In this week’s blog post, our News Editor Babette Radclyffe-Thomas speaks with Jonny Haart, the historic menswear expert. Based in Kent, England, Jonny shares insights into his extensive and enviable menswear collection and why he likes to dress regularly as a 1910’s chap.
“I wish that more people understood that a suit is not just a suit. With menswear, it’s all in the cuts and details, and there’s a lot you can do with a men’s suit. I love how menswear reflects developments in ideas of masculinities.”
“The 1910s-20s is a period I tend to gravitate towards though my favourite suit in my collection is my 1890s tweed suit”, Jonny shares as he is dressed in a French 1910s deadstock jacket from what would have been at the time an off the peg range, a silk 1920s waistcoat, 1910s pair of trousers and a 1900s reproduction shirt made by Ralph Lauren. A keen collector of menswear, his original pieces range from late Victorian up to the late 1930s with a particular fancy for waistcoats and ties.
“The 18th century is also a big love of mine fashion-wise as I especially love the theatrics of the period, as well as the extravagance of 1790s French Incroyable menswear and the reactionary movement behind it is fascinating.”
A freelance costume designer Jonny always created designs for himself. Inspired by an early childhood love for costume, the dressing up box and movies, his first creation was a 18th century ‘poet shirt’. “I was a bit of a theatre kid and then I got really into the goth scene. I originally trained in technical stage management at LAMDA (London academy of music and dramatic art) where I spent almost all of my spare time in the costume department”.
Jonny is a co-host of the Society of Salome, an informal group of like-minded people who share a passion for historical costuming. Founded a couple of years ago, the well-clad group meets several times a year to explore stately homes, art galleries and atmospheric spots such as the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. “I had organised club nights on the goth scene, and I used to organise nights for the dandy drinking club before co-launching the Society of Salome with Olga Jonarska. We did an 1890s picnic a couple of years back, we have hosted a fancy dress party with dress from all different periods and a lot of people on the scene are very friendly and open. Last year we were featured on the front page of The Telegraph.”
Transforming his passion and expertise in historic menswear, Jonny has recently launched Southworth & Haart with his business partner Philip Southworth-Kreyche. Focused on 1890s to 1910s menswear, the brand launched with a range of late Victorian pre-tied ties and 1910s reproduction ties and is now developing a range of suits. “It is getting increasingly difficult to find original Victorian up to early 1940s menswear. I think a lot of people have gotten really interested in dressing in this period so the demand for these pieces has really gone up. I also have a collection of antique mens’ tailoring books and as we are trying to reproduce styles for Southworth & Haart, having the original sourcing materials and references is really handy.”
Jonny recommends a range of costume dramas such as Dancing on the Edge, The English Game and Vienna Blood. “In costume dramas often the background actors are in real antique menswear but you find the main characters are a bit stylised and actually not that accurate. Still one of my favourite shows for historic costuming is The Scarlet Pimpernel with Richard E. Grant (1999-2000). I also enjoy the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984-5), Poirot (1989-2013), and Jeeves and Wooster (1990-1993).”
Jonny in fact wears an antique bowler hat which was recently adorned by a background character in The Gilded Age (2022).
As well as classic costume dramas, Jonny recommends a range of fellow menswear experts for their insights into historic dress including Tom van het Hof, Parker R McIntosh, Michiel de Baerdemaeker, Vintage Bursche on YouTube, Zack Pinsent (who Costume Society members may remember from his fantastic demonstration at the costume society study day in 2018) and of course the Discount Count (who recently wrote a fantastic article for our blog).
“My most memorable experience was being invited to the Palace of Versailles in 2018 dressed in full mid-18th century dress. I think that will always live in my memory. There are so many places I have been able to visit that I would not have otherwise been able due to my passion for historically dressing.”
On that note, if you’re keen to engage more in the world of historic dress, the Society of Salome’s most recent event was a celebration of the 20s and 30s Bloomsbury Group at Knole House in Sevenoaks on 30th April and the group has plans to meet again in the late summer.
For more on antique menswear, do check out our guest blog post by The Discount Count. The Costume Society is a lively, friendly charity whose aim is to promote the study and preservation of historic and contemporary dress.
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