The Sash My Father Wore

1977-07-10
30m

Richard Whiteley introduces a focus on the Orangemen's Day march and a behind the scenes examination of the regalia.

Richard Whiteley introduces a Yorkshire Television presentation of an Irish television production, with a focus on the preparations for Orangemen's Day, an annual event which takes place on 12 July and marks the Protestant victory in the Battle of the Boyne. He explains that the march today has taken on a wider political significance as a show of solidarity for Ulster Loyalists. At the height of the Troubles in the 1970s the march was banned several times, along with similar processions organised by the Catholic community.

Whiteley insists that this film is not a political one (though many would disagree), explaining that its focus is the origins of the traditional clothing and the sash worn by the Orange Order.

What We Wore

Fashion takes enormous strides forward in 20th century Britain.

From the Tudor court to the Georgian dandy, Britain has long cultivated a passion for fashion, but the late 20th century saw things step up a gear. New generations of talent emerged, whose idiosyncratic style democratised fashion for a younger crowd and helped sell ‘Cool Britannia’ to the world - long before that term was coined. In the 1960s, progress was catalysed by the ‘Swinging London’ of Biba and Mary Quant, followed by the Punk movement a decade later. Designers drew inspiration not just from contemporary subcultures but also from established craft traditions across the UK – in some cases helping to revive cottage industries at risk of dying out. The dawn of the 1980s saw the rise of avant-garde pioneers (Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood), reimagined Savile Row tailoring (Tommy Nutter) and the upscale yet quintessentially British chic of Jean Muir and Bruce Oldfield – a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales, who gifted British fashion a truly global platform.

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