The London Lounge

Gentlemen
Do any of the Savile Row tailors visit the Middle East? I would like to get a couple of suits made but struggle to find the time to get to England more than once or twice a year. Any recommendations would be most welcome.
Thank you,
Simon

Dege & Skinner used to do a lot of Middle Eastern business-- officers for one of the Gulf states, I think.

My guess is that a lot of the SR shops do sub rosa visits to the oil zillionaires out there and don't post the schedule on their website. But if you were to inquire when they were in the neighborhood, they might be able to help you out.

Thank you, that's helpful. I'll give it a try.

All my friends from that region love the excuse that a visit to their tailor gives them in order to justify coming to London. Summer down there is hot, and only those who must stay there.

Very true - Riyadh is a ghost town in the summer, but would 2 to 3 weeks in the UK be long enough to get the fittings done? As a bespoke novice I had the impression that the process took rather longer, if not, problem solved.

No, three visits (initial measuring and two fittings) over two to three months would be normal for Savile Row. Some of the tailors take off a few weeks in the summer as well. To be honest, to use a London tailor only makes sense if you go there three or four times a year on a regular basis.

OK, that makes much more sense for me, I travel home for business fairly regularly and those intervals suit quite well. The thought of seeing someone out here is appealing from a laziness point of view but adding a day or 2 to a business trip is easy enough. Again, thank you for the advice.

Dege & Skinner still travels to at least two Middle Eastern countries. If that seems like it would help your situation, I suggest that you e-mail William Skinner at: William.Skinner@dege-skinner.co.uk

Belated thanks for the collective advice, I am delighted to report that I am enjoying the lovely London weather today and have had a wander around the tailors this morning and have been measured for a 2 piece 3 button SB in a 9oz cloth at Dege and Skinner. I had a look at A&S and Poole's but finally opted for D&S - hopefully a good choice, no doubt time will tell.
As an aside who would you recommend for a more relaxed linen suit?
Thanks again.

SM67 wrote:
As an aside who would you recommend for a more relaxed linen suit?
Thanks again.

Steven Hitchcock? He did one for me and it is soft but not floppy.

For DB, Steed or Mahon (or A&S, of course) would be my preference. And I haven't seen it, but the Rubinacci shop on Mount Street is said to have a lovely one on display.

Concordia, would you be willing to share snaps of your Hitchcock suits (both son and father)? Also, I believe you have used Kilgour's Shanghai service - how about letting us see those...

Steven Hitchcock? He did one for me and it is soft but not floppy.

For DB, Steed or Mahon (or A&S, of course) would be my preference. And I haven't seen it, but the Rubinacci shop on Mount Street is said to have a lovely one on display.

thank you, I'll have to take a walk down and have a look

masterfred wrote:Concordia, would you be willing to share snaps of your Hitchcock suits (both son and father)? Also, I believe you have used Kilgour's Shanghai service - how about letting us see those...

You take the liberty of assuming that I know how to plug a digital cameral into a computer. If I find someone around with competence in this area, and a mannequin, LL will be the first to find out about it.

SM67:

I think that you made a good choice. Who did you meet with at Dege & Skinner?

Also, out of curiosity, how many times a year do they travel to the Middle East.

Encooper
sorry for the belated reply, back in London today for a fitting. It was/is Robert Bailey who has been great - very patient and helpful. Apparently they visit the middle east on a demand basis, generally to Bahrain and Oman. Graham Lawless was equally helpful and it appears I may be able to see them locally in the future, however, a pleasant couple of days in town is a very persuasive argument for a fitting here.
On a different subject what's the feeling on here about Crockett and Jones shoes? I bought a couple of pairs to try, they seem reasonable value - what's the quality like long term?