Plus Tailored ed masks for men
The Prince of Wales proves that a face covering can be as elegant as your tie or pocket square, says Stephen Doig
This is a tale of two elder British statesmen and their approach to mask wearing. One is the Prince of Wales, leading by example in a handsome blue-checked suit, minttoned tie and matching peacock blue face mask with a jaunty print, while meeting key workers in Northern Ireland this week. The other is Stanley Johnson, the outspoken father of the PM, who has twice been photographed – boarding a train and in a packed lift – wearing his face covering incorrectly.
Like the term Covid-19 itself, we’re speaking a whole new language we couldn’t have imagined this time last year. And now that face coverings are the norm – despite the efforts of an antimask brigade – the idea of your mask as not just a medical must but part of your gentlemanly attire has evolved. I say “gentlemanly” because men tend to be more uniformed in their accessories, and where he would have selected his silk tie and pocket square to align with his suit, now that old-school customer is matching his mask, too.
Prince Charles said as much when quizzed about his choice of face covering, commenting that he opts for face masks in complementary colours to the rest of his accessories, and in sustainable fabrics. His version was handmade by seamstresses at his own charity, Turquoise Mountain, which helps protect heritage crafts in Myanmar.
“We’ve certainly noticed that men want a mask that’s in the same vein has their shirt,” says Emma Willis, who has created masks in the same breathable cotton as her elegant range of shirts. “The man who would normally be wearing a tie and pocket square is instead matching his mask to his shirt.”
This is fortunate, because it’s just these traditional brands that need support more than ever – with the fall in demand for formalwear as men work at home, suiting outfitters, shirting labels and tie makers have all suffered.
Luckily, a great deal of them are applying their peerless craftsmanship to making face masks, with the same level of attention to detail that they would with one of their more trad accessories.
“Our customers are used to knowing what good quality fabric feels like on the skin,” says Willis, “and we make sure we apply that to the masks. They’re a very intimate item, after all.”
Historic house Turnbull & Asser – makers of Sir Winston Churchill’s jim-jams, no less – found that customers were turning old workshirts and pyjamas into masks themselves, so enlisted their Gloucestershire shirtmaking factory to draw up masks in signature checks and stripes. Such is the demand that bold new patterns have been added, says creative director Becky French. It’s a similar story at traditional formalwear house Oliver Brown, which has applied its whimsical prints on to face masks and noticed a rising demand for bespoke models.
Time was when a man would be finessing the details of his beautifully personalised shirt; now it’s his face mask. The year 2020’s knack for surprise continues unabated.