Vintage Swiss 1990s AKRIS Haute Couture Gill & Jacques London cashgora cashmere angora wool mink pencil skirt jacket military aviator suit
Wow! Walk with all the swagger of a WWI Fighter ace in uniform in this exquisite cashgora & sheared mink trim jacket with pants and boots;
or wear for smart with the lovely pencil skirt with which it comes.So very versatile .... the jacket worn alone has that Edwardian steampunk look; or you can immerse yourself in some Japanese anime WWI fantasy!
But at the same time it is a divinely elegant outfit with the skirt to wear to a formal winter occasion. But don't worry even if you have a state occasion
to attend and this is a long line jacket, you won't look like a Hilary or Merkel! This is sublime style that won't loom dated unlike most 90s longline jackets.
But a great outfit to wear for example to a winter day at the jumps races, or a business meeting.We think it dates from the 1990s but could be late 1980s. It has the Gill & Jacques label which was a very smart boutique in London St Johns Wood based,
but we are certain it is in fact by Swiss Couture House (the only Swiss French Haute Couture house) AKRIS. The label inside states made in Switzerland and the wool mink and 35%
cashgora composition. Cashgora is from the cross bred angora and cashmere goat , and the soft hair is combed from the goats by rural peoples in the mountains of Pamir, the lower Himalayas, on border of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. SO be assured whenever you see cashgora your custom is vital to the culture & economy of these peoples.
You can read more about them here
https://www.clothroads.com/a-week-devoted-to-handspinning/It is such a beautiful fabric; the touch is so sensual, as is the soft sheared mink collar and cuffs.
So very reminiscent of WWI fighter ace Baron von Richtofen that I did some research on him and found a British pilot called Van Dyke Fernald from St. Johns Wood who had an aerial encounter with Von Richtofen's Flying Circus squadron, and managed to shoot one down. Sadly later in the war Fernald himself was shot down. His widow became active in the
Society for Psychical Research, popular at the time with people like Arthur Conan Doyle involved.
One seance the letterpointer spelling out ‘H-I-S-S-I-N-G N-O-I-S-E’ to describe the moment the Bristol Fighter’s engine was hit and the fuel tank caught fire!
A fascinating history! You can read more about that here
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v40/n21/malcolm-gaskill/plot-6-row-c-grave-15So I considered using the song by the Royal Guardsmen about the Red Baron & Snoopy, but decided on the 1986 cover of Norman Greenbaum's 'Spirit in the Sky'
by Doctor and the Medics which we'd have all been dancing to late 1980s/1990s, as I like to fit the fashion pieces to a relevant music piece culturally and that was closer, and very apt!Sorry for the diversion, but Fashion is about Fantasy and this as I said has all the swagger of a WWI fighter ace uniform. As Alexander McQueen said
"The world needs fantasy, not reality. We have enough reality today. Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment"Just as well or we'd all be walking round in utilitarian clothing like North Face jackets; and even that's a fantasy of mountain climbing reference isn't it?!
So yes, this jacket has rather more style elegance and for sure, couture luxury quality.I'm excited by fashion and style, and it's significance and nature historically which is why I'm in this game! So hence my meanderings....
So don't hesitate; if you can see yourself in the style, the quality is not in doubt. Immaculate condition. A UK size 10.
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£475.00Price
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