LUXURY LEATHER COMES TO THE ROW

Bespoke leather goods are now available at Number 12 Savile Row, the home of Scabal. They have teamed up with top Belgian leather house, Delvaux, to offer a selection of leather pieces that will be handmade and personalised to the customer's specifications.

Launched as the No 12 collection, it features briefcases, wallets and other male items, all in the best of leathers, with meticulous trims. Delvaux dates back 180 years, during which time it has become something of a master at making luxury leather goods. www.delvaux.com

PENS THAT PROVIDE AN ELEGANT MESSAGE

The personal touch of putting pen to paper may have lapsed as a result of emails and texting but the demand for the very best of writing instruments continues. What better to encourage the art of letter writing than a fine fountain pen, and top pen maker, Onoto, says there are still plenty of enthusiasts around the world who prefer the aesthetic quality of a fine pen.

Onoto was founded in 1909 but ceased trading in the 1950s. It was resurrected by a British entrepenaur and pen fan in 2004 and has rapidly reestablished its de luxe credentials with individual collectors and special commissions.

Made in Britain by a team of skilled craftsmen, the pens offer a range of nib shapes for connoisseurs, from size three to seven, gold, gold plated and rhodium plated, in fine, medium and broad widths, with three shapes available - straight, stub and italic.

The pen at top is a specially commisioned model, solid gold with enamel decoration. Such a pen costs around £30,000. Left, pens commissioned by Cambridge University to mark their 800th anniversary last year, featuring the Cambridge crest and engraved details. Available in a limited edition of 200 for the black acrylic, 200 for the sterling silver, 100 the gilded silver, and 10 the 18ct solid gold, they retail from around £250 for the acrylic up to about £10,200 for the gold. Go to www.onoto.com for further information.

TIES WITH HANDIWORK

It isn’t often that a new luxury tie brand is launched. The Charles Georges collection combines Swiss and French craftsmanship, with the artistic backing of artist Charles Georges Chouéri-Strohschneider, to offer hand-made, hand-dyed  and hand-painted ties that may be ‘tailored’ to individual taste.

The collection was launched last year in the Lausanne-based gallery of Mr Chouéri-Strohschneider. Here,  “customers in search of a unique creation will now be able to entrust the brand’s artistic director with their every desire in terms of motifs
and colours, as well as defining the width and length of the given seven-fold tie”, he stated.

All the ties are seven-fold, have individual patterns and each one is numbered.

This bespoke service for a rarefied breed of customer is augmented by the online service available at www.charlesgeorges.ch 

Other retail outlets are to be selected. In twill and crepe silks, and some cashmeres, they are priced at between £120 and £280.