I come from a fashion family, but it may surprise you somewhat to know that this was women's fashions, and also that I was the only one that had nothing to do with the business.
The reason I got to know men's fashions right from the start was that we were in business in quite a big way, on the women's side that is. We had showrooms in Mortimer Street in the West End of London and also Margaret Street.. We were always associated with the West End
When you work in that league you have to look good i.e expensive for the professional buyers that come in from all over the world,let alone all the fashion magazines that we were in, and generally the people that you meet.
We did a lot of wining and dining in the best places to our agents all over the world when they visited London.
My father introduced me at an early age to top class tailoring. That was the best of everything and bespoke. I used to have my suits done at Alexander where for £18.00 you got a made to measure that was generally quite good, and you can guess how long ago that was. I used to say to my father in my ignorance why go to a bespoke tailor when he can come here and he would say gruffly "there alright" because I just did not know the difference.
These made to measure suits were really quite good and as I wanted to be the local Cary Grant I thought I was well on my way. I must say they did cut a dash but I had yet to learn.
On my twenty first birthday my father had made for me by his bespoke tailor in London a three piece medium grey suit and I saw how the real deal was, and I was in love with quality tailoring from then on. From that moment every girl gave me a second look, would often tell me how smart I looked, and I was clearly the best dressed in the room by a mile. I even met a beautiful girl on my twenty-first birthday party.
That was the summer of love 1967 and who would imagine wearing a suit and a tie today to a Party but then it was quite natural. I had two more suits made by this tailor, one a double breasted, and they were both marvelous.You were catapulted automatically to way over everybody else but things change.Men's boutiques were coming into fashion and in those days you could buy a very good suit off the peg and that was what I did because I could not keep asking my father to pay for them.
My father was my role model and because all his suits were bespoke he always seemed perfect, and in fact he had that figure and bearing that he would have looked perfect in any quality of clothes.Simplicity was the style but of course in the 1960s that was out except for the older set who always seemed somehow very square. Color was everywhere and that was what I followed until I saw how right he was.
In fact I joined the learned profession of law and you had to look smart and expensive because you could be dealing with some very big clients and that was what was expected of you. Smart offices, smart clothes.
Nowadays there is a far greater choice to look good. You do not have to go bespoke. You can do made to measure or off the peg at very good quality and reasonable prices. You do not have to spend a fortune, and my experiences with changing fashions over the decades I would like to devote my time to showing people how the simplest combinations can make you look good, create style, even create your own style within certain style rules.
So this is how I want you to see this website and I hope you are going to enjoy reading and sharing the style experiences with me.