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December 31, 2005

the last pattern

This is my last pattern for 2005. They'll be a lovely pair of trousers by the time I'm done with them.

It's been a very eventful year, to say the least.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year to you all, and thank you for reading English Cut.

Posted by tom at 12:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 21, 2005

dinner jacket...

(click on image to enlarge)

One of my tailors just brought this over to show me; a job for another Savile Row client of his:

A beautiful, classic single-breasted dinner jacket with peaked lapel and corded silk facings.

It's a stunning piece of work, with all the handwork and craftsmanship you'd expect from the Row. Let's hope the new owner will appreciate it, as he will only be able to enjoy it for about six months.

Why? Because as he's only four years old, he will soon outgrow it.

But 'tis better to have loved and lost...

[P.S. For those in the trade: I bet the tailor still put "Long Roll" in his log.]

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December 19, 2005

"in praise of savile row"

The Guardian, one of the big London newspapers, recently wrote a leader about Savile Row:

As one master tailor told the Financial Times this week, "These people aren't tailors - they're outfitters," - an important distinction. Few of us may be able to afford a Savile Row suit but it is important somehow to know that, if we had the money and inclination, we could. Right now, London's historic master tailors are only hanging on by a thread. But they surely deserve to survive.

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December 13, 2005

jonathan quearney

The Sartorialist just did a lovely interview with my tailor friend, Jonathan Quearney.

Describe personal style?

When I first visited Paris in the late 90’s what caught my eye the most was the vagrants sense of style and how they dressed. It was completely uninfluenced by any trend, for obvious reasons. It came from necessity.

Once I observed a man standing inside the door of the restaurant; I thought he had an amazing presence while he waited for the leftovers. It was winter and he was head-to-toe in tailored garments combined in the most amazing patterns. This was not shabby chic; quite the opposite, this man looked his best. I don’t dress like a French vagrant, but their sense of style inspired me greatly.

[Bonus Satorialist Link:] G. Bruce Boyer writes about his first visit to Savile Row as a young lad:

I spent the next forty-five minutes or so going through the cloth swatch books, dozens and dozens of them – there must have been a hundred different patterns of district checks in tweed alone – some containing squares of cloth I thought I’d seen twenty minutes before in another book. My elderly guide stood demurely at my side, offering a word or two of encouragement or advice if I turned to him with a swatch between my fingers.

“Very serviceable piece of worsted, that is, Sir. Perhaps a bit too heavy, though, for your climate at home, would you think, Sir?"

In one book I spied a handsome plaid of rusty brown with a lavender and Kelly green over pane. Did he think it was a bit loud?

“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily say loud, Sir. But perhaps it does tend to mutter a bit.”

[Background Reading:] "Thomas' Top Ten". The most popular and informative English Cut articles.

Posted by tom at 2:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 12, 2005

very sad news...

[Myself, John Reed and Brian back in August.]

I have just learned the very sad news that one of Savile Row's most respected tailors and greatest characters, Brian Burstow, passed away suddenly last Friday.

All I can do is offer my most sincere condolences to his family. I will greatly miss Brian ("B.B." to his friends), as will all his loyal customers and everyone else connected to the Row.

The funeral service will be at 11am on 21st December at St Nicolas Church, St Nicolas Way, Sutton.

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