An Evening With Us

Here at Stowers we decided we wanted to host a little soiree to celebrate Christmas and show off some new samples.. and we are offering you the opportunity to join us. We are aware how intimidating Savile Row can be and although people may be interested in bespoke they don’t feel they can just walk in and really see what’s what. So the idea of this evening is to show off what we do.

Brian and Claire will be cutting and talking about the trade, and all the team will be showcasing the new samples. Rumour has it the gold suit will be making it’s debut on the night too! As it is Christmas we also have some very special pieces including beautiful English-made leather gloves and cashmere scarves, so that’s the gifts sorted!

Numbers are very limited so if you are interested in seeing what we do and having an informal chat with Ray or any of us email ray.stowers@stowersbespoke.co.uk and we’ll let you know the details. You’ll need to be free this Thursday evening (9th Dec) and be able to get to Buckinghamshire – it’s going to be a good night!

The Gold Suit Fitting

We have now toiled the fitting for the gold suit we are making for one of our clients. With women’s bespoke it takes a lot more shaping because of the extra curves so in that respect the process is a little different from mens’ bespoke. A toile is a basted together version of the rough shape of the suit.

We had designed it to be to the customer’s taste but especially for woman when you are creating a specific style what it is on paper and what it becomes as a garment is very different! For example we agreed to make pleated front trousers. When it came to the fitting the pleats were not flattering as the hips looked too wide so the decision was made to make them flat fronted. It is important to finalise styling decisions in the fitting process as the customer gets to actually see what they asked for and whether it actually suits them. It is especially important when the final cloth costs as much as this one does!

The bust is the most obvious difference in ladies bespoke and the fitting is vital to make sure the darts are in the correct place and the jacket sits properly over the chest.

We are now ready to make the necessary adjustments to the pattern and cut the actual cloth. Keep an eye out for the finished suit!

Bespoke Dressing Gowns

Did you know we made dressing gowns? Well we do..this particular one is a lightweight seersucker cotton with navy cotton piping. The client wanted a short style with loose shorter sleeves. The large patch pockets give it a comfy yet stylish edge.

Prices start from £200, we can make them in cotton, silk or cashmere in all types of styles and lengths. If you fancy a warm winter dressing gown email Ray on ray.stowers@stowersbespoke.co.uk

With Christmas only a couple of months away now is the perfect time to order or we can arrange gift vouchers to redeem in the new year.

Woolly Wonderland

If you stumbled mistakenly onto Savile Row today you may have had to double take…the grass underfoot and the bleating of sheep replaced the cars and traffic noise..and made a very small part of London positively rural.

The Row went from a typically traffic filled London street to a slice of the countryside, well almost. Chaps in wellies descended this morning complete with a flock or 2 of sheep and a couple of sheepdogs.

They were kicking off National Wool Week, an initiative started by Prince Charles to promote British wool.. using natural fibres and British cloth is at the very heart of Savile Row and so turfing the road and pulling in the crowds seemed a fitting way to celebrate the cause.

The Gold Suit

We are making a suit for a lady who bought her own cloth to us and asked for something a little bit different. We love a challenge and this was not the kind of cloth we see everyday. Scabal do a range of suitings which contain precious metals or stones, for example if you so wish you could have diamond dust woven into your suit, or Lapis Lazuli or 22ct gold. This particular cloth is the 22ct stripe – which actually looks less savage than it sounds, subtle as opposed to brash but not your average business suit.

We are going to blog the process as this promises to be a little extraordinary, providing Raymond doesn’t ‘lose’ the fabric and it mysteriously ends up as a suit for him by pure coincidence..!

Today we measured the client and went through styling details, Brian and Claire will now draft the pattern and put a toile into make. This toile is like a step before the forward fitting made in cheap cloth in order to get the shape right before the tailors shears cut the Super 150s cloth.

The Man Who Married Himself

Earlier this year a couple of our pieces were used in a film called The Man Who Married Himself starring Richard E Grant. It is a short film by director Garrick Hamm, the quirky story line reveals a man called Oliver (Grant) who, during his midlife crisis decides to marry himself and the lessons he learns about love and life are revealed.

Hamm wanted to create a heightened world by pushing the use of costume, lighting composition and set design in this 14 minute short.

This was where we came in – having been asked to create the new ‘Withnail’ coat. They also used our tweed jacket in the film. The photo above shows a scene from the film with Grant wearing the Withnail coat.

Savile Row saves the planet..!

There has been much talk recently about an article in Vogue written by Prince Charles and it got us thinking too. The market is flooded with fast fashion, and not all of it is cheap either. Even so called ‘designer’ labels make clothes that barely last the season. His Royal Highness talked about the materials used, polyester and other unnatural fabrics do not biodegrade and many are made from oil derivatives. He maintains that using natural fibres in clothing is infinitely better than the alternative. ‘An excellent example of this is the use of wool for clothing. It is natural and renewable, it has a far smaller environmental footprint and is far less flammable than man-made fibers, and it is fully recyclable. ’

What has all this got to do with us? Well, a Savile Row suit is not cheap, but the value it holds in both wear and for the environment is infinitely better than cheaper alternatives. When we make a suit we ensure there are inlays in all the seams, once the suit has been finished and handed over to it’s new owner it is only the beginning of the relationship between the tailor and customer. The inlays allow us to alter the suit over time, letting it grow or shrink according to your body shape. The materials inside the suit are all natural too and can be re-set accordingly as can the lining. You often find bespoke suits are passed down the generations and refurbished and refitted. So when you look at £3000 divided by the time and number of wears it actually is very economical in every sense of the word.

As we have said before, Savile Row is a sign of quality, but not every shop on the street is a ‘true’ tailors – pick wisely. Only the best tailors make proper bespoke, where a pattern is drafted by a cutter that has trained with the best and made properly with the correct inlays, canvases and linings. This way when you part with your money you know you are getting actual value.

It is no secret Prince Charles has his suits made on the Row, and he himself in the article points out how long his clothes last..the trick of course is keeping them looking good. When the suit does end its life it is also good to know that it can be recycled easily. Eco-bespoke indeed!

Order your overcoat now!

So it may still be hot and sunny(ish) and the summer holidays are in full swing but now is the time to be ordering the winter wardrobe.

For when the weather turns chilly and more than a jacket is needed a bespoke overcoat is the must have for the British winter – remember the snow? Whether it’s cashmere, or a heavy wool, calf or full length the options are immense.

Here is a fitting for a blue heavy wool overcoat, awaiting finishing. Brian modelled it for us, it’s new owner has much broader shoulders than Mr Jeffrey but you get the idea.

Overcoats start at £2750, email: ray.stowers@stowersbespoke.co.uk or telephone 0207 287 3080 to book an appointment.

Bespoke jeans

We were asked to make a couple of pairs of jeans for one of our customers. Never one to back down on a challenge we sourced some lightweight denim, a soft cotton that suits the warm summer weather.

We finished the look with white stitching on one pair and traditional gold stitching on the other pair. If you go to the effort of having your suits made, it makes sense to make sure your casualwear fits too!

The Wedding – Part 2

So here it is – the boys and their bespoke suits, with Xander’s stunning bride Zara. In the idyllic setting of Tuscany –  the new Mr and Mrs with their groomsmen Adam, Chris and Zara’s little brother Connor.. (Yes we do mini bespoke!)

Left: The inside of Xander’s suit with our label and the date of their wedding in Italian, of course!