George Beatty Sterne: The Life, Racing Career, and ... - MogNW

IN STEP WITH STYLE - By Nona Damaske
Jaunty Car Coats, Tail Pipe Pants
First Choice of Sports Car Set
Victoria Times, October, 1956
A handsome couple . . . Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Moilliet, an
outstanding sportscar . . . the Morgan TR3 and perfect
clothing for a Thanksgiving Day jaunt to the country.
He may be concerned with the horses under the hood
and the manoeuvrability on the open road but she disregards
all things mechanical and concentrates on colour.
British racing car green for the automobile and natural
camel tone for the matching car coats are her choices. The
Swedish coats are lined with blanket plaid and one of the
lining colours is a perfect match for the dark green of the
car
This does not seem a matter of world-shaking importance
to him, but if it keeps her happy he is willing to go
along.
Car coats and tailpipe pants are worn by the sports car
set for a very good reason. Have you ever attempted to
drive a low slung MG, an Austin Healey or a Morgan in a
full-length coat under which you are wearing a full skirted
dress? The brake nestles mysteriously under voluminous
folds of material, a gust of wind sends fabric clapping in
front of your face. Believe me, the correct attire makes for
longer life. I also have a sneaky hunch the reason they put
wooden toggle buttons and strong loops on some car coats
is to keep them from blowing off. Sports cars all have neat
snug tops which, an unwritten law says, must remain
neatly folded down.
On windy days you don an English Christy cap and perhaps
a wool muffler that measures four or five feet in
length and is allowed to blow behind as you whiz along
country roads. If by chance it should rain, you must not be
so gauche as to raise the top of the car ... just pull up the
hood of your car coat and strap it firmly under your chin.
Fleece or fur lined antello gloves keep your hands warm
enough to handle all controls, and tailpipe pants, which as
the name implies, are narrow, keep drafts away from your
legs. The accoutrements of sports car travel are very important
to those concerned, and I would like to elaborate
on the car coat as it is by far the most important item.
John Weltz, an American designer, calls his coats
“Runabouts” and recommends them for campus as well as
car. He fashions one in red wool with a quilted print lining
and large antiqued, silver buttons.
“The Rambler,” by White Stag of Toronto, is in black
water repellent cotton with white knitted collar, white plastic
buttons with pushbutton fastenings. Another style by
this firm has gate hinge fastenings attached to pockets by
metal chains. A third has ebony closures on tiny chains
and a fourth has white plastic football buttons. Jacob
Crowley of Winnipeg shows a pale green tweed lined in
quilted yellow satin. A brown tweed has zip out lining of
leather and checked wool. Plush lining is used in a navy
gabardine double-breasted model.
This trend of fashion, started because of the great popularity
of the sleek sports car, is really quite useful for campus
and outdoor life in general. A well cut 36 inch car coat
looks well with a slim tweed skirt even if you do not own a
car which will attain a speed of over a hundred miles an
hour. I know of no roads where the law allows such carrying
on but maybe there is some satisfaction in knowing
that the power is there.
[MC’s note: When I contacted Elinor Moilliet to ask her
permission to use this article, she was astounded at the
call. She said she was just looking at the photo the previous
week. She told me the Morgan was a beautiful British
Racing Green and said, “I wonder where it is today?”
The first and only Morgan shipped to GB in 1956 was
the British racing green Plus 4 2-Seater, #3504, used in
these two photos.]