The Darling Sisters present
Sunday 11 April 2010
Yes we are walking today! It is most windy so wear well-fitting hats, or ladies might prefer a headscarf. We will meet as planned at 1.30 pm, walk for 40 minutes or so, then have a quick friendly cuppa and a snack, so don't forget to pack your thermos, cake or sandwiches. The temperature is expected to be around 20 degrees C, so very pleasant. If we get any rain it won't be much, so dress sensibly but elegantly and we shall look forward to your charming company.
XXOO
Darla and Blossom
A Free and Peaceful Perambulation, allowing for the Taking of the Air and Gentle Exercise that Benefits the health of Any Person! Enjoy some Excellent Company and the Pleasures of our fair City in Autumn, followed by a Jolly Picnic. The Wearing of Suitably Elegant Garments, suitable for Light Sport, is an Absolute Necessity! (See THE RULES.)
Time: 1.30 pm until 4 pm (including picnic afterwards: the actual walk will take around 40 minutes)
Place: Meet at Reid Park, on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin directly opposite the end of ANZAC Parade.
Bring: A picnic afternoon tea to refresh yourself after the walk (there are several nearby carparks and we recommend leaving your picnic necessities in the car - making excellent use of cold-packs of course - until we return for refreshments.)
Please also bring any hot or wet weather necessities such as sunscreen and umbrellas.
A bottle of water to take with you on the walk is a must.
Wear: see THE RULES.
Suitability: The inaugural Tweed Walk will be a gentle paced stroll suitable for people at any fitness level. Kiddies, strollers, wheelchairs and scooters are all welcome. We intend to walk at a pace that allows for enjoyable conversation.
What if it rains? We will go ahead and enjoy the walk all the same: a little rain never hurt anybody who is prepared with suitable clothing, footwear and an umbrella. However, if the weather is very nasty, check this site on the day of the walk to see if we decide to brave it out.
A little idea based on the popular Tweed Rides that have been cropping up all over the world. A Tweed Ride is a bicycle outing that encourages the participants to dress in the traditional tweed cycling attire and fly the flag for a return to elegance - as well as practicality - in sportswear.
Canberra's own Tweed Ride is an extremely jolly event, and we are grateful to our delightful and divinely well-dressed friends from the Canberra Tweed for allowing us to borrow the concept!
The Darling Sisters have an especial love for walking, as well as a great love for elegance. What better than to combine the two? We get very sad at the ugliness of modern 'practical' clothing - the horrid 'tracky dak', the ghastly over-designed athletic sneaker, the appalling manky tshirt. While much modern sportswear is most practical, very little of it is particularly nice to look upon.
We are always keen to find an excuse to enjoy walking in our beautiful, safe city of Canberra, especially with likeminded sophisticated friends (and friends we haven't yet had the fortune to meet!) An excuse to dress up nicely, and to prove that it is possible to be classically attired AND comfortable, is most welcome.
We hope to hold regular Tweed Walks in Canberra, making the most of our fair city in all its seasons. All walks will be free and accessible - so stay tuned.
Yourself, your friends and your family, for starters!
Your hat, pocket-handkerchief and water bottle.
Your sense of elegance and style.
A picnic to enjoy after a walk is always a pleasure. We encourage you to make it a little bit elegant as well. A cup of tea actually does taste better from a nice cup or a tartan thermos! Cakes taste better when eaten from a dainty plate, and sandwiches drop fewer crumbs onto a pretty cloth. Scientific fact.
A hat. Most certainly. Ladies who would prefer to do their hair specially may prefer a parasol or umbrella, and this is also fine. The point is that you should not expose yourself to Canberra's merciless sun any more than you have to. Gentlemen, if in doubt, Akubra hats are certainly elegant enough and also very sensible, so please feel free to wear yours if you wish. We think they make you look very handsome.
Modern baseball-style caps do not count as proper hats for the purpose of a Tweed Walk.
Sensible footwear. We highly recommend good quality leather or canvas that is comfortable and supportive of your precious feet. We will not allow modern sneakers or nasty sho-en made of rubber, plastic or suchlike at all. No, not even the kiddies. Why is this? Because such shoes are ugly and not in the spirit of the event. We don't mind a nice pair of retro canvas sneakers, however, as long as they are nicely incorporated into your Look. (Babies in prams, of course, are welcome to wear their dear little sockies or booties or sweet little bare feet as they and their parents wish.)
Garments that are sensible, elegant and in the spirit of the Walk. Remember that the purpose of the day is to show off your vintage elegance as well as to enjoy the walk, so please make an effort!
Okay. A very basic look for a gentleman might be trousers (not jeans), leather shoes, a collared shirt (please not a modern tshirt or obviously modern polo shirt) and if the weather requires it, a sports jacket or sweater (not polar fleece please), topped by a nice hat such as your panama or Akubra.
A basic outfit for ladies might be a skirt to below the knee or a pair of nice trousers, likewise leather shoes, a pretty blouse and a jacket or sweater. Simple!
However please feel free to experiment with different looks. Perhaps a fifties look with jeans (not too modern-styled please) and retro canvas sneakers? A wonderful full tweed outfit with plus-fours or knickerbockers and a gentleman's cap? A full-length walking skirt with a sweeping riding jacket and feathered hat? Have fun with your look and remember to make sure you will be able to enjoy the walk wearing it!
However this is not a costume party, so don't let's get tacky. We want to see elegance, not cheap Hallowe'en costumes!
Because they are very practical things to have on hand! You can use them for a variety pf purposes including mopping your brow, emergency skinned-knee bandaging, waving to a friend from a distance, correcting insults offered to the shoulder of tweed jackets by ruthless pigeons, and more. Shouldn't every keen walker carry one, when you think about it?
Why are men expected to tip their hats to ladies, and ladies to be gracious about a compliment?
People may think this is tremendously old-fashioned. It is! It is our jolly little way of reminding people that some good manners seem to have been lost over time. Yes, hat-tipping is not highly relevant in today's society, but we do actually think it is a very good and important thing that men should learn to demonstrate respect for women early and often. And we think that it is very important that everybody - male and female, frankly - should learn to respond nicely to a genuine compliment. If we all go about being respectful and polite to others, and maintain a good sense of self-esteem, life might be a happier place for many of us. And this funny little rule might bring a few smiles to a few faces. That's the main thing, really.