Few would place Kurt Cobain and James Bond in the same stylistic camp: but there is sartorial thread, so to speak, which runs through the two. Both were regularly seen wearing flannel – plaid shirts, which became emblematic of the grunge era, in the case of the Nirvana front man; sober suiting, in grey, dark gray and charcoal shades, in the case of early-era 007.
The picture’s a little fuzzy (excuse the pun) when it comes to flannel’s origins: although it certainly came into being in 17th Century Wales – a country with both the sheep flocks to provide it and the weather to require it – as a cozier alternative to the plain wool clobber traditionally worn by that country’s rain-lashed denizens.
Flannel’s more recent history, naturally, is in sharper focus. Due to the material’s durability, comfort, affordability and warmth, its popularity had bled from Wales into other northern European countries by the 19th Century. Traditionally, it was napped manually using a fine metal brush, but with the Industrial Revolution came mechanized carding – a process whereby individual fibers are separated, and webbed into flannel’s soft texture – and it became produced more prolifically and distributed more widely.
Thus, it was only a matter of time until it made its way across The Atlantic. During the Civil War, soldiers’ basic coats and undershirts were made from it – again, inexpensiveness, sturdiness, warmth and comfort being the key factors – then in 1889 entrepreneur Hamilton Carhartt, seeing how flannel had become the unofficial working man’s uniform nationwide, opened his factory… where else, but the city that would become the home of grunge a century later, Detroit? The adverse weather in the Pacific Northwest, similar to that in flannel’s country of origin 3,600 miles to the east, is surely a factor in Michigan’s largest city being America’s unofficial Capital of Flannel.
Kay Kisilyov, Anatoly & Sons’ Sourcing Specialist, believes that flannel’s tactility is among its major draws. “The softness, that brushed texture, means it’s cozy but still refined,” he says. “It’s also heavier, so it drapes beautifully, creating these really clean lines that just look great on almost anyone. Plus, flannel has this depth to it that makes it more interesting than a flat, smooth fabric.”
Another major selling point, he says, is its versatility. “You can dress it up or down – it works just as well with a crisp shirt and tie as it does with a more laid-back knit or even a T-shirt,” he says. “It’s a fabric that’s been around forever, but it still feels modern.” Naturally, these points are neatly demonstrated by the flannel offerings here at Anatoly & Sons. For a more refined but still casual take on the grunge look, consider this plaid flannel shirt in contrasting blue and burgundy shades, in a lightly napped fabric by highly respected Netherlands-based mill and maker 100 Hands, or this windowpane plaid alternative – one which begs for matching to its subtler hues elsewhere in your ensemble – by Figlio.
Another flannel piece deftly treading the increasingly fine smart-casual line is this charcoal popover shirt (also made in collaboration with 100 Hands), perfect for pairing with a soft-shouldered blazer on tie-less occasions. Showcasing flannel’s endless potential when it comes to layering and outerwear is this grey peacoat, fashioned from wool flannel fabric from Vitale Barberis Canonico and finished with a cozy quilted viscose lining; and our quarter-lined ‘Alpine’ overcoat in oatmeal-colored wool flannel from Austria's Leichtfried Loden: a piece as suitable for wearing above knitwear and jeans as it is with classic suiting.
And talking of more formal guises: Look out for five new flannel trousers on this site in January. In the meantime, our Rugby Flannel Suit in dark grey – made of a stretchable and water-resistant fabric by Italian mill Drago – is “soft and comfortable but still polished enough for more formal occasions,” as Kisilyov puts it.
This last piece’s imperious silhouette – as with James Bond’s flannel two-piece, and indeed Gregory Peck’s guise as the title character in the 1956 movie The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit – is unsurprising, given how much bespoke tailors relish working with the fabric. “From a tailoring standpoint, flannel is a dream to work with – its structure holds shape beautifully, allowing for sharp, clean lines, yet it also lends itself to a more relaxed, fluid fit,” Richard Anderson, the eponymous proprietor at 13 Savile Row, tells Anatoly & Sons. “Whether crafting a classic suit or a more casual look, flannel combines practicality with elegance in a way few fabrics can.”
Indeed, it’s come a long way since some bone-chilled pioneer decided to nap some leftover wool on a windswept Welsh hillside.
