THE STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE GLEN CHECK

That most sophisticated and formal item of male clothing, the dress coat started life as a riding coat - its tails divided over the rump of the horse and the two little buttons at back are testament to when those tails would be buttoned up to avoid being mud spatterd.

And the British Countryside continues to exert a tremendous influence on male clothing. From Estate checks and hacking jackets to brogues and tailcoats, the country inspiration lives on, presented in new guises by young designers who may not be aware of their rural heritage.

Checked suitings maintain country connotations, though long since adopted for town, and there is currently a strong revival of interest in them. Pandering to this is Henry Poole, in a Spring/Summer promotion.

They are promoting the check which forms the basis of the Prince of Wales check. They have insider knowledge of its provenance, having been making for the Seafield family for many years. It was Caroline, Countess of Seafield, who adopted the Glenurquhart check  for the Seafield Estate in 1840, a distinctive large black and white check that came to be admired by the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward Vll.

He adapted it into a larger red-brown check with a grey overcheck for his country estate and is pictured here in a brown study of a tinted photograph, the authentic check used for his Inverness cape.

Later, the Duke of Windsor ( when Prince of Wales) was to bring his own style to the check, and to renew its black and white foundation, with various colour overchecks. He looks quite sorrowful, left, in a d.b. suit, with a straight gauge to his lapel, favoured by his then tailor, Scholte.

Then the present Prince of Wales, Charles, has also chosen variations of the pattern. He is seen below, on his 40th birthday, in what many would describe as a Prince of Wales check suit but which in fact is not, being a light grey check of the Glenurquhart type with a pale blue overcheck.

This chequered history explains the blurring of distinction between the original Glenurquhart,the original Prince of Wales check, and the later ones - which notta lotta people may care to know about.

To the average man, the Prince of Wales - other than being a nice chap - is a large-ish check with overcheck, perhaps in black and white or whichever shades the designer chooses. He would not know a Glenurquart if it came up and hit him in the face - which the Prince of Wales is not likely to do. And so entrenched is the incorrect application of the nomenclature 'Prince of Wales' to a variety of sizes and colours of checks, that there is really very little likelihood of the situation altering. But to purists this is another of those esoteric nuggets of information that make classic British cloth and clothes so fascinating.

Henry Poole are offering their Prince of Wales version in a mid-grey 10oz Super 120s and cashmere cloth, with deep burgundy overcheck, that may be teamed with a suit lining of black/burgundy accompanied by a classic burgundy tie.

A bag of Glenurquhart checks seen on the Seafield estate, shown courtesy of Lord Seafield and Henry Poole.

James & James, now within Davies & Son, made a suit for the Duke of Windsor in the 1960s in another version of the check . This cloth is now available from Davies, a Wain Shiell cloth in a soft deep blue, a Super 90s, 11/12oz weight, somewhat lighter than the original - which may be seen at Davies.

See Textiles page for the authentic Prince of Wales check and further details on Estate checks. And for another take on the Duke of Windsor influence, see Gieves & Hawkes collection report, right.

KILGOUR MOVES BACK TO BESPOKE

One of the great names of Savile Row, Kilgour, is due to return to its bespoke roots, following the departure of its design director, Carlo Brandelli.

Since joining the company some ten years ago, the designer had taken the firm steadily into the fashion and ready-to-wear arena. But new owners, the JMH Group of Dubai, headed by James Hay, who bought the company last year, are understood to want to take it back to concentrate upon bespoke - "to focus on the luxury market", says Philippe Rose, vice-president of the Group.

This was a legendary house in its heyday, becoming Kilgour, French & Stanbury when the Stanbury brothers, Fred and Louis, joined it in the 1920s. In recent years, it has become known more as a fashion house than bespoke tailors. Its return to the fold is being welcomed by others in the Row.