Land Rover Monthly – October 2019

LANDROVER MONTHLY 87

WHILE mostofustakegreat pride in

how our LandRoverslook, whether

polishedtoperfection or displaying

thepatinaofbusycareers, we’re

sometimes ambivalent about personal

style. As with ourcars, fi rst impressions

are importantandtakingcareover how

welook benefi tsboth personal and

businessrelationships.

Davi d Evans’ style tips

make them less attractive, but it takesaway from the purity
of appearance and the classic nature of the original.New and
old LandRovers are both just as desirable, but appeal to
differentrequirements. If you want a vehicle to elicit a
response,you’ll buy a Series LandRover. The classic Land
Rover is probably more successful than the modern ones, in
that sense.
It is a very individual thing to own. You’re buying
something that echoes part ofyour personality, which a
modern car does, but not in the sameway. I always look at
an Evoque orVelar when one passes, but therarity of the
classic gives them the edge ifyou’re looking for aresponse
from people.

In a way, that act of eliciting aresponse ec hoes what you
said earlier about your dress sense.You aren’t justfollow-
ing theherd.
No, exactly, because of therarity, a LandRover is avery
individual thing toown. It echoes part ofyou.

SO thereyou ar e. It seems the current draw of LandRovers

isn’t down to a throwaway fad, but the individuality and

honesty of its origins. Buyers like that. As David’s blog

readership shows, there’s a growing audience looking for

something more than pure marketing hype. Britishness:

honesty in engineering and design, and individuality are all

qualities seen as a positive in 2019. All qualities that Land

Rovers ha ve had since thevery beginning.

The engineers who hastily put together a post-war stop

gap, unknowingly left us a visual identity and mechanical

blueprint thatstands out, endures and appeals to this day.

The draw isn’t from the surface gloss of marketing posters,

but the nuts-and-bolts British individuality born on the

engineering drawing boards of Solihull 70years ago.

In a time when modern cars are alike, uninvolving and

characterless, there is little to beat a LandRover, particularly

a classic one.More and more people are being turned on to

the unique appeal of LandRovers. But then, as enthusiasts,

we all knew that, didn’twe?

Almostallyou see here is

British-made(exceptmy

trousers): The jacketis from

CordingsofPiccadilly – made

byGrenfell London it’s a revival

oftheirWalker jacketwhich

would havebeenwornbymany

LandRover owners in the ’70s

and before; Scarf (Budd

Shirtmakers); Socks (Marwood);

Shoes (Loake); Chinos(Spoke);

Camerabag (Billingham)

Here are afew tips, gatheredover

nearly eightyearsofblogging, on how

tomake agood impressionstyle-wise:

1

Buy clothes thatfi t properly.

Womenseemtodo thiswell. The

majorityofmen Isee wear trouserstoo

long and jacketstoo large.

2

Buy asgood quality asyou can

afford.Well-made clothes last

longer andfi t better.

3

Buy sustainably.Sadly the clothing

industry is oneofthe mostwasteful

and polluting. Manyofus buy pilesof

cheap clothes, mostofwhich quickly end

up in landfill.Buy well, buy lessoften

and buy locally-made whereyou can.

4

Finally, think aboutyourwardrobe

as a wholeand, whenyou are

consideringsomething new,think

about whether it’llfi t in with whatyou

already have. If itwon’t, you’vewasted

your money.

DavidEvans

W:greyfoxblog.com

T:@GreyFoxBlog