Does my bum look big in this?

What is with the craze for short suit jackets at the moment?  Everywhere you look you can see grown men in suits with their bums hanging out the bottom of their jackets.  The bottom part of a jacket is called the seat, therefore it should cover a gentleman's seat not expose it. 
This indecent exposure is the consequence of high street brands jumping on the tailoring bandwagon and imposing their modernistic view of tailoring on the world.  Proportion wise it may work with a skinny frame and narrow lapels, but it will never be the correct way to wear a suit and if you put a well fitted suit on you are wearing something that represents generations of working out what works best.  A suit should give the illusion of an athletic physique; long legs, fitted waist and strong chest.  Short jackets defeat this purpose completely. 
Any tinkering that is done to the silhouette of a suit is usually fashion led and doesn't have the longevity of garments which are made in the time honoured tradition of tailoring and not following fashion trends.  Mods in the 60's wore their jackets short, bum freezer style, looked cool back then but not now, fashions move on, style is timeless. 
Bottom line, if you can see your bum when wearing your suit jacket then I'm afraid you look like a lanky fool who borrowed a school boys jacket, not the elegant well dressed man you should wish to look like.  Put your arse away you scruffy git!

Made in England - worth spending an extra few bob

When you buy clothing with a Made in England label, what do you think of......quality, trust, heritage? 
These are all qualities you would come to expect when you see those 3 words, but of course there is literally a price to pay for the confidence that comes from purchasing clothing which has been produced in England.

As instead of out sourcing work to foreign lands where there is an abundance of cheap labour and manufacture costs are low, when something is produced in this country it is subjected to a rigorous process which is overseen by skilled tradesman and artisans who are extremely proud of their craft.  On visits to suit manufacturers and cloth mills, I have seen first hand the level of perfection these people strive to achieve consistently on a daily basis.  It is engrained in them and it is people like these that helped to make Britain great and continue to spread the reputation of garment manufacture in this country as being amongst the best in the world.
Garment manufacture in this country has been sadly unsupported for so long that there just isn't the same number of factories or skilled people wanting to work in them as there was in the past.  Meaning that the manufacturers that are left, are much in demand and are fairly small operations.  Small specialised factories with little competition means prices get pushed up. 

Yes it may be a bit more pricey to buy a suit made in England than it would to buy a suit made in say

China, but you will inherently be buying a better garment as we set the standard in this country as to how things should be made and others copy and catch up but we will always have that head start and level of consistency that make buying British worth the extra few quid.  And maybe more importantly you can wear your clothes with a clear conscience knowing you own something of quality and are doing your bit to support British manufacture. 

Charley Boy!

Big pressure being having the title the Prince of Wales.  You have to live up to the reputation of the role; that is to be a stylish authority on classic British gentleman's dress.
Up until the last decade or so he always wore what was appropriate and correct, but now he uses imagination with his choice of cloth for his suits and shirt, tie and hanky combinations.  He also now wears his clothes with more confidence.
He's grown into his role, not only as a future king, but as a symbol and guardian of classic British style and tradition.  Everyone is starting to appreciate the values of a double breasted suit but he's been wearing them for donkeys.  Always worn correctly (bottom button on the jacket done up if double vented-the vents allow enough space for movement) and looking completely natural wearing his suits - he wearing the suit not the suit wearing him.

Looking back at British history, over the years the owners of the title the Prince of Wales have been gentlemen who took great care and interest in their appearance.  Charles's ancestors King Edward the 7th and King Edward the 8th were both the Prince of Wales before becoming king.
King Edward the 7th was extremely fashion conscious.  Always looking his best when seen in public, he invented many of the style options we still use to this day such as turn-ups on trousers and the dinner jacket.  Then there was Edward the 8th who was just as influential and was renowned for pushing forward with his style ideas and having a modernistic view of dressing.

Charles isn't as a fashion forward as his predecessors, but he knows how to dress.  Albeit conservatively and inoffensive, subtly the way he dresses is the most manly display of elegance and style you will see anyone else wearing today.  Never looked better than at the London memorial for 9/11 last year.  Understated but stylish and completely appropriate.

Of course he has the resource to look this good, we can't all go to Anderson and Sheppard for our suits.  But he's now got the experience and sense of pride to always look his best.  Easily the best dressed man in Britain.

Half Canvas or Full Canvas suits?

What's the difference and why is it important?

The canvas within a jacket, the material in between the cloth and lining, is what gives a jacket shape and determines how a cloth hangs.  With a half canvas construction the canvassing goes down from the shoulders to the outside front pockets and is in most cases stuck to the fabric of the jacket.  Because it is stuck on, the cloth isn't allowed to move very freely, which is fine with heavier hard wearing cloths where the main concern isn't for the cloth to move but to hold its shape.  Most important with day to day work suits that will need to be able to take a high amount of wear and punishment.  Half canvas jackets are machine stitched, again resulting in not much movement as the stitches are tight and rigid.  More suited to tougher, less fine cloths.

Then there's full canvas which is closer to Bespoke in terms of construction, it has canvassing that goes all the way to the hem of the jacket.  So it holds its shape better and instead of being stuck on it is hand sewn in so it moves with the fabric (also known as a floating canvas).  This results in a garment that is more comfortable, allows for more ease of movement and as anything that is hand sewn, will have greater longevity.  This construction is far more suitable for finer and lighter cloths as it will allow the cloth to show off its ability to move and drape as it should do.  The reason for wanting a finer and lighter cloth in the first place.
The only reason not to buy a full canvas suit is price, as it is usually at least twice the cost of a half canvas suit.  But as always you get what you pay for.  If you choose a lightweight or fine cloth then full canvas is the way to go, otherwise you totally jeopardise the reason you chose a more expensive cloth.  You want the cloth to be able to move and show off its luxurious qualities.
Try on a half canvas then a full canvas jacket and you'll see and feel what I'm going on about.....Full canvas is better isn't it?
How would you like to pay sir, cash?

Creative Tradesmen

Been back working on Savile Row for a few months.  Met a few cutters from up and down the row, young and old.
They've all got Thames Estuary accents.  Bit east London, bit south, proper.  Not geezers, they're above that.  These are men who chose a trade and have over the years been striving to develop and perfect their art and are at the top of the tree.
They could be plumbers or builders, but they're cutters.  If I came to Savile row from a foreign land to purchase a bespoke suit then I'd want to meet one of these guys.  You wouldn't wanna fuck about with them or question them.  They know what they're doing and they do it well.  The Americans must go bandy when they meet them on their trips to New York, Chicago etc...

It's amazing and something to be proud of that the tradition of a Great British craft is carried out by Great British men.

Britons, never, never, never shall be slaves!

Luvly Jubly, Innit!

Del Boy's fucking hilarious and has a heart of gold underneath all the wide boy act.  He's iconic and to me has always dressed like a don.  He hasn't got a pot to piss in but always looks the nuts, except in later series when he looked proper down on his luck..sad.
Flat cap, Gabicci knitwear, gold chain, sheepskin.  He looked cool as fuck.  What working class dressing is all about.  Projecting image, wearing clothes more expensive than you can afford-getting deals my son, never pay full price.

He knew how to wear a suit, loved a double breasted, 80's style (Super 130's Italian cloth), but still looking Britishly sharp.  Whoever was in charge of wardrobe on Only Fools and Horses deserves a BAFTA, they did an amazing job.
Don't look as his clothes as a costume, they communicated what he was about...South London geezer on the up.  Aspirational.  Where are we without aspirations?  He's up there with Prince Charles for me, British style icon.  A dying breed, almost extinct in fact.
Actually, even Boycie looked good in a wanky sort of way, Rodney always looked like shit though.
Say no more son, say no more.....

Bespoke or Made to Measure?

This is still a mystery to those who don't regularly purchase suits.  In fact, even with those that do.  It's all about expectations.
Made to Measure sounds as though you'll receive a perfectly fitting suit, and in some cases you do.  I'll explain.  Made to Measure (or Personal Tailoring) is a step up from Ready to Wear tailoring, in which a few minor alterations can be made.  If you're looking at anything more than adjusting lengths or widths then the next stage up is Made to Measure.
Using a pre existing pattern you are put in the nearest size that fits you, then your consultant can be a little more precise with adjusting that pattern to suit your own body shape and needs.  Made to Measure will always fit better than Ready to Wear and you also have the option of choosing from a set of options -  cloth, style and the detailing which makes your chosen suit individual to you.
How well your Made to Measure suit fits depends a lot on the experience and eye for detail your consultant has.  But remember, the Made to Measure consultant is not a tailor, he/she is a salesperson who has a specialised knowledge of suit fitting and construction.

Bespoke is the top of the tree when it comes to tailoring.  Instead of a pre existing pattern, a cutter will measure and cut a unique pattern just for you.  The cutter will have years of experience judging body shapes and knowing how to create a suit that that will fit you perfectly.  If you are a particularly awkward shape to fit and you want a suit that fits you well, then in a lot of cases Bespoke will be your only option.  As instead of trying to adjust a pattern to to fit you, the pattern will be cut to fit you in the first place.  All cutters are I've met are perfectionists and will strive to deliver something both they and the customer will be proud of.  It does nobody any favours to be looking like a bag of shit with a label reminding everyone who is responsible.

With Bespoke you can really get creative, as you're not limited to your choice of style and detailing, but hopefully your cutter can reign you in if you have any awful ideas or bad taste.
Obviously there's a big price difference, so we can't all afford to have all our suits Bespoke, but it's worth saving up for at least one at some point.  As with tailoring you get what you pay for.  So have a budget and go a little over that to get a suit you can be proud of.  Suits you sir!