Begg, J. Girdwood and The Rake (Chapal, Sciamat, 100 Hands, Norman Vilalta…)
First off, I need to mention that the J.Girdwood website is finally up and active.
Anyone that has been into the first or second pop-ups will have seen James (above) and his J.Girdwood range of products. They include some Permanent Style favourites such as Bresciani socks, Merola gloves, Maglia umbrellas and so on.
James has got his shop site live, at www.jgirdwood.com, yesterday. More details on his aims for it in a week or two.
Next, The Rake.
The Rake’s online shop has grown so much in the past year that it’s been hard to squeeze things into their pop-up space. Even though they’re focusing on exclusives.
The good thing about this range is there’s something for everyone. So even if Sciamat jackets (above) are too eccentric, there is the quiet precision of 100 Hands shirts instead.
And there are so many brands that, were it not for The Rake and the pop-up, you wouldn’t see anywhere in London.
There’s Sciamat, Norman Vilalta, Chapal, Marol, 100 Hands, Francesco Marino and many more.
Personally, I’m really proud to have the Chapal aviator jacket on display in the window (£2735).
I wrote two years ago about having my own made to order in Paris, and I know several readers that have travelled to France just to see and try it in person. Now you can in the pop-up.
And 100 Hands (above, £300-£400) make simply the best hand-finished shirts anywhere - with all their tiny, precise hand-rolled hems.
They're available in several styles including a denim, a blue jersey, and a striped cotton.
Francesco Marino might be a new name for many readers. An old Neapolitan tiemaker, they do some very well-finished ties including (in the pop-up) a beautiful seven-fold printed gauze (below, ties £100-£125).
Elsewhere, some will want to try the extreme sleeveheads of Sciamat tailoring; there are Marol shirts including their denim dress range; and a range of Lardini tailoring.
Finally, nice to have my favourite Norman Vilalta back, with his swept chelsea boots (£1040) and pebble-grain derbys with super-chunky soles.
The grey in the middle below is the Rake exclusive - a patina that Wei picked out with Norman.
There are details on all the pieces, of course, on the Rake site. In case you want to check them out before visiting the shop.
Begg & Co, our third exhibitor in Week 3, will be well-known to readers but remains a wonderful option for Christmas presents.
It’s the time of year to wear scarves - and soon the time of year to give them - and even on the first day Begg was selling strongly.
The range in the pop-up includes ultra-thin wispy scarves (above, £245), thicker brushed arran models (£260 or £360), and the more casual kishorns (£175 or £280) - all in masculine colours of grey, navy, olive and so on.
There is also a small range of the PS squares that we designed with Begg last year, and the brass scarf ring developed with Alice Made This (pictured below).
Photography: Jamie Ferguson @jkf_man
Excuse me if you have already answered such questions.
I am interested in Chapal and I will be from Tuesday till Thursday in London(5-7.12).
Will they be still there available for measurements and orders? Or is it just RTW?
Let me check with the team
Yes, they are still there and they are doing MTM
Thank you!
Some outstanding pieces, Simon. Bravo!
By the way, how do you find Lardini quality/style now that they are being featured in your pop-up?
I haven’t tried it myself, and of course don’t normally cover RTW tailoring. Can’t really speak to the quality etc
I can certainly vouch for the quality of J Girdwood’s socks. I bought some at the first pop-up and was sufficiently impressed to purchase another couple of pairs this time around.
Buy with confidence – they’re great quality items.
Hey Simon
Would you say that 100hands shirts are on par with D’Avino in terms of hand finishing? Especially given D’Avino is €350 “only” for a bespoke rather than RTW product…
Cheers
M
Yes I would
Hi Simon,
Would you happen to know what 100hands charge for a bespoke offering and if they have a minimum order?
I note their Instagram feed suggests they will be in London at the pop-up between 8th-11th?
Many thanks,
J
Hi. Yes sure I’ll confirm prices and details now.
They are doing separate bespoke appointments, but not at the pop-up shop – we don’t have room this time for bespoke artisans.
Their bespoke prices are: Black Line £249 (less handwork); Gold Line £329 (all hand work)
There is no minimum. They are doing appointments in London on those dates – send them an email to arrange one
Hi Simon,
Will the scarf rings be appropriate for the traditional Hermes silk scarves also? How much are they?
No, they’re really only designed narrowly for the wispy squares we made with Begg. The rings are too small for most other scarves
That Chapal jacket is stunning! Probably a good thing for my wallet that I can’t make it out to London in time…
Simon please can we have the old PS back?!! If J Girdwood et al require publicity they could very well purchase advertising from your site. PS was great but I’m concerned it’s peaked now
Hi Matt,
There will certainly be more style pieces, factory visits, op-ed posts and other lovely PS things in the near future.
However these are all brands I would be writing about whether there were a pop-up or not – so not that much different.
Out of interest, what particularly would you like to see more of?
Simon
For me more bespoke projects and outfit combinations – as it was really / before the rapid commercialisation. Even your Instagram feed was hawking something else today.
Thanks Matt, good to know.
The Instagram feed largely follows the blog so is going through the brands in the pop-up at the moment. Of course, all again interesting products I’d cover in any case
Please be assured many of your readers really appreciate the brand spotlights (as well as the bespoke projects and outfit combinations!)
Thanks, good to know. I’ll certainly have more of a balance going forward too
Dear Simon,
in search of a Christmas gift for my wife I have been looking for ladies clothes, which are appealing yet focus on durability and high-quality materials rather than fashion-forwardness and marketing. Can you recommend any such craftsmen or brands? In particular, can you recommend a source for a timeless camel hair ladies coat?
Many thanks,
Kyrill
No, sorry… Womenswear largely doesn’t work that way, and I certainly don’t know enough about it to know the places it does.
How about Aspesi?
Kyrill, I was looking for the exact same thing recently and really struggled! All the coats from “classic” brands like Ralph Lauren or Burberry are in the current fashion for oversized, slouchy cuts (i.e. not very timeless at all.) We ended up finding something nice at APC (rather surprisingly) although I can’t imagine it will be as durable as you would want. Maybe try bespoke? (Solito did offer to give it a go!)
Many thanks for your suggestions! Indeed, we decided to give bespoke a go. We will try out Sartoria Sansaro from Rome, which recently started visiting Berlin and tailored a very nice first suit for me.
Hi Simon,
You talk highly of The Real McCoys- do you have experience with their leather jackets?
Are they on par with Chapal given they both produce repo A1s and A2s jackets?
I know Chapal is a roughly 1K More expensive- would like to hear your thoughts or recommendations.
Thanks
They are certainly on a par, yes. Chapal tends to be more expensive just because it’s using different, often more expensive materials
HI Simon,
Great to meet you today. Love the green polo, quite possibly my favourite purchase in recent years. Now need to get one in every colour!
Best of luck with the pop-up.
Chris
Thanks Chris, really lovely to meet you too
Now I’ve worn it and on reflection the medium is the right size for me, but it puffs out too much round the back and waist when tucked in. Any recommendations on having it altered, as I feel I could potentially ruin it by getting this wrong, such as getting it darted or having the sides taken in?
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Chris
A good shirtmaker would be able to dart it quite easily – I’d recommend that
If you are any amount over 6 feet 3 inches tall (1.85 meters) DO NOT order the Chapal leather bomber. I ordered it from the Rake in XXL and it was not even close to fitting. I’m 6 feet 2 inches (1.85 meters) tall and slim. The sleeves were also way too short. I live in the New York and it cost me a fortune to send it back not to mention I had to pay the duty both ways. Beautiful jacket but sized for elves.
Hi Simon,
I wanted to buy the PS scarf but it’s not available anymore. What small scarfs/neckerchiefs do you recommend? Which brand ? Thank you
Anderson & Sheppard do some nice ones
Thank you Simon,
What neckerchief colour could work with a dark green and navy sweater worn with a navy peacoat? Navy could work? I was thinking at some lighter colours.
Perhaps a mid or pale brown? Also stronger colours like oranges and reds, if that’s your style