The Great Gatsby look from London's oldest tailor - Ede & Ravenscroft

Ede & Ravenscroft, London's oldest tailor (1689), are also celebrating the release soon of the The Great Gatsby. They've put together some outfits, formal, evening and country, to match the film's publicity posters.

The 1974 film, with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, sparked a twenties craze in fashion and design. I remember being caught up in it myself, buying a natty brown tweed three-piece suit with broad lapels and flared trousers. I suspect we'll see the same enthusiasm this time round. See Ede &Ravenscroft's website.

A personal tailored shirt from Ede & Ravenscroft

I find shirts hard to buy. In the shop, they are neatly parcelled up and you can't try them on. An online purchase is even harder, particularly as sizing seems to vary widely - neither collar sizes nor sleeve lengths are consistent between suppliers.

So, on my recent visit to Ede & Ravenscroft I was interested in their range of personal tailored shirts. From £150 you are measured for a shirt that will fit perfectly and will be made to your own style and requirements before being delivered neatly boxed. As they have over 320 years of tailoring experience I suspect that they know what they are doing. [Since writing this post I've heard that from 27th February to end of March customers will receive a free tie with every two personal tailored shirts purchased].

[Edit - I'm told you can buy the cloth in the box and give it as a 'voucher'. The recipient can book a time to get measured in store, select all the other features, like collar, cuffs, buttons etc and even swap the fabric over if they don't like the pattern or colour they were given! Brilliant!]

A selection of fabrics and collar and cuff designs

One bonus for me is that all the shirts are crafted and manufactured in England. From taking measurements, to choosing the cloth and adding the personal touches, Ede & Ravenscroft aim to deliver the personally tailored shirt in 4 to 6 weeks. 

Here is how Ede & Ravenscoft describe the experience -

• One to one consultation with an Ede & Ravenscroft specialist advisor. 
• Full set of measurements taken to ensure perfect fit. 
• Cloth selection: Once your measurements have been taken you select a cloth and pattern from the wide selection. 
• Collar choice: They offer a selection of 11 styles of collars to compliment any shirt, ideal for business, formal or relaxed weekend wear. 
• Cuff style: eight types to choose from. 
• Pocket selection. 
• Business or casual styles. 
• Placket style: The placket (the double layers of fabric that hold the buttons and buttonholes in a shirt) is a personal preference with popular styles being a traditional box placket or a more simplistic, formal plain front placket.

For more information, go to the Ede & Ravenscroft web site.