• NEW HEAD FOR CRAFTSMEN

 

BRITISH craftsmanship at its finest is represented in the Master Craftsmen's Association, an august body covering exclusive names in shoes, shirts, cloths and trimmings as well as tailoring, established pre-WW2 to protect the interest of London's West End craftsmen. And its new President is Graham Lawless, sales director at Dege & Skinner, who replaces the urbane Maurice Ramroop of Maurice Sedwell. Nowadays, the Association is noted particularly for its convivial annual luncheon, but just being a member confers elite status.

 

The Montrose velvet doublet, with line pleated kilt, and the Sherriffmuir doublet, both from Kinloch Anderson.
 

Graham's appointment comes at a busy time for Dege & Skinner. This month sees them visiting the East Coast of the U.S. and also attending the Game Fair at Broadlands in Hampshire. Country fairs and customers are important facets of their business.

Another facet is their Scottish connection. The company are the London representatives for Kinloch Anderson, the name in tartans and Highland dress. We will deal with the esoterics of Highland dress in a future edition but meantime point out that very many surnames may be linked with a Scottish tartan – and that there can be no more romantic evening dress for a man than the full evening kilt attire. A made-to-measure kilt ensures the right length and fit and on the first Thursday of the month a representative from Kinloch Anderson takes appointments at Dege's showroom in Savile Row.

 

• BRILLIANT FOOTNOTE

 

LAUNCHED against the relentless tide of imports a few years ago, the Edward Piers brand concentrates upon classic British style lines, the majority made in the UK. Based in the Midlands of England, the mail-order company was started by Nigel Maclean, who had concerns about the cheap labour, high transportation costs and outsize profits involved in much imported merchandise. So impressed was frequent customer, Andrew Robinson, that he bought the company.

As well as a full range of classic casual clothing for men, the brand also features accessories , including these splendidly colourful socks. In 90per cent cotton with 10 per cent nylon, they are made in England and feature hand linked toes for comfort. Price £11. See www.edward-piers.co.uk
 
 
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:: What's In Savile Row Style ? ::

     

Style 1 - Suit survives revolution – London storms New York

Style 2 - Kilts on the Row – Veteran brand a winner

Style 3 - Blazer out at Wimbledon   – Brummell the Dandy trendsetter

Cloth - Tweed in the Da Vinci Code – Rare goat gives luxury suiting

Grooming - Toning up while sitting down – Male trend in spas

Cars - Boat and car in one – Ultimate security on wheels

Drink - Loving Cup for Champagne – Yo Ho Ho Comes to London

Yachts - Germany's winning bob –   Top speedboats arrive

Gifts - Safe stores for champagne – Best of corsets

Travel - Taking ship for Galapagos   – Buy into an island dream

Culture - Broadway hit in town –   Guide for Best Men

Companions of Savile Row – listing of top tailors and interviews

 
     
:: Oldest tailor retires ::
   

SAD news that the Row's oldest tailor, Ron Pescod, has finally hung up his tape measure. Now in his 9 th decade, Ron was until recently still coming in most mornings to the premises he shared with Alan Bennett at Davies & Son. But increasing ill health has finally made him decide that his tailoring days are over. We don't know yet what will become of his company, Adeney & Boutroy, the oldest firm in the Row,dating back to 1744. Maybe it will join the ranks of other old names that Alan Bennett has collected under his wing.

 
     
 
:: Export Awards go to Veterans ::
   

AS one of the few people attending the recent UK Fashion Export Awards who knew Ben Sherman, I couldn't help thinking how chuffed he would have been to see his old brand sweep the board, winning not only the Multi-Channel Award and the Menswear Award but also the Gold Award for Exporter of the Year.

Ben was a likeable character who entered into the spirit of Swinging London in the 60s with gusto. He launched his eponymous shirt brand in 1963, bringing the button-down Ivy League styling to the UK with huge success. Ben sold out in 1975 and since then the company has gone through various metamorphoses but retained a young following. Now, the collection features tailored clothing, jeans, T-shirts, footwear, accessories and women's wear as well as shirts, and its success overseas shows how British fashion remains at the cutting edge.

Short-listed in the menswear category was John Smedley, a brand with an even longer history. This company has been making knitwear, exclusively in England, for 220 years, now specialists in fine gauge knits which are to be found in top menswear shops in the UK and around the world. MS
 
 
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