Tweed emerged among the small farmers and land labourers of the damp climate of Scotland and Ireland sometime in ages now lost in mist; but surely many centuries before the English aristocracy eventually came upon it on their hunting trips, and brought it back to their London tailors. Originally it was very rough, thick and felted, hand woven according to local traditions in dull and earthy colours. It was a working man’s cloth, but ready to make a journey through the history and social classes of the British Empire.

Summer footwear is certainly much more than deck shoes and sneakers. I do wear deck shoes, when sailing or visiting friends in the archipelago. The waxy leather withstands an occasional dip or two, and the soles keep you from involuntarily leaving a wet deck. At the lawn tennis club, I wear my whites, including, of course, a pair of white tennis shoes. For most other matters, however, I prefer slightly dressier shoes. And those are, many times, more comfortable.