The biggest clothing blunder in The Cotswolds
This is the time when we seem to collectively long for the British countryside, or the Cotswolds. I was there last year during the Christmas holidays and it felt like Saint-Tropez, it was so busy. Sitting in traffic through picturesque, The Holiday-like villages and waiting to be able to join in for a hot chocolate in one of those charming tea houses with fogged-up windows. For everyone who can't go to the Cotswolds this year, I recommend the Substack of Plum Sykes ; then at least you'll be there in spirit. She takes you through the codes of the Cotswolds: what you should and especially should not do. And especially the latter is crucial, because if you want to fit in a bit in The Cotswolds, there is a refined dress code that comes with it.
The quiet old money dress code of the Cotswolds
It's important, as is often the case with European old money destinations, that it shouldn't look too polished. Money talks, style whispers, remember that. Therefore, you preferably drive an old Range Rover that at least has a layer of mud on the rims. Your look shouldn't be too styled, so especially not too matchy-matchy and definitely not covered in logos. A hole in your sweater from an overzealous moth is not a problem at all. Old money cherishes clothing and a hole from wear and tear is rather a sign of love for your garment. You save your jewelry for festive occasions; during the day you wear at most your wedding ring, but bling stays neatly in the safe.
Materials that do fit in the Cotswolds
What you can recognize Cotswolds queens by is lambswool (because it keeps people warm in cold castles) and tweed. Tweed is a coarse woolen fabric, named after the River Tweed where the fabric was first produced. It keeps you warm and can easily withstand the brutal British weather conditions.
The biggest clothing mistake: the jeans
But the biggest faux pas you can make in The Cotswolds, and I fear I made this misstep during our trip, is wearing jeans. At least, if you want to come across a bit like a local. In the British countryside, you wear tweed or at least clothing in natural tones, because jeans scare off the animals you might want to hunt. And now you say: but I'm not going hunting? That doesn't matter; you still dress accordingly.
Why jeans are impractical in the British countryside
Moreover, jeans are much less resistant to rain, and as you unfortunately know from experience (biking to high school in the rain), a pair of jeans dries painfully slowly. And in England, it can pour down. What am I saying: sometimes it doesn't rain at all. So those jeans, you can keep them for home, but they shouldn't come with you to the Cotswolds.
And shall I give you a tip from my own experience? If you can still make it, try to sleep at The Bull in Burford or at least you must walk through the back of The Bull along the path where they have placed at least thirty Christmas trees on either side and where there is a niche where you can send a letter to Santa Claus.
I was tipped off about The Bull by my lovely friends from Van Gelder Jewellery. So I immediately jumped on Booking and within three minutes it was arranged. To be absolutely sure, I quickly surfed to Bart’s Boekje, because I always want everything she has for the litmus test. And what did I read there? “Knife to the throat, then The Bull must be one of my top favorites. 1. Dogs welcome. 2. BEAUTIFUL wallpaper, lovely curtains, beautiful cushions, and mega nice people.”
So if you do go to The Cotswolds, without jeans, will you send me a postcard from The Bull?
