Dress code and etiquette

mark-hunter

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Hi gents,

For those of you who have visited fine London guns shops, and their shooting ranges, how did you dress?
Smart casual, tweed, Beau Brummer style, "no brown in town"?

I will be visiting London in foreseeable future, so asking for your experience.

Thanks!
 
Khakis and a golf shirt didn’t feel a bit out of place. Then again that’s what I wear almost everywhere I go.
 
Afternoon of the day I visited Rigby with my mom. I went “vacation casual”

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In 2019 I visited the London Holland and Holland showroom. I was in jeans and a polo. I was completely ignored. They literally didn’t even look at me. When I walked in I gave them the old American head nod greeting. Nothing

I got a kick out of it actually. I returned the favor to see if any one of the 3 people there would look at me or speak to me. They did not.

Apparently I don’t look like I can spend $225,000 on a gun. Which is true :cool:
 
In 2019 I visited the London Holland and Holland showroom. I was in jeans and a polo. I was completely ignored. They literally didn’t even look at me. When I walked in I gave them the old American head nod greeting. Nothing

I got a kick out of it actually. I returned the favor to see if any one of the 3 people there would look at me or speak to me. They did not.

Apparently I don’t look like I can spend $225,000 on a gun. Which is true :cool:
Had you walked in with a Leica M camera around your neck like @Tanks in the above photo. I can assure you would have not been ignored no matter what you were wearing.
 
Be what you are ... a tourist. In the Park Service I was in the business of dealing with tourists every day. Most of the time when I was approached by visitors bedecked with fancy gear, backpacks, etc, they were more interested in showing me their expensive stuff than obtaining information. Most of the time but not always. It's one reason I eschewed the glamorous "crown jewel" parks and preferred the smaller units. Most folks who showed up at those parks were the real deal.

Go to the London gun shops and let them show you what they have. No need for you to prove what you are to get in the door. Not according to the posts I've read from others who've been there.
 
The funny thing is, @Tanks looks like he's about to watch Mom tee off at The Masters! Great pic!

High end gallery/boutique attendants may sometimes be snobbish, or, like bees and dogs, may sometimes smell fear. Rather than attack an innocent browser, they leave him alone and allow him to summon the courage to approach or engage in conversation, saving him the embarrassing and ubiquitous utterance of, "I'm just looking," and saving them the time of fishing in an empty bucket. One should be bold and brave, taking the initiative, when entering a boutique. State your intentions and you will get more respect. Unlike car salesmen, who will, on foot, chase your idling car around the lot, these attendants don't have to sell you anything.
 
The funny thing is, @Tanks looks like he's about to watch Mom tee off at The Masters! Great pic!

High end gallery/boutique attendants may sometimes be snobbish, or, like bees and dogs, may sometimes smell fear. Rather than attack an innocent browser, they leave him alone and allow him to summon the courage to approach or engage in conversation, saving him the embarrassing and ubiquitous utterance of, "I'm just looking," and saving them the time of fishing in an empty bucket. One should be bold and brave, taking the initiative, when entering a boutique. State your intentions and you will get more respect. Unlike car salesmen, who will, on foot, chase your idling car around the lot, these attendants don't have to sell you anything.
well put
 
I walked into Purdey quite by accident as they were closing in just jeans and a regular shirt. I was not turned away, to the contrary they re-opened the gun room and let me spend some time in there. The only people I have ever had look down their nose at me for being a member of the unwashed masses was H&H, but that was at SCI. I had very little to do with them after that given the way they acted. I spent the rest of the show with D'Arcy Echols and it was a lot more fun.
 
If I ever make it back to London, I'll be sure to bring my dress Chacos just in case. Whenever I travel, I almost always pack everything into a carry-on Osprey Porter 46L backpack so my wardrobe is definitely limited (mostly North Face, Patagonia & Smartwool stuff). I'm not impressing anyone whenever I'm abroad. But to be honest, I'm not really impressing anyone at home much either. I spend a lot of my time barefooted...

If smart casual is the appropriate wear, I'm going to have to go dig through a storage box for a button-down & khakis from my corporate years. Fortunately men's styles last for decades. :D

AH_CarryOn.jpg

Packed for the airport & ready to head off to southeast Asia for three weeks.
 
Wear your Jibva straw pith helmet, monacle, white 3 piece suit with knee high brown leather boots and a caine. Have your travel companion dressed in a suit with bow tie, and carrying your brief case and always walking 3 steps behind you!
 
Excuse my ignorance, but what is smart casual ?

Paul
 

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