Masters of Style: Edward Sexton - bespoke tailor

After decades as a lawyer, essentially an uncreative and often destructive profession, it's a huge pleasure for me, in my new life as a blogger, to talk to people who make it their task to create quality, elegance and style. I recently went to Beauchamp Place, in the shadow of Harrods in South West London, to meet Edward Sexton, bespoke tailor and striver for perfection, in his studio.

I can, even as a then disinterested youngster, remember the impact made on Savile Row by the opening of Tommy Nutter and Edward Sexton's Nutters in 1969. I even went over there to press my nose to the window. For some reason I can't now explain, I thought that Nutters was mentioned in one of the James Bond books as 007's tailors. The last Bond book was written a few years before Nutters opened, so I'd just got it completely wrong.

Of course, Nutters wouldn't have made suits to Bond's tastes anyway. Although the quality of the tailoring was high, the clientele was international pop and rock stars and the styles were those of Carnaby Street rather than the establishment of Her Majesty's Secret Service. Images of stars wearing Nutters long waisted coats with huge, wide collars, exaggerated roped shoulders, flared trousers and clashing checks advertised Edward Sexton's creativity and sixties style.

These elements still echo in his tailoring, providing a refreshing and individual alternative to the classic styles available elsewhere in London. These style clues from earlier and possibly more original days of tailoring reminded me of Mark Powell, another tailor whose work I write about here. The relationship between cutting edge tailoring, depth of experience and heritage is complex and so interwoven that they can never be separated. Without tailors with a foot firmly in the best of the past, we would be much the poorer.

But Sexton isn't dwelling on the past. The focus of his skills, and the very obvious pride he has in them, is on the quality of his tailoring. He showed me how he structures, sews and manipulates canvas, cloth and thread to make a garment that moulds to the wearer, moving with him or her and masking unevenness or pocket contents in way which, to me, seems magically mysterious. 

Despite his depth of experience, he told me that he can learn something new every day and he admitted to me that he has never made the perfect suit. This must make him the perfect tailor. Who wants to go to a craftsman who claims always to make perfection? It's the striving for elusive perfect tailoring that makes the genius. Luckily he also loves to pass on his skills to a younger generation and seeing him work with a young apprentice made me envious of the creativity and skills he has to pass on. 

Everything is completed in his studio; cutting and tailoring. Sexton offers a made to measure range, offering all that we love of the Sexton style. Suits in this range cost around £1800 and are made in China from his own patterns. The block is then altered back in London after fittings with the client. A large proportion of Sexton's clients are women.

Sexton is obviously a man of great generosity and the number of young tailors and apprentices working closely with him highlights his desire to pass on his many years of experience to a new generation, ensuring the future if his business, and indeed of London tailoring.

See Edward Sexton.

Crisp black and white

I visited tailor Susannah Hall shortly after London Collections:Men. She showed me bunches of beautiful fabrics from Johnstons of Elgin which contained one of my favourites, a Prince of Wales, or Glen check. I also saw a limited edition black knitted silk tie, specially made by Augustus Hare. Inspired by the many monochrome geometric checks on display at LC:M, we put together this image of black and white crispness. 

Just imagine yourself in the check suit with this shirt and tie and a pair of smart, Northampton-made shiny black Oxford shoes. I'm sorely tempted.

Shirt, made in the UK, from Susannah Hall (£95).
Prince of Wales check suit fabric, made in Scotland by Johnstons of Elgin (for tailoring prices contact Susannah Hall).
Knitted silk tie made in Italy, by Augustus Hare  (Limited edition £70 at Susannah Hall).

Timothy Everest: a glimpse of AW15

Timothy Everest is a tailor I've only mentioned in passing so far on Grey Fox. I'll be putting that right this year, which is the the twenty fifth anniversary of the label. Meanwhile, here is a video of his AW15 collection. It's some months ahead, but there are some nice details. I'll bring you more when I've seen the collection close up.

The ready-to-wear collection is dubbed 'Tailored Casual' and no doubt that is precisely what it is. There'll be British fabrics like Harris tweed, British Millerain and Ventile (is that still a British fabric?), Japanese chambray and selvedge denims. It all sounds very promising. Watch this space. 

Meanwhile, click to see what else Timothy Everest has to offer.

Best of British Menswear Week: Barrington Ayre, tailors & shirtmakers

Barrington Ayre Shirtmaker & Tailor Ltd pride themselves on their luxury bespoke and made to order clothing, all made in England in traditional ways. 

Somewhere in this image is hidden a clue that Barrington Ayre make clothes for women too. Can you spot it?

Tom Wharton, Managing Director, told me more:

"We make everything from classic suits to house shoes, from polo shirts to shooting suits and from tartan trews to boating blazers and pretty much anything in between! We make for men and women and have a classic showroom in the Market Place, Cirencester as well as offering a visiting tailoring service in London, across the South West and UK wide by appointment".

Tom adds, "Your imagination really is your only limitation". I've only seen images of their products, so cannot say much more; go to their website for more information.

Masters of Style: Mark Powell Bespoke: a very British tailor

To mark the start of my Best of British Menswear Week, I've been to see Mark Powell.

Historically, much of Great Britain's success has been based on the contradictions it displays to the world. Its toughness and belligerence hide the essential kindness that drove the British to pioneer parliamentary democracy and fairness. Mark Powell, London-based bespoke tailor, is just like that. He's very British - in appearance a hard East Ender; in reality a highly creative, humorous and generous man. 

Mark Powell

Like many men in their fifties, life's experiences bring focus. This clarity of purpose shows in Mark Powell's tailoring and it's easy to recognise his work. But there are contradictions; is his style classic or modern, nostalgic or cutting edge? In reality it's a bit of all these things. Nothing is ever truly original; it's how he uses inspiration that makes a man an artist.

Maybe the best approach is to see how Mark Powell sees himself. He describes his work as follows:

"Established in 1985, Mark Powell is one of London's most iconic and influential bespoke tailors. Renowned for his nostalgically and classically inspired tailoring, combined with experimental cuts and styling, he was one of the first to successfully bridge the gap between the traditions of Savile Row and contemporary street style".

The Mark Powell bespoke stamp is unique and widely-appreciated by the many big names he has dressed from the worlds of film, television, music and sport from George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Mick and Bianca Jagger, David Bowie, through style giants such as Bryan Ferry and Naomi Campbell to The Killers, film director Joe Wright, Keira Knightley, Sean Bean and most recently, Paul Weller, Martin Freeman and Bradley Wiggins.

Nostalgia is there, but not in a mawkish way. I saw tailoring influences from Edwardian through every decade of the intervening century; most recently the mod look has been seen on Bradley Wiggins and Paul Weller. Essentially it is sharp tailoring with brightly-described details in buttons, cuffs, collars, taking ideas and colour from earlier looks and adding a very contemporary feel. And yet somehow Mark captures the essence of the wearer, not imposing a style on anyone.

Despite, or because of, the celebrity links, Mark has worked with more establishment organisations like Marks & Spencer and the DTI to bring his style, and that of Britain, to the high street and to the world.

I really enjoyed my meeting with Mark Powell. He was informative, friendly, passionate about is work and generous with his time. Several people had described him to me as 'scary' - what nonsense. If you want a garment that reflects your personality, rather than shows you up as a tailoring clone, go to Mark Powell. This makes him ideal for the man confident about what and who he is; in general that means the older man as, despite having its roots in nostalgia, this is a very mature style.

To pigeon-hole his work is impossible - the most accurate description is that it's Mark Powell. 

Mark Powell, 2 Marshall Street, London, W1F 9BA.
Telephone +44 (0)20 7287 5498
mark@markpowellbespoke.co.uk  

The older man of style: Pip Howeson, tailor and her client Nic Fiddian-Green, sculptor

Pip Howeson is a young tailor whom, despite knowing her for some time, I've only mentioned here in passing. It's too easy for a blogger to be diverted by glossy press releases and look books from major menswear labels, while craftspeople like Pip produce work of exquisite excellence that gives it a value far higher than the mass-produced clothing of high street brands.

Pip's careful work (for men and women) is becoming increasingly recognised and I recently watched her at a fitting with her client, the sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green, who had ordered a tweed coat.

Pip fitting the calico

Pip offers several levels of service; for those involving any custom or bespoke design and measurement, she produces a drawing on paper. After review with the client, the design is scaled up and drawn onto calico which is then cut out and made into a full-size garment without detailing which can be then adjusted to the client's preferences and fit.

This is what is happening in these images of Fiddian-Green, looking rather messiah-like in the calico. Fabric and details were discussed and selected and Pip then made the final coat for the client to try. Images of the fitting, the final coat and of Nic-Fiddian Green's studio and work are shown below.

It was fascinating watching one craftsperson interacting with another; both produce three dimensional works, using different materials of course - and both are true artists. See Pip Howeson's website for more information on her tailoring services.

The fitting process and Pip wearing one of her creations

One of Nic Fiddian-Green's monumental horse sculptures, Horse at Water, can be seen near Marble Arch, London. He explained to me that it was one of the heads that make up the Elgin Marbles displayed at the British Museum that provided the inspiration for his love of horses and sculpture. He has also produced some quite superb drawings of Marrakech by night (see image below) that, for me, captured the whole essence of ancient stones, warm North African nights and the magic and history of that city.

All images above by Grey Fox

Grey Fox's Hunter's tweed suit by Susannah Hall, Tailors

Well, here's the (almost) final result. I've never felt so comfortable in a suit; in fact, after a tiring day at Best of Britannia, I felt no need to take it off and change into jeans as I crashed on the sofa afterwards (sorry Susannah, it came to no harm). I recommend the bespoke/ made-to-measure route to anyone.

This has been a significant step in my search for style and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I've loved being a client of Susannah Hall's and have asked her to make me a blazer - that will be another story.

I'm grateful to Susannah Hall, Tailors, for making the suit, to Hunter's Tweed from whom I obtained the tweed and to Heather Amos, photographer, for taking these shots at Best of Britannia, .

Photography - Heather Amos

The Tailor's art - Ken Austin of Benson & Clegg bastes a sleeve

Ken Austin, owner of Benson & Clegg, has more than 40 years in the trade as tailor and cutter and is a Master tailor. Here he bastes the sleeve of a bespoke morning coat, stitching it in temporarily to check its position before finishing it off.

I had a fascinating morning yesterday talking cutting and tailoring with Ken and his colleagues. Benson & Clegg offer a genuine bespoke service. Unfortunately the definition of bespoke is being undermined by those who offer a 'bespoke' service that is little more than made-to-measure.  I'll talk more about the difference between bespoke and made-to-measure in a future post

For more information on Benson & Clegg see their website or phone +44 (0)20 7491 1454 (and mention Grey Fox).

Susannah Hall Tailors - the unbearable excitement of having a suit made

Earlier this week I went to Susannah Hall Tailor's for a further fascinating and fun fitting for what has now become a tweed suit (rather than just a jacket and waistcoat, as originally planned).

The jacket is unfinished, covered in temporary stitches (basting) and with only one sleeve (Susannah reassured me that the final version would have two). Ultimately the checks will match across the jacket and side of the trousers - and the shoulders will be slightly narrower. I've opted for a classic double-vented two-button style with a bright silk lining. The next fitting with Susannah will show if further adjustments are needed before the suit is finished. The tweed is from Hunter's Tweed, about whom I will say more another time.

Susannah wrote on her Facebook page as follows -

We...had The Grey Fox in for his suit fitting. He had brought in a length of cloth which my tailors in Yorkshire have cut and made into a fitting for both his jacket and waistcoat. We nipped, tucked and chalked and have now sent them back to be finished off. We are also ordering a neat classic cut trouser to complete the look

Photo Susannah Hall Tailors

Bespoke at Susannah Hall - Grey Fox is measured up

Grey Fox had an enjoyable and interesting afternoon this week being measured up for a bespoke tweed jacket and waistcoat. This will be made from tweed kindly supplied by Hunter's Tweed (for more information about their beautiful Scottish tweeds see the image below and go to my post here).

The tweed from Hunter's Tweed 

Susannah Hall is one of the many friends I'm privileged to have met through Twitter and I had earlier visited her shop in Clerkenwell, London, simply to find out more about the tailoring process. We got on so well, and had so many interests in common (in particular about British-made menswear), that I asked her to do the tailoring for me. See Susannah Hall's website here - Twitter @SHalltailors.

With Susannah Hall.

Grey Fox is wearing - linen/cotton suit: Oliver Spencer (jacket Made in England), shirt: Evocha (Made in England), shoes: Loake (Made in England), folio: Holdall & Co (Made in England), socks: J Crew, hair: model's own.

Susannah is highly professional, very knowledgeable and great fun, taking the measure of me (as she called it) as I walked into the shop, assessing style and taste. This process continued as she measured me up and we discussed cut, shape and details like buttons and lining for the jacket and waistcoat. She somehow skilfully balances helping the client achieve a distinctive style of their own, while tactfully steering them from any too obvious sartorial errors.

Now that I've been measured up, the pattern-making and cutting will take place in Yorkshire and soon there will be a second fitting at which the partly-complete coats will be tried on for size and further tweaked before going back to be finished off. I will report on that in due course.

Susannah Hall has an excellent selection of shirts (available off the peg in her Office Smoothie range, or bespoke), accessories and ties. She has a superb sense of colour and her products are beautifully displayed, skilfully blending patterns and shades of fabrics, linings, shirts and ties. Her prices are very competitive.