SAVILE ROW DOES FUNKY

During the Olympics, much fuss was made over some whacky suits offered by a Dutch company, brightly patterned all over with the Union flag. All-over tulips, hearts, moustaches and daisies are other options in what would at first sight seem a pretty idiosyncratic range for men that is unlikely to hit the average High Street any time soon.

Yet Savile Row, that seeming bastion of  conservative, classic style, has long since been making outré outfits for its more flamboyant customers.

Sequins, lamé, outrageous checks, jungle prints, brocades, glo-brite satins, embroidery, and even hand-painted cloths have all been worked by the Row’s bespoke tailors to cater for those who want something quite different – and have the money to pay for such taste in the best of quality.

"We will do our best to make what the customer wants," says Alan Bennett of Davies & Son firmly. Recently, that has included brilliantly coloured, outsize check, shorts suits, quite a change from their standard classic lines.

Over at Welsh & Jefferies, a creation of a plus-two shooting outfit in a check that might put the birds to flight is but the latest for a customer who regularly orders highly individual styles.

Richard Anderson was somewhat surprised when a sequin suit made for his window display brought in a batch of customers off the street to order such, though he does regularly produce unusual numbers in exclusive materials.

Huntsman has its own brilliantly colourful check cloths woven each season in order to accommodate the more exuberant style of some customers.

And Henry Poole, elder statesman of the Row, has made an exact replica of court dress for one keen customer going to a fancy dress ball.

The fact is that plenty of men, particularly young ones, like to indulge in something a bit more eye-catching than a standard navy worsted on occasion – sometimes for fancy dress events, sometimes for show biz costume, sometimes just for fun.

Tom Baker, over in Soho, has a strong clientele among those who want a rock’n roll style to their suits. Gresham Blake, one of the Shoreditch tailors, has some outlandishly patterned cloths that are popular with his show-biz fans. And John Pearse, the doyen of unusual style from his days at Granny Takes a Trip in the ‘Sixties, continues to provide funky outfits alongside his more classic designs.

That's the beauty of bespoke – it can create what the customer wants, in a quality commensurate with its more mainstream styles. The Dutch Union flag suit may have captured the headlines but really, compared with some of therequests the tailors have dealt with over the years, this was pretty tame stuff.

At top, a camouflage patterned jacket by Timothy Everest. The peaked lapels are satin and the piping trim is in reflective tape, which is also featured down the side seam of the trousers.

The commandingly bold check jacket is part of a plus-twos shooting set from Welsh & Jefferies - though there is no knowing whether it is actually to be worn in the shooting field.

Above, striking barbed-wire patterned jacket that was worn at an Amnesty International event earlier this year. Made by Gresham Blake.

Left, a denim coat design from John Pearse, which he will make for men and women.
These are all bespoke items.