway pockets squares are both luxurious and versatile. Deco Island Day, for example, brings fern green, violet and desert brown together in an Art Deco-inspired toucan design. It's vintage in spirit without tying you to one particular decade.
Just remember - bold patterns need somewhere quiet to live, so keep the rest of your outfit relatively restrained.
Choose one statement
The best-dressed men at Goodwood are rarely the ones who have followed every rule. Rather, they’re the ones who truly inhabit what they're wearing.
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