Hackett Jacket and Steve McQueen

When viewing the Hackett AW18 collection some weeks ago I was struck by this check jacket, I felt I'd seen it before - and I had - see the image below. A remarkable, and as far as I know unintentional, similarity in design and colour. 

The jacket will be released over the coming weeks as Hackett's Autumn/Winter collection is released. Buy one for that King of Cool look. Keep an eye out here: Hackett.

This post is unsponsored. 

Exploring Bespoke 8: Forward Fitting and Finale by Brita Hirsch Tailor

This is the finale of the 8 part series by Brita Hirsch exploring bespoke tailoring. We hope that this has clarified what is true bespoke tailoring, so that those wanting to commission a garment can fully understand the extent of the work involved and how this differs from made to measure and off the peg.

Inspiration and result - see earlier parts of the series for the full story of this Norfolk jacket

Brita Hirsch writes: The forward fitting is the moment of truth for the cutter in charge of the fit, which should be nearing perfection at this point in time. A final opportunity to fine tune things like the fall of the sleeves, balance of the collar and roll of the lapel. This is also the time to discuss finer detail like choice of buttons and any special requirements, be it flower loops or monograms. Following this final meeting, all work is done for the cutter as well as the customer, who can now relax, sit back and look forward to the finished article.

With Brita Hirsch at a fitting

The finishing process with all the meticulous hand detailing is the skilled tailor’s responsibility - and their opportunity to shine. This is when the suit or coat truly comes into its own, different from any other garment out there, and truly a unique creation. Setting the sleeves, with cloth pattern lines matching both horizontally and vertically and the length just right (try that!), defining the final positions of button holes and angle of the collar - this is when a keen eye for meticulous detail and proportion comes into play.

An important and final part of the bespoke process is a well-yielded pressing iron: around a third of the overall time spent making the garment is dedicated to pressing the cloth in its various stages, but the finale is an intimate affair between the coat and its creator: shaping and smoothing the garment, the tailor will spend the time it takes until it is the best it can be.

The bespoke process is a journey, a piece of personal history created together. It takes weeks, often months to create that special garment, which is made to last - and delight - a lifetime. Patience is paramount to achieve a truly spectacular result: never rush your tailor, but enjoy the journey.

Grey Fox writes: At the conclusion of this series I'd like to thank Brita Hirsch and all who helped us (their links are below). It was an absolute delight working with Brita, whose tailoring skills are truly exceptional, and a privilege to have my Norfolk jacket tailored by her. It's a creation of great skill and a joy to wear. 

If you haven't taken the plunge into bespoke I can only urge you to do so. In my experience a bespoke garment is always way ahead of made to measure in terms of fit and comfort; but then it should be and no tailor would claim otherwise. Brita has shown us the immense amount of work that goes into a piece and this shows in the finished product.

For other features in the Exploring Bespoke series here on the blog, click here.

Links:

Brita Hirsch of Hirsch Tailoring

The Savile Row Association Standards and Bespoke Process

Adamley Textiles

Harris Tweed Hebrides

The Harris Tweed Authority

My trip to Harris Tweed: A Journey to the Heart of the Hebrides

With thanks to photographer Fiona Bailey whose images appear throughout this project.

The final product, my bespoke Harris tweed Norfolk coat by Brita Hirsh

Books: Chasing Time: Vintage Wristwatches by Alistair Gibbons

Alistair Gibbons is a longterm wristwatch collector. I recall coming across him some years ago when he curated a watch forum online and sold some mouthwatering timepieces. He's used his wide experience to place on record in this book, Chasing Time, some of the many watches he collected in the early 2000s. This was a time when watch collecting took off in a big way and there were some truly magnificent watches to be found. 

I recently had the chance to ask him about the book and his watch collecting career:

GF: Alistair you've recently published Chasing Time which contains images and descriptions of some mouthwatering vintage watches. How did you come to write this?

AG: Well I have always collected watches - always liked them. I was a visual effects editor working in London when the internet came online for businesses like mine who had early broadband. I became a member of several forums; On The Dash as a Heuer collector and Equation of Time Dive Forum. At the time these were the most comfortable places for me - great people sharing historic information about these old watches and having a lot of fun at the same time. 

I decided to set up a small website to sell watches I bought to fund a collection of watches I was interested in (this is maybe 2001) it became well known. I had good watchmakers making sure all of my watches were sold and guaranteed. Within a short time I could not load my watches fast enough. I developed racing straps for the Heuers which at the time were not available and military style straps for the more robust dive watches. 

The book is made from each file of each watch I serviced, researched, photographed and loaded for sale on my site. The book is basically a history of interesting chronographs, dive watches and military watches with good historical information, technical information and photographs that can be used as a guide for watch enthusiasts. In fact I am already being told the book is being used by dealers to compare to watches for sale as all of the watches are correct and have not been messed around with.

GF: I wanted to ask which are you favourite three watches - are they in the book?

AG: Yes they are although only 3 is tough can I make it 4 ? The Rolex Submariner 5508, the black IDF (Israeli Defence Force) Heuer Autavia, The Rolex GMT Master 1675 and the Wakmann Triple date. I know there are lots of very famous watches in there but remember when these watches were bought by me to restore they were not famous or well known. I like watches for the movements, their look and their history, not because they are an investment. I know I have included two obvious Rolexes, but those two in particular meant a lot to me.

GF: When we spoke recently we talked about why we like vintage watches. I see them as stylish and often beautiful objects which add to a person's style and personality. How do you see watches?

AG: Pretty much the same. I am not ‘an obsessive’ about watches. I have loved a watch even if it has had its hands changed in service or not on the correct bracelet etc Vintage watches are at a price level that the ordinary models of yesteryear are becoming beyond the wallet of your standard collector and I suppose I am partly to blame for that, so that is why I produced the book. 

It is more of a sales catalogue really, as all of the watch profiles are informative and full of points I think are relevant - as was my style when selling them online. It is probably fairly unique in that way. Like ’The Diary of a Watch Dealer’ kind of thing. I didn’t sell just the most expensive to get the best return, but the watches that made me happy and hopefully my customers too. 

Brands like Wakmann, LeJour, Yema, were hardly known and now are as collectable as old Breitlings, Heuers or Rolexes: all of these brands are in the book and include early divers worn by Jacque Cousteau's Dive team from Aquastar and Jenny.

Q4: How can Grey Fox Blog readers buy your book?

AG: The book is available on Amazon both in Europe and the US. Very reasonably priced between $25-$35. It contains 120 Cclassic watches, 30,000 words 500+ photographs. Here are links to some sale sites:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Target,

Wallmart,

Barnes and Noble.

In Australia at Angus & Robertson

This is an unsponsored post.

Araminta Campbell: Bespoke Tweeds

On my recent visit to Edinburgh I spent some time at Araminta Campbell's studio where she designs tweeds and other fabrics and weaves bespoke articles from luxury yarns. This young entrepreneur has already built up a following of estates requiring tweeds to be designed or revived and of clients wanting interiors fabrics and quality hand woven accessories.

Araminta designs limited edition accessories which are handwoven on two beautiful looms in her Leith studio. This, her Signature range, are works of art in themselves and are made from undyed British alpaca fleece (there are some 345,000 alpacas in the UK). Each takes several days to weave on one of the 60 year old dobby looms (see top image above) and the complex patterns are inspired, like much of Araminta's work, by the patterns of nature. In another range, Minta, she uses alpaca for interiors fabrics.

The above three images show the alpaca designs and the weaving process (images Grey Fox)

I was particularly interested in her Heritage tweed design service. Many Scottish estates have used bespoke tweed designs since the nineteenth century. Worn on the estate, they provide protection against the weather when working outside, whether farming, stalking or shooting. The colours reflect the landscape, giving camouflage as they blend with the rocks, trees and heather. 

In her Heritage service, Araminta has found a successful niche designing tweeds for individuals, estates and businesses. She told me, "Many of my clients have a landscape that is special to them, or a piece of family history they wish to commemorate. I love the challenge of capturing this in cloth – through the textures, shapes and colours – and creating a tweed with a story that really means something to them." 

She uses small Scottish mills for the weaving, working directly with yarn suppliers and finishers to ensure that colours are exactly right and that there is a high standard of quality in production and design. Such smaller mills are also flexible about minimums, so clients requiring smaller amounts of cloth can still have it made without having to pay the high costs incurred where mills require high minimum orders. This opens up exciting possibilities to those who wish to commission a bespoke cloth for family use, as a gift or for a small business.

Araminta has designed a few estate-type tweeds which are available to all (see above image). I'm the lucky owner of a few metres of the houndstooth tweed in the above image and will be having a coat made from that by tailor, Alice Burkitt. I'll report back on this here and on Instagram. The design is inspired by the colours of the River Tweed and is a gorgeous robust cloth which will make a perfect outdoor coat.

For more information about Araminta Campbell, see her website here.

Photo credits (unless otherwise stated above): Ciara Menzies Photography.

This feature is unsponsored. My visit to Edinburgh was a collaboration with several brands.

FiftyLife Campaign: Lifetime Lessons

I was recently asked by FiftyLife, who provide insurance cover to over-fifties, to contribute to their Lifetime Lessons Campaign in which they surveyed 2,000 over-fifties about their regrets and ambitions. I found it interesting considering these questions for myself, particularly as it confirmed how important it is to have a motivating focus in life; for me this blog and social media pay an important part, but family comes first.

Questions such as what is the best thing you've achieved in life? and what's been you biggest regret? occur to us at any age, but can be particularly pressing as you get older. They highlight the importance of planning your life with care at any age so that you don't have regrets later.

You can see how I and two other bloggers approached the issues on the FiftyLife website here and scroll down.

For a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher visit https://www.fiftylife.co.uk/your-lifetime-lessons/

This is a sponsored feature.

What do Women Find Attractive in an Older Man? Louise Proddow of Rejuvage Tells Us All

We dress well for many reasons. We may just enjoy good quality clothes, we may find that looking our best helps us in business, boosting confidence and giving an impression of competence and reliability. But one of the greatest pleasures is to be complimented by a woman, whether she be a close friend, stranger or work colleague. 

I recently met Louise Proddow of Rejuvage (link below) and, having discussed this, we decided to write a piece for each other's blogs on what each of us found attractive about the opposite sex in terms of style. Here Louise shares her guide to 'midlife men style turn-ons' as she termed it.  

Louise Proddow writes: 

As a midlife wellness advocate with a deep passion for health and positive ageing, for me, the hallmark of good style comes from a holistic approach. What makes a man stylish and attractive at every age goes beyond simply the clothes they put on in the morning. Style is a mixture of how you look after yourself, what you wear and your attitude. It’s doesn’t matter if you look good in clothes if you hide your body in the beach or in the bedroom, for me its all about balance. 

Style begins on the inside out 

A good diet full of unprocessed foods and regular exercise is not only good for the body, but it is good for style. It gives skin that healthy glow, promotes wellbeing and clothes fit better on toned bodies. The trim and healthy man beats a middle-aged potbelly and ruddy complexion any day. 

Louise (top left) and some of her midlife male turn-ons

Classics with a modern twist 

Some well-cut clothes with a twist shows personality. Mix up investment pieces and quality fabrics with some high street purchases such as a well cut blue or grey suit with a t-shirt and some smart trainers. In hot weather, lightweight tailoring in breathable natural fabrics is a must too. I am also a big fan of the Gareth Southgate waistcoat trend – it’s a great look for holding it all it in too! 

Have a relaxed approach to dressing 

Mix it up your styles - rugged to smooth, something old with something new. A relaxed attitude dressing oozes confidence, which is always attractive. Show a bit ankle with some slip-on shoes and hidden socks or leave your shirt un-tucked - for me, stylish comfort over stuffy formality wins. Avoid buying a completely new outfit, especially on a date as it oozes trying too hard. 

Casual grooming

Over tanned, over hair dyed, over waxed – over grooming is a no go and definitely a turn-off. Having said that, clean is the new dirty; I like a man to smell nice in a Tom Ford kind of way with clean fingernails and hydrated skin. 

The power of individuality

A man with his own personal style and twinkle in eye always attracts my attention. There is no reason to be dull in middle age so let your clothes do the talking. Whether you’re creative and outgoing, a city type or a country gent there are an endless array of looks, colours, fabrics, styles. It’s time to replace those old faded jumpers with some personality. 

Embrace the grey 

It’s the George Clooney effect! Embrace the grey, tap into your inner silver fox. Hair is optional, but if you have it definitely ditch the dye! 

There is an old saying that we become invisible in middle age, that’s not the case for men or women today. Wear whatever you want at any age, make a bit of an effort, but do not over do it. Look after yourself, throw in a few classics like a crisp shirt and clean-cut suit, add a bit of personality and embrace your own style. Look after yourself inside out for ageless style. 

You only have to look on dating websites or walk down the street to see that those with style stand out. Plus if you can make us laugh to then you're on to a winner! 

NOTE: With many thanks to Louise Proddow who curates Rejuvage, a blog about ageing with style and health. You can read my return article, 'In Praise of Older Women', here.

Brita Hirsch Launches Bespoke Tailoring Academy as Alternative to Savile Row Apprenticeship

Many of you will remember the bespoke Harris tweed Norfolk jacket that tailor Brita Hirsch made for me earlier this year. She also wrote an informative series for us on tailoring which showed the depth of her passion about, and experience of, the bespoke process (links below). 

Brita has now applied that experience to launching the UK's only training centre accredited to deliver the ABC Level 5 Diploma in Bespoke Tailoring as a stand-alone qualification with premises in a beautifully converted textile mill in Macclesfield. I asked her to tell me more:

Brita Hirsch in her beautiful Tailoring Academy

GF: Brita, I know you as an exceptional bespoke tailor who's made me one of the favourite items in my wardrobe. You have now opened an academy in bespoke tailoring - could you tell us what made you feel that there's scope for such an academy?

BH: Thank you David, I love to hear that your Harris Tweed Norfolk jacket has that special status! 

The idea for the Tailoring Academy was born when I became aware of a huge demand for practical skills training in our sector: there is a real trend for young people towards learning traditional crafts and bespoke tailoring is certainly most sought after. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of apprenticeships available each year, and most are based in London, on Savile Row. This often means that aspiring tailors can’t even consider applying, as the cost of living in the capital is so high. 

Around a year ago, ABC Awards launched a new, government approved qualification: the Level 5 Diploma in Bespoke Tailoring. Designed by the Savile Row Bespoke Association and Creative Skillset England, the programme aims to address just this shortage by providing an acknowledged qualification to those looking for an alternative route to the three year apprenticeship. I took the plunge, went through the accreditation process, found the most wonderful premises in a converted former textile mill, and founded the academy. 

GF: What sets the Tailoring Academy apart?

BH: The Tailoring Academy is the only training facility in the UK accredited to deliver the Level 5 Diploma as a stand alone qualification. The Diploma has just been recognised by the UK Fashion and Textiles Association, making it a nationally acknowledged qualification. Even better, the CapitB Trust has committed to grant £2,500 to each student enrolled with the Tailoring Academy. The trust, which is funding training for the next generation of fashion and textiles industry talent, will grant the money in recognition of the unique opportunity the Academy provides: 

Students will acquire the entire skill set - Cutter AND Tailor - from pattern drafting to hand finishing bespoke garments, in a full-time course with a focus on the all-important practical skills. There will be no essay-writing but hands-on practice, within the environment of a working tailoring house. Class size is limited to only six students to ensure that each individual gets the maximum out of the course. 

The academy is licensed - as the only UK provider - to deliver pattern construction using the renowned Müller & Sohn system, in English. Graduates will be in a position to draft bespoke garment patterns from scratch, individually for each customer. They will be issued with the Müller & Sohn certificate upon completion of the course.

The academy will bring the highest level of tailoring training to the North of England for the first time. Based in Macclesfield, the old centre of the UK silk industry, there are excellent train links to Manchester (25min), London Euston (1h 40min) and further afield, plus affordable accommodation. 

GF: Who are your typical applicants?

BH: Candidates have typically already spent some time working in the sector and look for the practical skills needed to progress in their field. They may hold a degree in fashion or textile design, are costume makers, dress and textile specialists or are self-taught. They are clear about their targets and bring determination to round off their education with this acknowledged qualification.

GF: When will the academy launch and how can prospective students find out more?

BH: The programme will launch on 10 September and will run through until July next year. It will offer 1,200 hours of tuition, roughly three times the amount academic programmes typically provide. Anyone interested can find more information on the academy website or can get in touch with me directly via brita@tailoringacademy.co.uk

Links: Brita Hirsch's series Exploring Bespoke here on the blog.

People: Lara Platman, Photographer and Tweed & Land Rover Enthusiast

This is the first of an occasional new series which looks at people whose lives are grey only in the sense that they may or may not have a few grey hairs. I start with photographer Lara Platman, whose book, Harris Tweed: From Land to Street, I enjoyed on my trip to Harris and Lewis at the invitation of The Harris Tweed Authority last year. Lara and I also share a love of old Land Rovers; we both own a series 2a Land Rover.

GF: Please introduce yourself and what you do:

LP: I am photographer and author with four published books (Art Workers Guild, 125 Years, Harris Tweed, from Land to Street, Spirit of Land, the Distilleries of Scotland and Through the Night, the Passion of Motorsport) and work with various editorial lifestyle and photographic outlets and appear regularly on BBC Radio Gloucestershire. I am a Brother of the Art Workers Guild, a committee member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and my photographs can be found in the collections Victoria and Albert Museum, London. I am an ambassador for Leica Camera AG and a Getty Contributor. Blimey that was a mouthful!

I embark on projects that inspire me, that instil a passion in me to complete them for whatever reason, regardless of the financial benefit – which does cause some annoyance to my accountants. I have recently restored my 1964 Land Rover Series 2a and drive her as my daily where each outing is an adventure either under or inside the car (more about her later). I am currently writing a radio drama about a woman racing driver from the 1920’s and along with having a motor racing licence I also just passed my motorbike license, so I suppose I am completely ensconced as a petrol head.

GF: How did you come to be a photographer? What do you photograph?

LP: I trained in photography and Fine Art in Newport under Keith Arnott and Roy Ascott, with visiting tutors such as Martin Parr and Brian Eno. When I left university I assisted Chris Nash and David Gamble to name but a few. Went off to New York to work and ended up welding for the comedians Penn and Teller along with assisting a photographer for Rolling Stone magazine. 

Coming back to London I realised I wanted to get back to my roots of being brought up in dressing rooms (as my parents made theatre costumes), I loved (and still do love it) Dance and Theatre, so set to working at the Royal Opera House amongst the many dance venues in London and supplied newspapers with the shots. Soon after, went to work at Country Life. They sent me on their ‘Out and About’ features, where I was sent to Goodwood Revival and then my photographic life changed. I got the petrol head bug and now photograph people and cars amongst my other commissions. 

I used to shoot with a Nikon FM2 and adored my 85mm f1.4 lens, then was gifted a Hasselblad camera, which allowed me to really find the form of the square photo that I love today, and still shoot with it for books and larger commercial jobs. When digital photography came in in 2008 I had moved from my Nikon FM2 to a Nikon D100 for editorial jobs and I utterly hated it. I thought that my chosen profession was almost doomed, until that was, I discovered a Leica M6 kit in a pawn shop window. Complete with two camera bodies and three lenses, one being a Noctilux 50mm /f1 I suddenly fell back in love. Everyone seemed to have been discarding their film cameras and I scooped this kit up, inside a Billingham Hadley Pro bag, I found a lab to process and scan my film and I got back into the editorial swing of things.

These cameras and lenses dictate how I photograph rather than what I photograph. Although I haven’t photographed any wars, weddings or small children, I probably would shoot anything that my camera lenses allow me to.

GF: Your book Harris Tweed; From Land to Street was the result of seven months on Harris and Lewis - tell us about that.

LP: My first publication was commissioned by The Art Workers Guild, to celebrate their 125th year. I visited 125 artists in their workshops across the United Kingdom and made a photo and wrote down what it is they do and how they are inspired to work on their pieces, rather than their biographies which can all be found on the internet these days, I was more interested and thought that people would be more interested in, how they work and why. I shot this on the square framed Hasselblad and it allowed me to really compose each photo and create a scene I was happy with.

The in-depth study of these artists and craftsmen sparked my interest in weaving, of which some of the Guild members are, which led me to the Harris Tweed publication. I was commissioned to create Harris Tweed, From Land to Street (Quarto Publishing) which looks at the 100th year of the Orb stamp and the industry of Harris Tweed, from the sheep and crofters to the wool sorting, washing and mill workers through to weaving, and finally the cloth produced for upholstery and tailoring. I lived up on Harris for 7 months whilst photographing and writing part of the book, which allowed me to shoot the book by each season, look at how the people on Harris and Lewis live and produce a book that was more than simply a tourist’s account of this historic industry. I lived in a croft and also camped quite a bit. 

Staying up in Harris and Lewis really changed my outlook on how I live as a city dweller and when I returned to London I almost immediately needed to leave again, (I soon put in place an escape route and began the idea of moving to the countryside). I started to understand the whole concept of sustainable existence amongst your surroundings, where as in London my life seemed to be on tap and very needy. Making the Harris Tweed book gave me so much more than just photos and words. There are some photos from this book on my website. Again, these are shot with the Hasselblad and I loved the pace of the camera on tripod with both portrait and landscape. The whole process of using a Polaroid is something that makes me fall in love with every click.

GF: You have just completed restoring an old Land Rover yourself. Tell us more.

From an early age I was always interested in making something from nothing (probably from being brought up with people who made costumes), and my ex boyfriends had Land Rovers. Knowing that I wanted one, I set to on finding one that was fairly decent and affordable. I bought Big Red from photos and went to see it in the dark in the rain and fell in love with her straight away. Little did I know about many of her individualities that needed changing. I started on repairing her chassis - well my wonderful historic car and Land Rover specialist, Adrian Wynn, started changing her chassis - and he suggested I actually give her the whole restoration treatment. 

So that is what I did. There is a whole article on my website about how I restored her. It took me almost 2 years, knowing I would never sell her, I was soon realising that she was costing me a huge amount of my working time…meanwhile, she is my adorable Big Red and I love her more and more each day. Off to find another one now to do the same only this time I will sell the new restoration and always keep Big Red. I have had many offers for her, but no way is she going anywhere.

GF: What dreams and plans do you have for the future?

LP: As you read earlier, I wanted to leave London and live in the countryside, but near to London still. So I moved to the Cotswolds which allows me to pop into London as well as having some space and natural landscapes around me. I was really only trying it out but seven years on, I am still here in the Cotswolds and have really put down roots with buying a plot of land. 

Over the next few years I shall be building my house which will have a garage and darkroom so I will be able to continue my passions of photography and car restoration. I am currently researching different ways to make the house as passive as possible and create a carbon footprint that does not affect the world too much. I am by a mill race so would like to utilise the water in an efficient way. 

My interests as a photographer and journalist, from dance, theatre and art, to automotive may now be moving to architecture, engineering and sustainability… I think being a photographer and journalist allow me to investigate a whole variety of crafts and trades, of world issues and situations, that perhaps I would never have known if I had chosen another trade. In fact, I have no clue as to what trade I would have chosen other than the one I am in.

GF: Anything else you'd like to mention?

Well, I suppose, I would like to say, that now that I am nearing 50 years of age, the photographs that I took in my twenties, might be less technical or well printed (remember we all printed stuff back then) but the subject matter is becoming more and more relevant, so I think I could start to look back at the archives and create a retrospective of sort. I photographed a team of In-Line skaters from Texas to New York, I photographed well established actors and dancers, cityscapes that no longer exist, architectural artistic masterpieces, so perhaps the work from my past might pay for the work in my future? Which in one respect is quite a positive thought.

With many thanks to Lara Platman.

www.photofeature.co.uk

Twitter: @photofeature

Instagram: @photo.feature

All images: Photofeature/ Lara Platman
Read more about her Land Rover on her website.

Other Links:
Billingham bags
Leica Store UK
Harris Tweed Authority

Taylor Red Hats: Bespoke Milliner for Men

Lisa Taylor of Taylor Red is a young milliner who makes hats for both men and women. She's too modest to say so, but she's made hats for some very important people and I was delighted when she offered to make a cap and fedora for me. As she told me. "Put a man in a hat and he becomes suddenly more interesting". 

I asked her to make the hats from a length of Harris tweed that I was given by Harris Tweed Hebrides on my visit to their mill in Shawbost last year and she kindly agreed. This cloth was also used by Brita Hirsch to make me a bespoke Norfolk jacket ( all links below). 

Hat detail

Lisa made a cap and a fedora, basing the shapes on existing favourites and adding some twists of her own. Needless to say, they fit perfectly and are beautifully made.

Matching cap and jacket (jacket Brita Hirsch tailor) Image by Simon Dael

We think of millinery and bespoke hats as being mainly a women's market, but for men the chance to wear a hat made to our precise specifications and materials, maybe using a favourite cloth, is an opportunity not to be missed. Lisa is a delight to work with, enthusiastic and knowledgable. If you'd like to join the select club of men who've had made bespoke hats made by Lisa Taylor, you can contact her through her website here.

Read about my visit to Harris and Lewis here and the bespoke Norfolk jacket here. I'm grateful to Lisa for making these two hats as samples. I received no compensation for this feature and all views are mine alone.

Chester Barrie Style at The Olivier Awards 2018

I was privileged to be a guest of Savile Row's Chester Barrie at The Laurence Olivier Awards this week. For the seventh year they are the stylish menswear sponsor of the ceremony which celebrates London's premier position in the theatrical arts. Many of the nominees and presenters at the awards ceremony wore Chester Barrie suits, dinner jackets or tuxedos, including Giles Terera, who won Best Actor in a Musical and Michael Jibson, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, both for Hamilton which took seven awards.

Giles Terera 

The Chester Barrie ready-to-wear style offers a strong look in the shoulders and a defined waist, ideal for formal wear for events like The Oliviers. I wore a black shawl collar suit (see below) which I obtained from Chester Barrie last year and is still in their current collection in blue and black. Peak lapels are a strong part of their formal tailoring style and velvet, wool, tartan and silk jacquard in all colours from black to blues and brown make for a wide selection of formalwear for all tastes and styles, ages and shapes - as the images below testify. See Chester Barrie.

Wearing Chester Barrie at The Olivier Awards. I'm with fellow guest menswear writer Nick Carvell

The show was superb and I enjoyed every moment of it and the after-party in the Natural History Museum, where the champagne flowed, good food was served a wonderful time was had by all.

Here are some of the names of the men that Chester Barrie dressed for the evening of the Olivier Awards ceremony: Adam J Bernard, Jason Donovan, Michael Sheen, Joe Mcelderry, Michael Jibson, Giles Terera, Peter Polycarpou, Lee Mead, Bill Dreamer, Frank DiLella, Joe McFadden, Ash Hunter, Obi Ugoala, Alfred Molina, Horace Oliver, Jamie Lambert, Emile Ruddock, Dex Lee and Edward Baruwa.

I was a guest of Chester Barrie for the evening and would like to thank them for their hospitality.

Sartorial Sages 2: William Skinner of Dege & Skinner of Savile Row

In this, the second of the Sartorial Sages series, I've asked William Skinner to give us the benefit of his style wisdom.

William Skinner is managing director of Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner and Chair of the Savile Row Bespoke Association. Dege & Skinner were established in 1865 and are Royal Warrant holders. They are also one of the very few family-owned Savile Row tailors left. I'm lucky enough to be the proud owner of two bespoke suits from Dege & Skinner, cut by Tristan Thorne, and they are truly outstanding in terms of fit, quality, style and comfort.

I'm very grateful to William Skinner for agreeing to give us his style tips:

1. Spend the maximum you can afford on good quality clothing - it will pay you dividends in the long run.
2. Don’t be swayed too much by what is in fashion - it will soon be out.
3. Start with a few basics in your wardrobe - dark suit, dinner suit, sports coat/blazer
4. Listen to the experts as to what styling will be best for you
5. Be prepared to invest time if it is your first bespoke purchase - this ensures a good pattern can be drafted.

Click here to find out more about Dege & Skinner.

Sartorial Sages

In this series I invite experienced and erudite members of the menswear world to share their experience with us to help us on our searches for style. You can follow others in this series by clicking on Sartorial Sages.

Sartorial Sages 1: Patrick Grant's Style Advice

In this new series, I've invited a number of sartorial sages, well-known men and women who've inspired me, to distill their sartorial experience and expertise into a few words of guidance for those of us looking for style. 

I'm very grateful to Patrick Grant for being the first to step forward. Patrick is if course the man behind Savile Row's Norton & Sons and E. Tautz. He also founded Community Clothing Co. which seeks to revive British manufacture (all links below). He's also known as a television presenter, in particular on The Great British Sewing Bee, a series that I, who can hardly sew on a button, found endlessly fascinating. 

Patrick Grant

Here are Patrick Grant's five brief tips:

• Tie knots should occupy no more than half the space between your collars

• Only one colour of leather should be worn or carried: shoes, belt, watch strap, bag, gloves (black, dark brown, mid tan, light tan)

• Ditto metals – belt buckle, watch buckle, cuff links, shoe buckle, bag hardware

• Always fasten the middle button on a three button jacket and the top button on a two. This button should be roughly at your navel. As should your waistband.

• Trousers and shirts are simple to press at home. So do this, fastidiously.

I'd like to thank Patrick Grant for his contribution to Sartorial Sages. He always looks immaculate, whether dressed casually or formally, and it's clearly his eye for detail which contributes to this.

Norton & Sons

E. Tautz

Community Clothing Co. (who are updating and relaunching their website at the end of March 2018)

The Turner Twins Interviewed: Comparing Old and New Expedition Clothing

I've written before about my interest in natural and heritage fabrics, cotton and wool cloths, and their use in outdoor wear. I recently met explorers Hugo and Ross Turner at an event held by Breitling, for whom they are brand ambassadors. The twins started their adventures after Hugo broke his neck in a diving accident at the age of 17. The drive and determination needed to recover spilled over into a desire to seek adventure around the world. In doing so they support spinal research charities, including Wings for Life (all links below). 

The Turner Twins compare old and new styles of outdoor clothing

Hugo and Ross told me about two expeditions in which they tested the types of traditional clothes worn by explorers of a century ago using cotton and wool cloths and knitwear. In one they set out to cross Greenland on foot recreating the clothing Shackleton would have worn in the early years of the last century; in the other they climbed Mount Elbrus (5642m) in Russia using gear that Mallory and Irvine would have used on his final Everest expedition in 1923. 

Mt. Elbrus - old and new mountaineering clothing

I asked Hugo to tell me more:

1. In 2014 you and your brother undertook an expedition to Greenland. What were the aims of the expedition?

We set out to cross the Greenland ice cap (east-west) and to find out how hard it was to be an explorer 100 years ago, as 2014 was the centenary year that Shackleton departed for his Endurance expedition. We used replica clothing, kit and equipment and food as we wanted to highlight the performance of Shackleton’s kit and compare it to todays modern equivalent.

Being twins means we can conduct these tests without bias and due to the fact we’re twins means we should technically be identical and therefore any difference in the results from the scientific research conducted on the trips should tell an interesting story.

Greenland

2. What are the requirements of clothing used in polar conditions?

The number one rule is to have clothing that keep you warm. If you can’t keep your body warm then you’re not going to last very long. Secondly, breathability; if you sweat too much in the cooler extremes of our planet your clothing will freeze and become inefficient. And thirdly, layering; this keeps your temperature more satiated as well as offering better comfort and mobility – vital when you have a range of activities and tasks to complete on an expedition.

Greenland - old and new clothing technologies

3. Please describe the older and new clothing. What are the main differences in appearance and functional terms?

The older clothing, as you can imagine, is made from natural materials: wool and cotton. Jumpers and base layers are all wool while outer jackets, combined with lanolin, can make effective and breathable outer shells. You won’t find any zips either. The early explorers used buttons simple for the fact that zips weren’t invented! The modern kit is lightweight, colourful and mostly synthetic unless you find a manufacturer who knows the importance of natural fabrics when designing base layers. Feather ‘down’ jackets have now largely replaced the 'woolly-pully' while plastics and modern technology has allowed for more features and performance which is more forgiving to the user.

Mt Elbrus

4. Who designed the older clothing and where was it made? What materials were used?

For our Greenland crossing, we managed to get the clothing from Tim Jarvis’s expedition which was used to recreate Shackleton’s journey from Elephant island to South Georgia. The traditional pulk (all nine feet of her) was hand made by Roger Daynes at Snowsled Polar.

The Mallory clothing for the Mt Elbrus climb was made by Barrington Ayre using gabardine to recreate the outer layers. The mountaineering boots were made by Crockett & Jones boots maker [images below]. What you also have to remember is that early mountaineers used almost identical kit as their earlier polar counterparts.

"It’s surprising to see how well the traditional materials and clothing fared against the modern equivalent"

5. Did each brother wear one type of clothing for the expedition, or were you each able to try new and old?

Ross wore the traditional Shackleton clothing in Greenland while Hugo wore the Mallory clothing and kit. Doing these expeditions allowed us to really get into the mind set of these early explorers so we didn’t want to swap our kit and try the modern equivalent. This also helped with the scientific and physiological testing. Having used the traditional and modern clothing in cold environments it’s surprising to see how well the traditional materials and clothing fared against the modern equivalent.

Greenland - new and old-style pulks

6. What sort of conditions did you have in which to test the clothes?

The conditions experienced in the polar environments of Greenland weren’t unusual and it wasn’t uncommon for the temperature to hit 30 below. Taking into consideration the wind speed, it felt much colder. The conditions on Mt Elbrus weren’t hugely different, freezing winds with temperatures around -15, but the main battle was with the high altitude. This makes it much harder for your body to stay warm. Temperatures weren’t as cold but taking into account the high altitude it felt as cold as Greenland.

7. What were your conclusions?

The traditional clothing used by those early explorers was certainly up to the job of keeping them alive. The clothing allowed for warmth, mobility and protection while also allowing breathability. The one major down fall was the weight of all the clothing compared to the modern equivalent.

8. What lessons could be learned for future expeditions and the design of modern clothing?

I think one lesson to learn for future expeditions is to keep it natural! Using natural fibres and materials give that added performance such as wicking and breathability. I’d also say that the zipper is something I’d want to keep over buttons but then you learn about your clothing systems and kit the more you explore so the more you get out into cold environments the more you’ll learn about what kit and clothing systems work for you.

Traditional cleated boots (right) made by Crockett & Jones for the Mt Elbrus climb

9. Unfortunately the Greenland expedition ended prematurely - what happened?

Hugo’s knee became increasingly painful over the first two weeks of the expedition, eventually leaving him unable to continue with the expedition. Due to safety issues we were helicoptered off the ice cap at Dye 2 radar station.

10. What's next for the Turner Twins?

We will be continuing with our series of world first expeditions by aiming to reach another Pole of Inaccessibility later this year. We’ve reach two of these so called Poles of Inaccessibility (Australia and South America), which is defined as the furthest inland point from any coastline on a particular continent. We’ll continue to create unique content for our partners while attempting to reach more Poles of Inaccessibility, so we hope to announce the next project soon.

Old meets new on Mt Elbrus - wearing a Breitling Emergency watch

In the image above, one of the twins wears a very un-early-twentieth-century watch. The Breitling Emergency watch acts as an emergency beacon and is commonly used by pilots, adventurers and sailors. Its dual frequency transmitter is compliant with the specifications of the Cospas-Sarsat international satellite alert system and serves to both issue alerts and to guide search and rescue missions. 

The Breitling Emergency

In a follow-up to this feature I'll be looking in more detail at the older-style clothing worn by the twins.

Links

The Turner Twins and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.

Breitling Emergency

Barrington Ayre

Crockett & Jones

Wings for Life World Run

Grey Fox photoshoot looking at brands using natural fabrics for outdoorwear

This is an unsponsored post.

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