The tailors I have known

 

The finest finish of any English tailors, learning from the French in their buttonholes among other things, Chittleborough was founded by two cutters from the legendary Tommy Nutter shop, where Edward Sexton was the head cutter. Roy Chittleborough is now retired, but Joe Morgan carries on cutting Sixties-inspired suits with large lapels, nipped waists and strong shoulders. 

 

My navy suit can be found here.

 

Edward’s style is similar to that of Joe Morgan, but his finishing and stylistic details are less about things like lap seams and Milanese buttonholes, and more about colour and cloth. 

 

Edward made me a fantastic double-breasted flannel suit, and at time of writing is making a long grey overcoat. Both pretty dramatic.

 

Davide Taub, of whose style I am a big fan, is now the head cutter at Gieves. He trained at Maurice Sedwell among other places and he tends towards a strong shoulder and silhouette.

 

He is also very innovative, and has made several very original and stylish pieces for me, including my pea coat, leather jacket and gilet.

 

A traditional English cut but with willingness to experiment. Currently making some of the best non-Italian soft jackets I’ve seen in terms of cut.

 

Although not the same standard of make as Savile Row, Graham Browne is by far the best value tailoring in London. I have had many things made over the years, I have all my alterations done there, and my first bespoke suit in London, which was made by them, is still one of my favourites.

 

(Choppin & Lodge was set up by the same team as Graham Browne, and shares resources.)

 

 

Run by Toby Luper, who is based in Leeds but visits clients in London, and has the suits made at Cheshire Bespoke. The style is English but with a particularly large and extended shoulder.

 

Toby is not a cutter, and normally I would avoid being fitted by anyone who is not a cutter. But the trousers Toby cut me are probably the best fitting I have.

 

The other one of the big three names on the Row, it is more flexible in house style than either A&S or Huntsman. The basic cut is strong and English, however, with slightly less padding and structure in the shoulder and chest than Huntsman.

 

I had a double-breasted Prince of Wales suit made, which has been quietly superb. It gets more compliments that almost anything else, yet it is conservative in everything by the cloth. Cut by Craig Featherstone.

 

John and Terry work with Stephen Lachter (shirt cutter) on Sackville Street. Terry was head cutter at Huntsman and his style is very similar; John tends to cut a slightly smaller back and slimmer leg – sharper, in that way.

 

John made my pattern and I have two suits from it, the second cut and fitted by Terry – hence the difference in styles noted above. The make was superb and I would say they are the best value on the Row.

 

 

Kathryn used to be the head tailor at Gieves & Hawkes. Her style is, like Poole and others, a traditional English military cut. 

 

My travel blazer and trousers were cut by Kathryn Sargent while she was at Gieves. She has since set up her own premises, and made a beautiful tweed jacket for my wife there, which reflected her particular skill in women’s styles. 

 

 

A city tailor, PA Crowe have a small shop near to St Paul’s cathedral. I worked close-by for several years and eventually had a pair of brown flannel trousers made. 

 

The results were not great, with the persistent issue I have of hollow fronts and bulging rear causing the trousers to lose their sharpness all too easily. Not bad if they were Graham Browne prices, but unfortunately they are rather more expensive.

 

A much more contemporary cut than anyone else on this list – a short jacket, narrow sleeve and fitted waist. Famous for their horseshoe waistcoats.

 

Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney are great stylists, with Thom the cutter. Their strength is style, youth and innovation. They made me a navy checked jacket and cord trousers several years ago, which fit very well (though I somewhat regretted the boldness of the windowpane check). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Neapolitan trouser maker with a good reputation – and making trousers for some of the other Neapolitan tailoring houses – Marco Cerrato has started to expand more abroad with his brother in London handling a lot of commissions. 

 

Marco is making me a pair of heavy cotton twill trousers, which will be published and written about soon.

 

 

Gianfrancesco Musella was one of the young tailors I brought to our Symposium event in Florence this summer, and no one better deserved the invitation. He is both highly skilled and genuinely innovative, bringing different flavours to the Milanese style.

 

Gianfrancesco has just started the process of making me a navy cotton suit, in the same lightweight cotton as my brown Caliendo. He is also in the process of moving to a bigger location, reflecting the growth in his small outfit.

 

 

 

Salvatore Ambrosi is easily the best known trouser maker in the world, travelling to dozens of cities around the world and working with shops like Armoury, Brio and Brycelands.

 

Salva makes to a very high level, better than most Neapolitans, with lovely hand detailing. He also has considerably style, which helps rather with commissions. My experience was quite inconsistent though, with a few mistakes along the way.  

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Camps de Luca are a small but no less fine Parisian tailor, and made me a beautiful grey two-piece suit with their characteristic closed notch on the lapel and small Milanese buttonhole. 

 

Slightly square of shoulder, with a fantastically made trouser and exquisite detailing, they rival Cifonelli in most departments. Although they can seem more classic than Cifonelli, they do also make suede and leather pieces, and some unusual jackets for hot weather.

  

 

 

 

The best of the three Spanish tailors I tried, Calvo de Mora made a closely fitted grey jacket, a self-backed grey donegal waistcoat, and green cotton trousers. The jacket was quite close through the skirt and soft in the shoulder, although not as casual as a Neapolitan make. 

 

Unfortunately Calvo don’t travel to London or anywhere else regularly. They are the most expensive of the Spanish tailors here, perhaps inevitably given the quality.

 

 

Sastreria Langa are best know for their shirtmaker, Mariano, who has a long and storied list of customers. The shirt he made was well-fitted, if quite formal and stiff in the collar, with a good deal of handwork. 

 

The linen suit cut by Joaquin was a lovely piece, largely because of the colour of the Scabal linen. The jacket itself could have been made better and there was an issue with the shoulders – partly due to trying to create a Neapolitan look – which they are working to correct.

 

 

Reillo is a small tailor – one cutter, Jose Maria, with some help with making at the back of the shop. Like Langa he is good value for money, although the green cotton suit that we made together suffered rather in the shoulders. 

 

Partly, as with Langa, this was due to trying to create a very soft, Neapolitan-style jacket, which is not the natural style the Spanish tailors were trained on.