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July 2, 2009

when can i have a new suit....

(Ed and I outside of Gieves)

It was a very busy day last Friday on the Row. I had a lot of fittings to do and the weather is far too hot. When I escaped for an hour I met my old business partner and friend "Boycey" or better known to you as Edwin Deboise from Steed. We originally met when we were both cutters for Anderson & Sheppard and although we're only five miles apart we never seem to get the time to catch up. Needless to say after an hour in Starbucks we put the worlds to right.

I've not only been busy meeting clients on Savile Row. We also had a visit from Mr William Boehlke of "A suitable wardrobe " fame. He writes a very informative blog about his constant persuit of true bespoke. He dropped in with his lovely wife on the way to Scotland visiting a weaving mill. We fitted a couple of suits he's having made and we also found the time to eat well and enjoy a couple of pints.

(very smart)

If you remember earlier I designed some school blazers for Sportswear International. I tried my best to weave a little of the finer details of bespoke into a mass produced garment for youngsters. With the limited budget you can't perform miracles but you can hope for them and I'm delighted that it worked. So well in fact the first batch of blazers has completely sold out and they're busy trying to restock.


(a young James Bond)

There's nobody more aware than me about the cost of bespoke clothes and I know what a privilege it is to wear such lovely clothes. Although they earn their hefty price tag mainly because of all of the hours of hand labour that goes into them. However, there are quite a few details we can consider and incorporate in a machine made garment which ultimately can make all the difference. Obviously on this occasion it worked.

One of the first schools to order was the Manchester Enterprise Academy. Last week I met their new principle Marie Quayle who is determined to raise the standards of the new Academy through the roof. Before changing to Academy status the schools past was typical of large inner city comprehensives. They've had their fair share of problems which they tackled head on and now have a fantastic future to look forward to.

I'm especially delighted that they're reverting back to the tradition of all the pupils wearing school uniforms. Now of course I would but this story gets even better because it was the pupils who enjoyed how they looked and felt in their new blazers. It was they that ultimately decided on this more formal look. Try as some people do they just cant kill off the fact that people want to be comfortable and look smart. Dress down Fridays and abandoning school uniforms seemed like a good idea at the time. However, in reality it's an attitude that doesn't make people feel particularly good or do anything for their own or establishments image.

(top sleeve matching)

Back on the cutting board the picture above is of a new suit we're cutting for a client that was especially woven for the London Lounge. It's a terrific Prince of Wales with a decent bit of weight to it. Although those checks are tricky to match it'll make a super suit. This incidentally was cut by my new apprentice who I'll introduce you to later. He's only been with me for a while and is still going through the usual yard stick beating process at the moment. I'm sorry that's not very "politically correct" for modern business but then again we're not a normal modern business.

("Boy, make me the doublet, and patch the pantaloons, or else I will rap the yard-measure over your ears.")

By the way my client is sure to recognize his fabric but don't panic I was standing next to him all the way:)

Posted by tom at 9:33 AM | Comments (0)