The London Lounge

http://picasaweb.google.com/11478074972 ... vileRowDay#

http://thesavilerowartisan.com/

Matthew

Thank you for the pictures. There are a lot of familiar faces there.

A little over a year ago I met with two representatives of the Savile Row Association and suggested they promote an event that would draw the attention of the world to the Row. I felt that the Savile Row traveling shows to Pitti, Paris and Japan were somehow undignified, and overly mercantile, sales reps pitching their wares.

My idea was to close off SR and hold an annual show that would bring the world back “To the roots of Masculine Elegance”, back to the storied street, to the style launched by Brummel that influences all of men’s dress to this day.

This SR Field Day is a step in the right direction and it looks to have been a nice event, but it does not send the message that needs to be passed to the world. If the British are champions at anything, they are the champions of men’s style. Sadly those who have inherited do not know how to tell their own story and leave the task to fops and trade magazines that are unlikely clarions. In the meantime the likes of T Ford, R Lauren, the Italians (in general) are usurping a crown that is rightfully British.

Cheers

M Alden

Michael, is there anything in the world of (real) men's attire that can't somehow be traced back to you?

Thank you for the photos Mr. Farnes; sure looks like a fun day.

Sadly those who have inherited do not know how to tell their own story and leave the task to fops and trade magazines that are unlikely clarions.

The degeneration of several tailoring houses into brands has been seen a lot over the last years. To me, the temptation is understandable. Imagine you're managing a house on the Row. Things are not running smoothly. You glance at the huge popularity in the fashion press of Tom Ford, his gang of fellow scoundrels and the whole "classic clothing" trend in general. You think that if you were a scoundrel too and were featured on the same glossy pages or glittering websites, you would get a share of the popularity and sales would go up. What I don't understand why seemingly so few see through the temptation and realise that jumping into the fashion pool they cut off their biggest asset, the heritage of style (a lot of houses and/or costumers seems to confuse this with heritage of stars, thinking that the more famous people they dressed in the past, the better the tailors they are now, a glaring logic fallacy). Savile Row needs story tellers to communicate their heritage of style, not entertainers to convert it into something else.

cheers,
j.

I attended the closing concert of an organ festival last night and very much admired an excellent Polish organist who could not, however, help transcribing a Chopin Nocturne and a Polonaise for his instrument (with 2010 being the Chopin year and everything). Of course Bach's organ works will never be as popular as Chopin's nocturnes, but playing one on the other's instrument doesn't do either any service.
I think emptying the name of its content creates disappointment for old customers and confusion for new ones: the former no longer find what they learned to expect, while the latter wonder if they are in the right place. This is not updating or modernization - not even a matter of taste like playing Chopin on an organ - it’s moral suicide.
There is certainly humour in the idea of the sheep brought to the SR (on a different level of interpretation than just as a wool campaign)... but where are the shepherds?

Costi wrote:There is certainly humour in the idea of the sheep brought to the SR (on a different level of interpretation than just as a wool campaign)... but where are the shepherds?

I hadn't thought of it this way. Priceless!

I was glad to see this.

I believe that Savile Row has over the years become a victim of the Savile Row ethic. The firms have been paragons of understatement. They've jealously guarded the names of their customers. Self-promotion has been absolutely taboo. Some of them still don't even have websites. The average SR firms insistence on placing their label on the INSIDE of the coat-pocket is symbolic of the problem. These people make an extraordinary product. The world in which we live now requires them to devote some resources to say so.

C

I can't help but think that Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren, etc. can only serve to help Savile Row as they pique people's interest in good clothing. Savile Row can be aspirational (in the best sense of the word) for people who are looking for something beyond the high-end RTW brands, if SR promotes and cultivates awareness of itself in that market. A large part of that probably involves what Michael wrote: that SR is the source and original expression of modern masculine style.

--Andre

This is true:

I have a friend in the coffee business. He has two small shops and is utterly devoted to his business. He grew up on a coffee farm in Guatamala. He roasts the coffee himself in small batches in a machine built by a family member. He is close friends with many of of his coffee growers, and visits them often.

He's very sucessful, but without Starbucks, he'd be nowhere. It took Starbucks to show Americans that coffee could be something better than it had been; his business is with people who have discovered that coffee can be far betteer still.

http://picasaweb.google.com/11478074972 ... 6749273778

DB coat with DB waistcoat -- isn't that verboten?

Anderson & Sheppard posted a nice little video on the event: http://www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk/ -> ABOUT US -> FILMS -> second "Watch Film" link.

On unrelated note, they also have a blog authored by of apprentices: http://www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk/thenotebook/

Andrey

Costi wrote:I attended the closing concert of an organ festival last night and very much admired an excellent Polish organist who could not, however, help transcribing a Chopin Nocturne and a Polonaise for his instrument (with 2010 being the Chopin year and everything). Of course Bach's organ works will never be as popular as Chopin's nocturnes, but playing one on the other's instrument doesn't do either any service.
I think emptying the name of its content creates disappointment for old customers and confusion for new ones: the former no longer find what they learned to expect, while the latter wonder if they are in the right place. This is not updating or modernization - not even a matter of taste like playing Chopin on an organ - it’s moral suicide.
There is certainly humour in the idea of the sheep brought to the SR (on a different level of interpretation than just as a wool campaign)... but where are the shepherds?

Chopin, I have recently read, also appreciated the sartorial arts. I am quite sure it would not be amiss to assume that the way he dressed was guided by the same principles he followed in his compositions. Maybe he saw both on a par. While reading his biography, I came across this passage and remembered Costi's post. I thought you might like to read it.

Thank you, Marcelo, for this passage. By coincidence (sort of), I am currently reading a biography of Georges Sand (the one by Andre Maurois). I have not yet come to the part involving Chopin, but I'll post here anything interesting I might find there. Although Sand herself appreciated masculine elegance a little beyond admiration for others

Costi wrote:... I have not yet come to the part involving Chopin, but I'll post here anything interesting I might find there. ...

I am looking forward to it!