Flat front trousers have traditionally been made without turn-ups in accordance to the military/equestrian inspired fashion in the second half of the 19th century. A high rise, narrow lower legs and plain finished hems gave a slimming and elongating effect, indeed relevant also in our days.

Cuffed flat front trousers have been around since 1890, but not very common and predominantly for city use. For country trousers, plain finished hems were standard, mostly due to functional aspects: Turn-ups get filled up with Mother Nature’s small debris when enjoying the countryside.

An example: A rule (or convention) might be (right or wrong) that a jacket should cover your butt. However that rule does not give you the perfect jacket length, only its minimum value. Trying to find the perfect jacket length one might use the rule of thumb (an advice, good or bad) that jacket length should be determined by splitting the distance from the floor to the jacket collar in half.

When taking a walk, instead of long johns, I suggest that you add a pair of knitted knee length shooting socks underneath your trousers. They give warmth were you need it, instead of bulk were it is definitely not needed. Put on a chunky Aran jumper or a knitted bodywarmer, your trusty winter sports jacketA sports jacket, commonly of tougher material than a suit jacket, is meant to be worn with trousers of another colour (and pattern). and you are ready to go. That is, provided you did not neglect your brogues? Snow or not - wellingtons and the like are for work, not pleasant winter promenades.

The last ten years have been very interesting from a style point of view. The revival of traditional gentlemen clothing has ideed met with my satisfaction. Pocket squares, sports jackets, cut-away collars and three piece suits are for everyone these days. Of course, many designers have tried to, unsuccessfully, reinvent the wheel. But I guess that is their job.

The slightly rustic look of the crew-neck works especially well on heavier knit jumpers. Cheviot wool, cable knit and patched shooting jumpers are all classic crew neck territory, made to save your day.

Also, a crew-neck will agree most amicably with your wearing a (crisply pressed, of course) shirt without a tie, as some shirt collars can have a tendency to distort the shape of a vee-neck in a way not all too flattering. The crew-neck offers salvation indeed.
 

Wearing a jumper enables your tweed jacket to perform as outerwear, as originally intended. If the indoors gets a little too warm, just take of your jacket and your vee-neck will keep you looking casually smart.

In England, no one would show up at a shooting party in brand new shooting clothes, at least not until they have climbed a couple of steep hills and tumbled all the way down. They would rather be accidently shot than taken for nouveau riche beginners.

This principal can, perhaps with some slight modification, be applied to country style in general. Dry cleaning is expensive and aggressive to natural fibres. Airing and brushing will in most cases be enough – your tweeds do not have to shine, you know.

First of all the old saying "No tweed in town" was actually only relevant for London. After all, from an English perspective London is the only real town in Britain, if not the world. Secondly, the rule had much more relevance regarding to the occasion than to London itself. A gentleman reluctantly leaving his country estate for London would always have some formal business to take care of; otherwise he would have preferred staying at home. Formal business called for proper business attire, thus ruling out tweed.

Dear Mrs Ribbing,

Of course, country elegance, or country chic, is not a traditional dress code and it is more ambiguous than Morning dress for instance. But it does not take much of my tweedy imagination to figure out that for a “Garden Party” in Scandinavia the dress code “lantlig elegans” must be inspired by the attire of rural England. A clothing style as well known and liked as British murder stories. But if in doubt, asking the hosts is a good suggestion.

Rather than scaring the birds away, I usually opt for a less shiny tie and avoid strongly coloured glossy silk ties. Matching the tie to my shooting socks and garters can certainly be challenging, but the distance between them makes it possible to pull of rather bold combinations. If embroided, I preferably match the motif to the game of the day.

And that cheap duck motif polyester tie is never allowed to leave my tie rack unless, of course, the aunt who gave it to me is hosting the shooting party...