The London Lounge

Dear SouthPender In your original final para you ask: "Is it necessary to trust the job to only a well-known tailor with a reputation for excellence?" I would say that the reputation for excellence is very important and an important benchmark for the purchaser. Such a reputation will have been hard-...

Dear All I noticed a recent post on another forum (ahem!) which was submitted by an existing A&S customer and which was rather 'guarded' regarding the typical handiwork/stitching on the A&S product. This in turn reminded me of a much earlier comment (quoted in Richard Walker's 1988 SR book) by Profe...

I was browsing recently through some of the diaries of Sir Henry Channon (known as 'Chips'), the wealthy socialite and Member of Parliament (born 1897, died 1958). There is very little about clothes in the diaries; eg. Chips clearly favoured Savile Row with his patronage but the diaries do not divul...

I concur with the comments regarding the "scratchiness" of traditional Harris tweed (though of course this is also an indicator of its durability). I believe a potential additional problem with Harris tweed trousers is that they do not readily hold/keep a crease. Having said all of that, I understan...

I think I'm correct in saying that the still-current custom (certainly in Europe) of 'fitting' double vents to jackets (or, more properly, coats!) dates from the first half of the 20th century. Can any fellow Loungers tell me more?? eg. a more precise time line; which types of coat led the way? what...

Etutee Firstly, thank you for such an informative post (as ever!). Secondly, a couple of quick questions: 1. what is the year/date of the 'closet' picture on your post? 2. I'm intrigued by the description of the loafers as "Norwegian Peasant Shoes" - I assume this was the phrase used at the time? Wh...

Dear All In the decades since the 1950-60s it is I think indisputable (sadly) that the number of SR firms has greatly reduced. This is due (amongst other things) to: 1. retiral of one-man cutter/proprietors. 2. purchase/acquisition by competitors. 3. a sadly reduced demand for the SR product (linked...

Dear fellow Loungers I was wondering....what single EXTERNAL aspect of a bespoke suit most sums up or represents for you the notion of bespoke? Or, to put it another way, as you pass your fellow man 'in the street' what one characteristic of his dress might most surely convey to you whether or not h...

NB - the following is NOT meant to be offensive! I currently do not own, not do I foresee much likelihood that I will ever purchase, a pinstripe/chalkstripe suit. There are 3 main reasons for my bias (prejudice?!): 1. Personally I find pinstripes to be rather 'unimaginative', especially given the ra...

I have a pet theory (probably wrong!) on the ventless coats of the 1920s-40s, as follows. Amongst other reasons they were designed this way in order to 'restrict' the wearer's ability to shove his hands into his trouser pockets and thereby to slouch. Or put another way, they were designed to facilit...

Since my early twenties and the onset of working life, and for the past 20 years or so, I have been (budget permitting!!) a regular-ish MTM/bespoke suit purchaser. Whilst fabric selections have differed and personal configurations have (ahem!) altered over time, I have remained throughout wedded to ...

Dear Bry2000 I live in the SE of England and would offer a personal opinion as follows: 1. given the circumstances you outline, I think your "lack" of a dinner jacket is entirely understandable. 2. It might be prudent for you to explain in advance to your hosts that you won't be wearing a DJ. That g...

Back in his A&S days I do recall seeing a photo of him with his suit jacket undone which suggested that he favoured one of those "integrated" sort of belts, ie. made out of the same material as the suit and sort of integrated into the trouser waist (sorry - don't know correct description!) Houndstooth

I agree, TVD, although to be fair I do believe that stated turnover figures are usually a true/fair representation of sales volume.
Therefore the particular unknown for me is how many suits/overcoats/jackets/accessories/etc lie behind Poole's sales of £2.2m or Davies £1.1m......

Houndstooth

Many SR tailors seem to have websites, and personally I have found them to be generally interesting and informative (with English Cut a favourite). Question: might we one day see an A&S website??! (I know they're traditionally a very dicreet outfit....but I now understand that they display mannequin...