It's 100 years since Captain Scott's doomed Antarctic expedition, he was a hero, a gentleman...and an unlikely style icon.
This week marks 100 years since Captain Scott’s doomed journey to The South Pole reached it’s disappointing and tragic climax. On the 17th of January 1912, Scott and his team reached the pole to discover that their Norwegian rivals had beaten them to their goal, what followed was an arduous, and ultimately fatal, hike back towards home, chronicled in Scott’s unflinching and candid diary entries.
Everything there is to be said about Scott’s bravery, commitment to exploration and heroics has been said, hundreds of books have been written, television programmes made, but none have reduced his achievements to talking about jackets and jumpers. I’m not going to be so dismissive.
Whilst I can’t promise that these garments would protect you from Antarctic temperatures, nor facilitate the comfort for long hiking, twinned with a healthy dose of pomade and a proper beard, you can go some way to looking like Captain Robert Falcon Scott and the rest of the Terra Nova expedition crew….
Barbour To-Ki-To Shoreman
Barbour’s To-Ki-To range, launched last year, took on a variety of classic jacket styles, including this, the Shoreman. The jacket, made from Ventile fabric, is lined with Shetland wool and contains a detachable quilted body warmer, double zip collar and a throat tab. Although traditionally used in wildfowl shooting, the Shoreman presents a classic British winter look reminiscent of Scott’s in 1912, especially in this traditional cinammon colour.
Barbour To-Ki-To Shoreman at Oi Polloi
100% Scottish lambswool from a company who have been outfitting the fisherman of Arran for generations. A hand knitted, chunky sweater which is pure British heritage and perfect for keeping you warm in deepest winter. It’s not fitting for an Antarctic expedition, but mirrors some pre-war explorers preference of wool and cotton over the indigenous people’s fur clothing.
Inverallan Cable Crewneck at End Clothing
Fracap Ripple Sole Scarponcini
You’re not going to find boots suitable for Antarctic expedition, but the fact is that neither did Scott, with almost all of his party suffering from severe frostbite before succumbing to the cold. If you want a boot with an traditional hiking look though, look no further than the Ripple Sole Scarponcini by Fracap. Each pair is handmade in Lecce, Italy and released in very limited numbers, they’re a step away from Britain, but unparalleled in quality.
Fracap Ripple Sole Scarponcini at End Clothing
Because sometimes all of the layers in the world can’t keep you warm. Thermos was invented in 1892 by Sir James Dewar, a scientist at Oxford University. A suitably British beginning for a brand which has been endorsed by everyone from the Queen of England to The Fonz. Tragically for Scott and his comrades it was lack of provisions, when stranded in a blizzard, which led to their downfall. In his final diary entry, on March 29th 1912, he claimed that he “had enough fuel to make two cups of tea… It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more”
A fittingly British end, for a British hero.
Thermos Vintage Flask at John Lewis
More stories that you might like…
The Great White Silence: In Search of Adventure With Captain Scott
Nigel Cabourn: Clothes For Outdoor Heroes
Click here for more stories about Fashion & Style
Click here to follow Sabotage Times on Twitter
Click here to follow Sabotage Times on Facebook
