Connect with:
logo
mobile-logo

Standard Blog Whole Post

Accessories, Grooming, New Trends

IMAGE: Beretta Gallery London

Be it cars or guns there are some added extras that today’s action man cannot afford to be without this sporting season. James Turner compiles a collection of his own exclusively for Savile Row Style Magazine

After a long Summer season, although I use the word Summer loosely, it is now time to put away the warmer-weather wardrobe of Royal Ascot morning suit, Wimbledon whites, polo chinos and Henley’s striped rowing jackets and swap your golfing plus-fours for shooting “breeks” in preparation for the Autumn’s sporting highlights. This may be a day (or two) spent on a grouse moor, taking in the early jump meetings at racecourses around the country or admiring, and driving, the ultimate in motoring beauty at a clutch of concours d’elegance. Whatever takes your fancy, these Autumn pursuits insist that you focus on the details. Participants are becoming increasingly style conscious which has seen the traditional sporting brands embrace more style and fashion-led designs, think Holland & Holland; whilst fashion brands like Belstaff have collaborated with organisations such as Lord March’s Goodwood. In the same way that sailing embraced Formula One technology, not only in its yacht design, but also in its clothing, shooting has embraced hi-tech fabrics and technology to ensure improved performance on the field. So be inspired by our own collection of essential Autumn accessories. They cannot guarantee you a successful day but allow you to concentrate on the important details.

photo

Perfect Cover

Think Purdey and depending on your forte then either a matching pair of guns comes to mind or the TR7-driving companion to Steed in The New Avengers. Sorry boys, it’s not the screen-shot-2016-11-14-at-17-00-20latter this time, but the gun and rifle maker who has caught our attention. Renowned for superb craftsmanship for more than 200 years, Purdey has turned its attention to detail to clothing. New for this Autumn and looking equally at home in a cityscape or field are the Rochester and Ilkley jackets. Made in impressive Hawick Tweed, these coats not only offer effortless chic now, but will survive the rigours of life so that the next generation can look equally on trend.

Hidden Attraction

Land Rover has been creating off-road workhorses for almost seven decades. The arrival of the Range Rover in the 1970s proved that utility vehicles did not have to be drab or unfashionable. Now an exciting partnership between Land Rover and London gunsmith Holland & Holland offers unrivalled luxury for the keen shot who never compromises style for function. Featuring all the usual attributes of the Range Rover Autobiography – including great off-road performance – this magnificent beast also incorporates style cues such as using polished walnut veneer to resemble a gunstock and Holland & Holland’s instantly recognised engraving in the door handles. However, this car’s best feature is hidden away in the boot – an easily removed, leather trimmed aluminium gun case. Perfect for your matching pair.l405_15hh_int_det01

Hand Controls

screen-shot-2016-11-14-at-17-01-32In the 1950s and ‘60s no gentleman of style would consider it proper to be behind the wheel of his beloved motor without driving gloves. The advent of power steering and improved car heaters has seen this trend diminish unless you need to hurl a beast of a wheel of a vintage, 4-litre Bentley or its ilk. Car or not though, what better way to finish off an Autumn outfit than with a pair of classic driving gloves? Dunhill, whose slogan was “Everything But The Motor” is perfectly placed to revive this tradition. These elegant gloves, made from English leather, recall an earlier, maybe more sartorial era, but one that any man about town or country would be happy to adopt.

Champion Style

This year marks the 40th anniversary since British sporting legend James Hunt’s legendary Formula One Championship win at Fuji, Japan in 1976, where he snatched the championship by one dramatic point from fellow racing hero Niki Lauda. screen-shot-2016-11-14-at-17-03-46Belstaff has commemorated such a moment by unveiling the James Hunt 40th Anniversary Capsule Collection – created in collaboration with Hunt’s sons Tom and Freddie – to celebrate their father’s legacy and indomitable spirit. The Hunt brothers feature the collection’s hand-waxed leather jackets – one with four-pockets and with quilting details on the shoulder, while the other is a shorter shape with two chest pockets. There are six pieces in total to this collection – each piece perfect for a concours stroll.

Head Start

screen-shot-2016-11-14-at-17-04-55The Autumn chill means a chance to reach for the much-loved flat cap. Now making a resurgence with the younger generation – think Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake or Ryan Reynolds – the flat cap is taking centre stage once more. Traditional hatters such as London’s Lock & Co have responded to this new demand by retaining the quality and standards by which they are known worldwide, but breathing new life into a traditional staple. Take the limited edition Muirfield, a traditional eight-piece cap. It may look conventional, but is crafted from lightweight Shetland wool with an added cotton sweatband – perfect for those early Autumn temperatures.

Timed to Win

Motorsport is all about the timing. Yes, speed matters, but only in the context of achieving the fastest time. Many of the sport’s characteristics are also familiar to watchmakers – reliability, precision etc. Zenith has taken these links to a new level by creating a timepiece to celebrate its association as official timekeeper of the Historic Endurance Rally Organisation (HERO). The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Open 1969 HERO Cup Edition is based on the launch edition of the original watch, created in 1969, and believed to be one of the first automatic chronographs. The subtle introduction of the HERO Cup medallion on its face may be the only outward reference to HERO, but its movement – 5Hz frequency (36,000 beats per hour) – is a USP that every racing driver will understand.zenith_el_primero_chronomaster_1969_hero_cup_edition

Fashion for the Field

Shooting is a sport of heritage and tradition – reflected in the clothing as well as the weaponry. So creating something new to wear for this very conservative (with a very small c!) audience is never an easy ask. But Farlows know their customer – they have been sporting outfitters since 1840 and so are an ideal brand to create a Field Coat to deliver in all weathers and terrain. As with every piece in Farlow’s Fieldware Collection, it has to perform on two fronts – not only look the part, but be hardworking too. Although made using an exclusive range of Hawick Tweeds – a mix of pure Cheviot and twisted merino and Cheviot yarns – this coat is not made in Scotland, but sent to a small coat maker in England, who hand cuts and crafts it into a field coat. And with the sportsman in mind at every turn, this jacket even has rubberised Farlows’ snaps to protect precious gunstocks.

 From Savile Row Style Magazine: Read this Edition Here

0 Comments

IMAGE: Beretta Gallery London Be it cars or

Accessories

Robin Dutt delves into the treasure trove that is the great fabric houses of Europe, some dating back more than 300 years, but always remaining on trend

When the poet W B Yeats wrote about wishing “for the cloths of heaven”, we know he wasn’t thinking of tailoring, although he could have been. For, as anyone who understands cloth knows, the whole sartorial process begins with it – the weight, the texture, the subtleties of colour and, perhaps strangely, even the smell – authoritative and reassuring. A task for many tailoring students used to be the blind test where a bag full of fabric swatches was passed around, the object being “to see with one’s fingers”. Touch is vital – it may be seductive to some and unpleasant to others. Don’t forget the importance of associations and memory too. Take a hairy tweed? It may force some to run to the hills, while others will never want to remove such a garment.

Undeniably there is a psychological aspect to this, our second skin. The designer Yuki once said that he cut fabric as little as possible because, for him, it was akin to thrusting his shears into skin. Or as the celebrated designer Murray Arbeid once offered advice to a novice: “Think twice, cut once.”

Throughout the history of Savile Row, the satellite fabric suppliers, whether close at hand or further afield, have formed a unique alliance which combines to generate a force which creates elegance – or indeed functionality alone. After all, although this international street is known primarily for its suiting, it is no stranger to clothing for sport and the field. A first time visitor to a fabric house or if lucky enough a mill itself, will be astounded by the art – and that word is not used lightly – of the creator. That our species is naturally visually curious seems to be echoed in the sheer variety of cloth available, with each establishment and even each bolt, telling a very individual story.

Dashing Tweeds

Set up by the charming and charismatic Guy Hills, who is also a photographer, Hills has allowed his natural passion for tailoring to spill over into the creation of cloth – the better to establish a defined and individual identity. He describes his signature as modern urban woven. “I see fabric as an extension of the personality,” says Guy, sitting in his bijou studio-shop off London’s Vigo Street. “I am very interested about how men can express themselves through colour.”

screen-shot-2016-12-06-at-10-21-29

Colour there is, standing out brightly among the more familiar anthracites and charcoals. Bold window panes in cerise, lavender and emerald have become something of a trademark for this company and Hills never forgets the importance of texture.

Holland & Sherry

holland-sherryStephen George Holland and Frederick Sherry began their business in the last year of the reign of William IV and over their celebrated history have acquired almost 20 other respected wool companies to create a monolith. Originally located in London’s Old Bond Street, specialising in wool and silk, the company moved to Golden Square and today is the only cloth merchant remaining in that part of London. Perhaps that is why one cannot question their appellation “The Finest Cloths in the World”. Apart from catering to gentlemen of exquisite taste who understand how and why cloth performs, the company has provided cloth for film and stage – from Mission Impossible to the English National Opera. Holland & Sherry is at the forefront of keeping a world-renowned tradition alive and relevant. Vivienne Westwood, perhaps Britain’s foremost designer, often renders radical styles in the most traditional fabrics – tweed which she is delighted to export to the world not only in the shape of clothes, but in the identity of tradition.

Johnstons of Elgin

johnstons-of-elginFounded in the late years of King George III’s reign, Johnstons of Elgin is widely regarded as crucial in the origination of a vast range of designs known as Estate Tweeds and their development, largely due to the fading of influence of the clan chiefs after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. However, the company’s pioneering spirit has been responsible for associating its name not only with the finest cloth (their sentiment is that only the best will do) but since the “Peacock Parade” of the 1960s Johnstons has understood the power of fashion and so has invested in knitwear, manufacturing garments in classic and on trend shapes and colours. Consequently, Johnstons today can boast one of the most advanced weaving and knitting plants in the world and is the only company to see the entire garment construction through from raw material to finish.

Scabal

scabal

Luxury fabrics are chiefly associated with Scabal and so many of its bolts offer a lightness and luminosity suitable for the most statuesque formal wear, as well as elegant business suiting. This writer well remembers witnessing a lavish length of pinstriping – sparkling gold and crushed diamonds – waiting to be whipped up into a suitably strident suit, or perhaps a twilight ensemble for the hush of a club in St. James’s. Founded in 1938, but tracing its origins to 1539, Scabal’s Autumn/Winter collection is inspired by British heritage and nature, balancing classic and modern tailoring details as in blazer shapes to a new shirting range in “Silver”, “Gold” and “Washed” distinctions.

Dormeuil

The name itself is a moniker of taste and is familiar with all lovers of tailoring. It seems to reassure and from 1842 has been creating timeless classics and indispensable familiars enjoyed by kings, presidents and the well-informed, for whom the three rams’ heads on its shield is synonymous with style. Although Dormeuil, started by a slip of a young man, Jules Dormeuil at 22, is proud of tradition, that is no reason for Dormeuil not to commune with the present and indeed the future. Take its Tecnik range for example. Describing it as “intelligent fabric” in the same vein as Sportex, Tonik and Laser, this fabric has the modern man on the go very much in mind; a fabric which cools the body when it is externally hot and warms it as the temperature cools.

dormeuil

 From Savile Row Style Magazine: Read this Edition Here

0 Comments

Robin Dutt delves into the treasure trove

Accessories, Style Tips

Robin Dutt focuses on the crowning glory of any morning suit – the top hat and says you can have any colour you like as long as it is black!

Most men find the wearing of a top hat something of a challenge. Tracing its origins to the end of the 18th century, one can observe from looking at fashion plates and paintings of the period, just how indispensable top hats were most of the time; worn, but often carried. In fact, no outfit was complete without one – something even Burlington Bertie appreciated. Naturally, a gentleman can sport one with aplomb, but it is one of those elements of male attire which can look splendid or so very wrong. An event during the season – a wedding, a funeral, a race meet and so on – can always call for the sporting of such an item but there are pitfalls.

top-hat

This item has many a name, some more familiar than others. It may be referred to as a beaver hat, silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney hat and my favourite… a stovepipe hat, immediately visual and purposefully archaic. Just don’t call it a topper.

Instantly symbolic, a top hat can and does inform a formal costume, but beware of that too shallow brim and as for grey, I can’t understand the attraction. For me, it must only be the polished black silk – with such a sheen as to capture the light itself. But alas these are few and far between, the long pile silk threads once made on ancient looms are now no longer in existence. But all is not lost. Many second-hand clothes dealers, especially those catering for men looking for that formal outfit they wished their grandfathers once possessed, and even those dealers specialising in vintage womenswear will never ignore a top hat of quality. Someone will buy it.

Not surprisingly though, such items do not come cheap and whilst you can always buy contemporary examples or (perish the thought) invest in a hireable example, a dedicated search may yield appropriate results. I was lucky to find my example, complete with leather box, some time ago and it now comes out to play on rare occasions, but not before a little gentle “polishing” – one direction only with a pad of velvet. I possessed another once, which by chance I inadvertently sat on. It is still there though – perfect for Halloween – the dents and odd tear or two on the rim of the brim adding a rakish quality.

Still unsure? Then head to Lock & Co or Bates in St James’s or Christys’ in Prince’s Arcade, SW1 for the best advice and you will turn heads.

top_hat

From Savile Row Style Magazine: Read this Edition Here

0 Comments

Robin Dutt focuses on the crowning glory

Shoes

Whilst shopping with my dear friend, author and raconteur, Tyne O’Connell, we passed through Burlington Arcade by the Royal Academy. Whilst she had her crocodile courts polished to perfection by one of the most trusted shoeshine boys, I noticed that his laces on his glossy Oxfords were a strident contrast – deep rose pink. By his side was a woven basket of rainbow coloured laces which tempted the idea to change, well, a few of my existing black laces on black Brogues and the like for anything from lime green, sunshine yellow, ruby red or sky blue – just as Paul Smith’s shoes often are informed by.

shoepassion_z123-08.0

An ideal opportunity one might add to balance the lace colour with that of a tie. For many this will be a bridge too far. Cross it. Our charming polisher said that he knew only of 3 or 4 serious professional shoe shines in London. For £6 for a fine finish, keep the tradition alive. And if you have 15 pairs which need gleaming in expert hands, he will visit your abode.

0 Comments

Whilst shopping with my dear friend, author

News

Internationally recognised as markers as past success (or sometimes otherwise – campaigning, notoriety and so on) take a little time out to visit, a stone’s throw from Savile Row, Chesterfield Street, where you can pay homage to Beau Brummell who occupied the elegant town house which still exists a few feet from today’s roar of relatively vulgar traffic.  That familiar Wedgwood blue disc might allude to the man whom in his day was described as a man of fashion but ignore that.  British style ambassadors will have to wait for the inevitable and have their domiciles or workplaces similarly tagged.  Surely we can expect Vivienne Westwood, Sir Paul Smith – and a few others.  BUT not too soon please!

0 Comments

Internationally recognised as markers as past success