TAILORS OPT FOR SOHO'S BRIGHT LIGHTS

Tailors have always rubbed shoulders with the girls of Soho, their workrooms occupying the same  tenement houses of this region of London, which is adjacent to but quite different from Savile Row’s Mayfair.

It is here that much of the work for Savile Row goes on, where outworkers supply the skills and extra hands that the Row’s houses require. But as Soho has become if not exactly more respectable then certainly smarter, so tailors have opted for retail premises here as well as workrooms.  Mark Powell and John Pearse have been here for years, Tony Lutwyche has his headquarters in Berwick Street and now Tom Baker has an eyecatching shop in tiny D’Arblay Street.

This tall fellow, dressed in slim jacket with leather collar and front stitch detailing, with skinny trousers, is something of a rock-n-roller amongst the tailoring fraternity, popular with many of Soho’s showbiz and media types. But he started in the traditional fashion, learning the rudiments at Hardy Amies in Savile Row before renting a table, or a ‘sitting’ as it is known, from an established Row outworker, and then his own Soho workroom.

Initially, he was helped by contract work from Hardy Amies but gradually built up his own contacts, many from around the Soho clubs and pubs that he knew.

“I like the fact that this area has such a different atmosphere,” he said. “Savile Row is so formal, it used to depress me when I went to work there. All my customers used to call in to my Berwick Street workroom and now they are coming here.  It’s like a club.”

Here is a small shop in a building that dates back to 1737, though much altered since then.  But it retains its old character and Tom Baker had long had designs upon it before a To Let sign went up earlier this year.  He was delighted to get a 10 year lease on the building, giving him storage space in the basement, an additional workroom upstairs and the shop and fitting room on the ground floor, now given his own style make-over. He has retained the Berwick Street workroom, so has considerably more space than some Savile Row houses.

The Tom Baker style might be described as lean and mean – for the young, fashion-conscious customers at least. The jacket has a long, slim shape, with defined space beneath the scye, and for the trousers he has worked on a more fitted shape, inspired by the cut of jeans.

“I thought Savile Row trousers were too voluminous at the top, not what young men are used to. I will make whatever anyone wants, of course, but like this leaner shape.”

He also likes using leather as a trim, especially for collars, favours strong patterns and colours as well as classic cloths, and makes a feature of meticulous design details. The outré side of his work accounts for around 30 per cent – which leaves 70 per cent for classic, traditional tailoring. Everything is traditionally made to Savile Row standards and he has a team of four experienced Savile Row workers to help him but does the cutting himself.  His site www.tombakerlondon.com may seem rather funky but his tailoring is serious.

In addition to bespoke clothes, Baker also has a ready-to-wear collection and some very sharp accessories – wonderful shoes through a Terry de Havilland consultancy, and hats by Phillip Jones.