BESPOKE SHOES
JAMES TAYLOR & SON

One of the real delights of having a pair of bespoke shoes made is the possibility of having exactly what one wants. Gone are all thoughts of having to ‘make do’. Compromise can be banished. Sartorial perfection can be pursued with vigour. Style and workmanship must be considered carefully in these circumstances, of course. But there is another factor which can now also assume its proper importance: colour. For years I have had in my mind a particular colour combination. I first saw it in the footwear of an artist friend – a gentleman of exquisite sensibility, now, sadly, gone to his reward. I knew well enough that the objects of my desire would be impossible to find in the ‘ready-made’ world: only master craftsmen could create for me precisely the right shoes. This, then, was the reason for my visit to a modest, pleasingly old-fashioned shop, just off Marylebone High Street. Here I had found one of London’s top makers of bespoke shoes: James Taylor & Son.

Please click here to read more

SUITS

BUYING A BESPOKE SUIT

A GUIDE TO THE DETAILS

The acquisition of a bespoke suit is a delightful experience. But – like most of life’s more worthwhile occupations – it is not without its complexities. Many gentlemen, quite properly, have sent questions to me about this or that aspect of buying a bespoke suit. I therefore think it appropriate to offer the following observations – which, I hope, will be of some modest assistance to anyone who is about to embark upon this particular sartorial adventure.

Please click here to read more

OVERCOATS

BUYING A BESPOKE OVERCOAT

Nowadays many gentlemen are content to buy ready-to-wear overcoats. Indeed, some years ago I was shocked when my tailor at the time – in the very act of taking my measurements – told me that it would really be more sensible to acquire an off-the-peg garment. This sort of defeatism really will not do. Sartorial standards should be maintained even when – perhaps especially when – one is in the open air on a cool day. I therefore offer the following guide, modest and inadequate though it might be, in an attempt to encourage those who are contemplating the purchase of a bespoke overcoat.

Please click here to read more