Tag Archives: savile row tailor

Tailored suits. Be British. Be Tailored. By Henry Herbert Tailors

Be British. Be Tailored. By Henry Herbert TailorsTailored suits bring an air of confidence to every man. The feeling of freshly cut cloth, a pattern made to exactly your measurements and the bespoke service that should go with every tailored suit do what every tailored suit should: make you feel good.

The biggest test of any tailored suit is whether it makes you feel good. If it does, that is all that matters.

Entering into the world of tailored suits and bespoke tailoring can feel like stepping onto the set of “Mad Men” or “A Single Man,” the film-directing debut of the men’s wear designer Tom Ford. But your tailor is there to help you and guide you through the vast selections available to you.

Tailored suits. Be British. Be Tailored. By Henry Herbert Tailors who working to the high standards of Savile Row.

The English gentleman

Bespoke suit fabric: Blue wool

Fabric source: Peebles, Scotland

Suit Cut: Slim, Single Breasted, Two button

Bespoke suit occasion: Everyday suit

Notes: A blue suit made for a young gentleman in West London.  A great hard working wool for an every day business suit – but still finely cut to offer a tailored finish.

The DB is Back.

Fabric: Fine pure wool.  Fabric source: England. Cut: Double breasted. Price: Contact Henry Herbert Towers.

‘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.

The English Cut Suit

English suit tailor

There is nothing as thrilling as an English cut suit made in England using British cloths. Perfectly fitting, every bespoke suit should be every man’s dream and should do one thing only: make you feel good. The bespoke suit should be accompanied by a bespoke service: an exquisitely cut suit matched by an exemplary service.  meeting the high standards of Savile Row.

The Double-Breasted: The comeback kid?

Double Breasted

We have had an increasing amount of requests for double breasted suits. GQ magazine have devoted some of their pages to showcasing double-breasted suits too. Indeed, the V-shaped man in the double-breasted suit is making a comeback, adding stylish swagger to city streets and cool tailoring to corporate offices. The double breasted silhouettes and swooping lapels, broadened shoulders and extra chest, are once again making a resurgence.

Double-breasted jackets have their origins in English sportswear and the classic double-breasted jacket originated with the frock coat, worn in the early Victorian era, in the 1820’s and 30’s. Today, the double breasted has made a return to the contemporary collections of the world’s finest tailoring houses.

Most double-breasted suits have two rows of buttons, three on each side. The middle button on the left is usually buttoned, as is the inner button, called the jigger button, which keeps the jacket flaps in line. They are complemented by the rich and conservative fabrics, from the best English and Scottish mills. Now is the time to think of one!


A suitably smart Henry Herbert bespoke shirt

Fabric: Egyptian cotton

Cut: Slim

Occassion: Professional

A young man in his bespoke shirt, made for him by Henry Herbert Tailors. A slim fitting shirt, complemented by a great looking tie, in a fine Egyptian cotton.

Henry Herbert rings the wedding bells

Bespoke Wedding Suit

We were privileged to be invited to make the shirt, waistcoat and trousers for this young gentleman for his wedding day. He selected a crisp white shirt, with the fabric from Acorn Fabrics in Lancashire, a double breasted waistcoat, using a luxurious Scottish cotton from Harrisons of Edinburgh and a pinstriped pair of trousers (with a subtle orange tinge to the stripes). The combination looks great and his bride seems happy with the result!

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

Video: Time for a Three Piece Suit!

The three piece suit is a fabulous, but intricate creation. You may imagine a variety of people wearing them in a a vrierty of different environments – but can you imagine yourself in one? Perhaps you should start! A well cut three piece suit is as comfortable in the city today as it is in the country and every well dressed gentleman should have one. This short video by Henry Herbert Tailors shows you one of our carefully crafted three piece suits, using a Tweed fabric from an English mill.

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