Back to Basics

Or, as we say at work; slow down, they're not giving out any medals this week.
From Wage-Labour and Capital by Karl Marx. 1940 reprint.

Come Along Now!

Should your Christmas party be invaded by anti-social sorts (lechers, vandals, thieves, police, etc.) you may like to acquaint yourselves with the above tactic for removing said finks from the premises.
From Tricks of Self-Defence by W. H. Coleridge, 1960 reprint.

Wooing for Ladies

More invaluable advice on wooing; this time for the ladies.
From Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts, 1949.

Gentlemanly Wooing

Invaluable advice from  Esquire's Handbook for Hosts, 1949.
If you fail with the wooing you can fall back on the bar trick.

Hunt Monitor Saves Fox

Badges Now Gone

If you wanted a WDI badge you should have ordered sooner (all orders placed previous to this post will be honoured). I have had not one reply to my suggestion for a new batch of badges with a new design so none will be produced.
Probably a good thing as I made a loss whilst evil Paypal and the privateering finks at Royal Mail made a gain.

Trust Fund Marxists?

A recent post on Libcom.org opined that this blog, the online home of Worker-Dandyism, has a 'trust fund Marxist feeling' to it. Some wag also wrote, presumably humorously, that the WDI was 'soon to merge with the Association of Proletarian Thoroughbred Racing Horse Owners' . It took me a couple or three Whisky Macs to compose myself after such insult but I feel I am now ready to reply to such crass and baseless allegations. I will refrain from questioning the credentials of anyone on said forum as to do so would be the mark of a fink.
I presume that a trust fund Marxist is similar to what we used to call a champagne socialist; someone whose class is at odds with their professed political convictions. How on earth a member of the working class seeking an improvement of his class is seen as some sort of paradox- in the same way as a proletarian race horse owner would be- is beyond me. The comment was most likely an off the cuff remark written somewhat in jest and I am therefore happy to leave the duelling pistols in my sock drawer but it does reflect a wider belief that people should know their station in life. Such Victorian attitudes are, strangely, just as common from the left as from the right, or so my experiences with certain sections of the online anarcho community would lead me to believe.

Should we, the proletariat, surrender any and all ambitions of betterment? Should we wallow in the gutter as slaves to circumstance? Must we slouch in rags? Are we to abandon the finer things in life to the exploiters? No wonder the left are almost universally derided by the working class if those are the prevailing attitudes! Total social change is the goal of any true red but what of us until then? Revel in glorious, self-righteous melancholia? Don't be such fucking martyrs.

Of course, this blog  is written with an air of joviality and japery but know this: we are committed to progressing the cause of the working class, albeit in our own minuscule and ridiculous manner, and feel no shame for doing so.

Badges Almost Gone...

There are about a dozen badges left for sale so if you want one, order now.
If there is sufficient interest I may get some new ones done, possibly a different design.

Autumnal Wear for Gals

Following the previous entry recommending Autumn finery for the chaps here are our recommendations for ladies.

These short sleeved Fair Isle jumpers from Rocket Originals are perfect for Autumn. Warm enough for the crisp mornings and slim enough to be worn with a cardigan for the cooler evenings. They are made in the UK from an original 1940s pattern and come in three colourways. 

The Rocket Originals jumpers are made from acrylic yarn which means they are machine washable.

If you prefer your woolies to be wooly then look no further than The Spirit of Shetland. Their Fair Isle jumpers, cardigans and accessories are all 100% wool and hand frame knitted. The website is not the most user friendly but we can vouch for the quality of the goods.

On crisp Autumn days you may want to go for a tramp in the countryside, and what better way to keep your legs protected from brambles then these 1940s style trousers from 20th Century Foxy.

This company have recently started their own range of ladies clothing, again made in the UK, and these trousers look perfect for the cooler months.

However, if you are a skirts kind of lady (as I am) you may find the Bloomsbury skirt from Old Town more your style.

 
This simple a-lined skirt is lined and available in a variety of tweeds. wool serge and corduroy.

And lastly, what to wear on your feet. Believe it or not, despite the abundance of shoes available, decent, quality shoes for ladies can be hard to find. Almost all shoes are designed to be worn for a few months and discarded.

So I am hoping these shoes from Clarks will withstand a few trips to the cobblers and not wear through too quickly.

They are available in both wine patent synthetic (pictured) and black leather. However, the leather is of the type that will be impossible to polish and will remain dull and matt.

Correct Grammar & Social Commentary

From How to Talk Correctly by Professor Duncan. Unknown year

It's Autumn Again

Autumn is upon us once more and, even though we shall probably experience better weather than the recently deceased dreary summer offered, I feel the need for sartorial comfort and coziness. This may well be to do with my advancing years (I'm increasingly finding myself dressed as Monty Don) but I like to think that certain apparel is befitting of this russet-hued season where port is sipped by a roaring fire, the hound is walked through leaf-strewn parks and the damp, dark mornings are as depressing as Hell itself.
For those of us that have long since abandoned trying to find affordable, undamaged vintage clothing it can be a chore locating emporia that purvey classic, quality clobber.

Which brings me to new clothing and Barbour in particular. Look beyond the stereotypes of horse-faced bints and fox-raping squires and there are some half-decent items to be found. I have mentioned the Ursula jacket in a previous post and it is still serving me well ( good job as it seems to be discontinued) but this year, I realised I don't own a cardigan. Shawl collar cardis seem to be everywhere at the moment but most look to be 'skinny' and trendy. Everything has to be skinny. I don't know what the fat kids are wearing but the skinny kids seem to have it made. Anyway, I felt the need for buttoned up '50s style knitwear so I bought the Clifton lambswool cardigan from Barbour. Not too bad at all. The fit is standard (but not skinny) so if you're after baggy comfort go for the next size up. I wore it for 10 minutes this morning and started sweating so it should be more than adequate for my forthcoming sojourn to the Yorkshire moors.

Clifton

I have also recently purchased some rather nice Dreadnought trousers from Old Town. They have reassuringly baggy legs and and an old fashioned fastening system whereby there is no fly, simply a flap that is attached by 4 buttons along the bottom of the waistband which drops to reveal your man or lady regions (they suit the fairer sex very well indeed). There are to be worn with a belt, not braces. If you require braces then the High Rise trousers are what you need.

Dreadnoughts

If the previous items don't seem very dandified then the next certainly won't but wind and rain are no friend of flimsy foppery. If you fancy a bit of rambling, mountaineering or simply trekking through the wilds of South London and prefer 1950s ruggedness to 21st century, gaudy polyester then take a look at this waxed cotton anorak by Orvis. Now, Orvis flogs some utterly dreadful gear (think the Jeremy Clarkson set) but this coat looks to be a winner. I may yet buy one*.

Orvis anorak

*I did buy one in the sale and, whilst I am pleased with it, it turns out to be made in China. I am guessing the price reflects the huge profit made by Orvis and not the decent wage paid to the workers in the garment factory.

Working Lunch

It is a sad indictment of capitalist society when workers enjoying their lunch are seen as somehow icongruous to graft. Maybe we should all suffer with good, honest hunger pangs whilst sucking on dirty dishcloths soaked in the salty tears of our rickety progeny.

Full 'story' at the Daily Mirror.

Worker-Dandyism Triumphs!

The best dressed lady prize was awarded to my other half at Goodwood Revival on Saturday. I, however, failed to make even the top three in the best dressed gent contest. Must try harder. Or wear a cardigan.
A small victory but a victory nonetheless.

The winner in homemade dress

Lounge Suit into Costume

I imagine some previous knowledge of dressmaking is required to perform this seemingly simple operation but it's worth a try if you have some threadbare old suit lying about the place.
From The Pictorial Guide to Modern Home Needlecraft published by Odhams (1946 reprint). There are lots of these 'new clothes from old' tutorials in the book. Please ask you desire any more information.

Corporate Nonsense

Catastrophic Communications

During one's lifetime there may be some instances whereby conventional communication is unavailable. A few examples:

• The glorious day has arrived and the forces of darkness have blocked all mobile signals, the internet has been shut down and the telephone exchanges are under armed guard by government goons.
• An absent minded dominatrix has left you tied to a radiator for 3 days in a damp Kings Cross basement, wearing nothing but a boy scouts' outfit, a cruelly placed woggle and a prostate massaging device with seemingly immortal batteries.
• You have imbibed enormous quantities of gin and have been rendered speechless and paralysed except for your fingers and eyelids.

In these situations it is vital that one still has the ability to contact one's comrades. The answer, fellow WDs, is Morse code. Invented in 1836 and ceased as an international standard for maritime communication in 1999 this method of communication may still come in handy for hapless persons stranded in undesirable predicaments. It is for your safety that I have created these diagrams. All you need is a method to create an aural, electrical or visual signal.

Dimspeak

Arresting a Policeman

Clean up the streets; arrest a copper.
From Jiu-jitsu : a comprehensive and copiously illustrated treatise on the wonderful Japanese method of attack and self-defense available to download from the Internet Archive.

More Moustaches

Further to our post of five years ago on moustaches but probably not requiring the aid of waxes (excepting 'The General'), we have a further selection of bristles for the professional 'tache wearer. The following are from The Art and Craft of Hairdressing (1958 edition) and will require expert skills.

Moustache Wax

As sure as a chap with sufficient follicular activity and a proper haircut needs a good pomade, he will also require a sturdy moustache wax if blessed with impressive supra-labial foliage.

There are a few ready-made waxes to choose from in the marketplace but why needlessly line the pockets of others when one can easily manufacture superb concoctions in one’s own kitchen, and to one’s own specifications, using a simple bain-marie and a couple of household ingredients.

The following are required:

• Beeswax in block form
• Petroleum Jelly
• Saucepan
• Jam jar

The following are optional:

• Dye or colouring
• Fragrance

To create the moustache wax place roughly equal measures of petroleum jelly and beeswax in the jam jar. Place this jar in a saucepan full of water, taking measures to ensure it doesn’t tip over, and heat over a hob. When the ingredients are fluid stir well until thoroughly mixed and pour into a receptacle of your choice (an old boot polish tin is ideal) and allow to cool.

One may need to experiment with differing ratios depending on the firmness required. If one has a blond or red moustache then no colouring should be needed. If, however, one has a dark moustache then the mixture may need a little colouring from hair dye, boot polish, furniture wax, etc. If one really wants to impress then a fragrance should be added once the mixture has been removed from the heat.

Do NOT expose the beeswax to direct heat. It does not boil but will get hotter and hotter until it ignites.