I thought readers would find this interesting. Ben Clarke, the bespoke cutter who made me an excellent jacket and waistcoat while he was at Richard James, has set up in Brighton under the name Atelier Tyzack and is using two slightly different cuts, each somewhere between a British structured style and a soft southern Italian one.
He asked me to help him put together a video for his website explaining the ideas behind them, and the differences. This is the video, and I think interesting is:
- The fact he wanted to create two unique cuts, rather than just ape the Neapolitan
- How expensive it is to do that, and virtually impossible at most houses that use external coatmakers
- Why he thinks high armholes are less relevant than they used to be (I agree)
- How he prefers displacing the shoulder seam forwards
- The different ways he builds the canvas for each type
The jacket on the mannequin on the left is his more structured (or North) cut. It is similar to the jacket Ben cut me previously. The one on the right is an example of the softer (South) cut and is something I'll probably try next time with him.
For anyone that is particularly interested in seeing me break down those two jackets, we start doing so at 23:40.
Ben does appointments in London as well as Brighton and will be up on July 20th to do the next one, using our showroom. His contact is here.
Really enjoyed that. Absolutely fascinating.
Looks to me that this article really dives into the matter!
Excellent synergy, collaboration between artist and thinking critic for enhancement of consciousness!
Great and interesting video. Will for sure buy something from him if he comes through London anytime soon.
Nice to hear Andres. Ben will be up on July 20th for a visit – I mentioned it in the article but easy to miss
Hi Andres,
I’m glad you found it interesting. We are in London once a week, drop us an email if you’d like an appointment or if we can be of help. [email protected]
Thanks,
Ben
The jacket Ben made for you is one of the pieces of clothing of yours I’ve always like the most. As with everything, I’m sure it’s a combination of the cloth and the clothes you’re wearing it with (and the photography) as well as the cut of the jacket itself, but even so, I’ve had that article bookmarked for inspiration purposes for several years! It’s definitely something for the one day, maybe, category.
The video, and the explanation of the differences between the two jackets was fascinating, so thank you.
Oh good, lovely to hear Phil.
Yes, that jacket was very good. A lightweight but clean and sharp cut.
Do you know about the cloth of the jacket Ben is wearing in this video?
I don’t believe it’s a current one, but I’ll check
Hello David.
Thank you for your question. It’s a very old wool Birdseye cloth that I had in stock from years ago. If memory serves me it was Taylor and Lodge but I don’t have a cloth number I’m afraid. Apologies.
Very nice, love those deep dives!
Oh good, lovely to hear Max
Brilliant video, I really enjoyed it. Great approach and design philosophy.
I cannot afford bespoke, but if I could, Ben would be my tailor 🙂
HI Simon, unrelated but any update on when the preorders for the Bruce Chinos will be fulfilled and shipped? Thank you in advance
Hey Joe, the chinos should begin to ship towards the end of next week
Thank you
Hi Bao,
To jump on this comment, do you know when you’ll release the next batch of Bruce chinos for general sale/open the next pre-order?
Thanks
We have a very small batch of general sale coming in with the pre-orders. After fulfilling all pre-orders, we’ll likely send out an email to the shop newsletter to notify everyone of the availability.
Thank you. And when will the Exmoor in charcoal be available?
Hey Bernhard, we currently don’t have any plans to do the Exmoor in Charcoal, but might look at some new colour options closer to autumn time so your suggestion is duly noted! That said, we do have the Dartmoor in Charcoal left in sizes Small and Medium if it happens to be your size.
Thank you very much, Bao Tao! The Exmoor really fills a gap, looking forward to the autumn
Great video Simon and I simply love the approach Ben is taking – really pragmatic and I would argue helping to make English tailoring a bit more current and versatile.
FWIW – I also love Ben’s outfit. Super modern, super clean yet with an air of ease – exactly what I like in modern tailoring.
Yes, nicely put James. Crewnecks under tailoring work so differently on different body types
Thanks, very interesting and helpful.
What I find really appealing is that Ben has created his own soft cut that’s still distinctly English, rather than trying to imitate Neapolitan or Florentine tailoring. To me that creates a more interesting and unique value proposition than had be simply copied an Italian style.
The only other English tailor I have seen who has pulled this off so well is Tom Mahon at Redmayne. I bought one of their RTW jackets a few months ago and found that the canvassing and lapel roll is equally soft to the Neapolitan inspired jackets I have, but the overall shape of the shoulders, lapels and quarters looks English. It makes for a smart looking but very light and comfortable feeling jacket. They are also one of the only English tailors I have seen that cuts a proper 3-roll-2 that’s not just a 2-button with an extra buttonhole cut into the lapel.
Thanks Alan, yes love it when English tailors do that (the top button)
I think Davide Taub of Gieves &Hawkes also makes two cuts, a structured and unstructured one, at least as far as the shoulder line is concerned, no? He presented the unstructured version at the Cabinet War Rooms (the English Gentleman, 2014) in a lovely 3 p suit made of Holland & Sherry Donegal, if I’m right.
He does Alan, you’re right, I’ve tried it and it’s nice – less of a change to the cutting itself, more just the structure, but well done
Really enjoyable and informative video. The armhole explanation, in particular. Lots of ideas to digest from this. As an aside, Ben looks like he was wearing a long sleeve, high necked knit under his jacket. Would you happen to know where from?
I’ll check with him James. I don’t think it was an especially high knit and it may have been Smedley, but I’ll confirm
Hello James.
It’s just a nice classic merino crewneck from Smedley.
Thanks, Ben. Looks great!
To clarify, bespoke is still carried on in the London atelier in Clifford Street…right?
Of Richard James? Yes. Ben no longer works there though, he has set up on his own
I find this video a little harder to access as a reader or viewer, though it is very informative and relevant indeed. Ben lets one participate in the considerations he makes as a cutter, the pros and cons of every style. I find Ben very authentic and down-to-earth, yea almost philosophical in his approach, because he clearly says there is not one (cutting) system of truth, but many paths that may lead to a kind of truth…
What is behind the name Tyzack, if I may ask? Also, does Ben work on his own or with freelance coat makers? Also, what precisely has made you decide to heighleight Ben’s company, Simon?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Hey Burt – interested you found it a little harder to access, let me know if you can say more on that, I’d be interested to hear why.
I wanted to highlight Ben because I’ve worked with him before and know how good he is, and because it feels like he’s offering something genuinely different but well-considered.
I’ll let Ben reply on the other points
Hi Burt,
Thank you for your message and kind words. If there was a particular element that felt inaccessible, please feel free to contact me directly for a chat.
Tyzack is a family name on my wife’s side – behind the scenes she’s the other half of Atelier Tyzack. They were Huguenot artisans famous for contributing craft to the cultural landscape of their adopted surroundings – I also just like the way it looks!
I cut everything myself in-house and make most of the work, in addition to using a small team of brilliant coat and trouser makers.
Thanks for your interest,
Ben
Thank you Simon and Ben, much appreciated! I found the video informative and authentic indeed. It was at a level of depth that compelled me to see things from a different perspective than I’m used to: from the cutter’s. That’s what made it harder compared to e.g. a review of a suit on this site (where one looks at cloth, fit, texture, colours) or compared to one’s visit at a tailor’s and the conversation with the cutter. One never questions the cutter’s system or his objections against a certain fabric, does one? While another cutter has no problem with the same fabric… This video is about the work, the choices and thorough considerations that go into a jacket even before it has been commissioned. Very rewarding indeed, but thougher to follow perhaps because it is put forward in a conversation in a rather static video. Certainly interested in more of this kind of videos or material that show the dialogues cutters may have with themselves or each other about choices. Since you’re in Brighton perhaps Gemma (ex C & M) is in your team? Wishing you all good luck with Tyzack, Ben!
Thanks for clarifying Ben, that makes complete sense and yes we can certainly do more in the future
I made an account just so I could comment under this post. This was wonderfully informative, thank you! To a lay person like myself, so much of the tailoring styles sound like distinct poles (structured, drape, Neapolitan etc) which makes it very interesting to hear someone with genuine expertise unpack the axes on which these different schools are really defined, showing how far apart (or how close) they really are, and what work can be done to bring them nearer to each other, or make them more distinct from one another. I think for many who take pleasure in their clothes, but ultimately need them to work in contemporary society and likely the world of work, some kind of middle way tailoring which just leans a bit one way or another is quite attractive, rather than a real show of sartorial particularity, however beautiful and well-constructed that might be. Of course, there are others whose preference is for the latter and that is wonderful too.
Many congratulations to Ben on his Atelier. Thank you Simon for your work.
Wonderful, so nice to hear Duncan.
Can I ask, were you under the impression that you needed to create an account to comment? Because you don’t, and I don’t want anything on the site to make you think that
Thanks
No Simon, sorry, that was just my own phrasing. I only put my name and (non required) email down, not a full account signup. Didn’t feel any pressure to do the latter.
Also Simon, if I enjoyed Ben’s slightly tamed, contemporary takes on the English structured and Neapolitan traditions, are there other tailors doing something similar with those same poles — and also, are there names you’d recommend who take a comparable moderating approach to the English drape or Milanese? I’d love to read more about any of them, whether within your existing content or in pieces of their own.
Thanks
Ah, ok thanks Duncan that’s good to know.
I wouldn’t say there are any others obviously doing that, which is why I wanted to highlight Ben. I guess in some ways the Koreans like Assisi, B&Tailor, Luca Museo, are doing tamer versions of the Milanese look, and perhaps Whitcomb is doing a cut that has less of that A&S drape
when i put on an Anderson and Sheppard jacket, someone commented on the fact that it looked to have padded shoulders.
I always thought they do not have padding but is it wadding that is felt and detected?
and then what is the difference between wadding and padding?
There is padding in an A&S jacket, Joners, just less than the other Savile Row tailors.
The other internal structure such as the canvas could also given the appearance of being more structured and sharp – again less so than other English tailors, but more than most Italians
Quite interesting and enjoyable. Why Brighton?