Coats, gloves, shirts and jeans: Reflections on b...
January 7th 2015Last year a reader commented – quite rightly – that there is a tendency here to cover freshly received suits/shirts/shoes, but not follow up on them later, when they have bedded in. He was right also to say that this is a defic...
Coats, gloves, shirts and jeans: Reflections on b...
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I usually take my jeans in at the waist when I get them, because my hips are much wider than my waist, and again take them in after they're worn in and stretched. I've never heard a denimhead voice an opinion on this and...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 5
December 8th 2014A few more details on the bespoke pea coat from Gieves & Hawkes, as promised. (By the way, isn’t the pitch of the sleeve above gorgeous? Easier with a heavy cloth of course, but it is a uniquely pleasurable sight.) So, the last po...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 5
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There are no sizes, Islam - it is bespoke. However, we did make a ready-to-wear pea coat with a similar aesthetic - see the PS shop here....
The bespoke pea coat – Part 4
December 1st 2014Two weeks ago I finally received the pea coat that Davide (Taub, Gieves & Hawkes) and I have been working on for just over a year. There are a few pieces of clothing that make me literally dance for joy when I get them (such as the Stefano ...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 4
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This is spot on: elegant and well fitting, without veering into costume. The GS shop is a sorry sight these days though. The clothes are distinctly average with little setting them apart from the high street. It does loo...
How to dress for winter
November 12th 2014I’m so excited the weather in London has finally turned cold. Summer clothing is great, but there’s just so much more of it in winter: hats, scarves, gloves, overcoats, plus heavy-gauge knitwear and serious boots. The key to dressing we...
How to dress for winter
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Two questions: a) where can one find a classic trenchcoat today? Burberrys stopped making them, neither does Aquascutum, b) is the Invertere coat company back in action, and where can they be found?...
The Invention of the English Gentleman
October 29th 2014Earlier this year I helped write the Gieves & Hawkes book, One Savile Row: The Invention of the English Gentleman, contributing the bespoke chapter. It came out a couple of weeks ago, and I highly recommend it – not for my small secti...
The Invention of the English Gentleman
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Thanks Ian. Yes I agree, it would have been good to have more of that. I suppose you can't have everything though - I thought the A&S book was perhaps a little heavy on those portraits, without enough information...
Gieves & Hawkes made to measure
September 26th 2014Earlier in the summer my brother-in-law had this suit made-to-measure with Gieves & Hawkes. Normally, I don’t offer opinions on things that have not been made for me, but since I was present at the commisioining, the fittings, and...
Gieves & Hawkes made to measure
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Hi, OK, that makes more sense, but even so Savile Row tailors don't do much made to measure either - they do full bespoke. Or were you using that to describe both MTM and bespoke? (Article on the difference here.) Sorry ...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 3
July 24th 2014The bespoke pea coat had many inspirations. Among its foremost influences were the personal creations of Davide (Taub, Gieves & Hawkes head cutter); the Gieves military and naval archive; and the embroidery designs of lovely Claire (Barrett...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 3
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I'm afraid I don't have any Sam, sorry...
Savile Row, parties and branding
July 21st 2014Last month there were three parties on Savile Row on the same night. Huntsman, Kilgour and Anderson & Sheppard all held events on the Monday of London Collections:Men, with very different atmospheres. While they showed very different ideas ...
Savile Row, parties and branding
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Is there a particular reason? This leads me on to my question about why you choose to or choose not to use a tailor, shirtmaker, shoemaker?...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 2
December 27th 2013The pea coat being made by Davide Taube at Gieves & Hawkes is slowly coming together. As with previous projects, we are approachng the design I had in mind wanderingly, through a series of fittings. No matter how much we discuss these thin...
Green is the third colour
November 25th 2013Navy and grey are the kings of colour. They should be your first choice for almost every item of clothing – suit, jacket, trousers, overcoat, knitwear, even ties. Navy in particular for jackets and ties; mid-grey or charcoal for trousers. The c...
Green is the third colour
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Ice Cotton is a branded yarn, a high twist I think...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 1
November 6th 2013A few weeks ago, Davide (Taub, cutter at Gieves & Hawkes) and I began working on another bespoke project, following the leather jacket we completed back in August. This time we decided to tackle the pea coat. I liked the way our leather...
The bespoke pea coat – Part 1
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I haven't had a pea coat from any Italian tailor so can't really recommend there. Price could be anywhere from 2000 to 4000 euros depending on the tailor. And I'd suggest loden for the fabric, like mine, as it will still...
Luca, Satriano Cinque and A&S collars
November 4th 2013[NOTE: Luca Avitabile, the cutter for men’s shirts at Satriano Cinque above, has split from the company and set up on his own. I recommend contacting him for any inquiries, at [email protected]] One of the nice things about having cl...
Luca, Satriano Cinque and A&S collars
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Either double or single, perhaps with a rounded edge but doesn't have to be...
A tailor’s prayer
October 3rd 2013GBWU: God be with us. A little note that Lee at Gieves & Hawkes customarily scribbles on patterns for particularly difficult figurations. It is a habit, a superstition: written with a smile and long since deprived of any real expectation of ...
Me in Dartmoor; Michael in suede; Thomas joins G&...
September 23rd 2013These photos were taken at the Gieves party for Rose Callahan’s book I Am Dandy last week. Michael ( Browne, Chittleborough & Morgan) and I were rather underdressed, perhaps deliberately so, for an evening of fops and costume drama. Mi...
Me in Dartmoor; Michael in suede; Thomas joins G&...
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much obliged Simon. A...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 6
August 28th 2013Following the post earlier in the week on my finished leather jacket from Gieves, here are a few of the construction and design details. There is no hand stitching, as on most leather products, other than working a relatively full sleeve into a smal...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 6
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I think it's just as good as a first commission. Much more important is that you're asking the tailor to do something that they've made before - and that you've seen the final result of, tried, and like. That wasn't the ...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 5
August 26th 2013The finished leather jacket. This bespoke project from Gieves & Hawkes has progressed quite quickly compared to tailoring, but it still feels like an age since Davide and I first conceived of the idea. Most of all, there is the sudden, surpr...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 5
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It depends what look you want Adrian. A stand-up collar would look more classic and slightly smarter. A bomber jacket one would be more casual...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 4
August 19th 2013The hardest thing about having my bespoke leather jacket made over the past couple of months has been not seeing the raw material. With a bespoke suit, you are fitted in the actual cloth and gradually see it take shape. You can’t fit leather in...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 4
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If in doubt I'd go for the dark brown Ravi, definitely...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 3
August 7th 2013This was the third and final fitting for my Gieves leather jacket. There had been one in between this and the first fitting, but only a few minor adjustments were made. Then, for the final look, Davide used a new piece of cloth to make up this piece....
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 3
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About 800 if I remember correctly...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 2
July 19th 2013This is my first fitting on the bespoke leather jacket being made by Davide Taub of Gieves & Hawkes. I already have a suit pattern at Gieves, having had a travel blazer made there a couple of years ago, and Davide has since altered that, so ...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 2
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Hey, Afraid not, I don't have experience of anybody. And yes, though don't have much to report either there I'm afraid...
Royal warrant holders at the Coronation Festival
July 15th 2013This past weekend saw the Coronation Festival in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, at which holders of royal warrants exhibited. The royal warrant is not exactly the mark of quality that some might assume, given that it includes Austin Reed and Daks...
Royal warrant holders at the Coronation Festival
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The latter is more accurate. But K&H are also not really saying they can do anything at all. All adaptation has its limits....
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 1
July 11th 2013There are very few bespoke tailors I would have faith in to explore an entirely new style or new medium. They include Lorenzo Cifonelli, Davide Taub and Rubinacci (Luca plus cutter). Many more, although highly innovative, tend to make within a defini...
The bespoke leather jacket: Part 1
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Simon wrote: "Many more, although highly innovative, tend to make within a definite style: I would put Edward Sexton,(...)" In the BBC series on Savile Row (Style Genius) Edward Sexton himself says: "I have not moved to ...
The BTBA summer party
July 8th 2013Friday was the Bespoke Tailors’ Benevolent Association (BTBA, new version of MTBA) summer ball. As per usual there was an eclectic range of outfits, from sober business dress to top hats, cream linen to sequins. Three Anderson & Shep...
The BTBA summer party
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No, I'm afraid not. It looks very similar to my W Bill linen though: http://www.permanentstyle.com/2014/07/spanish-tailors.html...
Shoulder pads at Gieves, old silk books and worst...
May 31st 2013One of Italy’s oldest books on silk work In the past two weeks on The Rake we’ve had pieces looking at the way Davide Taube and his fellow cutters are ripping down their shoulder pads at Gieves, and a step-by-step feature on the ...
Shoulder pads at Gieves, old silk books and worst...
One of Italy’s oldest books on silk work In the past two weeks on The Rake we’ve had pieces looking at the way Davide Taube and his fellow cutters are ripping down their shoulder pads at Gieves, and a step-by-step ...
Gieves & Hawkes bespoke
April 26th 2013Gieves & Hawkes has always had a good bespoke operation, and surprisingly large on site, but it gets relatively little press. A definite bonus has been Davide Taub, who joined from Maurice Sedwell recently to become co-head cutter alongside ...
Gieves & Hawkes bespoke
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I haven't checked for a while, but a Gieves bespoke suit is going to be over £5000...
How to buy a quality suit
February 12th 2013Men are not interested in the clothing of celebrities. At the most, the endorsement of a film star, a magazine or a fashion brand is an endorsement, a shortcut. A man’s number one priority is not looking stupid, and popular culture i...
How to buy a quality suit
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Refreshing honesty, thanks. That's where as a customer we have to make our decisions as informed as possible. And that's where we have to set our priorities and, dare I say, our values. I think that more durability per s...
