Tailoring for Women

It was a complete delight to go to the Cadogan Hall last week to attend a concert by Mary Carewe once again.  I know I have written about her before, but this was something of a special occasion. The concert consisted of a mixture of cabaret songs drawn from the age when Berlin was the focus of all that was risqué and decadent.  Cutting satirical songs from Kurt Weill to the more exotic and challenging Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg made for a heady mix.

Not only was Mary on stage but the concert was conducted by her father John Carewe,  Sir Simon Rattle’s original mentor, and in the Berlin Kabarett Ensemble was her sister on the cello.  Simon’s son Sasha was playing the clarinet, and throughout the evening three of my own family appeared.  Three concert gowns made over a period of 15 years; a silver beaded gown for Pierrot Lunaire, a black beaded tailcoat for the Berlin songs, and a multi-coloured beaded\netting combination to add a little more spice.  It was certainly the night for beads!

Mary makes her Carnegie Hall debut with Carl Davis next year so with a bit of luck I will be able to synchronise  my next US sales trip with the performance.

Photo: thanks to www.sanctuaryclassics.com

The Duchess of Windsor said “when it is right there is nothing to replace it”, American Vogue dubbed it the “Ford” because it was as ubiquitous as the automotive, and Coco Chanel confessed, ” a little black dress is difficult”.  It is hard to believe that this perennial which became such a feature for Audrey Hepburn is over 80 years old. In the Daily Express today it made an appearance again, prompted by the new Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

In this instance it appears to be invested with a durability not normally associated with haute couture as it appears to be the garment of choice for the actress Olga Kurylenko as she plummets to earth on a parachute in the company of Daniel Craig.  Aren’t modern fabrics wonderful!

In the same spirit that Pascal said “I am sorry for writing a long letter I didn’t have time to make it shorter”, in its brevity the LBD requires an equal degree of finesse in creating its subtlety of curves and figure-hugging simplicity.  Much of its personality is created in the cutting process which has to be exact. Silhouette, neckline,  and hemline all interact and have to be in balance. It really is garment design in its purest form with no fuss or frills and  little room for error and carries the same degree of risk as the ‘shodo’ calligraphers who get only one chance to make their mark on the paper.

I made the dress above for Ute Lemper when she starred in the opening of Chicago in 1998, and it still looks as fresh and alluring as it did when it first went on stage.  It also had a sense of theatre as you can see from the shoulder strap.

So when thinking of reviving your wardrobe remember the words of Christian Dior.  “You can wear black at any hour of day or night, at any age and for any occasion.  A little black dress is the most essentail thing in any woman’s wardrobe”

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With the current financial turmoil that surrounds us it seems appropriate to talk about price of goods, but on this occasion I intend to do it from the ‘makers’ standpoint.  The reason is that I have been more than slightly surprised recently by some of the prices claimed for ‘high quality, custom, hand made’ suits.

Here in the City  you are either accosted en-route across London Bridge during the morning rush hour by ‘banker look-alikes’ handing out vouchers for commodity-priced bespoke items,  or by low price deals for hand-made suits in the evening papers.  I find this intriguing.  Now that the true definition of the term bespoke has become clouded by a recent Advertising Standards Authority ruling, perhaps there is a lingering hope for clarity in the term ‘hand-made’.  It seems like a good premise until you start to look at the price breakdown.

Let’s take for example an offer for a ‘custom hand-made’ suit I saw the other day.  £179 was the asking price.  leaving to one side the acutal ‘fit’ of the garment let’s look at the maths.

First get rid of the VAT; about £15 in round figures.  That leaves us with £164.

This recent edition of Monocle (note the tailor on the cover!) contained news that might raise the spirits of craftspeople all over.  Its feature “Craft makes a comeback \Welcome Home” highlights a recent trend for manufacturers to bring their production units back to their home roots and values.  We have seen this happening with other outsourced services too such as call centres.  The reasons cited in this case were twofold; the difficulty in  monitoring and maintaining quality, and soaring logistical costs.

Good news perhaps for all the highly trained craftspeople ‘back home’, and in particular for those in Savile Row which has been hit over the years by a popular misconception that price was the sole determining factor in purchasing a suit.  Depite this homeward bound trend however, there seems still to be have been a recent burst of activity from internet-based suit makers with their own version of bespoke garments manufactured on the other side of the world … it would seem that now even the term bespoke has to be redefined according to the Advertising Standards Authority .

From my daily meanderings through the Square Mile I must admit to having some reservations about the final outcome of these cyber suits.  ‘Distance learning’ is one thing, ‘distance fitting’ quite another.

In this inspiring  article in Monocle, I was particularly taken by the comments made by Martin Frechen, MD of Steiff Teddy Bears (yes…teddy bears!), whose manufacturing base transfers from China back to Germany in 2009.  Clearly passionate about his product he says,

“It has to say take me in your arms, hug me, I’m  here for you, I’m your best friend.  It’s that lifelikeness and friendliness that gives the animals soul, that sets it apart from everybody else on the market.  This can only be achieved with talented and skilful craftsmen.”   This may sound a bit hokey, but I think it is much the same experience a client wants from a hand crafted suit.”

Unfortunately, for copyright reasons I can’t show a copy of the complete article, but it might be worth getting a copy whilst stocks last.

Image:  Thanks to Monocle.  www.monocle.com

“Annie Hall” hit the mark perfectly some 30 years ago in the eponymous film by Woody Allen.   From top down, her combination of trilby, shirt and tie, waistcoat and chinos hooked a generation of women into the masculine look.  Although she was by no means the first person to do so.  Think of Marlene Dietrich and the allure of her androgynous cross-dressing.

It seems that every autumn the fashion press re-visits this theme of masculine dressing and it appeared again in the London Telegraph last week.

I find however that many of the images with which the world of fashion presents us rarely features the full potential of the tailoring tradition when it responds to the needs of the female form.

Historically the bespoke suit evolved to fit the male proportions with a cut and underlying structure that emphasised a strong shoulder line with sculptured upper body, and a defined waist which flattered and elongated the masculine silhouette.  This is still very much the case; however women require something that is altogether different.

When tailoring for women the shoulder line needs something much neater and more delicate, and as one moves down the torso from bust to hip the complexity of the female form and its natural asymmetries requires a much greater awareness of the subtle gradations of the all-round profile which then have to be transferred to a balanced pattern unique to the client.

Although there are obvious differences in requirements from client to client, in the short journey from shoulder to hip I have to take many more measures for a woman’s suit, different ones too, than I would for that of a man’s.  And on top of this tolerances have to built in to take into account the cyclical changes in a woman’s figure.

A frequent comment from my clients is that they feel “trussed up as if in a suit of armour”.  I would suggest that this need not be the case and that with greater attention to the point outlined above, and some modifications to the traditional internal structuring, a woman’s bespoke suit can be just as crisp as a man’s, giving a much more flattering and enjoyable “wearing experience” that responds even to the different way in which a woman moves.

Fashion may be one thing…the board room is another.

With my first trip to Japan to research the design of the ‘kimono‘ imminent, our latest commission couldn’t have been more appropriate.

These are samples from an elegant dress we created recently for the Minister of Culture at the Japanese Embassy, Minister Mizutori, (now Director of Finance for the Japanese Foreign Ministry).  The garment was required for the formal ceremony at Buckingham Palace when the new Ambassador, Shin Ebihara, presented his credentials to Her Majesty, The Queen.

Minister Mizutori is a prominent figure in Japanese diplomatic circles and she is widely acknowledged as having achieved much by the innovative ways in which she has promoted Japanese culture in the UK.

There are certain protocols that have to be observed when dressing for this kind of event such as the length of sleeves, acceptable décolté , and how to fit in with other attendees.  Also, the fact that it was during the middle of the day made for a brief with some additional challenges.

Last week one of our new clients brought a suit in for alteration – not one of ours, but we try to help out.  I was glad to have the opportunity to spend a little time with this garment because it reminded me of some of the differences between the processes of bespoke and ready-made, some of which are not always obvious at the moment of purchase.

The first thing I have to say is that despite the fact that the garment was a ready-made item, it was not an inexpensive garment and had been purchased from one of the more recognisable suppliers.

In alterring a ready-made suit one is faced immediately with problems caused by its construction.  Rather than canvasses and inlays being basted together, and seams being bound together with thread, in the interests of mass production  the process of attachment is now the use of glue.  This is not to say that fusing doesn’t have a place, but if you are likely to need any adaptation in a garment – let’s face it we all tend to change shape - once a garment has been fused there is little you can do.

There is another matter I have noticed with regard to the use of such glues.  After a suit has been taken to a dry cleaners a number of times, and particularly when a steam iron has been used on a garment, this combination of chemicals and robust pressing techniques soon starts to weaken the adhesive properties and you will notice that the garment will start to ‘bubble’ particularly on the lapel.

Finally, it is usually the case that in a bespoke suit allowances are left within the seams for any later adjustments that need to be made.  In most ready-made suits, largely in the interests of economy, there is generally very little additional fabric available to allow any ‘easing’.  So other than changing the length of sleeve or trouser leg there is little one can do.

I can see the argument for buying ready-made garments particularly in these financially challenging times however it is interesting to note the number of articles appearing in the press recently suggesting that it is now better to ‘buy up’ into a better and more reliable quality range than go for cheaper alternatives.

The gunrooms of Holland & Holland are known the world over.  The weapons they make for the shooting field are highly prized and they have a reputation for making some of the finest hand crafted products available.  They have a tradition dating back to 1835 and  have their own dedicated factory and shooting school close to London.   Their main store is in Bruton Street, Mayfair, although they also have showrooms in Paris, New York and Moscow.

During the period when I ran their bespoke tailoring department I was commissioned to create a special garment for the Millenium.  This maribou-lined chintz jacket and hand printed silk kilt ensemble was featured in their showrooms in Manhattan and Beverley Hills

Pinky has had an illustrious career as one of the leading sportswomen in trap and skeet winning 5 European Championships, a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, and joins the ranks of top women athletes as one of the few to be voted Sportswoman of the Year.  She was the first Briton to take part in the Olympics in both trap and skeet and was the inspiration behind the first of the shooting waistcoats I was commissioned to make for the British Shooting Team.

Unknown to many of her followers is the fact that she also designs and hand makes exquisite jewelery from semi-precious and precious stones.  Some of her work is currently on view at Holland & Holland, Mayfair.

“Carol has a great eye for detail and it is wonderful to find someone with such an understanding of the value of hand-crafted items.  I applaud her new venture and wish Tailoring for Women every success” Pinky Le Grelle