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