Tag Archives: savile row suit

Roman holidays….Silvio & Babarella join the HH fleet…..

Silvio & Babarella…theyjoin the Henry Herbert fleet today to serve our Savile Row by Scooter Service. Serving up traditional and authentic English tailoring, our Vespa’s can meet you around the clock – wherever and whenever is good for you. Ciao bella!

‘Serge le Temoin de Playboy’ & Co. Sartorial elegance in Congo

I have mentioned this fascinating story before, but it is so gripping, it is worth talking about it again! SAPE stands for “Societe des Ambianceurs et Personnes Elegantes” which translates as the “society of atmosphere setters and elegant people“. Its members put fashion above all the other issues a developing country like Congo is facing right now.

The origins of La SAPE can be traced back to when the first French colonists arrived. They brought with them their famous fashion sense and inspired the locals who regarded the white man as far more elegant and educated than they were. In 1922 Andre Bernard Matsoua was the first local who traveled to Paris and came back dressed as a true French gentleman.

Since then, members of “La Societe des Ambianceurs et Personnes Elegantes” have been trying to get their hands on the newest, most expensive pieces of designer clothes that appear in Europe. There are some luxury shops in Brazzaville and Kinshasa, but most “sapeurs” prefer to get them directly from the Old Continent. This is actually every member’s dream, to travel to Paris and get their hands on killer wardrobes at the source.

Sapeurs spend thousands of dollars on suits, shirts, shoes and accessories, but this doesn’t mean they’re rich. In a country where the average salary is somewhere around $300/month, most of these guys don’t even have a job. Most of them lend their clothes for a living (renting a designer suit costs about $25/day), while those who travel to Europe bring the latest designer labels and sell them for a small profit.

All members of La SAPE have unique styles and crazy names: ‘Parfait le Bodeur‘, ‘Serge le Temoin de Playboy‘, ‘Baleine Sarkozy‘ or ‘Christian Dior‘. They live for fashion and feed off the attention they get when parading on the dusty streets of Brazzaville. The photos below are part of Francesco Giusti‘s La SAPE Collection, which recently won him an award for photography. They really do capture the charm of these special sapeurs. There is a beauitfully presenetd musical photo montage which tells the story too.

A French wedding with an Ooh La La Suit!

Two photographs from the wedding of a young man who married in the south west of France. It was a summer wedding, so we decided upon a light weight and very fine Super 130’s wool from Thomas Fischer in Huddersfield for this young man’s wedding suit. Hopefully, the top photograph shows the elegance of the slim cut suit and the lower photograph the finesse of this excellent Huddersfield cloth. The three button suit was complemented by a brilliant white bespoke shirt and, all put together, made for a sharp looking wedding suit. The suit and cloth chosen also allow for the suit to be worn on future occasions too and will serve as a great suit for many years to come.

Glorious Seersucker and All That Jazz

Seersucker Wedding Suit Seersucker The Coolest Cloth

Seersucker Wedding Suit by Henry HerbertTailors

Henry Herbert was extremely privileged to make the above suit: privileged on two counts in fact. The first, because the suit was created for the wedding of Ray Goold (above), a wonderful and talented musician. Ray plays with the Solent City Jazzmen in Southampton. The second, because Ray asked for an extremely rare, but special, fabric for his suit – Seersucker. We chose a seersucker fabric from Holland & Sherry. Unfortunately, the photograph may not do it justice, looking at it on a computer, as seersucker fabric is woven in such a way that it gives a glorious texture and is great, either as as suit or stand alone trousers or jacket. Richard Green for The Big Black Book (Illustration)

Beat the blues, choose blue!

Fabric: English wool

Fabric source: Peebles, Scotland

Cut: Slim, Single breasted

Occasion: Everyday

Notes: A terrific looking blue wool suit made by Henry Herbert Tailors, accompanied by smartly polished shoes. A great example of how striking this colour fabric can look in a well cut suit. You can also see a video of a blue Henry Herbert suit here.

Photography credit: Petra Exton

Harris Tweed suit by Henry Herbert Tailors

Fabric: Harris Tweed

Cut: Slim, Two button

Occassion: Country

Notes:  A Henry Herbert suit, made with the mystical Harris Tweed.  A finely cut suit that looks striking on the young man wearing it – Marcus Jaye, creative director of The Chic Geek.  The remarkable Harris Tweed is the only fabric in the world that is governed by its very own Act of Parliament 1993:  “Handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.” The Act ensures that all cloth certified with the Harris Tweed Orb complies with the definition in the Act, and is genuine.

Photography credit: Petra Exton

The pinstripe suit by Henry Herbert Tailors

Fabric:  Pinstripe flannel

Fabric source: Huddersfield, England

Cut: Traditional, Single breasted

Notes: An excellent example of a bespoke pinstripe suit, which remains as popular (and striking) as ever. This creation by Henry Herbert Tailors was made as a single breasted, two button suit with a pure English wool from Duffin & Peace in Huddersfield – believe it or not, there are still some English mills left.

Video: Just what makes a good sports jacket?

The sports jacket is an essential garment for every wardrobe. It can be made from a variety of different fabrics, including linen, silk, cotton, mohair and wool. They all offer their own individual merits, but a well cut, bespoke linen sports jacket can look super sharp. A common concern is that linen can crease easily – as long as you look after the linen jacket, it will look after you. This is a short video of a bespoke sports jacket made by Henry Herbert Tailors.

Video: Bespoke Double Breasted Suit

The V-shaped, double breasted, silhouette suit has made a resurgence. The finely cut peak lapels and wrap over jacket, finished with sharp looking trousers, is making a comeback on to city streets. This is a short video of a bespoke double-breasted suit made by Henry Herbert Tailors.

The Tailor’s Table – Revealed!

What’s on a tailor’s table?! Pictured is Charlie – the creator of Henry Herbert Tailors – at his Savile Row desk. It is not the tidiest desk in the world, but it has all the tools he needs to go through an order with each customer – tape measures, pins, chalk, books (and books) of fabrics and an order form. Henry Herbert is a scootering tailor service, using our fleet of Piaggio scooters to meet customers wherever and whenever is good for them. Or they can meet us, by appointment on Savile Row. To Book a Tailor, just click here.

Linen Ahoy!

Bespoke Savile Row Tailored British Linen Suit

Fabric: Linen

Fabric source:  Edinburgh, Scotland

Cut: Slim, Single breasted, Two Button

Occasion: Everyday, professional

Notes: A glorious looking blue linen suit from Harrisons of Edinburgh, which Henry Herbert made for a magazine editor (and former Royal Navy officer) in London. Linen is an excellent choice for staying cool whilst looking sharp in the warmer months.  You can just see a flash of the special lining that he chose too. He also requested brace buttons, which sit discreetly inside the trouser waistband, together with a fishtail finish to the rear of the trousers. A great looking suit which sits well on his tall frame.

A dashing gentleman in a dashing Henry Herbert suit….

Bespoke Wedding Suits

Fabric: English wool

Fabric source:  West Yorkshire, England

Cut: Elegant, Three Piece, Single Breasted

Occasion: Wedding

Notes: A great looking Henry Herbert suit modelled extremely well by its customer, Mr Tom Duxberry. The fabric is from Bateman & Ogden in West Yorkshire and sits sharply on top of the single button waistcoat. Tom is owner and chef of the lovely Marneys Village Inn, in Weston Green, Surrey.