With the G9… It ’ain’t whatcha do but the way that ’cha do it- that’s what gets results…
I doubt there’s another garment that separates those who can from those who can’t, quite like a Harrington. If you can, you’ll look real good, if you can’t- real bad. While many items are described as ‘iconic’- the Harrington is- and that’s the problem Playboy. Well, it’s one of them. The Baractua G9 was famously renamed ‘The ‘Harrington’ by the doyen of London’s Ivy Leaguers- John Simon, after Ryan O’Neal’s character ‘Rodney Harrington, in the US soap opera- Peyton Place. The intriguing aspect is that while much of what Mr Simons sold, was imported from the US, Rodney’s jacket was made in Manchester and hopefully, still is. Yet, there is something intrinsically American about the G9. Maybe this stems from the decades of having seen Americans wearing it. As far as I’m aware Elvis Presley got the ball rolling in the 1958 film King Creole.
Francis Albert Sinatra continued it, in ‘Assault on a Queen’ in 66. Meanwhile, on TV, Rodney Harrington in Peyton Place, is a typical preppy kid, wearing a typical preppy kid’s uniform. So, while I’ve no wish to labour the point, this indicates that Baracuta was doing a roaring trade with the G9 in the States, long before it became popular in the UK. When it did, that popularity was down to the Ivy League look and, that look, at that time, was restricted to working-class Londoners. Sorry- not remotely sorry…
While there’s a huge chunk of cyberspace dedicated to ‘The History of the G9’ none, or at least none that I came across, explained how the Baractuta rose to prominence in North America. None seemed to have even considered the question. Yet, it’s the most vital of all because, had it not become popular there, there’s no way it becomes ‘iconic’. You can forget about Mods, Skinheads, Suedeheads or any other heads wearing it. The jacket’s status can be summed up in two words; Steve McQueen. Despite what anyone ‘off the Gipton’ thinks, I’m not even a fan of Steve’s. I’m a Paul Newman guy. I was raised in a Paul Newman home by a mum, who, for some reason, was mad about him…
Many of these half-arsed histories include James Dean in the equation but the jacket Jimmy famously wore in ‘Rebel Without A Clue’ beyond a cursory glance, doesn’t even look like a G9. Many of these ‘histories’ are filled with inaccuracies. One of the worst came from The Face but then, they always tended to get everything arse backwards.
In the same way that new parents think they’re the first to have ever had a child, each generation that adopts the g9, thinks they’ve invented it and mine was no different. I can only recall them gaining popularity in 1969/70 but maybe that’s when I was old enough to notice them. As I, probably wrongly, recollect, Harringtons become more prominent during the, all too brief time, that ‘Suedeheads’ walked the earth. By then, the only kids wandering around with crops (in London) were those who got the special bus to school. Or, they were from Kilburn. Though, in truth, the two often coincided.
Each generation, much like with music, considers ‘their’ version of the G9 ‘the best’ and one thing any group of old yobs agree on, is that they hate the current (whenever that is) iteration of the G9. Baracuta has been owned since 2012, by WP Lavori and, far be it from me to be awkward but the jacket’s been improving ever since. Better colours, better shape, better fabric. You know, better in every way possible. Mind you, they’re not shy about the pricing. A G9’ comes to £360, from Baracuta.
The History Mick- the history…
I know one of my mates got his Harrington nicked by Scousers at the 71 Cup Final. They were wearing Bearskins at the time. Though nobody’s allowed to mention that in this day and age…The trophy taken back to Merseyside however, wasn’t a Baracuta G9 but rather, a knockoff, from Nurseryland on Kilburn High Rd. By then, fakes were being sold on markets from Chapel Street to Wembley. The history of the Harrington is therefore muddied, to the extent that it sort of runs on a parallel universe but in a nutshell, the cheap ones are worn by cheap people. Many of whom, love Madness…
As a teenager, I had no concept of there being a ‘ream’ Harrington and, even if I’d known about Baracuta, I’m not sure I’d have been desperate for one. Though there may have been others, the only Harrington I recall owning, was a Dogtooth number that wasn’t even trying to pass itself off as a G9. It came in a different fabric, kind of silky and floppy. The all-important lining wasn’t a Fraser tartan but plain black. One can forgive teenagers who knew no better half a century ago but can we forgive adults, making the same mistake now? The short answer to that of course, is a very hard - no.
The Harrington Pitfalls…
Some of what follows appeared in the post ‘Garments that Lasted.’
For years the most off-putting thing about sporting a G9 was ‘the skinhead’. Most of these bright sparks would be wearing bad- and I mean- really bad, cheap imitations of the Baracuta. They still are and, going about it, quite proudly too. My issue with the Renaissance ‘Skin’ is that they often appear to believe that the clothes represent a philosophy a right-wing one, that didn’t exist originally. Wearing clothes in the belief they represent a political standpoint is akin to wanting a boxer to win, purely on racial grounds. Which, in my less than humble opinion, comes under the banner of… cuntish.
Then, another category arose; The Middle-aged Straightgoer. This gent, who didn’t wear a Harrington as a kid, now views it as a garment that’ll give him ‘edge’. He’s the equivalent of a boring person getting a tattoo to become more interesting. All the jacket and the didgeri will do, is shine a neon light on the fact that they’re boring and ought to be at work- checking those Excel spreadsheets. The reason they didn’t wear them as kids is because they looked down on those who did. These cats, back then, were wandering around with Genesis albums under their arms, while rushing from class to class to, pass their exams, get to ‘uni’ and get a decent job. It’s only now, a lifetime later, that they’re considering taking a walk on the wild side, by getting themselves all Harrington-ed up. It doesn’t work of course but they’re oblivious…
FFS Mick!- You’re Losing The Plot!
Thirdly and, quite possibly, the most off-putting of the lot; the UK Celebrity… These fuckers are sold to us as style icons and nothing has ever been further from the truth. Apart from Beckham and more pertinently, Jason Statham, who’s got a bit about him, They all look uncomfortable in the item, almost as though a stylist has suggested it?
If you’re a working-class male, sporting a G9 is a minefield. Not just for the reasons listed, I’m confident that, given time, I could come up with a few more to avoid it but… You get that thing right and wear it, as opposed to the Harrington wearing you, it’s a blouson out on its own and man, that G9 looks good. As good, in truth, as it gets…
