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BOOK REVIEW – Walk this Way! – ‘A Visual History of Walking Canes and Sticks.’

Anthony Moss is a rabid rabologist, writes Robin Dutt. Now, that word might conjure images of something biological, chemical or certainly dangerously esoteric. It might suggest someone with an expert knowledge. It may also to some minds, convey the idea of the kind of character typified by Hannibal Lecter. But if this might also be a question of passion and voraciousness in general, then one comes close to the mark, for a rabologist is the distinct word, or term for a collector of walking sticks.

Some only three hundred years ago, gentlemen wore swords at their hips as marques of distinction and choice (not just for street fighting or to defend honour) and of course, were representative of their spending ability. In many ways, the walking stick replaced the sword just as in the 20th century the walking cane would be superseded by the umbrella – a device that provides two functions yet at a push (quite literally sometimes) could still be deemed as a weapon of first defence. Umbrella point and eyes or privates of attacking thief? No contest if it is in the right hands – like someone with some fencing experience. And indeed, the umbrella itself – a relative of the stick – has now been replaced by and large…by nothing. Sartorial justice.

In his very entertaining tome, ‘A Visual History of Walking Sticks and Canes’, Anthony Moss, pictured left, also an esteemed collector of first editions, fine furniture and unusual stationery items, takes us on a fascinating historical journey of this one-time sartorial and purely functional implement which only a hundred years or so ago was a daily feature not to say, a must. The functional stick or cane is one thing, such as a sturdy walking device or something with a curved end held in the hand of a shepherd boy, so to speak and Moss covers some of these examples. But what is most fascinating is the sheer indulgence represented by sticks and canes which were the ‘pointe finale’ when it came to fine dressing for a gentleman or a lady. They really were the finishing touch and betrayed much detail about the wearer (the correct term – for you don’t carry a cane) and also of the quality of the usually commissioned item. In the final analysis, an elegant cane was not simply for the joy of the wearer it was for the admiration of the discerning. And the covetous.

Naturally, a couple of centuries ago there were cane shops, rather like ready to wear clothing stores much later on, where those without the means but with dreams of being, could give a semblance of the elegant look. If they were imaginative and tied a silken ribbon around the stick’s collar, for example, or even go further and apply some sort of paste jewel themselves (it must have happened) well, all to the good. At least it was personalized. But the world of the commissioned cane is quite another affair.

Moss is keen to point out that the stick or cane is far beyond ‘a mobility aid’, unless of course, one thinks of that mobility classic of old, the hooked hospital stick for the injured young or the otherwise healthy old with NHS burned into the handle. Ironically this could look like a person’s initials but quite unlike the curlicue swirls or strident block lettering commissioned by the owners themselves. I recall that it wasn’t so long ago that a certain eccentric of London’s Harrow Road used to appear from time to time with a radio perched on his shoulders blaring a Reggae tune and his battered top hat and long black cane festooned with flashing lights. It was his sceptre, his staff of office. A symbol of sorts. And indeed, what was a pharaoh without his sceptre? Can Parliament itself be called to order, when the occasion demands, without Black Rod?

Moss’ knowledge is devastatingly wide – explosively so – and his passion unbridled. He is probably one of the most important cane collectors in the world and this book surely represents his life’s real work. And it all started when his delightful poetess wife, Deanna presented him with a couple of sticks as a present one day so long ago in their 56-year marriage. Did she know then what she was doing? Probably. For the A&D Collection is one of the finest to be enjoyed and within the covers of this book can be appreciated by all, enthusiasts and the curious. The trouble with curiosity is that it can sometimes lead to collecting. Ask Mr Moss.

Illustrated with over 800 full colour superbly considered photographs by Gayle Bromberg who was, at first meeting with Anthony, ‘bowled over’ by his passion, one might reasonably expect a visual feast. So here we have all types of sticks and canes, from canes with provenance to shooting sticks, rat catching canes to map canes, defence sticks to decorative essentials, hollow structures that conceal folding violins or ones that harbour poisons. Then, there are ‘squirter’ canes – devices filled with water to titillate or annoy ladies in the music hall. Others are set with watches, compasses, matchboxes and so the list races on… Perhaps today we might set one with a Sat Nav or a step counter or a device to keep up with the latest data on the Omicron strain? Mayhap the past had its version of all of these things.

Exquisite carving of exotic heads in wood or in ivory, such as the spectacular example of Napoleon, silver ladies resting leisurely as nymphs on horizontal handles (perfect for a grasped hand) and suggesting poetic verse or pure sex, round balls of smooth marble or glowing amber and the fantastic bejewelled examples from the studios of long gone artists of such rare talent – all will delight and amaze.

Mr Moss has done more than a good job. You can’t take a stick to him.

‘A Visual History of Walking Sticks and Canes’ by Anthony Moss is published by Rowman & Littlefield. £58.

BOOK REVIEW - Walk this Way! -

By Daniel Evans

It is always easy for the armchair expert to say every effort needs to be made to attract new customers into the heartland of British tailoring though quite another to put such ideas into action but that is exactly what the entrepreneurial James Sleater is doing at 7-8 Savile Row.

James, the driving force behind Cad and the Dandy, the tailoring outfit he set up with Ian Meiers in 2008, is positively brimming with excitement as he shows me around the two floors of his expanded operation, aimed at the ready-to-wear market.

“It’s such an exciting project and it’s good for Savile Row to have a shop that’s busy and buzzy,” says James. “A shop that absolutely has its roots in tailoring but is not really competing with anyone else because it is offering a completely different thing. It’s a unique shop for the street and hopefully one that will attract the customers of the future, offering them what might be their first foray into the world of Savile Row. Obviously, we hope they buy their suits from us but the street wins if they go on to buy bespoke suits from anyone else. That’s got to be the thing – the continuation of Savile Row. No one tailor on it is bigger that the street, the street is bigger than all of us.”

James is delighted with the reaction to the new venture. “It’s been absolutely brilliant,” he enthuses. ”We’ve been caught by surprise as to how successful it’s been. We sold out of dinner suits in the first three weeks and we’ve sold out of morning suits even though it’s not the wedding season so now we need to up our production again. We need to recruit dozens more tailors, in essence, to make our ready-to-wear suiting. We now have a much more global reach and can see many more of our suits rocking the world. In fact, we’ve landed a few movie contracts all because a couple of our wicked overcoats in our ready-to-wear range were spotted online.”

Not surprisingly, James and his team developed the idea for expansion during the pandemic. “Covid threw a lot of balls up in the air,” he explains. “We still had all the staff, all the skills and all the talent but not necessarily as many orders as we were used to getting. We knew we needed to keep busy so we might as well start making some ready-to-wear and the more we got involved in the process of doing so, the more it made business sense. And what we have done hasn’t taken away from our bespoke customer – it’s been attracting a different type of customer. We haven’t stolen people away from the bespoke process but added another string to our bow. Now, we are looking at doubling our turnover in 2022 compared with 2019.”

James is keen to highlight the differences between the new ready-to-wear operation and the original tailoring business a few doors further up the Row. He explains: “In our tailoring shop, we need to look and feel like a tailor’s – you’ve got the cloth bunches, you’ve got the patterns, you’ve got the nuts and bolts of the process of making suits so it has to inherently be a tailor’s shop. The ready-to-wear shop has to look like a ready-to-wear shop. The atmosphere is totally different. They are both representative of the modern tailoring companies but one very much looks and feels like a high-end ready-to-wear shop while our bespoke still looks like a bespoke shop. It’s fascinating now operating with a foot in both camps.”

The new shop will have a wide selection of knitwear, lots of separates, safari jackets, worker jackets, the casual jackets you’d go to watch a game of rugby in and also core work suits, wedding suits and dinner suits – even cashmere baseball caps. “If you are not wearing a suit every day, you actually need more clothes,” says James. “If you wear the same casual jacket every day, people are going to notice. But it you wore a blue suit every day, no-one’s going to say ‘It’s that blue suit again!’…. but if you wore the same checked jacket, someone will say: ‘Hey mate, time for a change.’ The reduction in the working uniform means you’ll need to have more clothes and you’ll need to give it more thought.”

Looking ahead, James is keen to bang the drum for the street where he has worked for the last 13 or so years. “I’m super optimistic about the future of Savile Row as long as there are some fundamental changes and new customers are attracted to come here,” he says. “Restoration Hardware (a high-end American home furnishings company) opening up in the old Abercrombie and Fitch building is amazing. Hopefully the old Kilgour shop will be turned into a restaurant – these are things that will make Savile Row relevant because you are not just coming here for an appointment. You might be coming here for lunch and that might encourage you to look into other shops as you walk by. It’s bringing new potential business into the street.

“I’m not one of those people who says Savile Row is a street of tailoring and can only be for tailors. I think that’s incredibly old world. The coolest streets in London are the ones with great mixed businesses. We need to protect the tailors who are here, without question. We need to have protective rents because tailors can’t afford luxury Bond Street premises. But we can afford to be on this street if we have enough customers, if we can make enough garments to make our businesses a going concern. To make sure, at the end of each month, there is enough money in the bank so we can continue working. Rents only become a problem if we don’t have enough customers. We’ve got to get people onto this street, walking up and down, getting their eye in for a future purchase. That’s really what we need to do.”

By Daniel Evans It is always easy for

The history of motoring and Savile Row clothes to partner glamorous driving is well known, writes Robin Dutt. Driving suits, driving coats and also car interiors have often had their origins in the Row, demonstrating that sartoria is not simply a matter of essential elegance but performance too. In the same way that tailors here are not strangers to sports clothes and the demands they make (riding, golf, yachting and so on) the hallmarks of driving garb are no different here.

This exhibition is really a concentration on all the varied crafts which combine to create a harmonic whole, each component playing its carefully considered and executed part. This show asks the viewer to consider just how many diverse talents are required in the pursuit of the single entity be it a garment or a component. And then of course, the years of training that have gone into this. It also highlights the converging and divergent marques of each tailor who can write very singular and yet ultimately linked autobiographies. For each tailor is unique but united by the single entity of Savile Row itself. The phrase ‘history of tradition’ is not out of place on this internationally renowned street.

In association with Hot House Media which specialises in automotive and luxury lifestyle, the exhibition features a selection of tailors displaying previous collaborations with car manufacturers – showing the link between them, with the emphasis on performance and individuality. Cad & the Dandy, Dege & Skinner, Huntsman, Henry Poole and Norton & Sons are the names involved which Julian Stocks, property director of the Pollen Estate feels will give, ‘an insight into the significant relationship between Savile Row tailors and luxury car manufacturers.’ And Geoff Love, the managing director and co-founder of Hot House Media, says that this display, ‘reveals the meticulous work behind the bespoke experience that consumers receive on Savile Row.’ For those used to being fitted for their suits will know, one simply appreciates the efficacy of every thread and its placing – a craft which turns the customer into an enthusiast from the first fitting. The same might be said of the ‘garb’ for a motor vehicle – slick leather panels, or perfectly fitted compartments.

Cad & the Dandy X Bahrain McLaren for example, displays a driving jacket made from a wool and cashmere blend and Henry Poole & Co X Range Rover (with 50 years of Range Rover in mind) shows the sleek quality of a smart grey-black dog’s tooth and Tuscan blue window check lambswool. Also included will be a range of mediums – art, prints, posters and photography.

This exhibition is an introduction to the Concours on the Row in June 2022. Visitors can view the exhibition at The Service, 32 Savile Row, W1 between 8.30am and 4.30pm daily, until 15 December.

The history of motoring and Savile Row

BOOK REVIEW – ‘A Portrait of The Tree’ by Adrian Houston

It might be fair to say that not one of us can ever actually hate a tree, writes Robin Dutt. We admire them for their longevity, the amount of time it takes to grow that wood, those time circles within the trunk that betray years passed, their symbolism and that so tangible spread of branches like alveoli which apparently mimics the spread of the unseen – the top flourishing in light and dark but the roots in perpetual night. Jethro Tull released ‘Songs from the Wood’ decades ago and cleverly showed a stylus and pickup resting on a sliced trunk. ‘I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree’ wrote Joyce Kilmer, for the tree, is an architect of its own grandeur and expression. Somehow it terrifies us to imagine the axeman, the saw man felling, whirring with steel-alacrity – even though we might at this moment be reclining on a wood-framed chair, or sitting at a wood-topped desk or even reading the daily paper made from wood pulp. Do we value trees enough? Do we consider the wooden salad servers or pepper mills?

I have a true story which many will appreciate and be saddened by. Some years ago, the house in which I lived was suspected of suffering from subsidence. The relatively obvious cause was the nearby Victorian railway station, created at about the same time that the house was built. But it was the miniature Japanese Prunus tree in the front garden that was immediately blamed for the hairline cracks appearing slowly but surely on the top floor. How its delicate pink blossoms informed the spring. How its iron-winter branches tapped on the window as if a reminder of its presence. And so, said tree was deemed the culprit and had to come down. My letters of protestation were of no avail and half an hour after the municipal butchers arrived with their whirling saws, the tree was gone. A measuring gauge had been installed some time before to track the progress of the subsidence. It continued to move. The tree was after all, not to blame. But the tree was gone.

Adrian Houston has amassed, in this handsome book, portraits of trees and subtitles it, ‘A Celebration of Favourite Trees from around Britain’. So, here we have the familiar English Oak (Quercus robur) to the Copper beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea); the Cedar (Cedrus libani) to Sycamore (Acer pseudoplantanus). Captured in the glory of day or the drama of oncoming dusk, he immortalizes these giants of nature as sculptural entities, their by turns, frenzied and harmonic branches etching variegated skies.

A host of names have been called upon to lend their words and views regarding trees and it is plain from these alone, just how much trees effect our admiration and appreciation. ‘My passion is conservation’, says Houston, ‘and I have been lucky enough to have travelled to some of the world’s most unexplored and inhospitable regions. All of these places have given me a true sense of perspective on why it’s so important for us to take care of nature.’

And he is so right. At this time when the issues surrounding COP 26 are so much at the forefront of discussion and debate, Houston’s book is a timely reminder of how we, as supposed custodians of the planet could or rather, should be thinking our way out of that box of restrictions and destructions. ‘We all need to do our part to protect them and our planet,’ Houston says of our congregation of varied trees.

There is no doubt that trees anchor the soil, are lungs, homes, nature’s umbrellas – and so much more besides. As part of woodlands or forests, they are part of a community and some even believe that they can communicate with one another. Judi Dench regards her trees as ‘part of my extended family’. Joanna Lumley calls Houston’s book ‘beautiful and important.’ Nicholas Coleridge feel ‘blessed’ to have managed to save his holm oak after a lightning strike. It seems that we must be custodians, indeed. The slow, painful (perhaps) growth, year on year of wood, the springing of leaf and blossom…It is a miracle.

One learns so many fascinating facts about certain species, here. The Yew, steeped in myth and lore and a constant presence in many churchyards, can live up to 3,000 years. The Ash in Norse mythology is known as ‘The Tree of Life’. Sculptor, Antony Gormley recalls a friend climbing a tree and asking who would join in calling the spirits. In Houston’s book we can read views by amongst others, Jasper Conran, Alice Temperley, Alan Titchmarsh and the Reverend Lucy Winkett.

Celebrity chef, Raymond Blanc recalls a tree at his renowned Le Manoir. His greatest memory is of when the Queen Mother visited with her entourage and drank champagne and Dubonnet under its spreading shadow.

It is said that nothing could be simpler that planting a tree for the next generation. Why don’t we all do it?

‘A Portrait of The Tree’ by Adrian Houston is published by Greenfinch. £30.

BOOK REVIEW - 'A Portrait of The

Art Preview – Fashion designer, Nicole Farhi among the artists for 2021’s ‘Discerning Eye’ Exhibition

Now in its thirtieth year, the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition has become something of a London landmark on the art scene, writes Robin Dutt. Over 500 artworks will be on display and this year the organisers received more than 7,500 entries from all over the UK. Actor Russell Tovey along with fellow curators, Adelaide Damoah, Anna Brady, Peter Brown NEAC, Roland Cowan and Tony Humphreys went through the open submissions, to handpick the shortlist.

There are pleasures and problems regarding the organisation of any group show. Whilst the initial idea might be to try and aim at a kind of harmonic balance, in reality, this is neither necessary nor desirable. The object is to show variety – sometimes contradictory and uncomfortable – the better to prove the point regarding the nature of the creative process. Rare it is when you can say you love everything. Rare it is that there is not something you love intensely and may buy – if you could. Often this method of display is called a Salon Display (a la The Royal Academy at the Summer Show) where the eye is assaulted (regaled might be a kinder word) by a baffling splash and spray of different genres, styles – and abilities. But it’s a ‘something for everyone’ approach, of course – very levelling and all-inclusive. The sheer number of works on display here at the ING hang makes it possible to dismiss any attempt at visual harmonics and simply open up wide the firework paint box or consider the once anonymity of clammy clay, finding form.

Russell Tovey says… ‘I am drawn to colour and figuration in a big way – and dogs, I always love dogs, so my selection was looking for the most dynamic and exciting artists exploring the figure and colour saturations – and of course, dogs. I’m excited to see my selection hung together’.

And colour (and dogs!) you will find a-plenty.

There is a sort of funfair, circus ‘feel’ to this show, where at once you might see a beautifully rendered classical portrait in oils, fine drawings on paper, a minimal experimentation with plane and angle or other diverse and atmospheric expressions. Jessica Harrison’s dark and beautifully sinister, ‘Coalport grand finale’ presents a ball-gowned lady, entirely in eerily magnetic, glossy bitumen-black. There is irony and tongue-in-cheek regarding the colour and the history of such a traditional figure. Callum Eaton’s ‘Overloaded Plug’ shows a construct we are all familiar with, perhaps and have been guilty of having in the home or office and the artist conveys that very real sense of immediate danger with the request that one considers the beauty of these individual shapes, forced together to make a composite whole.

Fashion designer, Nicole Farhi, still remembered for her slicing simplicity of line and form in her clothes for men and women, presents ‘Cybele’ a partial torso reminiscent of the Willendorf Venus and yet with an abstract suggestion as well. Farhi has been sculpting for thirty years – throughout her career as a fashion designer. Doubtless, one discipline fed and informed the other. Many creators might agree that all aspects of the works of hands, however diverse might be described as ‘art’. She says…’My aim as an artist is to stir up hidden emotions – to remind people of feelings which maybe they’d forgotten they have.’

There really is something for everyone, here – even that person who falls in love with Linda Hubbard’s ‘Toasted Burger Muffin’ featuring a portrait of Donald Trump. You see what I mean?

ING Discerning Eye 2021 Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London

Art Preview - Fashion designer, Nicole Farhi