A love affair with camels

By A. Scott Walton
NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , ATLANTA
Thursday, Oct 20, 2005, Page 15

Camel hair sport coat, sweater, wool slacks and shirt from Brooks Brothers. PHOTOS: NY TIMES

Though one of the crudest mammals in the animal kingdom, the camel has no shortage of well-heeled admirers.

This season, coats and blazers made from the soft, silky hairs beneath two-humped camels' shaggy outer layer of fur are deemed must-have items once again by menswear designers, retailers and shoppers.

Ralph Lauren is so enamored with the animals that he even models a modified camel hair topcoat in his latest ad campaign.

"We're going to be highlighting a variety of styles in the December issue of Details," said Souri Kim, fashion market editor for the magazine. "You know something's a trend when you can find great camel coats at every price point, ranging from Gap to Gucci."

Ever biblical times (see Matthew 3:4), men have relied on camel hair to strike distinctive profiles. Currently, actor George Clooney sports camel hair on the cover of the premiere issue of Men's Vogue.

"It's the quintessential luxury item," said Glen Hoffs, fashion director for Brooks Brothers. "Camel hair is having a resurgence as a luxe fiber because cashmere is so ubiquitous at the moment. You can get cashmere at Target or any other mall retailer. So people are looking for new, old favorites in the noble fiber category."

From left to right, custom-made, double-breasted camel hair topcoat (US$2,295), Loro Piana wool/cashmere sport coat, Nick Hilton trousers, all from Miller Bros Clothiers.

Technically, only those garments made from the hairs shed by the Bactrian camels of east Asia are "true" camel hair pieces. But the look (in varying shades of tan or light brown) and the feel (blends of cashmere, wool or man-made fibers) have been co-opted to form a general camel hair category over time.

Camel hair sport coat by Tasso Elba, striped shirt by ML, jeans by International Concepts, from Macy's.

Robbie Miller of Miller Bros Clothiers in Buckhead said there are good reasons why the camel hair look never seems to go out of style.

"It's a staple in a man's wardrobe," Miller said. "After a blue blazer, it's the next logical thing to buy. And because of that solid color, it's easy to wear with anything else -- patterned or solid, jeans or suits -- that you have on."

According to Hoffs, camel hair outerwear was first popularized in the US during the early 1900s, when polo players wore it to keep warm between chuckers. He frequently examines the company's design archives and said the original Brooks Brothers silhouettes for coats and blazers have barely changed since their original 1930s versions.

But Details' Kim and Miller agree that the key to keeping the look fresh is altering its length, breadth, lapel size or pocket details every few years.

"We always (custom-make) ours with working buttonholes on the sleeves to separate our guys from the pack," said Miller.

"Camel coats wouldn't continue to be considered a perennial unless the actual shape of the coat was slightly updated from time to time," Kim said. "The most common style recently has been the single-breasted, or what I call the semi-double-breasted. This is a modified double-breasted style that has a lower button stance than a standard `DB,' making the two sides of the jacket meet lower than normal, elongating the V-shape of the coat."

Qualified associates can assist men in choosing the best camel hair piece for their needs and body types. Adding one to your wardrobe can help men get over many seasonal sartorial humps.