For the northern hemisphere, this winter has been a singularly long and cold one; snowstorms, biting winds, city shutdowns and days off school. The Bing Crosby fantasy of the ‘magic’ of snowfall wore rather thin in the December blizzards and there were certainly no punters in Starbucks, as they cupped their lattes between their frozen hands, singing along with Ella to the pollyanna winter classic ‘Let it Snow!’ Dark and bleak, with … [Read more...]
H&H is one of those fine English outfitters that every chap should have in his back pocket. Perhaps best known for their bespoke shirts which are still cut on the premises, they are the last of the Jermyn Street shirt makers still owned by the founding family. Bold butchers stripes are a trademark, as is the white collar and cuff shirt –which is my preference for something classic and bold. I’ll confess I have a shirt maker and so … [Read more...]
“The time has come, the walrus said, To talk of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, Of cabbages and kings.” No plans yet to write about cabbages. But it is certainly time to talk about bespoke shoes. I set an appointment last week to go see George Glasgow at GJ Cleverley to be measured for my first pair. Rather as I did previously with suiting, expect a series of posts here on every stage of the process. There’s … [Read more...]
Terry-Thomas was a gifted comedic writer, comic actor, raconteur, ladies man, television pioneer and film star. A man of infinite cheek and charm; when in Hollywood he compiled a form guide of leading starlets breasts. Dining with Pablo Picasso he enquired of the artist; “does anybody ever say to you, can I have a word in your eye?” But beyond these accomplishments, the fruity voice and rich vocabulary he was a true sartorialist. Despite … [Read more...]
Segun Adelaja knows the industry. The day we met we ended up talking for a long time about the expansion of small brands like Berluti, their raw materials and supply chains. About what happens when a small company is bought out and how you manage quality in the midst of rapid expansion. His shoes are made by an ex-Berluti maker, so perhaps there is some bias there, but he freely admits to owning pairs himself – indeed to owning almost every … [Read more...]
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