.jpeg)
Princess
Diana was born into the Spencer family, one of Britain's most prominent
aristocratic, noble families with deep ties to the monarchy, often described as
having a longer, or at least equal, history to the royals. Raised at Park House
on the Sandringham estate, she was the daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl
Spencer, and was Lady Diana Spencer before marrying Prince Charles in 1981.
Key
details about Diana and the Spencer family:
Aristocratic
Lineage: The Spencers trace their roots to the 16th century, building fortune
through sheep farming before entering the nobility in 1603.
Royal
Connections: The family has been connected with the Royal Family for centuries,
with her grandmothers serving as ladies-in-waiting to the Queen Mother. Diana
was an 11th cousin to Prince Charles.
Early
Life & Family: Born on July 1, 1961, Diana was the fourth of five children.
Her parents, John Spencer and Frances Roche, divorced after a contentious
separation when she was six. She had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a
younger brother, Charles Spencer.
Connection
to Sandringham: The Spencer family had a home on the royal Sandringham estate,
allowing for close interaction with the Royal Family during her childhood.
Notable
Relatives: The family is related to Sir Winston Churchill.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
Eric Maggiori is a renowned journalist and
collector of vintage American workwear and military clothing, recognized as one
of the world's leading authorities in the field. His extensive private
collection serves as the primary source material for AVANT Magazine, a biannual
anthology he founded to document the history and craftsmanship of heritage
garments.
Primary Areas of Focus
Maggiori's collection spans the mid-19th century
to World War II, specifically focusing on pieces with deep historical
narratives.
American Workwear: Includes rare items from the
California Gold Rush and pioneer era, featuring brands like Sweet-Orr and
Peabody’s Overalls.
Militaria: Focuses on US Army fatigue uniforms
(1900–1945), US Navy denim outfits from WWII, and high-quality US Air Force
jackets.
Fabric & Patterns: A particular obsession is
Stifel fabric, a historic indigo-dyed "Wabash" cloth known for its
complex patterns and "boot" logo.
Western Wear: Covers the evolution of attire in
the American West, often illustrated by his brother, artist Mark Maggiori.
Documenting the Collection
The collection is primarily shared with the
public through AVANT Magazine and its special editions.
AVANT Magazine Presents: Eric Maggiori's
Collection: A 196-page special edition (limited to 1,000 copies) that focuses
exclusively on his best private pieces and the stories behind them.
Anthology Series: Various issues of AVANT act as
deep-dive guides into specific sections of his collection, such as "An
Anthology of French Workwear" and "An Anthology of American
Militaria".
Exhibitions: A portion of his collection was
featured in the "JEAN" exhibition at the Cité des sciences et de
l’industrie in Paris from 2020 to 2022.
Heritage Value
Maggiori views his collection not just as a set
of garments, but as a narrative of history and craftsmanship. Many items were
sourced from unique locations, such as 1880s Levi's pants discovered in old
California mines. His work aims to preserve the stories of the people who wore
these clothes, from Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush to WWII sailors.
In this
first special issue of AVANT (“hors-série” in French), we focuses on Eric
Maggiori’s collection.
https://www.theavantmag.com/avant-magazine-shop/p/eric-maggioris-collection
Founder
of AVANT, Eric developed a passion for vintage clothing after a trip to Tokyo
in 2003. For ten years, he has collected American workwear and militaria, from
the Gold Rush period to World War II.
In this
publication, he opens the doors of his collection, and showcases the best
pieces he has been able to get his hands on. Including, when possible, the
story that comes with each item; because every piece of clothing has a story to
tell.
Printed
with a gold foil stamp. 196 pages of exclusive content. A limited edition of
1000 copies with a certificate.
Chapter I
: American Workwear
Gold Rush
and Pioneers
The Gold
Rush: everything about this period is fascinating. So are the miners clothing.
Workingmen
Why do
work clothes are so moving? Maybe because they still carry the weight of the
hard labor put in by their owners.
J.L.
Stifel and Sons
Thanks to
their exceptional fabric quality (and crazy boot logo), Stifel products have
reached an absolute state of grace.
Western
Wear
Western
fashion appeals to everyone’s subconscious; to the cultural and historical
background of the United States and its people.
Chapter
II : Military Clothing
US Army
The US
Army fatigue uniforms from 1900-1945 are, by far, Eric’s favorite items when it
comes to American militaria.
US Navy
Denim
outfits worn by US Navy soldiers during World War II had a strong unconscious
impact on the world after the War.
US Air
Force
There is
just something fascinating about the jackets worn by members of the US Air
Force. Maybe because they all reached for the sky?
And also…
One day
in Colorado
In 2015,
Eric explored an old mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, with denim hunter Bryan
Kahtava.
Eric’s
collection on display in Paris
From
December 8, 2020 to January 22, 2022, part of Eric’s collection is on display
at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie de Paris, in an exhibition titled
JEAN.
Interview
Eric also
wanted to share his vision of vintage clothing, its impact and its heritage.
The
sporran (/ˈspɒrən/; Scottish Gaelic for 'purse'), a traditional part
of male Scottish Highland dress, is a pouch that functions as a pocket for the
kilt. Made of leather or fur, the ornamentation of the sporran is chosen to
complement the formality of dress worn with it. The sporran is worn on a
leather strap or chain, conventionally positioned in front of the groin of the
wearer.
Since the
traditional kilt does not have pockets, the sporran serves as a wallet and
container for any other necessary personal items. It is essentially a remnant
of the common European medieval belt-pouch, superseded elsewhere as clothing
came to have pockets, but continuing in the Scottish Highlands because of the
lack of these accessories in traditional dress. The sporran hangs below the
belt buckle; and much effort is made to match their style and design. The kilt
belt buckle may be very ornate, and contain similar motifs to the sporran
cantle and the sgian dubh. Early sporrans would have been worn suspended from
the belt or on either of the hips, rather than hung from a separate strap in
front of the wearer.
When
driving a car, dancing, playing drums, or engaging in any activity where a
heavy pouch might encumber the wearer, the sporran may be turned around the
waist to let it hang on the hip in a more casual position.
Day
sporrans
Day
sporrans are usually brown leather shovel pouches with simple adornment. These
"day" sporrans often have three or more leather tassels and
frequently Celtic knot designs carved or embossed into the leather. This style
of traditional purse is convenient to use on a daily basis. This style is often
made entirely of leather, with a leather flap, front, and three tassels or
more. They are often embossed or hand-tooled with Celtic, thistle, or other
designs on the flap and body, and fasten with a stud or hook closure.
Dress
sporrans
Dress
sporrans can be larger than the day variety, and are often highly ornate.
Victorian examples were usually quite ostentatious, and much more elaborate
than the simple leather pouch of the 17th or 18th century. They may have
sterling or silver-plated cantles trimming the top of the pouch and a
fur-covered face with fur or hair tassels. The cantle may contain intricate
filigree or etchings of Celtic knots. The top of the cantle may have a set
stone, jewel, or emblems such as Saint Andrew, a thistle, Clan, or Masonic
symbols.
Full-dress
sporrans
This
style is regarded as the most formal type of sporran. It is an essential
attachment for those who wear kilts in special ceremonies and formal events. It
normally contains fur fronts, a fur gusset, 3–6 decorative fur tassels with
regular or cross chains, and a metal cantle at the top. The cantle arcs along
the top of the pouch and conceals a clasp, ordinarily made from pewter or
silver. It might be decorated with Celtic symbols such as the lion rampant,
thistle, stag, or Saltire. Some elaborate cantles may include gemstones, such
as garnets. This style commonly fastens at the rear with a stud on a small flap
that connects the front and rear of the sporran. It allows the wearer to carry
a range of items due to the larger size of this sporran.
Semi-dress
sporrans
Semi-dress
sporrans combine the same shape and design as the day-wear sporran and a less
formal version of the full dress sporran. They are often worn for semi-formal
occasions with Argyll outfits. Designs may decorate the leather flap of this
style, or a silver clan symbol or other insignia may adorn on the flap. The
body fur of this style is normally a hair hide rather than a loftier material
reserved for full dress sporrans. The basic figure is commonly included with a
fur front, leather gusset, three decorated fur tassels with regular or
cross-chains, and a leather flap at the top. Celtic or Scottish designs often
are featured on the flap, and may have pewter badges' decoration to raise the
design.
Full mask
sporrans
This
style is commonly made from the head of an animal such as the badger, otter,
fox, Scottish wildcat, pine marten, or other small animals.[citation needed]
The animal's head typically forms the front flap of the pouch, and the body of
the pouch is made from the same pelt. This style displays the Scottish
tradition, since the earliest pouches probably included the head with the pelt. Today, people do not wear this style
very often for standard formal occasions, though it may be worn in historic
re-enactments and festivals as a costume accessory.
Horsehair
sporrans
This
style is most commonly worn as part of regimental attire for the pipers or the
drummers.[citation needed] In general, it is one of the most dramatic and
biggest of dress-sporrans with a very formal style. A traditional horsehair
pouch extends just below the belt to just below the hem of the kilt.[citation
needed] The most ordinary pattern contains black horsehair tassels on a white
horsehair background. Pewter or silver cantle is also carved on the sporran.
This style made from horsehide rather than tail hair, are more able to keep
with the compact shape and decor of less showy, semi-dress versions.
Materials
and law
As
sporrans are typically made of animal skin, their production, ownership, and
transportation across borders may be regulated by legislation set to control
the trade of protected and endangered species. A 2007 BBC report on legislation
introduced by the Scottish Executive stated that sporran owners may need
licences to prove that the animals used in construction of their pouch
conformed to these regulations.
In 2009,
European politicians voted to ban the sale of seal products putting an end to
the use of seal in sporran production.
Tradition
Soldiers
did not wear sporrans very often in daily life. The main function of sporrans
were used as haversack, for each Highlander carried his own provision of
oatmeal—eating it if necessary, raw, or mixed with a little cold water—as did
Montrose in the dawn before the Battle of Inverlochy.[citation needed] To have
enough comfort for a soldier to be able to walk, the sporran usually would be
worn as high as possible. Soldiers normally could get a sporran from the
regimental office free of charge, as long as they gave it back when they left
the Regiment. However, some officers and sergeants had to pay and book their
own unique styles of sporrans. That sporran was their private property, no
matter if they still stayed and served in the Regiments.
For most
highlander regiments, they used different number of tassels to distinguish
their own unique symbol. For example, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
regiment used six tassels on sporrans to differ with other highlanders'
regiments. The general rules for six tassels are: two at the top in a line, two
under them in a line, and two in the centre to hang below these, so that a line
drawn across the bottom of the side tassels would pass through the centre of
the centre tassels. The sporran-belt when on the man is to be cut to three
inches from the buckle, and to be cut to a point in the shoemaker's shop—it is
not to be doubled into the keeper; one keeper will be sufficient—and the point
of strap will be in the direction of the right hip, and the buckle will be worn
exactly over the spine and not to one side.
The
tradition of wearing sporran in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment
is a bit different from the daily wearing of other highlanders. The official
description of the dress sporran is "engraved gilt top, five sided, square
edges, with centre in black enamel. On the centre, Boar's head and scroll.
Princess' Coronet on top with her Cypher, the cat and scroll similar to full
dress headdress. Six small gold bullion tassels."
Here are
the dress regulations to indicate; the dress sporran was not to exceed eleven
inches in length, and the badger-skin sporran no more than thirteen inches. The
dress sporran was not to have more than six tassels. Officers were permitted to
wear undress sporran resembling the men's. Goatskins with silver tassels were
differed as the style of the officers' sporran with other ranks. The knobs
(i.e. the bells) on the tassels of the officer's purse were ordered to the
gilt. The rank-and-file purse was of black hair with white tassels, and was
still larger and broader than formerly.
Typical
types
In terms
of historic records, there are six different types of sporran which were used
in the regimental events. The Badger-head sporrans were typically used by the
officers and sergeants. The horsehair sporrans were widely used in different
ranks. The swinging six sporrans were extremely popular for the soldiers.
Badger-head
sporran typically forms as the front flap of the pouch, and the body of the
pouch is made from the same pelt. From the year 1800, the badger skin probably
was a widely used material for sporrans and became a new fashion trend for the
officers and sergeants as in most Highland corps, opening in front, with a
straight narrow silver or brass top, edged with crimson leather, two rows of
small white tassels and silver bells, mounted on red leather and suspended by
twisted white leather thongs or cords. In ordinary occasions, officers and
sergeants started to wear a sporran of badger skin with the head and narrow
brass curved top, edged with black leather, and six white tassels in brass
cups.
The rank
and file wore similar ones of black or grey goatskin, but the white tassels had
red cords. The sporran had a white buff leather strap and was somewhat smaller
and squarer than the modern pattern. It was worn in the old fashion, well
braced up, close to the jacket. These sporrans, unlike the present day ones,
had a large roomy pouch, the opening being concealed by the flat top.
Horsehair
sporran was normally worn by pipers and drummers of the Regimental music band.
The most ordinary pattern contains black horsehair tassels on a white horsehair
background. Pewter or silver cantle is also carved on the sporran. Sometimes,
the pattern thistle decorated cantle and tassel tops. It's widely distinguished
as the most popular pattern of an officer's sporran with white horsehair
background, and normal soldier's with black horsehair background.
Swinging
six sporran is generally known as a "swinging six" due to the six
white horse hair tassels which hang from the front of the sporran, made of
black goatskin. Behind the brass cantle is a leather purse to keep money or
personal items in. The style of sporran was adopted as part of the Sutherland
Highlanders' uniform between 1823 and 1826 and was later worn as part of the
uniform of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment after the 93rd and
91st amalgamated in 1881. This type of sporran was commonly worn by the
sergeants and soldiers.
White
sporran was issued as a buff coloured leather sporran that had to be coated in
a white liquid which dried to form a white surface (This often rubbed off onto
the front of the kilt). A regimental sporran badge was then attached to the
front. This style was only worn on limited occasions and did not replace the
swinging six sporrans or the other plain leather one, both of which continued
to be worn throughout this period. Most soldiers were happy when the white
sporran was no longer issued as part of the uniform of the Argyll and
Sutherland Highlanders.
Civilian
sporran worn by General Duncan Campbell of Lochnell. The sporran has a silver
cantle, a border decorated with thistle foliage, and a central coat of arms of
the Campbell of Lochnell family; six silver thread tassels; and, a white goat
hair covering on a white/light tan leather sporran edged in black leather.
Plain
leather sporran has become very popular today, as it is convenient to wear
daily. This style concentrates on practical function more than aesthetic value,
it only keeps the Regimental badge without six tassels and another decorative
pattern. This style is an essential accessory for the kilt to hold money, keys,
etc.
