On the Sunny Side
  • Home
  • Shop
    • New & bestsellers
    • Ladies wear
    • Waistcoats and jackets
    • Trousers
    • Polo shirts and T shirts
    • Shirts
    • Last ones
    • Haberdashery
    • Size chart
    • Personal shopper
  • About
    • About on the Sunny Side
    • About Sunny
    • Sustainability
    • Policies
    • privacy
  • FAQ's
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Links
  • wholesale
    • Wholesale ex VAT
  • Visit
  • Home
  • Shop
    • New & bestsellers
    • Ladies wear
    • Waistcoats and jackets
    • Trousers
    • Polo shirts and T shirts
    • Shirts
    • Last ones
    • Haberdashery
    • Size chart
    • Personal shopper
  • About
    • About on the Sunny Side
    • About Sunny
    • Sustainability
    • Policies
    • privacy
  • FAQ's
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Links
  • wholesale
    • Wholesale ex VAT
  • Visit

The Plus Four

12/4/2015

0 Comments

 
Another wonderful item in a vintage style men's wardrobe would be the so called 'Plus four' ending four inches under the knee, hence the name. Other varieties are the 'Plus two', the 'Plus eight' and Knickerbocker. The style was introduced in America by Edward Prince of Wales during a diplomatic trip in 1924. It seems to fit in perfectly with the looser clothing style of the 1920's. The trousers are worn with argyle socks, silk neckties and dress shirts and sweaters. Some are worn as complete suits, like Louis Armstrong is wearing in the photo on the right.



Picture
Louis Armstrong in Plus fours with argyle socks.
Picture
The Norfolk suit
Picture
A tailored sports coat, with partial lining

The Plus four or Knickerbocker is very suitable for sports and the outdoors. For hunting it would be worn as part of the Norfolk suit (the name derived from the hunting suit of the 19th century Duke of Norfolk) made of a heavy tweed or plaid for the cold and wet English weather.



The Knickerbocker derived from the Dutch settlers in the 1600's in what is now New York. In 1809 writer Washington Irving wrote
the satiric 'A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty' under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker, later known as 'Knickerbockers history of New York'.
With the publication of Irving's book, the Dutch settler 'Knickerbocker' character became synonymous with New York City. Hence the name of the famous basketball team the New York Knicks.
Picture
The Dutch settlers and native Americans about 1600. Notice the short puffed trousers.

Picture
Palle Huld in Moscow
Later the Plus four was made famous by Tintin, the famous comic book Character by HergĂ©, presumably based on the actual person Palle Huld. In 1928 a Danish newspaper ran a centennial about  author Jules Verne. The winner would re-enact the globe-circling voyage undertaken by Phileas Fogg in Verne's bestselling novel 'Around the World in 80 Days'. Strangely enough to our modern ideas, the contest was only open to teenage boys. Freckle faced and red haired Palle Huld traveled the globe, dressed in Plus fours.

Today the Plus four is most commonly known as a golfers outfit. And since the Plus four was worn often during sports and outdoors, we now can understand why golfers love to adorn themselves with puffed trousers and checkered socks.
Picture
Edward the Prince of Wales as painted by Wiliam Orpen
Picture
Two College undergraduates wearing Plus fours
Picture
A ladies Plus four advertised in a catalogue

read more:
Jocks and Nerds, Men's style in the Twentieth Century, Richard Martin and Harold Koda

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Sunny van  Zijst

    I am maker of vintage inspired couture. I was trained as a designer for theater costumes. Now I enjoy making vintage inspired clothing for men and women.

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    November 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

© Sunny van Zijst. 
Proudly powered by Weebly
Policies
contact
privacy
On the Sunny Side
Dennenstraat 6, 3930 Achel, Belgium
reg nr 0435688762
Picture