H&C

1
Jun
2010

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Shooting: What to wear

Pictured: Plus twos (house check) & Hunter Balmoral wellies

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Are you new to shooting? Unsure what clothes are essential and what’s an extravagance? H&C has teamed up with country outfitters Cordings of London to tell you what to wear so you fit in and feel comfortable on the day.

For your first shoot, you needn’t buy an expensive complete wardrobe, but there are some essentials that you need to consider.

The shooting season officially begins with grouse on the 12 of August, so clothing differs though the seasons and clothes in lighter fabrics are made, but British shooting fashion has largely grown around the assumption that most of the season is wet and cold.

Colours: camouflage or funky?

Hunting attire is usually of muted green and brown colours to help the shooting party stay hidden. But shooting is not without its fashion conscience, and some pretty funky colours can be found if you look a little deeper. Cordings make a range of knee high socks in exotic colours which won’t scare the birds when hidden beneath boots. Outer jackets often boast exciting and unusual colour linings, often made of silk; after all it is a bit dreary to be dressed in relentless tweed.

Give me a breek!

Breeks are shooting trousers. Heard of plus fours? These are a type of breek. Breeks are short trousers with a fastening – usually a buckle – just below the knee. Whether they are plus twos or plus fours is defined by the overhang of material over the top of your socks. Breeks are usually made from tweed but you can buy them in moleskin or corduroy. Tweed is usually a camouflage colour, hard wearing and relatively quick drying. The fabric swells a little as it takes in water, helping keep the inside dry.

Knee length socks are worn below the breeks –usually with tall boots – and the overhang of the breek helps to deflect rainwater and prevent it dripping down your boots.

Give it some welly

The other essential piece of kit for any shot is good footwear. If you own a sturdy pair of well made wellies then there’s no need to invest in anything else right away, but steer clear of cheaper brands; they don’t offer sufficient grip, are usually unlined, and do not offer good support around the ankle. Hunter Wellies are an established brand and they offer excellent protection, especially the neoprene- lined models.

On top

Remember; dressing for shooting is all about layers. A shirt, tie, waistcoat and an old Barber type jacket should stand you in good stead. But if you get a taste for shooting, you may want to kit yourself out properly.

In the winter months, wear a warm vest under a check shirt. Check shirts are worn all year round, and have become somewhat of a speciality at Cordings, who offer a vast range; all have button cuffs and a single breast pocket. These pure cotton or brushed cotton – which is advisable in winter months for its heat retention properties - 'Tattersalls' shirts originate from the Tattersalls Thoroughbred sales where they were worn to identify the owners and trainers.

A sleeveless v-neck sweater is traditionally worn over the shirt. In winter months, this is inevitably made of wool, but lighter versions are available. The idea of a sleeveless jumper is to provide core warmth without the bulk of sleeves. They are also appropriate to wear and look smart after the shoot, should you be invited in for lunch.

Over this goes a waistcoat. These are still usually made from tweed. Waistcoats have large pockets for carrying cartridges and boast shooting patches; reinforced areas around the shoulder to offer extra protection where the butt of the gun sits.

A tie may seem rather formal, but these stop rain dripping down your collar and keep the warmth in, especially if they’re made of wool.

A warm coat is a must. Traditionally these are made of tweed with a interesting colour on the inside. Field coats normally have quilted linings and large cartridge pockets with nifty poppers to hold them open so you don’t have to fumble around.

Fashions change, and the shooting world is no exception. Recently, non-tweed jackets, called technical coats, have hit the shelves, with Schoffel – originally a ski brand – at the leading edge. These are a lighter weight jacket and often offer more zips, including small pockets under the front trim to accommodate mobile phones and the like making them accessible without undoing the main zip. Fleeces can be zipped inside modern technical jackets. They often include open ‘handwarmer’ pockets behind the cartridge pockets, which are designed to keep bare hands out of the cold.

Hats off to you

Whether you’re looking into the sun in August, or peering into the rain in December, you’ll need protection from one element or another. A tweed flat cap is most commonly seen in the field; these can be helpfully folded in half and pocketed. Trilbies or Australian Bushman type hats are also perfectly acceptable – these keep the rain off more effectively but are more limiting to your field of vision.

Accessories

As for the ramaining accessories, they are mostly optional and down to personal preference. If your breeks fit well enough you probably don’t need a belt, but it’s perfectly fine to wear one. Gloves aren’t worn very often as guns get hot during a shoot and act as hand warmers. If you’d like to wear gloves, a very thin leather pair is best.

Socks are usually made of pure wool for warmth, and here you can go a little wild with the colours. Socks are knee high and snug around the calf to prevent interference when putting on or taking off boots. The socks have a cuff around the top, which is folded over just below the knee and secured with a garter; garters traditionally have tassels.

So, the bottom line is, there are no set rules as to what to wear when out on a shoot, but the type of shoot you’ve been invited on coupled with an idea of where you’re going and what you like, is a great starting point, and Cordings can cater for all your shooting and country fashion needs.