Trevski blog from 2008

Part Four

Posted by Trevski, 04 November 2008

(The ultimate Accessory)

Accessories

With accessories, subtle, stylish and subdued is the way to go. Flash is not cool, not attractive, not anything but naff!

Neck chains, sovereign rings, bracelets, Urrghh! Horrible. A good quality, automatic watch such as Breitling, Rolex, Philipe Patek etc is not only a sound investment, but also a thing of exquisite beauty.

Keeping things simple, plain, unfussy cuff-links, such as these from Links of London, are ideal, and you can have then subtly monogrammed with yout initials, for a more personal, individual touch.

Slightly more expensive, but still not too over the top, are these from my favourite, Tiffany.

Tie-clips are also a very nice addition, again from Tiffany. They are often limited in their designs, so one bought now will soon become a collectors item.

Also I would recomend searching out antique designs, in clips and pins, or failing that, get your local jeweller to make you one. I had a small, round diamond ear-ring that had belonged to my Grandmother. I got my local jeweller to fit it on a silver pin, complete with a spring cover for the pin end, and a fine chain and bar to slipthrough your shirt button hole, for very little cost. Unique and very attractive!Other accessories can be used, such as money clips

and key-rings.Of course one accessory no Gentleman should be without is a silk pocket square!

(Not forgetting the cheapest and most underused accessory, a nice Carnation in ones lapel!)

Happy dressing!

Part Three

Posted by Trevski, 05 August 2008

If you enjoy this Blog (or if it gives you a good laugh) Please visit it using the link on the right. Or the link under my signature in my posts It is the 'Official page' It has more features, video, and the layout is better. (It also bumps my score up!)

Shirts, Ties, Shoes.

Shirts

"White linen, country washing, and plenty of it!" So said George Bryan Brummell, better known as 'Beau'. He was talking about neckties, but could just as easily been referring to shirts. (A quick word about GB, as I call him. Somewhat of a hero of mine, the epithet 'Dandy' has become somewhat corrupted from its original usage. A Dandy, as invented by GB, was not a strutting, bewigged peacock, that was a 'Fop' (See Beau 'sort out' a couple of fops in the video!) If the Fop was a 'new romantic' type, then the Dandy was defiantly a Mod! The look was a 'Less is more' style, with a palette consisting of mainly black, white and dark blue. The accent was on superb tailoring and fit, to reveal a masculine look. See Ian Kelly's excellent biography, and the BBC Biopic. You will not be disappointed)

Now we hopefully have our suit, or suits, as a black, dark blue, and a grey is the minimum, then the shirt is the foundation upon which everything else is literally built upon. Your shirt, (not mentioning underwear yet!) Is the first thing on, and then the rest goes on top, so a good foundation is essential. In my humble opinion, one cannot go wrong with White, which is where GB's quote comes in. I never wear anything but white with a suit. I goes with all colors, and a brilliant, crisp, white shirt is the business, believe me! As for style, a classic English collar i.e. semi-cutaway, with a double cuff, for links, and removable collar stiffeners is the way to go. Find a style and maker that suits you, and go with it. Of course, bespoke shirts are best, but I recommend Thomas Pink of Jermyn Street, for very fine shirts. His are the only ones I will wear! When ironing, spray on a little starch to the front, and cuffs, for a superb crisp look. 100% pure Cotton, made in the UK. of course, is best.

Ties

Never, ever wear a comical, novelty, or anything loud in a tie! Subtle and classy, pure silk. No exceptions. I can't resist ties! Like a lady with shoes, I can't have too many ties. Of course, I have my favourites, and none come better than HermÃÆ’©s. They do make some cute, silly ones, but the classic HermÃÆ’©s 'signature' ties, the ones with the subtle H woven into them are sublime. Learn to tie a Windsor knot and you will always be sartorially complete!

Shoes

Whatever you may wear for work, never go 'out' in anything other than leather soles, and never, ever skimp on shoes. I have to be firm here. You can tell a lot about a person from their shoes, may be an old saying, but its true. Cheap, scruffy shoes say.... Well it's obvious, isn't it? Really, anything under £100 is out of the question. (not including bargains etc) Loake, Church, Barker, Lobb, the choice is yours, but make sure they are English made. The exception is for loafers, which are far better by the Americans like Bass and Sebago. Aim for at least one pair of Black brogues, one pair brown brogues, some loafers and my particular favourite, the traditional English Chelsea Boot. Socks! Like ties, no comedy or novelty socks, like those horrible things one gets at Christmas! Black shoes-black socks. Brown shoes-brown socks. That's it, simple! Make sure they are at least over the calf length as well. Nothing worse than a band of pasty leg-flesh between sock and trouser when one crosses the legs! Uuurgh! The other thing that drives me mad is the silk sock. Expensive they may be, but they look like ladies stockings! Cotton. No exceptions!

As George Bryan said, "I feel a trip to the tailors coming on!"

Part Two

Posted by Trevski, 16 June 2008 ·

Part Two

Seperates and casual wear

After receiving most complimentary remarks upon the first part of this guide, I thank you dear readers! It is now time to move on to more casual, daywear. As mentioned earlier in the guide, dependant upon the time of year, and England's fickle weather, then a coat is always uppermost for a stroll around town, shopping, lunch, an evening at the pub, cinema, etc. Very adaptable according to the other clothes it is teamed with. I would suggest at least two coats if possible, for maximum variety. Of course, one must choose according to ones own taste and style, but one cannot go far wrong with a Crombie. Do not confuse the shoddy garment so beloved of skinheads/suedeheads as a Crombie. These were cheap imitations of the real thing, bought from high street outlets in the main, although some discerning chaps may well have had the real deal. Crombie, no connection to Abercrombie (and Fitch) is a Scottish cloth. Coats can be made by Crombie themselves at a retail price in excess of £500 at the present time, or made from Crombie cloth, and labelled as such, by other manufactures. In the sixties, Burton, Dunn and Co. etc all made a coat that bore the Crombie cloth label along with their own.

Nowadays, one does not see the Crombie label unless it is in a genuine Crombie garment. The style however, is much copied and very good quality coats can be obtained from such shops as Ted Baker, and even the venerable M & S who sell a very good wool and cashmere, made in Italy. The style, for those who need a reminder, is knee length, with a flap, or placket over the buttons, two pockets with perhaps a ticket pocket, one breast pocket and sometimes a velvet collar. The traditional lining for a Crombie is red silk. A Crombie is very similar to the 'Covert Coat' so named from the hunting background from which it came, The main distinction of the covet coat is four bands of stitching on the cuffs (no buttons) and around the bottom hem. This is to prevent fraying when negotiating bushes etc when out shooting. Colours are usually black for the Crombie, whereas the covert can be black, beige or camel, and grey. A smart Crombie (For simplicity I will refer to the covert as a Crombie also) can even be teamed with jeans, should one wish! Chino's or cords being a more preferable choice. To cut a real daytime dash though' I would suggest Brown brogues, chinos a bright waistcoat over a button-down shirt and a bright silk square in the breast pocket. I always like a carnation in the buttonhole as well! For evening, try a white shirt and tie under a dark waistcoat and dark trousers. Black brogues or Chelsea boots, loafers being a bit too lightweight for this look. A nice sweater or the now back in vogue cardigan, in a retro style looks good also for an even more casual look. I try to avoid labels as such but subtle ones are ok and Ralph Lauren do make very good Oxford cloth button-downs and chino's, although if one can get Brooks Brothers then by all means do! Try and get a vintage 'Tootal' paisley or foulard scarf too. Very snazzy! A word or two about the cravat. Much maligned these days, but they can look really good under a button-down shirt! Apart from the Crombie, a really good tweed jacket is the business! Bespoke if one can, of course.

I am, at the moment looking at getting made a dark green one, with a 'salt and pepper' fleck to it. Again, with bespoke, one can let one's personal taste run free, ticket pockets, a half belt at the back, shoulder vents, patch pockets with pleats, velvet collar, horn buttons, jazzy linings, all are within reach. A very good off-the-peg tweed can be purchased; I got one myself the other day. Be careful to find a manufacturer that has many years experience in such styles and materials. Brook Tavener are well established and recently had a road show in Leeds to 'up' the profile of the brand. You will find on visiting your tailor, that Brook Tavener deal in cloth also, and many of the swatches in the tailors will carry the Brook Tavener logo. With tweed, go for a Scottish tweed, without question. Brook T. know this, and their tweeds comes from Reid & Taylor of Scotland, amongst others. Of course, I am not advocating this style for everyday use, sometimes the sun does shine, and when it does, I can be found in a t-shirt like anyone else (although it will be a very nice one!)

A further word about customer service, something sadly lacking in the high street today. Too pushy staff or totally disinterested ones. Seek out a good, traditional 'Gentlemen's outfitters' if one can! I found the tweed jacket in Clarksons of Petergate, York. Modestly titled "The shirt shop" it is a veritable emporium of gentlemen's accoutrements. The service is second to none. Andrew, the owner appears at ones elbow with a friendly "can I help you sir?" rather like Jeeves! He will discuss and help through numerous trying-ons until you are satisfied, rather than palm you off with anything for a sale. Most helpful and most recommended!

Trevski's Style Counsel

Posted by Trevski, 05 May 2008

About the author

"I remember becoming interested in style at a very young age, about four or five years old at least. I insisted on a 'Tony Curtis' hairstyle on the first trip to the hairdressers I can remember, back in '61-'62. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. affected me greatly, I wanted a polo neck sweater like Illya Kuriakin, not an ordinary one, but a short sleeved one like he wore. Napoleon Solo's suits were fascinating too, the cut and line, the slim trousers and the sheen on the material. I loved John Steed's Chelsea boots so much, I insisted on Chelsea boots for school when I was about 6. By the time I was about 12 or 13 I had a definite eye for the stylish clothes worn by the older chaps in my neighbourhood, the mod guys, or smoothies as we called them then. By that age I had a three-button 'Tonik' jacket, Levi Sta-Prest, loafers, Ben Sherman shirts etc. I committed the occasional fashion faux pas, as does everyone, especially in the '80's, but I like to think, even though the style might have been a little awry, I wore it with a certain panache!

In later life I came to know what style suited me best, despite the vagaries and ever-changing whims of fashion, and stuck to it. However, I learned many a lesson on what to wear, and what not to wear, by trial and error, by mockery from my compatriots, and finally, through praise for my individual tastes from others that wished they could emulate it. It is these hard won rules, tips and ideas that I wish to pass on in this blog. If there is one thing I am good at, it's knowing instinctively what is style, and one should always seek to exploit ones strengths. After reading this Blog you will be able to exploit yours too"

Here is the first part of the guide, should it recieve favourable comment, it will continue!

FORWARD

Who is this blog for? Simple, everyone! Ok so you think you have style, perhaps you have, as everyone thinks they have style but, that unfortunately, is not always the case. As the song goes "You've either got or you haven't got style, when you've got it, it stands out a mile" So what is style? A million-dollar question it seems, for even those with a million or more dollars don't necessarily possess it. The thing about style is, when you see it, you know it. Look at Cary Grant, Connery as Bond, The Rat-Pack, David Niven, Gregory Peck; they have it by the solid silver bucket load. Look at some of our footballers, 'celebrities' and the other so-called trendies. Not a prayer of a stylish line amongst them. Money cannot buy you style if you don't possess it to begin with. If you have style and money, the world's your oyster, but style and little money can work wonders too, so don't despair! If you haven't got it at all, don't worry either, it can be learned, though not easily, and may take a little trial and error, but if you take heed of this tome, and apply its guidelines and suggestions then you might just achieve it!

For the truly stylish then, this blog may serve to confirm what you already know,

Which is always nice, as one can bask in self-congratulatory bliss!

For the single guy it may give confidence. It won't, unfortunately, get you a partner, although it may certainly help! For those in a relationship, it may save you from divorce, as a scruffy chap who has let himself go down the casual sportswear route is a sorry sight!

For ladies it might help in giving an insight into what to look for in a man, and for those who already have one, how to whip him into shape!

Style is a frame of mind, as much as it appearance and confidence is the key, as it is to most things. "A gentleman should choose his clothes with care, dress with attention to detail, then forget all about them" Is a good quote to remember.

The stylish appearance should look effortless, despite the effort put into achieving the appearance! For those lacking in the necessary confidence, hopefully this humble guide will serve to supply some of that much-needed commodity. When one looks good, one feels good and when one feels good, confidence comes as a natural attribute. Looks are not important, certainly not as important as confidence and style. Take Humphrey Bogart for example. Hardly a classically handsome chap, you will agree, yet ladies, even today, are still wooed by him. Why? Because the guy had style, and that gave him self-confidence. He knew he looked good, and it reaped rewards, not least of which was Lauren Bacall! Read on and I hope to impart some of that style on you, should you wish to acquire it, and who doesn't?

What is style?

Style Guru's and the 'Fashionistas'

There are a plethora of people and TV shows, magazines and role models, style icons, even your friends, trying to tell you what's hot and what's not.

Programmes to tell you how to wear, what to wear, what not to wear, how to lose weight, gain weight and so it goes on....

I am not, and never have been, nor will be a Style Guru. I do not wish to create clones of me, or restyle you in my own image. Nor do I wish to dictate what is fashionable and what is not, simply because I don't believe in fashion for fashions sake and the constant re-make and re-model, this years brown is the new black claptrap that the so-called Style Gurus expound. As I said earlier, Cary Grant is a style God, not a Guru. You could put that man in a sack, complete with 'It ain't half hot mum' shorts, beige socks and sandals and he would still look as cool as an ice cube in a G & T! Project him forward into today, and he would still look as spectacular as he did in 'To catch a thief'. Style doesn't date, style doesn't alter, and except for the imperceptible changes due to technology and fabric etc, the essence of style remains aloof to the shifting tides of fashion. That is what I want to help you achieve, a style that serves you day in, day out, year in, year out, perfect and sublime.

The style Gurus of this world are all driven by fashion, obsessed with fashion, controlled by the designers of fashion and there dictates. What they tell you this year, they will decry the next, as fashion shifts and they shift with it. Consider: An Aston Martin today, that classic British icon of sports cars, is directly identifiable with an Aston of the sixties. Bond looks just as stylish in the DB9 as he did in the DB5. Technologically they are poles apart, but on the surface they look instantly identifiable. Sleeker yes, lower, perhaps, faster, most assuredly, but still very much an Aston. Why? Because style is timeless, style is forever and when you achieve perfection of style, why change it because others say 'this is so, or that is not' Give any fashionista or footballer the money and they will buy an Aston in a heartbeat! They recognise style, but can't equate the fact that it can't be bought. Now I know I said earlier that you can't buy style, but if you buy the car, surely then you have bought style?

Am I contradicting my own theory? Not at all! You can buy the Aston, a most stylish vehicle, but it won't give you style. The Aston will remain stylish, but although you have bought the car, you haven't bought its style. It still belongs to the car, not to you. The same equates to designer labels. Buying them, however stylish, will not give you personal style. For an example of this just think of Wayne Rooney, not a pretty thought I know, but do it anyway. Now picture him stepping from an Aston, or Bentley Continental CoupÃÆ’©, the Footy players current favourite. Does he look stylish or irredeemably naff? You know the answer don't you? Now picture Connery/Bond stepping from the same car. Get the picture.? Now take it one degree further and see our Mr. Connery stepping from an Austin Maxi. See, it's the man not the car! Grasp this concept and you're learning! So let us now progress into my ideas, thought and views on style, the things one should and shouldn't do to achieve it, and the essential items of ones wardrobe. I will deal with each item in turn, and as you may have noticed, will probably go off on a tangent somewhere along the way! I hope you find this guide informative, enlightening and amusing. After reading it you will be on your journey to stepping out in the world as a stylish chap.

The Suit

Essential and non-negotiable!

For any man wishing to cut a stylish dash, one has to start with the suit. Nothing else comes close to imparting that air of style, confidence and cool as a well cut suit. I'm not talking about the work suit, if indeed you have to wear one for work, although there is still no excuse for a badly fitting, cheap looking work suit. Many 'off the peg' suits can look perfectly acceptable with a nip and tuck here and there. In fact, I have several for everyday wear, but I, or rather my tailor have doctored them! Make sure the sleeves are the right length. All to often these days you see blokes with the sleeve down over their hands. (TV weathermen being the main culprit of this)

A jacket sleeve should not, on no account, reach your knuckles, as many seem to do, but should show between a 1/4and 1/2 inch of shirt cuff. The shops that sell suits in the high street or more often the designer outlet, seem to have lost the art of fitting a suit. Perhaps they never had it in the first place. Any salesman worth his salt will tell you if the suit you are trying is not right. Unfortunately, in today's 'low salt' society, not many sales staff are bothered. So... if you must have off the peg, don't buy a suit that you do not feel completely comfortable in. It is not a suit of armour! You should be able to move in it with ease. Check the shoulder seams, are they sitting perfectly on the edge of your shoulder? This is an aspect that cannot be altered later so it must be right. A tailor will tell you that everything hangs from the shoulder, meaning that: if the shoulder line is right the rest will follow. Length of the jacket is also important as you can take up a sleeve or a trouser bottom, but anything else is pushing it a bit unless you are really cheeky. A jacket should be of a length that, with arms relaxed at your side, you should just be able to curl your fingers under the bottom of the jacket, or it should fall in line with your knuckles. A tad shorter can be acceptable if one is under say, 5'8", as this will give an impression of height. More of this when we get to the Bespoke Suit.

Bespoke, Off-the-peg, Style and fit.

Double or single breasted is entirely up to you, although I would always choose single. They look better unfastened, especially with a waistcoat, double-breasted, on the other hand, should be unfastened when sitting, and fastened upon standing up, rather a messing about really. When worn with a waistcoat, a single-breasted is usually left unfastened to show the waistcoat. It is always worth getting a waistcoat if possible with a suit, as it gives another option to wearing. I actually like a well fitting waistcoat, as it hides the join between trousers and shirt. Try a contrasting one for a touch of individuality. A black waistcoat with a silver grey mohair suit looks splendid, as does a yellow waistcoat with a dark blue suit. Red waistcoat with a black also looks fine, as does a royal blue. Accessories, such as a watch-chain look good, as long as they are subtle. I prefer silver for all accessories, rather than gold, which can look rather naff and showy, more on accessories and jewellery later. The key to waistcoats is nothing loud, patterned and definately nothing of the novelty! Experiment, but keep it subtle. In the recent 'Savile Row' documentary on the BBC they showed, just for a second, a lovely blue waistcoat under a black jacket. It looked so nice I had to have one made! Beware the lure of the waistcoat!

The exception in bright weskits, is with a coat, rather than a suit, usually for daywear. For example, a pair of chino's brown country brogues, a blue oxford button down shirt and a yellow or red doe-skin waistcoat look the business under a black Crombie, or covert coat with velvet collar for daytime smartness with a casual twist. My rule for shirts on these occasions is button downs for wear without a tie, classic collar for wear with tie. You can put a tie with a button down, but a classic collar always needs a tie, I feel, and therefore does not really apply to casual wear. A cravat, in a complimentary tone to the waistcoat is a nice option with the button-down, or a silk scarf worn as a cravat.

Back to the suit! Trousers should really be flat fronted, especially if one is slim. The problem with off the peg suit I see all the time is length. Like sleeves they are always too long. Many chaps spoil what could be a reasonably good look, by wearing trousers that end in several unsightly folds at the bottom, crumpling over their shoes. Tip: do not listen to stylists like Trinny and Susanna when they say a long trouser over the shoe makes you look taller. It does not! It may work with a woman wearing 4" heels but it does not work on men. I remember a show they did with a chap who was short and they put him in the most ill fitting suit! The only thing trousers too long do is make you look like you are wearing a suit that is too big for you. They do not lengthen the leg; they draw attention to the crumple at the shoe and just look awful. Get a trouser that just touches the instep, no more. If you are short or of average height, try to find a slimmer leg trouser, this is what makes you look taller, not the length. The average width of shop suit trousers is 18" If like me, you are average height- 5' 9" try to find a slimmer fit, 16" is best. Remember when laid flat, an 18" bottom measures 9" on one side, a 16" bottom measures 8" so in actual fact, the difference only appears to be 1", but it makes a lot of difference! Get the length right, and it improves the appearance of a shop bought suit immeasurably. Another problem with fit is the waist size, unless you are lucky like me and have a trim waist and flat belly, trousers always tend to slip under the belly. Not a good look! A belt never keeps them up either. Try this. Get a pair that fit comfortably and at the right length. Wear a dark waistcoat, that is slimming, particularly with a lighter suit, and wear braces. (For our American friends-suspenders) This will keep the trousers in place, and prevent the unsightly belly overhang!

However you try, an off-the-peg suit cannot compare to bespoke. For a truly perfect fit in a suit, bespoke is the only way. Do not be put off by price, it isn't that bad, really! OK we know a bespoke suit "On the Row" is upwards of £2,000, fine if you can afford it, and the feeling of a Savile Row suit, is beyond compare. The best in the world, you can't do better! However, one can do almost as well for much less.

(Just going back to Off-the-peg for a moment, don't be fooled by designer labels. Most Designer Outlets will have Hugo Boss, Armani, etc. These are not the same as worn by celebrities! Theirs are bespoke, by the designers! An off-the-peg Boss suit is around £300/£350 in my nearest outlet. They are made by the thousand, probably in China, at minimal cost. Interlinings, that gives structure to lapels etc will be 'fused' or glued, not hand-stitched, and look bad after a time as the glue parts from the cloth. For the same price you can have a suit hand-made for you and you alone!) Cultivate a relationship with your local tailor. Discuss what you want and decide if he can do the job. A good tailor will advise, but not impose. Look for a tailor that will make up customers own cloth, this is where the savings come in! For example. My tailor recently made me a beautiful single breasted, three button, three-piece suit; to my exacting specifications for £300, I supplied the material. Now comes the good bit. Use the 'net! I purchased, on EBay, a suit length of 3 1/2 yds of Super Kid Mohair, (70% kid mohair 30% wool) made in the Huddersfield mills (the Huddersfield mills, in Yorkshire, are world renowned as the best in the business, and supply the Savile Row houses) for the princely sum of £18! The same suit, with cloth supplied by the tailor would have been £600! Of course, even at that price, it is a fraction of Savile Row prices, but that is typical for small local tailors. Find a good one and they are worth their weight in gold!

Now for the nitty gritty of style and fit. The suit I mentioned above, in black kid mohair, is not outrageously styled. No fancy bits, nothing unusual, yet only last night, the number of compliments I received were amazing and most satisfying to ones ego! Try that with a shop suit! Bespoke stands out, head and shoulders above anything else. Most people don't know the difference, to look at, but they can see what looks good! One chap said, completely unprompted, "You wear a suit better than anyone I know" How good does that make you feel! Worth the money for that alone, I can tell you! Now there were quite a few other chaps in suits the place, so why did I get the complements? Because my suit fitted me and fitted perfectly, Pure and simple.

Until you have had a well-made bespoke suit, you cannot appreciate what well fitting means. All the readers who have had this sublime experience will be nodding in self-assured agreement. Slip on a bespoke suit and you cannot tell you are wearing it, believe me. A lot of men find suits uncomfortable, restrictive, and unpleasant to wear. That is because they don't fit properly! A chap said to me the other day "Don't you feel uncomfortable, trussed up like that?" He obviously had been the victim of too many off-the-peg suits! Mohair is a light, cool, superb material that combined with a bespoke cut, is supremely comfortable to wear. It moves with you, and you really do forget you are wearing it at all. This is down to the skill of the tailor in cutting and fitting.

A good tailor can make you look taller, slimmer, broader in the shoulder, longer in the leg, he can achieve what six months hard slog in a gym would do, for a fraction of the price and non of the effort!

As to style, again lets take the aforementioned suit as an example. Of course you will find a style that compliments you best, for your size, shape etc, but as a general rule, keep it simple, clean, elegant. I prefer a three-button front, as opposed to two, which seem to be more common in shops these days. Never do up all the buttons, only the top and middle, or as I prefer, only the top. Fastening the middle one only looks unsightly, in my opinion, as the top tends to gape slightly and makes you look like a sack tied in the middle. I went for a 3" wide, notched lapel, breast pocket, two slanted side pockets with flaps, and my own personal touch, a ticket pocket on both sides, rather than the usual one on the right, as I think it gives balance. The jacket was fitted at the waist, that is to say, tapered in to flatter a trim mid-section. Four button cuff, (working buttons of course) waistcoat with lapel, not something you see on off-the-peg, but a staple of "The Row." Four pocket front, six buttons (of course you NEVER fasten the bottom one) Flat front trousers, 16" bottoms a good metal zip and a French bearer (That is the flap inside the trouser that fastens across, behind the zip, and takes any strain of the zip when sitting etc) Cerise pink Bemberg lining in the jacket, waistcoat back and underside of the pocket flaps. Nothing out of the ordinary, save the lining and a few individual touches, but combine it with a

crisp white shirt, Silver oval monogrammed cuff-links, dark blue HermÃÆ’©s tie with tie-pin, a blue silk square elegantly folded in the breast pocket and a gleaming black pair of traditional English Chelsea boots and you have something that is hard to beat!

Finally on bespoke for the moment, for I'm sure I'll return to it as I ramble, a quote that is not mine, but I think it sums up bespoke perfectly.

"Labels say you're 'one of the boys' Bespoke says 'I am the MAN"

Why buy flashy designer labels with logos all over, trying to look exclusive? All they say is "I can afford this" but so can thousands of other customers, on any high street the world over. What can be more exclusive than something that is made for a customer of one! You and you alone. That's exclusivity, That's bespoke.