The Rise Of The Waistcoat

February 3rd, 2012

Recently, I attended the Christening of a friend’s child where I noticed that all but two of the men attending were wearing waistcoats.  The two without seemed decidedly out of place and underdressed.  I cast back my mind to previous Christenings and couldn’t recall a single waistcoat being warn. I’ve trawled through our records to see if there has been a trend forming and this observation appears to be overwhelmingly backed up by what our customers have been buying.  In 2008 C&D was making a waistcoat for 1 in every 20 customers; at the end of 2011 we were making for 1 in every 3. Read more…

The updated website –

January 29th, 2012

Those of you regular visitors to our site will have noticed lots of changes and updates over the last 6 months (and with plenty more planed) Lydia “our girl in the office” who works tirelessly to make everything look good online explains what goes into our website and also why we only use customers and staff as models…..

Read more…

The History of Braces – Part 3

October 22nd, 2011

  

With the fit of men’s trousers much improved and the introduction of the self-supporting waistband, it looked like the long and triumphant reign of braces over its underling trousers was over.

 However, this remarkably proved not to be the case which shows the grip they had on trousers was extremely difficult to shake off.  Braces began to be worn to define a look or style by certain groups of society.

 The skin-heads of the Sixties and Seventies wore braces as an integral part of their “street look”, and along with the drainpipe jeans, granddad shirts, Doc Marten this became an outfit of subversive menace.

 

Red braces became synonymous with the financial sector after the film “Wall Street” was released in 1987.  Michael Douglas, who starred as Gordon Gekko sported a pair to repeat his mantra that “greed was good”.  Red braces were so associated with the banking industry that when Sir Ken Morrison (then Chairman of Morrisons’s supermarkets) went cap in hand to the city in 2004 to raise capital, he decided to pop on a pair.

 Red braces, even today, seem to attract a following – here’s the latest squeeze of Kate Winslet, Ned Rocknroll, wearing a thin pair of braces to impress her. 

 

 Bright braces took a colourful and childish accent – Robin Williams’ rainbow coloured braces added to the gentle charms of his character Mork in the TV series, Mork and Mindy.

 And of course, braces remained a staple of elderly gents’ wardrobes – here’s a pic of my great-grandad (born in the reign of Queen Victoria) who didn’t eschew his braces, even on the beach in 1959. 

  If you are a fan of braces then the place to go is Albert Thurston, available from their website or other outfitters.  They have been supplying braces since 1820 and they have a magnificent range.  Check out this pair of Blue Angels and Red Devils (with its traditional black goatskin ends and hand polished brass fittings) and you can literally have the devil on your shoulder!

 

For the evening, there’s this luxurious pair of white moiré, braid ends and white leather joints which Daniel Craig wore, with dinner jacket, bow tie and dress shirt in Casino Royale.

Yet however fancy the braces are, they still have the practical capabilities of keeping one’s trousers aloft.  This fact was patently forgotten by the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Colin Hall last year.

As His Worship attended an educational event with pupils from three local schools present, he suffered an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction and his trousers slid down to his knees.

As a Leicester City council spokesman succinctly put it; “He was not wearing a belt and his trousers came loose and fell”.

The abashed Councillor Hall perhaps should reflect that a belt and braces attitude is possibly the best way to approach life.

Too Sexy for my Pants.

 

NBC recently declined to make a full length series of WonderWoman, based on the recent pilot which starred Adrianne Palicki as the heroine.

 No wonder when you remember Lynda Carter as the original TV  kick-arse lass, back in the Seventies.  We all loved Lynda for her all-American looks, her steely blue eyes and of course that fantastic figure in that satin bustier and natty little satin shorts bedecked with stars.

 Contrast that with the picture here of Adrianne, galloping down the street, ready to lasso some villains, wearing leggings!  Yes, wrinkly old leggings!  And also wearing a PVC bra which is clearly tackier than some sticky-backed plastic from Blue Peter.

Is there any guy on earth who actually prefers leggings to shorts?  Shorts are sexy and teasing – and the clue is they’re called hotpants.  Leggings, on the other hand are, well, pants.

 When Lord Flashheart of Black Adder fame, said: “I have an idea and it’s hotter than my pants”,  he was not referring to leggings.  Leggings are for Baldricks and should stay where they belong – preferably in the Dark Ages.

By Miss Dandy

Cad & The Dandy Photoshoot – The Video

October 18th, 2011

I can not think of many, or any websites in fact, that use only customers as models however, it is a fact we are proud of at C&D. We believe it gives the new customer a better idea of what our suits look like on real people and not catwalk models.

This is a short video from our Autumn 2011 photoshoot and we hope you enjoy it!

PLEASE JUST CLICK THE LINK BELOW.

 

Bespoke Tailors Cad & The Dandy Photoshoot

 

Best Dressed Banker teams up with SquareMile Magazine

October 17th, 2011

Square Mile is a monthly magazine targeting senior banking executives working in financial institutions in the City, Mayfair and Canary Wharf. It is complimented online by Squaremile.com and by numerous major events.
Square Mile is where the City comes to play.
Square Mile delivers high-quality editorial from the very best in the business to the best in banking. The right blend of luxury lifestyle, industry and news all adds up to one thing: engagement with the magazine by its target readers

NEW CLOTH – THE WEST RIDING MERINO Super 120′s

September 8th, 2011

dugdaleThe West Riding of Yorkshire is the historical centre of fine wool worsted cloth production. A tradition which is centuries old.

The steep valleys around Huddersfield and Bradford were home to some of the largest wool textile enterprises in the world during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Generations of craftsmen built up their cloth making skills over these years and these have been handed down to the designers and technicians of today.

In a world of globalisation, its good to know that these rare skills are still found in the heart of Yorkshire to design and make a men’s suiting cloth ideal for 21st century living. The cloth is soft and supple, yet resilient. The cloth is made from a choice super 120′s merino wool worsted and is tightly woven with a traditional two fold weft to ensure quick recovery after wearing. After weaving, the cloth is naturally processed with soft Yorkshire water using the most modern machinery to give a beautiful, permanent finish.

The cloth quintessentially English in character, this new collection offers contemporary classics that are never out of fashion together with more adventurous styles that are never out of place.

Tommy Nutter – The Rebel on the Row

September 4th, 2011

 

 

 

 

It was the early Fifties.  Britain was still a dark and austere place, in its post-war existence.  The tailors of Savile Row are a secretive world, their shop windows still blacked-out from the war, their inner sanctum a complete mystery to the world outside.

 One man blew this world apart.  His name was Tommy Nutter and he became known as the Rebel on the Row.

 

The scene has already been set for Nutter by the time the Swinging Sixties had arrived in London for a whole array of colourful men’s wear shops exploded onto the scene like a psychedelic rainbow.  John Pearson opened up Granny Takes a Trip whilst Mr Fish stocked shirts and ties in every available colour.  A new era in men’s clothing had arrived.

 

Nutter’s own background was that of a sales assistant when he met Edward Sexton, a cutter who had trained with Kilgour, French and Stanbury, one of the great bespoke tailors of Savile Row.  Sexton supplied the genius cutting and Nutter a host of brilliant ideas and thus a memorable partnership began.

 

Whilst Dougie Hayward was beloved by the film industry, Nutter carved out a niche as a tailor to the world of pop and rock.  Indeed, when his first shop opened in 1969, Cilla Black and her husband Bobby were one of his financial backers. (Indeed, these this 3 piece suit was made for Cilla in 1972 and she wistfully regrets the fact it no longer fits!)

 Cilla's suit made by Tommy

  Cilla’s suit made by Tommy

Nutter’s Savile Row establishment was strikingly different from the start.  Its plate glass front was opened up to the gaze of the public, thus making it accessible to the world.  The interior was a curious mixture of architectural salvage, old and new furniture and mirrored walls.  Savile Row looked on unperturbed and gave the sartorial upstarts six months.

 

However, Tommy was to prove his critics all wrong.  His suits epitomised style, confidence and flamboyance, summed up by Elton John who said, “Tommy completely glamorised Savile Row”.

 

So what exactly was the Nutter style?  Tommy’s trademark look was to match the trim on the suit lapels to the trim on the patch pockets thus ensuring a unique look and one that gave the jacket an air of homogeneity.  But Tommy’s genius was to adapt his style to the character of his clients, to create a look that captured the essence of their personality.

 A typical Tommy suit

For Prince Rajsinh of Rajpipla, (who became an avid customer) he created an exotic brocade jacket for a sophisticated evening look.  This dates from the 1970s.  The cream suit dates from the same era; both suit trousers are based on a 1930s cut which was baggier than the current normal trend.

 

A typical cream suit by Tommy

A typical cream suit by Tommy

 

This suit for Neil Sedaka picks up on pop flamboyance of the Seventies.  Neil’s patchwork waistcoat is balanced out with a plaid wool jacket and dates from 1975.  Neil had several clothes made by Nutter and he also commissioned Tommy to make an outfit for his little boy.

Neil Sedaka's jacket and waistcoat

Neil Sedaka's jacket and waistcoat

 Tommy’s order book reads like a roll call of famous rock stars – Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Maurice Gibb, the Beatles, Elton John….

 

And rock stars had their little quirks.  There is a cream double-breasted jacket and trousers, made for Charlie Watts who liked  a narrower cut on his trousers than his fellow Stones member, Mick Jagger.

 

Jagger has embraced bright colours in his suits for most of his life – just a few weeks ago, the 68 year old rocker was snapped wearing a bright pink suit.  Nutter made green and yellow suits in bright  citrus colours  for him whilst crafting this elegant green suit for Maurice Gibb in 1976.

Maurice Gibb's green velvet suit

Maurice Gibb's green velvet suit

 

Elton John loved the Nutter look too and in 1984, he commissioned Tommy to make his stage jumpsuits for his “I’m Still Standing” tour.

 

In 1976, Tommy left Nutters in Savile Row and the business continued under Sexton, Chittleborough and Morgan.  He moved into ready to wear, producing a collection for Kilgour and in 1988 he opened a new shop in Savile Row where he continued to produce his distinctive suits.  Such was Tommy’s reputation that two talented juniors, Timothy Everest and John Galliano both joined the firm.

 By the 1990s, Tommy’s health was in decline and he sadly died in 1992, way before his time.  But his legacy lives on in his suits, which were kept and cherished by his customers and these remain a striking monument to the cutting skills of Savile Row.

 

 Tommy Nutter – the Rebel on the Row exhibition continues at the Fashion and Textile Museum until the 22 October 2011.

 

Vince Morse – the Code Name for Stupid

 

Jessie and Vince as history 

Actress Jessie Wallace has had a lucky escape.  Just before her impending nuptials, her erstwhile finance´, Vince Morse sent an explicit photo of Jessie to his ex-girlfriend, Karen Short.

 

 According to our Vinnie, it was because he was “drunk and showing off.”

 

 Vince is so stupid he cannot clock you are supposed to send saucy photographs of yourself, not your fiancee´ to any available third-party girlfriend.  Even Ashley Cole managed to get that bit right.

 

 Vince is also stupid because he cannot even tie a bow tie straight.  Girls, never trust a bloke whose bow tie lists off the horizontal.  It’s a sure sign of a cad, a bounder or just a plain loser. Someone whose condition is “as crooked as his carcass,“ to quote the dashing Elizabethan, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.

 

 Jessie has cancelled the wedding and has remained holed-up in her house in Surrey, scoffing the wedding cup-cakes and watching her wedding flowers die, in an attempt to alleviate her misery.

 

 Jessie, you deserve better.  Be patient and your Mr Right will come along.  And next time make sure he can tie the knot properly.

By Miss Dandy

 

Cloth Series: Wool

September 2nd, 2011

Wool is one of the world’s most commonly used fibres, produced by shearing sheep and is produced in more than 100 countries, by more than 1 billion sheep. Shearing is done usually once a year in spring when the sheep no longer, due the summer being round the corner needs its winter coat.

Production:

The annual worldwide production of wool is estimated to be around 2.1 million tonnes with Australia providing over a fifth of the worlds total, followed closely by China, Iran, Argentina, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It comes as a surprise to many that almost no Britsh wool is turned in suiting, British wool is too coarse due to our climate for the production of fine grade yarn. It is with imported yarn that Britain has always built its reputation as the worlds best cloth maker.

Properties

  • An all purpose fibre
  • Combinations of fibres and different weaving methods and techniques means it is possible to obtain as almost infinite variety of wools, differing in texture, weight and durability.
  • Absorbs moisture well and has fantastic warming properties
  • An incredibly soft fibre
  • fineness:generally between 13-40u
  • length of fibre: 65-130mm

Practical usage

Wool is at the base of many fabrics and wooven into thick yarn it makes a great summer suit. Conversely when using a lighter weave it makes a great summer cloth. Either way this should always be the default option for a work suit.

Mike Tindall – The Royal Suit-or

August 20th, 2011

Dolly Maude

Vanessa Friedman posted a recent blog on the FT website, criticising our Mr Sleater for focusing on Mike Tindall’s royal, not sporting connections.  Ms Friedman then goes on to state that weddings simply do not have the same influence on men’s wear, as  they have on female fashion.

Unfortunately Miss Friedman has misunderstood the dynamics of male dress.  A groom’s morning suit should act as a dark foil to the bride’s chosen wedding dress, complementing it but never competing with it.

In Mike’s case, the crisp, black outline of his suit beautifully balances Zara’s soft, gauzy gown of creamy silk.  His waistcoat of pearl-grey neatly dovetails with the chief bridesmaid, Dolly Maude’s silvery-grey dress; Zara loves this colour since she wore it to William and Kate’s wedding, back in April.
Mike and Zara

The main point that James was making, is Mike Tindall is a Yorkshire man; he is fiercely proud of his Yorkshire roots and he wanted to share this fact with his family and friends on his wedding day.

Mike was born in West Yorkshire and educated in Wakefield, which occupies a poignant place in the county’s history. The Battle of Wakefield in 1460 during the War of the Roses, resulted in a sound defeat for the Yorkists and their leader, Richard, Duke of York was executed.

Mike also made the decision to sport the white rose of York in his button-hole, to proclaim his allegiance.  A further Yorkshire connection was Mike’s Cad and the Dandy wedding suit which was woven from black barathea cloth from Dugdale Brothers in Huddersfield.

Huddersfield is the historic home of rugby league where in 1895, 22 northern clubs voted to break away from the Football Union to become the Rugby Football League.  So the town’s strong rugby heritage has a particular resonance, even for Mike who plays for rugby union.

Mike in wedding suit

Ms Friedman states that it is athletes such as David Beckham who are the main influencers of male fashion.  Sorry, Vanessa.  The simple fact is why we may be all agog to see what the Beckhams are wearing, we do not feel compelled to rush out and buy the same clothes.

I fail to recollect a major surge of hair-bands for men when Beckham wore one on the football pitch.  And who can forget those sarongs?   Then there are those white Armani knickers of such a terrifying pristine awfulness they leave lesser men gulping and reaching for the safety of their much-loved and tatty boxers.

Further to this, an interesting fact popped up this week – the metrosexual male has been shown the door.  According to The Grocer magazine, sales of male grooming products are in decline – men’s hair styling products have fallen by 15% this year.  This cause has not been helped by the recent appearance of Shane Warne, Liz Hurley’s latest beau.  Shane may have been an overweight and unkempt Aussie but at least he looked human. Now having been plastered with the contents of La Hurley’s make-up bag, his face appears to have sprung from an embalmer’s parlour rather than a beauty parlour.

Apparently we are now seeing the rise of the retrosexual male.  He’s rough and tough and doesn’t nick your face cream.

Shane Before...

Shane Before...

In short he’s a typical bloke – just like Mike Tindall aka “the Fridge” who’s an incredibly cool guy.  Mike may be a retrosexual but he could never be described as being backwards.

Strewth! Shane after,  carrying a Bruce bag.

Strewth! Shane after, carrying a Bruce bag.

By Miss Dandy

Fabrics – Here begins todays lesson.

August 14th, 2011

It goes without saying that cloth forms an absolutely fundamental part of any suit made whether it be off the peg or bespoke. Yet it seems an incredible number of us know little if anything about cloth. So I thought I would start a new series of writings looking at the different fabrics we use at Cad & The Dandy and also a deeper look into the individual cloths themselves, the weaves used in making them and what unique characteristics and attributes each has.

The very essence of the suit comes from the fabric one selects so its vital to have a good understanding of how each fabric will look, “wear” and feel.

There are two broad raw sources for cloth, those which are natural and those which are synthetic. However it is the former that I wish to concentrate as synthetics are very seldom used by any tailor of note.

From the natural world we can make cloth from both the plant and the animal. It is from the plant we can create cotton, bamboo, linen. From animals we weave wool, mohair, cashmere and vicuna. It is these seven fabrics in this series I will look at: starting of course with the most popular cloth, wool.