Last week was the summer party of the Bespoke Tailors Benevolent Association, which is always a nice affair.
There’s a mix of cutters, coatmakers and cloth merchants, as well as the friends and family of apprentices receiving their Savile Row Bespoke certificates.
This is not Pitti; there are no peacocks. Many people are in bespoke tailoring, but often without other bespoke or sartorial elements. It is relaxed and it is very social – more like a village fete than an tailoring event.
Congratulations to all the apprentices that were awarded on the night; it’s fantastic to see so much young blood still coming into tailoring. And many thanks to Claire Barrett of Hawthorne & Heaney for her usual organisational prowess.
David Taub’s collarless shirt is a standout.
Would welcome your thoughts on collarless shirts , Simon.
Don’t believe you’ve ever wrote about them .
Never been that much of a fan, if only because a collarless shirt will generally be lower than a collared one (just because of that lack of roll to the collar itself above the band). I can certainly see how it can work from a style point of view though.
It should also be borne in mind that it is relatively casual, as any exposed edges usually are. The curve of the collar covers up the top of the stand, in the same way a double cuff covers up the exposed edges of a single cuff.
I am an admirer of Davide Taub’s style in general but I am not a big fan of the collarless shirt. To anyone with a long neck, it does rather over-emphasize it in a way that tends to bring to mind giraffe comparisons.
Hi Simon,
I like the color of the suit Tommaso Capozzoli was wearing, it really stands out, could you please check with him and find out what fabric it was made of, if possible get the swatch number.
Many Thanks.
It’s cotton gabardine – but a vintage cloth I’m afraid so it’s not available any more.
Is James Weir wearing heels? Anyhow, i can’t keep my eye of Simon’s linen jacket (part of a suit, i know). It is quite beautiful.
Interesting report, thank you. Are all SR houses represented? It is not a contest like the Golden Shear award, is it? The saxofonist in the last picture looks a little like Zoot, his cool mate in the Muppet Show.
It is not a contest, no. But certificates are given out by SRB, which not all tailoring houses are a member of
Hi Simon,
Thanks for sharing! Interestingly enough, the level of formality at such an event is somehow assumed by the attendees, even though there is obviously no written rule related to dress code.
Anyway colourful enough that suited to the weather!
John
As a fellow sax player, I would say the tenor sax player in the pics (why uncredited?) is holding his own here, if not up to the sartorial dash of Miles Davis or Sonny Rollins 😉
It’s Greg Davis, from band Henry’s Pencil.
He also has some nice suits and shoes…
What a jolly event! Unusual to see Mr Parker sans tie. Where was it held?
The Merchant Taylor’s Hall. There are two events a year held by the BTBA there. The winter dinner is black tie and more formal
Hi Simon,
When you decided to wear this jacket as a separate, which options had you considered before settling for these trousers?
John
Good question John – I’m doing a fuller piece on the outfit next week and will spell those decisions out.