London Musings

[Scot]

I made my first trip to W Bill last week, in the company of my tailor. An amusing place if only for the sheer Dickensianess of it all. But I did find the cloth for my new tweed suit - a 14oz windowpane on a speckled grey ground from Lovat Mill. I am very excited about it and it is amazing how helpful it is to see and handle a large piece of cloth as opposed to a swatch. There were some very tempting Shetlands too.

Afterwards I was speaking to Malcolm Plews at Welsh and Jefferies about unlined coats. He surprised me by saying that he makes quite a few. He mentioned that he had recently seen a beautiful RTW example from Loro Piana that he had taken a few pointers from. He made the point that when the RTW manuacturers embark upon a new line they can work on it for some time before they get the construction right. A bespoke tailor trying something different has but one chance.

The same day I chose a couple of shirt fabrics at Dege. There have been some disappointing reviews of Dege's shirtmaking on this forum but I have found the service and shirts excellent. Yes a little patience is sometimes required but my shirts are usually ready within two months of being ordered.

Today I had an informative chat with John Rushton, who has a great little shoe shop on Wimpole street. They do good repairs and he offers C&J handgrade at a competitive price. Interestingly he said he rated Cleverly highest amongst London bespoke shoe makers. This man likes to talk about shoes! I bought a pair of suede "bucks" with red crepe soles - a snip at £149! Made by a Northampton firm called Sanders you can see them here http://www.sanders-uk.com/categories/-Casual-11.php

[alden]

Scot

Sounds like a day in London the likes of which all of us enjoy so much. The city is still the place to bespoke.....and one never tires of it.

Thanks

Michael Alden

[Scot]

Forgot to mention the pint in the Windmill on Mill Street Seems to be a hangout of tailors!

[radicaldog]

Does W. Bill sell directly to the general public as well?