Charles Gordon-Lennox, 69, the 11th Duke of Richmond, is known for his elegant silhouette. “I’m not a big fan of men’s casual wear,” he admits. “I don’t think it looks great. I don’t like a pair of sneakers, let’s put it this way…”
I speak to Her Majesty ahead of her first ‘Future of Vintage’ summit, which she is hosting at her home at Goodwood Estate this week, inviting notaries and influencers Paula Sutton of Hill House Vintage (dressed in a rather magnificent 20-year-old suit) and Henry of Known Source Like McNeill-Njoku and Theo El-Kattan joining her to discuss pre-loved fashion. The agenda includes topics such as authentication, usability and investment, as well as the hurdles the industry faces and what can be done to help overcome them.
The summit coincides with an interesting turning point for vintage fashion. Archive pieces were all over the red carpet during awards season: Sydney Sweeney wore Angelina Jolie’s 2004 Marc Bouwer dress to the Vanity Fair Oscar After Party, while Jennifer Lawrence opted for a Givenchy by John Galliano dress once worn by Kate Moss. activity. Even the high priestess of fashion, Dame Anna Wintour, gave the movement her seal of approval through her next Met Gala theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Fashion Re-Awakening,” where numerous celebrities wore vintage pieces from the likes of Balenciaga and Dior. . Although most of us can’t name 1970s Yves Saint Laurent, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great pieces available to buy second-hand.
For the Duke, it’s about repositioning vintage. It’s no longer something that smells a little musty and is left unloved in a charity shop. Rather, they are well-designed pieces built to last. “If vintage clothing lasts this long, it must be of very high quality,” says the duke. “I have some suits that are 30 years old. “It’s less about ‘dressing up’ and more about self-expression, and the joy of having a history in something and stories to tell.”
Summit attendee Paula Sutton, who has become a social media star thanks to her passion for vintage, agrees: “I have jackets that are 30, 40, 50, 60 years old and not a single stitch is out of place. They are intact,” she says. “Buttons can always be redone, but tweed and Look for durable fabrics like wool, and check for stains and things that can’t be repaired as easily.”
Naturally, the sustainability argument also comes into play; It is a major concern, especially for Generation Z. “This is as virtuous a choice as it is sartorial,” His Majesty agrees. “Second hand is a good thing now. “It’s a great thing, it’s a responsible thing.”
“Encouraging people to buy more is incredibly counterproductive,” adds Sutton. “Learning how to make sustainable choices is just as important as normalizing that you can rewear and recycle.”
It makes perfect sense for Duke to support vintage fashion, even though it’s more closely associated with racing. In 1998, he relaunched Goodwood Motor Circuit with Revival, 32 years after the last engines were revamped under his grandfather’s tenure. When someone suggested that the event, which focuses on vintage cars from the festival’s 1948-1966 heyday, should also encourage guests to dress appropriately, some people were not immediately convinced.
“It was considered a really bad idea by a lot of people,” Duke shares. “But it turned out to be an incredible thing. I remember the first few years we did this people didn’t want to go home. “They didn’t want to cross the threshold and experience the real world, they wanted to stay in this little bubble.”
The duke admits that they were lucky as the 1940s-1960s were the periods of greatest fashion. “That moment in the ’50s when everything started to get a little crazier, music started to play more of a role, men’s suits became a little flashier – it was a great time,” he reflects. “Women’s dresses and men’s suits from the post-war era inherently made everyone look great. “I have a lot of suits made from vintage 1950s fabric.”
His daily uniform is a suit, and if he could wear the fashions of another era it would be the 18th century; However, he also admits that he was a follower of fashion while growing up. “I wear a suit every day now, it’s the most comfortable thing for me,” he explains. “They’re a very high-rise trouser, so there’s nothing tight around your waist and they’re very warm.”
This is also about supporting traditional crafts. “If you’re lucky enough to have something made for you, it feels completely different and looks very elegant,” she argues. “I have three sons and they all like to make things. It’s such a special experience that the amount of craftsmanship that goes into it and all of that, it’s running out and we need to keep it going. I would love to be able to sew shoes or cut a suit myself. The ability to do this is an incredible skill.”
Growing up, the Duke’s mother, Susan, was a very good seamstress (“She had lots of patterns in Butterrick paper”) and knitted, but did not make clothes for herself. One of her earliest fashion memories is of her grandmother: “For my eighth birthday she gave me a very grown-up cream silk shirt and cashmere cardigan from a children’s store on Bond Street. “I felt like I was 21, not 8.”
However, this is a piece that once belonged to his grandfather, the ninth Duke, and is perhaps of the most sentimental value to him. “I have a little scarf that my grandfather wore to the races,” he shares. “He was wearing white overalls with a white shirt, a tie and a pin, and then the whole thing was pulled together with a rather crude belt. It was a pretty powerful look. To finish things off, she would wear the family Gordon tartan over a printed silk scarf. It’s in pieces now, but I still have it.” In fact, he was so inspired by the scarf that he asked Italian designer E.Marinella, who he told makes the best ties (“I’m actually wearing one right now”), to remake it for the anniversary of the Resurrection. He also had several jackets made for it, based on 1950s designs.
Now, her three adult sons, Charles, William and Frederick, are raiding her wardrobe. “My oldest son also wears all of my father’s shoes,” he laughs. “That’s the joy of handmade men’s clothing; you can alter them to death, so your kids can wear them if you’re on the more casual side.” Meanwhile, his wife, the Hon Janet Astor, was lucky enough to inherit the dresses worn by her mother, Bronwen, who was Pierre Balmain’s muse in the 1950s. “They had a great collection of vintage kits,” Duke says. “We have some of this and my wife wears some of it at Revival.”
When I ask the Duke about his legacy and whether he wants it to encourage a more sustainable lifestyle, he remains modest. “The sustainability argument for what we do is huge,” he concludes. “Our vision is to be able to become a platform for people who are really advocating for this sustainable way of dressing, and I think that’s a really positive thing.”