Save Our Field Coats!

Mr. Outer Life has a piece up today about the dangerous combination of comfortable old clothes and officious spouses. While this caught my eye in part because of the disappearance of several old pairs of topsiders of mine, what really got my attention was the tribute to old field coats.

I have an old Burberry field jacket that I bought in London in 1987. The waterproofing stuff on the outside of it has long since vanished and the jacket itself has faded considerably from an original dark Loden green to a kind of army-drab olive. (You can only see the original shade of green if you peek under the folded-back sleeve ends or into the pockets. The seams on the underside of both sleeves are starting to unravel. It is permanently stained in several places with mud, blood and other materials associated with 17 years of yardwork, hunting, gardening and other outdoor activities. It is creased and scratched and generally very scruffy. It is also the most comfortable coat in the world.

But here's the shocker - I went to the Burberry website to try and find a photo of one with which to illustrate this post, and apparently they don't even make the things anymore! When on earth did that happen? I mean, these Burberry jackets were an institution! Combined with a pair of wellies, and a big, comfy wool sweater, this was the official outdoor pottering uniform of Anglophiles everywhere! And now? Poof, apparently. I'll bet Tony Blair is to blame somehow.

Message to the Butcher's Wife: Do not, do not, under any circumstances whatsoever, think of chucking my jacket!

UPDATE: Maybe not Tony Blair, but one Rose Marie Bravo. "She turned a dowdy and dormant raincoat company into a worldwide fad." Damn her!