What a superb opportunity. The chance to be interviewed by Jenni Murray alongside Lou Taylor, Professor of Dress and Textile History (University of Brighton).
Although I have spoken on both MidWeek and Start the Week in the past, Woman’s Hour is such an iconic programme it was my dream that one day I would be given this opportunity. Thanks must go to Jaeger too who first put the proposal forward to the BBC.
It really is a fascinating, almost ‘other world-y’ type of experience. All very efficiently executed by the production staff who had to co-ordinate our own contribution with that of the other speakers, and all within their strict time allocation.
In preparation for the interview we discussed a wide range of possibilities. In reality, however, it was something of a task to condense the history of tailoring, and at the same time include the crucial intricacies of the ‘shoulder to hip’ profile of a woman’s figure, into the confines of a 10 minute slot. Jenni Murray was extremely deft in co-ordinating our input.
Unfortunately it may be the case that some of you outside of the UK can’t listen to the extract because of licensing restrictions. I hope not.
P.S. it was quite nice to see one of my jackets on the BBC Website too!
After all the time spent planning, the day arrived to give my presentation at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Regular readers of the TfW blog will know that this was something originally put forward as a proposal almost eight months ago, so it was a super feeling to be standing in front of a packed and appreciative audience. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to have it filmed.
My task was to open the seminar, which was beautifully hosted by the V&A’s Head of Adult Education, Jo Banham. Following this was an intriguing presentation by Jaeger. This year is their 125th anniversary and it was wonderful to see some of the pieces and pictures from their archive. I have a couple of vintage Jaeger pieces myself dating from the time Jean Muir was their designer and I treasure them.
Following this, Alan Cannon Jones, Senior Lecturer at the London College of Fashion talked about some of the new trends in tailored fashion, and some of the techniques that are used to support them.
The video attached to this post gives an edited version of my own contribution. There were also a number of Q&A points throughout the seminar and I plan to include some of the issues that were raised in future posts.
The topics I covered ranged from a whistle-stop tour of the history of women’s tailoring to an exploration of the practical skills that support it. This included the consideration of the physiological aspects, hand-crafting techniques, and the complex psychology that underlies the relationship with one’s client. I concluded with some thoughts around the future of women’s tailoring with reference to a statement I had compiled from the opinions of my clients.
“Women should have same the opportunities for investing in their wardrobes in the same way that they invest in their careers”
I hope that you don’t have too many problems with the download.
If you are already a top professional tailor, who would you trust to cut your own suits? Who would be your tailor’s tailor? I wouldn’t hesitate to call on Ravi Tailor, whom I have known for almost all of the 20 years that I have worked in and around Savile Row. And yes – his father changed the family name to that of his profession, having been bespoke tailors in India and Zambia for three generations before settling in the UK. (more…)
It’s strange how music makes unusual connections in our brain. I was listening by chance to an old Yardbirds hit from 1966 – Over under sideways down… just as I was marking up some new cloth, when I realised that they were singing about exactly what I was doing! Cloth arrives folded with the wrong side facing out and right side protected in. (more…)
Jaeger is currently celebrating its 125th anniversary. It is an iconic brand which has always specialized in the use of natural fibres, including the so-called noble fibres such as angora, vicuna and alpaca; it was also the first company to use camel hair. Clients have included Vivienne Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, and even George Bernard Shaw who was particularly fond of a one piece structured ‘jump suit’ which allowed complete freedom of movement. Nowadays Jaeger is at the forefront of high quality manufacturing using state-of-the-art machines that simulate the sewing actions of a live craftsman.
My part in the event was to fulfil a contrasting role. I expounded upon the art of bespoke for women, its history and its processes. From the initial measurements, drafting of the paper pattern, preparation of the fittings and internal structures through to the final finishing and pressing.
Working on this presentation reminded me about how the relationship with one’s client is both intimate and integral to the process. Mark Twain talked of “Clothes making the man” (or woman!), and we know that this is very much evident on the high streets today. Hand crafted garments however give the opportunity for a client to give full and uninterrupted rein to their desires, and the opportunities for personal expression are much more subtle. The quality of the rapport between client and tailor therefore cannot be underestimated.
At the reception after the presentations we had the opportunity to talk one-to-one with audience members and show in greater detail some of the intricacies of our practice.
I am afraid that the blog posts had to take a slight seat to oneside over the past couple of weeks. The V&A seminar, an invitation to speak on the BBC’s iconic radio programme Woman’s Hour, and a new commision from the King’s Singers have all given life an added spice just in time for Christmas. That is excluding the daywear pieces I have had to see through for my regular clients.
I don’t know why, but there appears to be a resurgence in the orders for daydresses amongst my clients. This one will be sent off to Amsterdam in the next couple of days.
It makes a change from the 2-pc jacket with trousers or skirt, maybe due to the use of the dress as an alternative to stretch the wardrobe.
The lure of the daydress is its practicality. It can be as versatile as a suit, and its sense of tailored femininity gives a figure enhancing simplicity.
I see the advantage in its flexibility;
can be worn from day to evening
is easily accommodated and accessorised with staple garments
comfortable, with less fit and constriction at the waist
with colour and detail it can enhance proportions
It has an inbuilt convenience too when it comes to travelling; much easier to pack than a suit.
And there are many variations;
Shirtwaist, a dress with a bodice (waist) like a tailoredshirt and an attached straight or full skirt
Sheath, a fitted, often sleeveless dress, often without a waistseam (1960s)
Shift, a straight dress with no waist shaping or seam (1960s)
Jumper dress (American English) or Pinafore dress (British English) is a sleeveless dress intended to be worn over a layering top or blouse. Jumper dresses exist for both summer and winter wear.
Sundress is an informal sleeveless dress of any shape in a lightweight fabric, for summer wear.
Tent, a dress flared from above the bust, sometimes with a yoke (1960s, renewed popularity after 2005)
Maxi dress, a long, formfitting, floor or ankle length dress.
Wrap dress, a dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side across the other and knotting the attached ties on the side, or fastening buttons. This forms a V-shaped neckline and hugs a woman’s curves. A faux wrap dress resembles this design, except that it comes already fastened together with no opening in front, but instead is slipped on over the head. (1970s; renewed popularity from late 1990s)
Here is something with a wholly different sense of ‘attitude’ which was commissioned from me during my time at Hardy Amies.
I feel that a tailored daydress is a very good start when planning a wardrobe, and also a welcome addition to a set of staple garments already in place.
It’s been a busy week so far. I was thrilled to be featured alongside Sir Martin Sorrell and ‘Dragon’s Den’Duncan Bannatyne in Business Sense Magazine, the National Westminster Bank’s national periodical. The rest of my time has been spent focussing on my presentation at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) with Jaeger. The process of tailoring is something which tends to take place away from public scrutiny, so being given such a prominent platform demands careful thought about why the art of bespoke is so unique.
It seems to me that the distinctive experience my clients seek is comprised of the knowledge and integration of three important and fundamental elements. Physiology, technique and …psychology.
Physiology is all about understanding the shape and proportions of the body, not as an object frozen in time, but as a dynamic entity that changes and flows as it moves. Most textbooks illustrate body types in 4 or 5 basic postures, but the devil is in the difference. I have yet to find a client whose shape fits these proportions precisely. I often give group seminars and set the participants the task of finding someone in the room that matches their own body shape. It hasn’t happened so far!
Technique is something which takes time to develop. It’s said that it takes 10,000 hours to reach a competent level of skill in any chosen activity. This may be so, but I find that I still look to expand my own skills base, and that is after over 20 years in the trade. The art of tailoring is still grounded in techniques that were developed in the 19th century, although the records show evidence as far back as the 13th century. Modern materials, the change in life styles and modern body proportions all influence the ways in which these techniques have to be applied so they have to be constantly revisited and refreshed.
Tailoring is a relationship business. We have to dress the body and the mind. So, the psychology of the relationship with ones client is paramount. This is all the more so as the current changes in society affects the role of women and how they wish to be perceived.
I was speaking with a former CEO of a global PR firm the other day who mentioned how he always emphasised the need for his staff to think of the image they portrayed when they visited clients. “They have to realise that if they are charging a four figure sum per day, the first impression they give their client as they walk in the room is vital, and this is dependent largely upon how they look”.
A potent statement when you consider how this simple matter can undermine the huge investment that has gone into training the company representative.
I had a great treat the other day. A visit from the fashion guru Hirofumi Kurino, Creative Director of United Arrows; one of the biggest clothing retailers in Japan. Our meeting was arranged by a mutual friend, and what made it all the more special was that he knew well this area of London, Spitalfields, where my studio is based. So it also gave him the opportunity to visit some old haunts, and pick up some samples of richly coloured African fabrics.
It struck me during our conversation that in order to become a succesful and authentic fashion leader one needs the foresight of a soothsayer coupled with the academic rigour of a social historian. We spent much time talking about the degree to which one has to anticipate trends and how they are often cyclical in nature, re-emerging sometimes after years of lying dormant. He explained how he created his long term view from watching closely the stimuli of everyday events; street culture, political influences, the emergence of new social movements.
He is also a huge music fan with a collection of over 3000 vinyl albums; another indication of how important it is to him to preserve a solid core of authenticity. “Fame will lose its appeal and we will be in for simpler times with less fuss” was his prediction.
One of the best three hours I have spent for a long time.
Imagine my surprise when I saw him make an appearance talking to the designer Deryck Walker as part of the superb documentatary about the current demise of the Harris Tweed industry shown recently by the BBC (Trouble Looms). For those in the UK you may still be able to catch it on the BBC’s iPlayer.
I said good-bye to one of my assistants this week. Having graduated with her second degree, an MA in arts administration from Goldsmiths College, she has to fill her suitcase and return to Japan.
Yukiyo (Sugiyama) spent almost 3 years of study and work experience here in the UK during which time she immersed herself in ballet, opera, theatre, museums and galleries. She still somehow found time to help me in my studio, and in particular with planning my own Japanese trips. She returns to Tokyo to run the new concert hall at the Ueno Gakuen (a music university in Tokyo) which came to prominence recently when one of its students, Nobuyuki Tsujii, won the Van Cliburn Piano Competition.
To add to her souvenirs I thought that a light weight business suit would make a welcome change from her customary jeans and t-shirt. This charcoal grey fresco suit will be ideal for those sticky summer Tokyo days with humidity levels you could cut with a knife (‘fresco’ is a type of open weave used particularly for tropical suitings). This particular fabric is cool to wear and also has a crease resistant quality that can withstand the most rigorous packing regimes!
Ganbatte. Good luck, Yukiyo. We will miss you very much.
From 18th – 20th September the Revival Meeting takes place at Goodwood. A celebration of vintage cars, airplanes and clothes, all resonating with the theme of calling back to years gone by.
As the fashion world goes through its cyclical stages once more, ‘vintage’ is a word that seems increasingly popular, covering anything within the time span of 20 – 80 years old.
Near my studio in Spitalfields there are a number of outlets that specialise in vintage clothing. Absolute Vintage is one such example. Over time, these garments have had many a good outing as well as changes in ownership and some will benefit from a ‘tune up’. One of my clients purchased a crepe dress from Love Saves the Day (New York City) to wear both for her daughter’s wedding in Knightsbridge and a gala opening at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In order to bring it back into its prime it required a certain amount of dying, shaping and re-beading, but the result was striking and original, with no danger of anyone else turning up wearing something even remotely similar. (Check our post about ‘the A word‘)
Alternatively one could have something made specially that embraces this trend towards nostalgia. In a recent post I mentioned a couture piece we made that reflected the designs of André Courrèges. We have recently extended this to similar garments from a range of different fabrics.
Working with vintage clothing also bings considerable benefits when it comes to training new talent. Some of the older techniques used are seldom to be seen on the high street where mass marketing loses much of the subtlety in construction.
So why not embrace a little bit of history…there is still many a good tune played on an old fiddle.
Recognised as a pioneer of bespoke tailoring for women, Carol Alayne has over 20 years experience of creating striking garments for arts, sports and media personalities and business wear for professionals and executives.
What a superb opportunity. The chance to be interviewed by Jenni Murray alongside Lou Taylor, Professor of Dress and Textile History (University of Brighton).
If you are already a top professional tailor, who would you trust to cut your own suits? Who would be your tailor’s tailor? I wouldn’t hesitate to call on 
I was thrilled recently to speak alongside a representative from the global brand Jaeger about women’s tailoring. We were both making a contribution to the 
I am afraid that the blog posts had to take a slight seat to oneside over the past couple of weeks. The 
changes and flows as it moves. Most textbooks illustrate body types in 4 or 5 basic postures, but the devil is in the difference. I have yet to find a client whose shape fits these proportions precisely. I often give group seminars and set the participants the task of finding someone in the room that matches their own body shape. It hasn’t happened so far!
I had a great treat the other day. A visit from the fashion guru Hirofumi Kurino, Creative Director of 
recent post I mentioned a couture piece we made that reflected the designs of André Courrèges. We have recently extended this to similar garments from a range of different fabrics.
