Possibly the most famous Australian poem ever written begins with - There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around, That the colt from Old Regret had got away, and had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound, so all the cracks had gathered to the fray...
In my entire life I had never seen a brumby in the Snowy Mountains. I was invited to ride with a Snowy Mountains man a fortnight ago, who incidentally wears our kerchiefs throughout the year when he's in the elements. Whilst he tends to let his hang loose, I like mine done up in a simple four in hand, it allows you to tuck in under your jacket, and you can take it off your neck without untying it, which gives the silk a longer life. Anyway, there are a myriad of ways to tie our 90 x 90cm kerchiefs.
We ran a truck with a three horse float out into a remote part of the park where the wild brumbies roam freely and it was such a pleasure to finally lay eyes on these unusual horses. They look a little inbred to be honest. But there is something wonderful about their being free and a pleasure just to watch them roam about.
I never did manage to get on a horse because of my weight and the fact that we had our own Man From Snowy River drama happen when one of the horses was tangled in an old fence and when approached by brumbies the horse spooked and bolted into the bush above the plain and it wasn't till very late in the evening that two mountain men came towards our stockman's cottage delivering back Bob, the horse that bolted.
After that fiasco I spent the rest of my tour on an e mountain bike. It was a very enjoyable fall back. We toured through both the plains and the alpine, managing to stay one night in a remote cottage that is often used in the winter for people who get stuck in the snow. These unoccupied cottages offer critical refuge for snow campers and such.
I returned to Sydney after a short week away with a renewed energy for life, the outdoors and especially the Snowy Mountains of Australia.
On the day I returned I had a charity event and it was the first opportunity I had to wear my evening jacket of woven gold and navy jacquard (a polyester from memory) which was exceptionally vibrant and ostentatious but it produced the desired effect. It was made for the Studio window by Eddie at Akkari Menswear.
I hope you enjoyed the sale last week - it was nice to see some our Americans back in the fray - it has been too long for many of you - and sadly, we have really been relying solely on appointments at the Studio of recent and wedding work - not making much stock for the website and relying on commissions.
This week we released two new silks. The first was a botanical that an Australian botanist brought in and claimed it hadn't been named yet. I am no botanist so I wouldn't even know how to verify his claim but it has made a lovely silk in printed twill 36 oz. The second silk was derived from a sketch by Leonardo Da Vinci, a botanical sketch of the Star Of Bethlehem. It had a wonderful movement and wisp in the sketch and it was particularly interesting to me and got me reading up on the Star Of Bethlehem, which I had all but forgotten as part of my Christian studies as a young man. The Star Of Bethlehem was part of a prophecy that the messiah would be coming and the three wise men followed it in order to find Jesus in his birth place.
I continue to thank you for your support. We had a disgruntled customer this week which was upsetting. There was a miscommunication regarding our matching bow/bund sets. I wish to reiterate to all customers considering purchasing one, we can't begin production until we have received your waist measurements which need to be taken around your belly button and are often a couple of inches bigger than your regular jeans size. We offer a comprehensive range of silks and if you require personal service the best way to stay on top of the work is to text or Whatsapp +61413140994 .
Anyway, below I wish to share with you said jacket which was made for the window by Akkari menswear and to share with you some of the pictures of our inimitable Alpine.
Be well, Nicholas.
