No car looks good without driver and passenger in appropriate, if not fashionable, clothing. It’s a trend that dates back to the earliest days of motoring and has interesting aspects.

Utility
We use cars for work. When a celebrated activist like women’s vote campaigner Mrs. Parkhurst had to travel, she used a semi open car in which she and her two other campaigners could be seen by the public and yet remained protected by coats and hats. The fact that she campaigned with an all woman crew made her drive more noticeable and enhanced her popularity in India too.

 In contrast, passengers riding in the dickey seat needed serious gear. A very popular feature in our market, these fold out seats enabled added passengers to enjoy a ride but they were not protected by either roof or windscreen (except in luxury cars). Hence note the heavy clothing worn by the ladies in the photograph, shot in the 1920s.

Safety
Motor racing has been a part of life from the very beginning. However, safety equipment or even the sense of safety was non-existent. The immensely popular S. F. Edge made Napier cars extremely popular in India. Yet we see him and his passenger in a signed postcard wearing simple cloth strapped caps. And no roll cage, safety belt ....... aaargh...

In contrast the Bugatti driver is at least wearing a rudimentary crash helmet. But fire resistant or padded clothes were unknown.

Big brands
Till the 1930s, most cars sold here were open tourer or partly enclosed. Hence simple motorists had to add layer after layer of apparel to keep out the cold and the dust. We have very few pictures of summer travel. I guess it was too hot to move around during the day.  Anyway got both motor (boiling radiators) and motorist (heat strokes).

Ladies and gentlemen alike had to dress well every time they stepped out. Naturally the biggest brands were there to help them dress well. One advertisement, published locally, by Allweathers highlights the comfort aspect of its line. As a specialist in clothing for motorists, its range spanned fabrics and leather.

The more famous house of Burberry is a big name even today. It was and is a globally recognized clothing brand and many of us seek out its label. Even today. The ad given here covers its ladies range.

Epilogue
Rising sales of closed cars made dressing a little less elaborate. But today, with open air motoring making a comeback, the pendulum is swinging back towards fashionable motoring clothes. While the elaborate hats and cloaks will not return, let’s hope motoring inspired clothing reappears on our shopping lists.