# Wool Cavalry Twill Riding Breeches



## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

Not exactly something you see every day. In fact, this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this offered for sale as newly manufactured merchandise. Not that I have any use for them, I'm just interested to know they are available somewhere in the universe.

https://en.chevalpower.com/proddetail_10606_001.htm


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## misterdonuts (Feb 15, 2008)

You might be pleased to know that there are quite a few places that resemble "somewhere" for they service the needs of a handful of people who need kit such as these.:icon_smile:


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^...but, do they need them in white, or cream, or whatever that is?


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Well for starters they are not cavalry twill.

They might well be wool, but cavalry twill they most definitely are not. The manufacturer clearly does't know the definition of twill, which is the type of weave.

This is twill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twill


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## Zingari (Jul 9, 2007)

Agree they don't look like cavalry twill. But if they sell them in a buff colour in bedford cord/twill I will be interested.

Whos the seller?


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## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

Those look pretty ill fitting to me. Most riding breeches fit snug through the leg and are made with a bit of elastique in them, I have a few pairs from WWII that have a smarter look to them.


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## hockeyinsider (May 8, 2006)

dpihl said:


> Not exactly something you see every day. In fact, this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this offered for sale as newly manufactured merchandise. Not that I have any use for them, I'm just interested to know they are available somewhere in the universe.
> 
> https://en.chevalpower.com/proddetail_10606_001.htm


Are you wearing a cravat in that photo as well? Those breeches would be great for the Life Guards .


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

hockeyinsider said:


> Are you wearing a cravat in that photo as well? Those breeches would be great for the Life Guards .


Not tight enough or white enough dear boy.


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## Naval Gent (May 12, 2007)

Those look like something made up as a theatrical costume to me. The shirt, cravat, braces, and the fall-front on the breeches look as if they are attempting to duplicate something from the 19th Century. (Lots of clues I won't bore you with)

Even when blousy-top breeches for riding were common (early 20th century), they were skin tight starting at the knee.

Scott


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Naval Gent said:


> Those look like something made up as a theatrical costume to me. The shirt, cravat, braces, and the fall-front on the breeches look as if they are attempting to duplicate something from the 19th Century. (Lots of clues I won't bore you with)
> 
> Even when blousy-top breeches for riding were common (early 20th century), they were skin tight starting at the knee.


You're right on this, based on what I've seen and read.


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## anglophile (Jul 7, 2006)

eagle2250 said:


> ^...but, do they need them in white, or cream, or whatever that is?


Yes. White breeches are required with Hunting Pinques (Red Coats) by most hunts.


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## anglophile (Jul 7, 2006)

hockeyinsider said:


> Are you wearing a cravat in that photo as well? Those breeches would be great for the Life Guards .


It's not a crevat - Its a stock tie. Also traditional Hunting attire.

See - https://www.horse-rider-etc.com/foxhunt/tiestocktie.html

For a guide to Hunting Appointments - https://www.beechgrovehunt.com/etiquette.shtml

Tally ho!


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Zingari said:


> Whos the seller?


https://en.chevalpower.com > Hunting Breeches


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

If you click on the photo in my original post, you'll be taken to the web site of the seller. The photo may be the bedford cords, and not the wool cavalry twills mentioned in the ad copy. It appears they offer both varieties.

As for the historic nature of the breeches (jodhpurs), this was precisely the reason I posted them in the first place. Nowadays, riding pinques seem to favor tight elasticized synthetic fabrics, not the blousy topped, natural fiber riding breeches of old.

I am "tickled pink" to have found them.

And yes, the seller does offer the rest of the riding habit, including stock ties and wool, cavalry twill hunting coats. No sign of a post boy vest, but I didn't look very hard.


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## Good Old Sledge (Jun 13, 2006)

They certainly appear to be Bedford Cord and are utterly appropriate for riding to hounds. The ends of the stock tie will be covered under the waistcoat (canary). The fit is not all that bad - when one is seated on a horse, particularly for a few hours on a hunt - one comes to appreciate a bit more room. Very few men look good in the elastic and velcro arangements that many equestrian goods folks market these days - they're just larger sizes of women's togs. These good old fall-front jods are still highly prized.
And off-white britches are worn not only with pinks, but also with black frocks and derby.
Wore them myself, in fact, just last week.


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## anglophile (Jul 7, 2006)

Good Old Sledge said:


> And off-white britches are worn not only with pinks, but also with black frocks and derby.
> Wore them myself, in fact, just last week.


Very true.

I covet a pair of fall front bedford cord breeches, but my girlfriend (an eventer who runs our barn and riding school) says they look rediculous and has banned them from the barn


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## Naval Gent (May 12, 2007)

Good Old Sledge said:


> These good old fall-front jods are still highly prized.


Man, I'm glad to hear it. I thought the Navy was the last bastion of the fall-front. Long live the archaic.

Scott


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## Good Old Sledge (Jun 13, 2006)

Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but on a chilly autumn morning, several miles out with a few stirrup cups under your belt - fall fronts are really the only way a gentleman can relieve himself from horseback.
Mme Anglophile will never know what she's missing! (My wife's and eventer, too - no sense of humor, those people).


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

Good Old Sledge said:


> one comes to appreciate a bit more room. Very few men look good in the elastic and velcro arangements that many equestrian goods folks market these days...


I bought a pair of old fashioned (WWI Army Surplus) jods in high school. Wore them for a costume, but was astonished at how comfortable they were.

Later, in Japan, I noticed a pair of very unusual trousers in a store that sold things like coveralls and helmets worn by construction workers. These unusual trousers looked like old fashioned jods, but had more fabric in the thighs than you've ever seen in equestrian wear.

Turns out they were being sold to carpenters, who have to straddle the roof of a house frame for hours on end.

I bought a pair, all-cotton khaki drillcloth for about half the price of an ordinary pair of khakis. They don't fit me anymore, but I often wonder about finding more like them.

So many places import Japanese carpenter's shoes, and sell them as ninja boots. Why not import the pants that go with them? You'd want to take in the fabric at the thighs slightly, but otherwise these are very well made.

Just found the name for them... They're called "鳶ズボン" Looks as though the style has changed in the past 20 years, but you can still find the old fashioned style:


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Well for starters they are not cavalry twill.
> 
> They might well be wool, but cavalry twill they most definitely are not. The manufacturer clearly does't know the definition of twill, which is the type of weave.
> 
> This is twill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twill


Here is a nice photo of cavalry twill. Unlike cotton twills, the diagonal pattern in wool cavalry twills is usually more subtle--especially from a distance.

BTW: An old Encyclopedia Britannica posited that Tweed got its name when a New York merchant received a shipment of fabric from a Scottish weaver. The shipping clerk's handwriting was difficult to read, but "Tweel" written in cursive looked like "Tweed". The merchant reasoned that proximity to the Tweed river must have influenced the new name for this fabric. He printed the name Tweed in his signage and advertisements, and the new name caught on with patrons.

No idea how reliable the story is, but it sounds good.


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## KiwiTweedman (May 22, 2008)

*Real Cavalry Twill Has be 100% Wool*

The Only Geniune Cavalry twill Material is Made From 100% Pure Wool......All Cotton Or Mixed Cloth Are Crap....And Look Crap !!! They are cheap imitations Of The Classic Cavalry Twill from Britain !!!

100% Wool Cavalry Twill Trousers Or What Yanks Call Pants ( Dosen't a Dog Pant ???) 
Are Best Trousers You Can Buy( Normally Really Expensive) But They Are Almost Bullet Proof ( when It Comes To Wearing Out....They Just Don't).....That's Why They Where Used In Uniforms In the British Army (For Example..Top Quality Officers Riding Breeches)


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## dpihl (Oct 2, 2005)

KiwiTweedman said:


> The Only Geniune Cavalry twill Material is Made From 100% Pure Wool......All Cotton Or Mixed Cloth Are Crap....And Look Crappy !!! They are cheap imitations Of The Classic Cavalry Twill from Britain !!!
> 
> 100% Wool Cavalry Twill Trousers Or What Yanks Call Pants ( Dosen't a Dog Pant ???)
> Are Best Trousers You Can Buy( Normally Really Expensive) But They Are Almost Bullet Proof ( when It Comes To Wearing Out....They Just Don't).....That's Why They Where Used In Uniforms In the British Army (For Example..Top Quality Officers Riding Breeches)


May I humbly point out that the cotton twills I mentioned were adopted by us Yanks after seeing them on former officers of the British Army? I'm referring to the trousers we now call "Khakis", but were once the exclusive uniform of members of the British Military (mostly those who served time in India). Cavalry twills are not widely seen in this country, and the sturdier Drillcloth that was favored in Victorian England is almost nonexistant nowadays. We do see a lot of local motorcycle cops wearing cavalry twill trousers with a braid stripe on the outseam. Alas, almost always made with a blend of natural and synthetic fibers.


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

dpihl said:


> May I humbly point out that the cotton twills I mentioned were adopted by us Yanks after seeing them on former officers of the British Army? I'm referring to the trousers we now call "Khakis", but were once the exclusive uniform of members of the British Military (mostly those who served time in India).


Cotton twill pants were also made in China using British fabrics, hence their more generic name, "chinos."


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## Cardcaptor Charlie (Jul 7, 2008)

You can get a pair of breeches at Farthingale made for whatever period you like from £75.


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## Cardcaptor Charlie (Jul 7, 2008)

dpihl said:


> I bought a pair of old fashioned (WWI Army Surplus) jods in high school. Wore them for a costume, but was astonished at how comfortable they were.
> 
> Later, in Japan, I noticed a pair of very unusual trousers in a store that sold things like coveralls and helmets worn by construction workers. These unusual trousers looked like old fashioned jods, but had more fabric in the thighs than you've ever seen in equestrian wear.
> 
> ...


Personally, I find the hakama is more dignified.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Cardcaptor Charlie said:


> Personally, I find the hakama is more dignified.


Thom Browne SS'09?


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## Miket61 (Mar 1, 2008)

jamgood said:


> Thom Browne SS'09?


No, his version is clearly distinguished by the two rows of rickrack along the lapels.


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## Lancer (Jan 5, 2009)

Hi,

I thought that those traditional breeches lovers out there might enjoy seeing an original pair of US Army Officer's Pinks breeches from the 1930's. Since I am a member of the National Lancers, we are required to wear traditional cut riding breeches while mounted regardless. The black field boots, BDU's and helmet are also required wear. Please let me know your thoughts. By the way, the National Lancers are always looking for dedicated equestrians. Please visit our website at:
https://www.nationallancers.org


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## charlie500 (Aug 22, 2008)

Royal Canadian Mounties, Rhodes Island State Troopers, and Massachusetts State Troopers respectively.


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## wheredidyougetthathat (Mar 26, 2006)

Most if not all hunts would regard the flared breeches as costumey. Okay if they're inherited, or you're old enough to have always worn that style, but definitely NG if bought new out of a misguided attempt at "authenticity".


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## Lancer (Jan 5, 2009)

wheredidyougetthathat said:


> Most if not all hunts would regard the flared breeches as costumey. Okay if they're inherited, or you're old enough to have always worn that style, but definitely NG if bought new out of a misguided attempt at "authenticity".


With all due respect and this thread being related to "Wool Cavalry Twill Riding Breeches", I do not believe that wearing the traditionally flared wool breeches is misguided as much as wearing any other traditional clothing item would be considered misguided.

After all, isn't authenticity what most everyone on this forum is looking for? Also, Other folks on this forum are buying fashion items that are bought new so long as the item looks "authentic"? Is that NG also because they are attempting at authenticity?


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## wheredidyougetthathat (Mar 26, 2006)

Lancer said:


> With all due respect and this thread being related to "Wool Cavalry Twill Riding Breeches", I do not believe that wearing the traditionally flared wool breeches is misguided as much as wearing any other traditional clothing item would be considered misguided.
> 
> After all, isn't authenticity what most everyone on this forum is looking for? Also, Other folks on this forum are buying fashion items that are bought new so long as the item looks "authentic"? Is that NG also because they are attempting at authenticity?


no, I'm specifically referring to contemporary foxhunting apparel, as there seemed to be a suggestion that showing up for a hunt in flared breeches would be a good idea. It really wouldn't be, at all.


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## Good Old Sledge (Jun 13, 2006)

wheredidyougetthathat is right. Though few sub-sets of society are more traditional than are foxhunters, the trend is certainly away from the radically flared britches like those shown above. There are some who wear them but, as indicated above, unless you already have your colors (have been with the hunt a long time and proven yourself in the field) or have inherited them, if you were to show up in anything too flared, you would be accused of trying too hard. 
That said, I have a pair that I wear, but I've been hunting for something over 30 years.


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## Lancer (Jan 5, 2009)

Good Old Sledge said:


> wheredidyougetthathat is right. Though few sub-sets of society are more traditional than are foxhunters, the trend is certainly away from the radically flared britches like those shown above. There are some who wear them but, as indicated above, unless you already have your colors (have been with the hunt a long time and proven yourself in the field) or have inherited them, if you were to show up in anything too flared, you would be accused of trying too hard.
> That said, I have a pair that I wear, but I've been hunting for something over 30 years.


I don't necessarily agree with your premise. I refer to a Virginia based company (Horse Country Life) that advertizes and sells traditionally flared hunt breeches (pages 20-23 in their catalogue). 
https://horsecountrylife.com/catalog/4/cover4.html

Their breeches are mostly of the flared variety. I would suspect that they wouldn't be in business very long if their hunt attire wasn't as expected by the local hunt. In fact, I would suspect that, there must be some pretty decent demand for the flared breeches or they wouldn't make/import them or advertize them so widely. I think that it is very possible that the trad flared breeches will/are making a comeback as much as some hunt folks may not wish to wear them. Some are and they may be correct for the hunt community.


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## anglophile (Jul 7, 2006)

The attire worn while hunting is highly traditional and follows with the rituals and customs of the hunt. I own flared breeches and wear them regularly. I also eschew the modern riding helmet in favor of a traditional velvet hunt cap, top hat or bowler, depending on the situation. I have never been rebuked for opting for the more traditional style of dress while hunting (except as mentioned, by my now-ex girlfriend who felt that flared breeches were silly).

Granted, if you showed up at your first meet dressed like someone out of a Alfred Munnings painting, you might get some sideways glances, but most hunts hold an "Appointment" class at their annual hunter trials in which the riders are judged solely on the correctness of ther turnout. Classic hunting attire is very much still worn and encouraged by most hunts. 

As with anything however, if you are going to do it you have to do it right. In order to pull off flared fall-front breeches, you better have proper hunting boots with garters and correct spurs, a correct waistcoat, 4-fold stock tie, frock coat, modest gloves (knit string ideally), a proper hunting whip, and your tack should be in good order and be outfitted with correct hunting appointments. Hunt caps or toppers/bowlers are the classic way to go, but modest black velvet covered riding helmets are always permitted and encouraged in the field. Not least of all, your horse should be hunting fit and braided.

A black coat and buff breeches are all you need to not stand out as being underdressed, but I have never heard someone mocked for dressing too correctly for hunting.


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