“We are changing the product” said the tailoring assistant quietly as we opened the somewhat minimalist swatch book, usefully categorised by price, to select my fabric. “There will be more of us here soon. We are going to offer double-breasted suits, I think, in the New Year.” I had arranged an appointment for a fitting by telephone at the Regent Street branch of Massimo Dutti, who offer an unsung ‘personal tailoring’ service that I … [Read more...]

Though many would seek absolution by claiming that “everyone” falls foul of the invitation to spend when the item in question has a perceived utility that increases in direct proportion to the level of discount, I am troubled by the fact that the afflicted, including myself, may be less numerous than I hoped. The big problem with sales is that they deceive us into believing we are better off buying more with less than less with more. As a … [Read more...]

I recently wrote about the great utility of the mid-heavy weight brown suit, espousing its value for both town and country use. My musings on the subject provoked me to action, as they often do, and I decided to commission Cad & The Dandy to weave (or rather, sew) my dream of a Prohibition-era dandy suit into reality. I decided to go for their machine stitched made-to-measure service. As my last Cad & The Dandy suit was a hand-stitched … [Read more...]