THE LODEN COAT

PREY FOR ANSWERS

LISA MCCAGUE

PREY FOR ANSWERS

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TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

- INTRODUCTION

- BASIC CLOTHING ARTICLE ANALYSIS

- TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

- FASHION ANALYSIS

- RESEARCH ANGLE

- RESEARCH QUESTION

- CONCLUSIONS

- SOURCELIST

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LODEN COATLODEN COATThe Loden coat was originally handwoven in the 16th century by peasants in Loderer, Austria. The name ‘Loden’ refers to the place it was first created.

Loden is a water-resistant material made from short pile sheep’s wool, conserving the lanolin. Strong yarns are woven loosely, which then go through a process of shrinking. During the process it resembles the texture of felt and becomes quite dense. After that the fabric is brushed with fuller’s teasel (a type of plant), to create a roughness. This process is repeated a couple of times until the material is supple, windproof, lightweight and extremely durable.

To make the coat the cloth is first dyed, usually a bluish green, before assembling the pattern.

The loden coat was worn mostly by hunters in Austria because of the colours and freedom of movement.

Hunting wear has inspired many designers today. For example, Thom Browne has based an entire menswear collection on hunting for Moncler Gamme Bleu in Fall 2011. The men were walking the runway with beagles on a leash and horse riding boots.

But it’s not just about hunting influences, the actual Loden coat seems to pop up every autumn in the collections of lots of designers like Ralph Lauren, Lanvin, Billy Reid, Fendi and Dries van Noten. They vary in designs, sometimes designers stick to the original straight shape, but some designers like to change it up by making it more feminine with hidden buttons and a defining waistbelt.

I decided to do my research from a hunting angle, because it is a very interesting way to look at fashion, what is was like then, and what it is like nowadays?

So the question that filled my mind immediately was “Why is hunting wear always changing and how do we see that reflecting on hunting wear and high end fashion today?”

TODAY?

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TODAY?

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BASIC CLOTHINGARTICLE ANALYSISBASIC CLOTHINGARTICLE ANALYSISWhen I started to research my coat first of all, I found out that the label was Austrian brand which specialised in Loden coats, called Salko.

It is a men’s coat. The shape is very simple and has a slight A-line.

The coat is finished very neatly with some decorative stitching and straps on the lower arms with high quality leather buttons.

With polyester lining on the upper back part and no lining in the remaining parts of the coat it is very easy to move around in. I also found holes underneath the arms, this is very interesting, because hunters would be moving around a lot and they would need to let some air out somehow to keep cool and stay comfortable.

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chain for hanging the coat up

braided buttons on sleeves (and front coat)

decorative stitching and box pleat

TECHNICAL DRAWING

simple collar

slit pocketdecorative triangle stitching

box pleat

armpit hole

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TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

box pleat

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

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sample of Loden from the coat95% virgin wool 5% polyester

sample of Loden you can find in fabric stores today65% virgin wool 35% polyester

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MATERIAL

Austrian hunters wearing different variations of the Loden coat.

Painting by Andrew Wyeth (1975) of his neighbour Helga, who was originally German, and moved to the US. She always wore her Loden coat.

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The intense pride of a trophy on the wall contributes to the feeling of a real hunter.

FASHION ANALYSISFASHION ANALYSIS

Traditional Loden capes for women sold at the moment.

The original Loden coat in hunting wear today.

Loden coats are still ‘branded’ and sold as hunting coats, to make it appealing to a certain group of people.

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The perspective that I have based my research on is ‘hunting’. This started for me when I found out that the Loden coat was mostly used by hunters in the past, and is still worn in hunting today.

There are brands that focus completely and only on Loden coats, and also brands that are inspired by Loden coats. But it is not just the Loden coats that people are interested in. The whole influence of hunting wear seems to appeal to people. The neutral, camouflage colours are always in fashion.

1111 Moncler Y-3

RESEARCH

ANGLERESEARCH

ANGLE

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But not only in fashion is hunting a big theme. Interior design also has a great fascination for the hunting atmosphere and influences. You can see a lot of modern interpretations of trophies, deer hides, fox fur and many more of those original features.

Today they are used to create a certain mood, a feeling. Even though these elements weren’t really meant for decoration when they were first used. They were meant for the more basic needs. The trophies were hung up on walls to show status, deer hides were laid across the floor to keep the warmth inside of the house. And fox furs were used as blankets.

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WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

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RESEARCHQUESTIONRESEARCHQUESTION

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WHY IS HUNTING WEAR ALWAYS

CHANGING? AND HOW DO WE SEE HUNTING WEAR REFLECTING ON FASHION TODAY?From as far as we can remember there has been a distinct fashion in hunting. For example the red hunting coat that was worn a lot by royalty and aristocrats around the 1850’s. After a while they found out that the deer could see the colour red, and they needed to switch to something else if they wanted to catch dinner. This is when camouflage colours came in to the picture, inspired by the army uniforms.

So the question that is stuck in my mind is; why is it always changing? What is it like today? And how do we see hunting wear reflected on the runways and in the stores?

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The reason hunting wear changed so much has a lot to do with revolution. People found out that they were scaring the animals away because they could see the bright red they were wearing. So they needed to change their gear in order to get their jobs done.

Pure functionality plays a big part in hunting wear; it has to be easy to move around in, blend in with the colours of nature and be as silent as possible.

Because of revolution in technology and knowledge there are many ways to improve hunting wear. Nowadays brands like Jack Wolfskin, Deerhunter, and FjallRaven, are focusing on just hunting wear/outerwear. They experiment with wax, and different materials that breathe, but are extremely protective under heavy weather conditions.

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CONCLUSIONCONCLUSIONIn a different kind of market, high-end designers are inspired by this masculine, rough, cool look and want to portray a certain image with their collections. Designers like Ralph Lauren show hunting wear inspired collections on the runway in a completely different manner than a ‘minimalist’ brand like Dries van Noten.

Ralph Lauren Dries van Noten

One of the reasons brands love to work with these influences is because the atmosphere ‘hunting’ creates is so strong, and can be adapted to a lot of styles. It all comes down to the basic instinct of man, the core values of human beings.

WE ARE THE PREDATORS, ANIMALS MERELY A PREY..

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SOURCESSOURCES

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Back

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DESCRIPTIONSilhouette fillled with nature

Billy Reid Fall 2012 Menswear

Four seasons leaves

Backstage at Dries van Noten

Text

Trophy deer half on wall

Photo coat

Photos details

Text

Technical drawing

Samples

Trophy deers on walls

Austrian hunters

Painting Loden coat

Girl in Loden coat

Man in Loden coat

Loden coat

Deer skulls

Runway images Y-3 and Moncler

Interior images (2)

Body with checked shirt

Illustration rabbit head

Nature in a jar

Text

Hunting coat, parka

Hunting coat, wax coat

Ralph Lauren runway

Dries van Noten runway

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Boots

Lanvin runway

Silhouette fillled with nature

SOURCEVi.sualize.us

Style.com

Ka-va.tumblr.com

Trendland.net

Encyclopedia Britannica

Designmilk.com

Own photo

Own photos

Toolshop Clothing Analysis

Own drawing

Own coat and fabric store

Hautemacabre.tumblr.com

Deer.com

Paintings and prestudies of Andrew Wyeth

Vintagefashionguild.com

Salko Loden Coats

The New Hunter encyclopedia

Gloriousregalia.tumblr.com

Style.com

VTWonen Magazine

Sterling Taylor, photographer

Ralph Steadman, illustrator

Materialicious.com

International Wildlife Encyclopedia

FjallRaven.nl

Deerhunter.dk

Style.com

Style.com

Own conclusions based on research

Huhhhhhhhh.tumblr.com

Style.com

Vi.sualize.us