Dugdale Towers
The Dugdale Brothers building in the centre of Huddersfield (scale model, above) is exactly what you’d hope the headquarters of an old cloth merchant would be like. Four and a half floors of old furniture, worn wooden floorboards and the occasi...
Dugdale Towers
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I want to go there! LM...
WT Johnsons – finishers, Huddersfield
When suiting cloth comes off the looms and is washed, it feels surprisingly rough, like thin cotton khakis. It is the finishing of the cloth that gives it the touch and the handle we expect. It reveals the potential of the cloth, first, and can the...
WT Johnsons – finishers, Huddersfield
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On green tweed, I had a suit made at A Suit That Fits ages ago, but I wouldn't really recommend that. There was also a pale green jacket from Cifonelli and a green jacket my wife was having made at Kathryn Sargent. I'll ...
Reader question: Cashmere suits
Dear Simon, Hello and congratulations on your blog’s recent milestone! I have a question regarding cashmere suits. I am thinking of buying a suit that is 100% cashmere. Now I have come across many suits that are wool/cashmere blends, but...
Reader question: Cashmere suits
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That cashmere is a tiny proportion Chris, it will make no difference to the feel of the suit. Better to go for a nice merino. And it's not a good sign that they include polyester as well... no good suit cloth will...
Pennine Weavers, Yorkshire
As I mentioned in my previous post on Yorkshire mills and merchants, Pennine is one of the best independent mills left in the area. It is also the largest worsted weaver in the UK, with 32 Dornier looms, and weaves 30,000-35,000 metres a week (most f...
Pennine Weavers, Yorkshire
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excellent well presented thank you...
Huddersfield’s mills and merchants explained
I was up in Yorkshire last week, based in Huddersfield and seeing a few of the mills and merchants, including Pennine, Johnsons and Dugdale. What struck me hardest when I got back was the lack of understanding among bespoke customers, ...
Huddersfield’s mills and merchants explained
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True, yes it would be a good one to update...
Como silk museum and Le Noued Papillon
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 347 1982 Euromoney PLC 16 3 2434 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I love learning how things are made. That was what first got me into tailoring, and it has remained a passion over the years. I was grateful to Nicholas...
Como silk museum and Le Noued Papillon
Normal.dotm 0 0 1 347 1982 Euromoney PLC 16 3 2434 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I love learning how things are made. That was what first got me into tailoring, and it has remained a passion over the yea...
Breanish Tweed: Unique luxury
Breanish Tweed has all the hallmarks of a Harris tweed weaver: old single-width looms stored in draughty sheds; decades of experience in hand weaving; a stunning but hostile location that constantly reminds one of tweed’s insulating properties....
Breanish Tweed: Unique luxury
Match in comments:
Terrific post. This is the kind of detail on specific topics that keep me reading your blog regularly. Thank you. Very much looking forward to the book!...
Cloth offer at J&J Minnis
Those that order their cloth themselves might be interested to know that J&J Minnis has a special offer on its website for the Crown Classic bunch, as it is being phased out. This is a lovely selection, weighing 320-350 grammes in a Super 10...
Cloth offer at J&J Minnis
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How much of this would I need to make a jacket? A pair of pants?...
The reputation of Smith & Co
Following on from my note last week on the history of W Bill, here’s some information gleaned on the history of Smith Woollens. For many, including my tailor, Smith’s is a brand they swear by. Worsteds that are often a little bit pricier ...
The reputation of Smith & Co
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I have a cream lambswool twinset size 42" bearing the label in both pieces 'W BILL, Old Bond Street - pure cashmere', in perfect condition. I would be interested to know if it was produced before W Gibb was taken over an...
The history of W Bill
Dealing with representatives of one or two of the cloth manufacturers in England in the past few weeks, we got to chatting about the history of the various brands. Talking with guys at Graham Browne and Anderson & Sheppard furthered that inte...
The history of W Bill
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Hi Russell, I’m Teresa. Pamela Bill was my aunt....
