Book Review: Bespoke, Savile Row Ripped And Smoothed

Richard Anderson can write. This quickly becomes apparent as the reader embarks on the story of his time on Savile Row – from dishevelled apprentice to Huntsman’s youngest-ever head cutter. The realisation that a book is to be chronological, and start at the very beginning, is normally accompanied by a long intake of breath. Fortunately, even the description of Anderson’s father taking his 17-year old to the job interview is entertaining.

It helps that the story of Huntsman’s takeover reads like a genuine thriller, with high stakes, espionage and betrayal. And throughout the 20-odd years described, characters such as Colin Hammick, Brian Hall and Dick Lakey necessarily breed amusing anecdotes. Such as the time Lakey tried to rescue 10 pairs of white trousers by washing them at home, only for the zips to stain the crotch; then adding lemon, only for it to add its own mark; and then successfully washing them clean, only for foxes to tear them off the washing line and eat them.

But Anderson’s writing has its own rhythm and pathos. A liking for short, one-sentence paragraphs and chapter-ending cliff hangers means the story tumbles along.

The latter sections on Richard Anderson Ltd, after the fall of Huntsman, are nowhere near as self-serving as I had been led to believe. The style switches from chronology to analysis, enabling short sections on women in the industry, a day in the life and ready-to-wear clothing in Japan. The second of these three chapters is particularly interesting for an insight into the running of a bespoke firm, and the challenges in figuration, for example, that come up every day. Such as the wadding, canvas, styrofoam and even plasticine used to try and deal with James Fox’s tricky shoulders.

And while some will bemoan the fact that suits under Savile Row names are made in Japanese factories for local clients, the description of how this functions is fascinating.

For tailoring enthusiasts there are several insightful sections on the practice of cutting. The description of how Anderson learned to cut trousers for the first time, for example, and then later how to take measurements ahead of his first trip to the US. Indeed, for those not enthused by technical detail the passages where Hall describes the chalking of back and foreparts could even be too much.

There is, finally, a surprisingly in-depth glossary. I can now identify a bar tack, describe the nap on various cloths and relate the origins of Silesia (named after a region of Poland because of the inventor’s wife’s sympathies for a country being partitioned between Germany, Austria and Russia. The descriptions only suffer from the inevitable difficulty in describing the look and feel of different cloths without imagery.

Highly recommended.

Ormonde Jayne Perfumery

It’s always a great day when you discover something new, particularly when it seems to be everything you were looking for.

I was a little reluctant to write about and recommend a perfumier given that aftershaves and colognes are personal things; and describing scents requires a certain type of linguistic dexterity I’m not confident I possess. But specialising in unusual oils and ingredients Ormande Jayne produces something very different, so I thought it a perfect Mensflair recommendation.

I decided to visit having received a press release from the company. While plenty of sites are happy to re-print company propaganda I like to check things out for myself, so I popped in on Saturday.

A very small boutique based in the Royal Arcade on 28 Old Bond Street, the antipodean girl that served me was both extremely knowledgeable and very polite. As it happens I also met the founder Linda, who came down to say hello. A woman who was eminently approachable, even a little nervous when talking about herself, I found her very pleasant. Her background is as exotic and original as the scents she produces; having travelled the world running boutique hotels, a soya bean farm, a small chain of ice cream parlours she started her scented career selling flowers by the roadside and learning to make scented candles and bathing oils.

Ormonde Man is my favourite of the scents. Rich and layered, if velvet had an odour this would be it. At the top end it’s spicy and woody with floral undertones that provide balance and stop it from being heavy and old fashioned. It lasts for the day and as it wears the top notes fade and the floral undertones take over, providing a clean fresh smell reminiscent of lavender, roses and talc, but without the sickliness or smelling too feminine. Occasionally catching a sniff as one moves around you feel cocoon in pleasantness.

Ingredients include; Juniper Berry, Bergamot, coriander, cardamom, cedar, sandalwood, musk and unusually Black Hemlock.

At £68 it’s at the top end of the cost spectrum but worth every penny in my view. It’s my birthday in March so I may well treat myself.

There are other fragrances to choose from, Isfarkand being another notable one, and Linda is keen for people to take sample scents to try out for themselves. Ormonde Jayne has an online presence and they ship to the rest of the world.

Brand Review: Drakes Of London

It is always unnerving when you encounter a brand that sounds plausibly antiquated but is in fact still in its first generation. I once wrote of Aspinal of London, a company that borrowed seven of the eight letters of a famous Mayfair gambling club, perhaps in a bid to sound credibly ‘upper-crust’; a remarkably young company, considering the heritage design and appeal of its products. I was equally surprised to learn that Drakes of London, a brand that could easily have been around since the time of Queen Anne, was actually the same vintage as my parents’ marriage.

Unlike Aspinal, Drakes is not a name plucked from the top shelf of ‘England’s Most English Appellations.’ It happens to be, rather simply, the surname of the founder, Michael Drake. I hadn’t heard anything of Drakes before buzz in the style forums, and in various glossy magazines, focused on their apparently excellent online store. Famous for their ties, scarves and silk handkerchiefs, I needed little encouragement to pay a visit.

Aesthetically, Drakes is resolutely conservative. Not that this is any bad thing. I didn’t see a single tie in their collection that I wouldn’t like to own. The designs are in perfect taste, the colouring is subtle; paisleys, polka dots, stripes, foulards and Prince of Wales checks. Approving of the entire collection of neckwear, including the wonderful tartan bow ties, I moved on to scarves.

Drakes scarves ought to be their flagship items for it was the early success of their scarf sales that led the company to explore the manufacture of other gentlemen’s accessories. I liked the vast majority of the scarf stock on offer, although there were one or two that I considered a little ‘trendy’ and passé – the sort of thing you might see in a Boden catalogue.

The handkerchiefs, casually labelled ‘Pocket Hanks’ on the website (not the Forrest Gump iPhone app), are truly spectacular. The Moghul Knights and Bird of Paradise designs, “inspired by paintings from the Moghul period in design and colour” are a gorgeous example of tasteful pattern, colour and texture; 70% silk, 30% wool, they are pure pocket tapestry.

I was also considerably impressed with both the aesthetics and apparent quality of the other items in Drakes online store; beautiful cashmere shawl collar cardigans, Fair Isle sleeveless jumpers, a rainbow of socks, delicate little cuff links. Nearly every item was to my particular taste.

There was, however, one thing which irked me; a nagging irritation that dogged the pleasant tour I was making. Drakes is still slightly too expensive. I made an examination of some Drakes items at Dover Street Market and, like everything else at Dover Street Market, I considered the items overpriced.

I admire the brand for not selling out. I admire the brand for manufacturing the items in the British Isles and I am in no doubt that the items are of a rare quality, but some of the items offered, such as the £125 cotton shirt, the £125 wool scarf and even some of the £85 wool ties, are rather unrealistic in terms of price. I can also detect that Drakes realises this; “Learn why our shirts are so special”, “entirely made by hand in England”, “woven in the Scottish Borders”, “hand rolled”, “hand printed”, and various other details of manufacture that bring a tear to the eyes of every nostalgic patriot, all smack of a company trying to justify itself.

Having said that, my perspective is that of a man who has matured in the era of unsustainable disposable fashion. Drakes naked statement, which stands proud as you like against the winds of cheaply produced, disposable, ethically dubious wares, says it all; “Every day at Drakes we ask ourselves not how can we make it for less, but how can we make it better.”

One For The Albam

These beautiful loafers are my latest purchase. While highlighting them a while ago, and having lusted after them since, I’d only just got the spares together to buy them.

They’re a beautifully crafted collaboration between Northampton’s Grenson and British independent clothier Albam. Sadly, the photos don’t do them justice.

I’ve often found it difficult to qualify what Albam’s style is. The clothes come under the category of casual, but as to the aesthetic, that’s a little harder. But, if Savile Row is Cary Grant then Albam is surely Steve McQueen.

A store I mentioned briefly in my first Mensflair post, founders James Shaw and Alistair Rae are what I class as enthusiasts/designers.  Started just three years ago, these guys really do encompass the best of modern Britain; taking history and heritage as their cue, they subtly reinterpret designs for a new audience, thereby producing garments that manage to be both classic and contemporary. Aside from the painstaking attention to detail, they are sticklers for quality going to inordinate lengths to track down small British manufacturers – which you can read about on their blog.

I haven’t yet met either James Shaw or Alistair Rae, although if I could think of some original questions to ask I would. However, if you want a flavour of the men behind the company then this interview should suffice.

I have a few of their bits now and there is nothing not to like about this retailer.  And while they’ve attracted quite a bit of attention from the mainstream media recently, success hasn’t gone to their heads. The service is excellent, the chap who served me, Jude, is certainly worth a mention. They appear to have a genuine desire to work in the shop possessing an obvious enthusiasm for what they do, and for whom they do it. This translates into friendly, helpful service without attitude or pushiness. For example, when I got home I realised I’d been overcharged for the loafers. But I called the shop, they realised they made a mistake just after I’d left and were in the process of trying to contact my bank to get hold of me. Now that’s service.

London based they have just two shops (the second recently opening in Shoreditch), but for the billion or more of you who don’t live in London they do have an online store.

What Would You Like To See? (Answers In The Comments Section)

Suppose a retailer, whose clothing and philosophy you rather liked, asked you if there was any garments you’d like to see them produce. What would you say? I’ll let you think about it for a moment.

But that is what happened to me last week. It turns out that the guys at Smart Turnout are fans of both MensFlair and BespokeMe and having read my post on military watches decided to get in touch.

An e-mail conversation ensued with Louis, their PR guy, during which he told me that ST have a new range/collection coming out this year, and it sounded rather interesting. Apparently, it will feature high end garments and accessories which tread the fine line between traditional and contemporary style, while at the same time incorporating the colours and patterns derived from famous British regiments and institutions. If they pull it off, and I have no reason to doubt they will, it should turn Smart Turnout into a full British heritage brand with a younger edge. Louis also let on that the garments will be largely British made, which strikes a cord with me.

It was after this that he asked me what I’d like to see them produce. It was evident from our conversation that they were looking for elements of originality. Typically, at this point my mind went temporarily blank (A.Williams. You are the weakest link; goodbye!).

My brain finally fired and my suggestion was a sand coloured, buggy lined, light weight, double breasted, cotton blazer/jacket with patch pockets for spring/summer. An odd choice I know but I’ve got it in my head and can’t find one anywhere. The company that makes one gets my money.

But, and this is the point of today’s post, I thought I’d throw the question out to MensFlair’s readers. Given all I’ve said, what would you like to see produced? Answers in the comments section. The guys at SM read it so who knows.