Military fashions

I was amused to be reminded by a picture of Jimi Hendrix in yesterday's 'Metro' of the way that popular musicians of the 'make love not war' era used to affect the uniforms of 19th century light cavalry - particularly the pelisse - the ranks of which were swelled by the arrogant and violent swells of that time.

I learn from reference 2, that for €1,290 (including VAT), I can buy a 'reproduction de la pelisse de Jimmy Hendrix elle même copiée sur un uniforme Britannique de l'époque victorienne'. Appropriate that this should be a French company, as the French have long had a soft spot for this particular sort of vainglory, a substantial industry in the first Napoleon's day. But for pelisse see reference 3.

As it happened, I had occasion to inspect the famous portrait in the National Portrait Gallery of one such swell yesterday morning, Sir Charles Stewart, seemingly a fine cavalryman but not much regarded in non-combatant roles. Perhaps best known as an Irish landlord who spent a fortune on refurbishing his country house in Ireland in the middle of the potato famine, having done well out of coal through his second wife, from up north on the other island. And as it happened again, another old Etonian.

More on the Portrait Gallery in due course.

Reference 1: http://heritage-militaire.com/fr/.

Reference 2: http://heritage-militaire.com/fr/uniformes-hollywood-parade/1669-pelisse-de-jimmy-hendrix.html.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelisse.

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