Sharp style comes home to the City
THE City’s menfolk have been through various versions of the traditional business uniform, each a reflection of the age in which they were worn. The pinstriped, bowler-hatted patrician of old; the jacket-off, red-braces bravado of the ‘80s; the dress-down-Friday scruffs of the ‘90s; the wide-tied, wide-striped wide-boys of the more recent boom. Clichés all, but each founded in truth.
Right now, though, the City is witnessing a bit of a golden age for good suiting. The sobriety of the post-recession era, the return of heritage values and the interest in traditional craft and style, which colours everything from our food choices to our TV watching – witness the success of Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire – has re-emphasised the elegance of a English suit. And that chap with the bowler hat and umbrella, long an object of ridicule, is suddenly an icon of old-fashioned style.
“A few years ago people were dressing down and it got a bit casual, but right now people want to look really smart,” says John Hitchcock, head cutter at legendary Savile Row tailoring house Anderson Sheppard. “I’ve been in the trade over 45 years and I’ve never seen it so busy. Even when I joined the company they said it’ll turn to ready-made, but good tailoring always comes back and right now it’s snowballed – and a lot of that is down to the City.”
This is not simply about chaps wanting to luxuriate in the trappings of good, old-fashioned styling though. As Christ Scott-Gray of made-to-measure specialist Chester Barrie points out, serious times require serious sartorial effort. “Where we are now as a country and an economy, and the City as an institution, make it a time for people who look as though they mean business. It’s a time for gravitas.”
Which means if you’re still rocking the same off-the-peg suit you’ve been wearing for years, on the basis that it’s just about adequate and you’d rather save your money for a holiday, you’re seriously behind the curve. Carin King of menswear style consultancy Purple Eagle, says those who don’t make the effort to look their best will find themselves held back.
“If you care about your presentation, it suggests that you also care about the presentation of others. We know if we feel smart or not, and if we don’t, it can be betrayed in our behaviour, our mannerisms and even our posture. Others appreciate your smart appearance because subconsiously it makes them feel good being around you.”
If you work in the City, Chris Scott Gray says the bare minimum number of suits you should own is five – one for each day of the week. Patrick Grant of Norton & Sons reckons double that – more suits extends the life of your investment. A plain charcoal suit and a navy suit – single breasted, two button – should form the basis of any wardrobe, and from there you can invest build up your collection.
“If you can’t afford too many suits, a second pair of trousers will make it last longer,” says Grant.
Right now, the big boom area is in three-piece suits, which had almost vanished a few years ago. “The skill of making waistcoats was dying out, and all of a sudden we can’t make enough of them – we need another person in the workshop working just on them,” says John Hitchcock. James Sleater of rising City tailors Cad & the Dandy says that three years ago his company made waistcoats for one in 100 suits; now it’s as much as one in three.
Double-breasted suits are continuing their rather gradual return to the fray, while even pinstripe, the pattern the City made famous, is beginning to pick up again, after falling from favour amid thhe strife of the banking crisis.
“The power suit is cmoing back a bit,” says John Hitchcock. “People could carry it off quite well until everyone started hitting on bankers, but the stripes will come back – they’re what the City is all about.”