“Cavalry twill, as the name suggests, was originally adopted by the mounted divisions of the British Army such as Household Guards and Cavalry as perfect riding attire,” says Rob Charnock, who serves as the chairman of the 124-year-old Yorkshire fabric mill Dugdale Bros. & Co, itself a prolific supplier of cavalry twill.

The term “twill” refers to a common weaving technique in which weft threads are passed over warp threads to produce a tightly woven series of diagonal, parallel ribs. It’s used in everything from denim to shirting, but cavalry twill is differentiated by its double-twill weave, which results in two parallel lines but more importantly gives the cloth improved structure and drape while preserving its matte finish.

“It is a warped face double-twill cloth which makes any wool version incredibly durable,” Charnock says of the weave’s woollen application. “Warped and woven in a dense ‘crammed’ construction of fine yarns makes it a very tightly woven cloth which is pretty impervious to the elements, with the same drape property as gabardine but without the shine.”

Indeed, cavalry twill is far from the only wool twill in the game, but its combination of lofty woollen yarn and tight, hard-wearing weave make it uniquely suited for wear with business-casual ensembles in the autumn and winter season.

“Cavalry twill is the king of twill cloths, sitting above serges, gabardine and standard twill in both elegance and performance,” attests Charnock.

Cavalry twill is available from multiple mills and represented in books like Holland & Sherry’s “Summer Variety” (for lightweight fabrics) and “Dakota” books, as well as the “Invincible” book of heavyweight wools by Dugdale. Unsurprisingly, Charnock has his own favourites, which aren’t confined to potential trouser picks.

From these particular swatches, Charnock recommends cloths INV023 to INV026 and INV034 to INV041 for general wear, while reserving cloths INV046 to INV053 for winter-weight trousers or even suits, with the impressive weight and handle of cloths INV054 to INV056 making ideal warming winter overcoats.

As a matter of military strategy, cavalry fell out of favour 100 years ago, but in the ongoing campaign for autumn and winter style, cavalry twill rides on.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke Dugdale cavalry twill trousers start at £430. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a consultation online.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has featured on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook and Ivy-Style.com, among many others.

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Put simply, “lining” refers to the fabric that’s been sewn onto the inside of a jacket (or the upper portion of a pair of trousers). Jackets may be lined or unlined (or something in between—more on that later) with a variety of fabrics ranging from polyester to pure silk.

To better explore the topic, we enlisted the aid of our old friend Brad Herzlich, who serves as Business Development Strategist for the international fabric merchant Gladson.

“One of things that linings do both for trousers and for jackets is to provide ease of wear,” says Herzlich of its practical applications. “It prevents the fabric from catching on your body or your shirt—that’s the traditional reason linings were used.”

Gladson utilises three types of fabric for its custom linings: viscose, cupro and silk. Viscose is a woven textile that is made from naturally occurring fibres—in most cases, wood pulp, tree bark or bamboo. Although its light weight and slippery hand is similar to polyester, it is far more breathable.

Cupro is a kind of cousin to viscose, which differs in that is derived from a byproduct of the cotton plant. This gives it a softer hand that is comparable to silk yet much stronger, which has made it a favourite linings choice among tailors.

Silk, which was once commonly used to line jackets, was large supplanted by viscose and cupro and is today reserved as a luxury. Gladson continues to offer 100% silk linings exclusively by custom commission. Interested clients can commission printed silk linings, working with Gladson’s design team to develop individual orders. This brings us to another application for linings—a subtle way for the wearer to express their personal style in even the most buttoned-up environments.

“One of the things that’s recently become more prevalent is the use of jacket linings as an expression of individuality or flair,” Herzlich says. “Professional clients tend to be quite corporate and reserved on the exterior of their garments. The choice of lining is where their personality can shine through whether it’s racing cars or football or whatever it is that makes that garment feel special for them. Linings give clients the opportunity to have a bit of fun.”

To that effect, books like Gladson’s Flash! series offer a kaleidoscopic array of designs and motifs running from large-scale paisleys or polka dots to world maps or vintage advertisements, typically in a high-quality viscose, owing to the fabric’s durability and structure.

There is another way that linings play a practical purpose, functioning as light insulation. While silk will prove the most insulating, any fully lined jacket will better retain body heat. Entirely dependent on climate, linings as insulation are not always desirable which is why unlined jackets are also an option.

In our case, “unlined” means that a jacket is free from lining everywhere but the sleeves and shoulder blades. This feature is typically chosen for jackets made from linen or another lightweight fabric that will be intended for summertime wear (alternatively, a tweed jacket might also be unlined to prevent overheating beneath the heavy fabric).

Those on the fence of fully lined or unlined can instead opt for a half-lining. In this case the sleeves, shoulders, and sides of a jacket are lined, leaving the back unlined. This may seem like a minor variation but as it allows air to circulate freely through the back of the jacket, anyone who’s ever worn a tailored jacket to an August wedding can attest, this slight change can make for a world of difference.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke two-piece suits start at £1400, jackets from £1090. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call 020 7434 4344 or book a bespoke consultation in London, New York or Stockholm, or at one of our regular US trunk shows.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has featured on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook and Ivy-Style.com, among many others.

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Small numbers of Escorial sheep are found today in Australian and New Zealand, with a history stretching back through centuries. In 1340 Spanish Royalty took possession of a unique flock, originating in the North African Mahgreb, to nurture on the Escorial plains north west of Madrid.

The sheep became known as The Royal Escorial Flock when, in the sixteenth century, King Phillip Il built the El Escorial palace overlooking the vast plains outside Madrid. Here, this unique breed were cared for and protected, their soft fleeces producing the most exquisite fabrics of the era.

The breed was almost lost during the Napoleonic wars, but for a Scottish woman, Eliza Furlonge who took 120 Escorial sheep to Australia. In 1987, forty lambs were taken to New Zealand’s South Island. It is in these two locations where the only direct descendants of the original Escorial flocks can be found today.

Distinctive to all other natural fibres, Escorial has a unique crimp within the heart of the fibre, performing as a naturally coiled spring. It’s this curly attribute that delivers fluidity in the Escorial fabric, creating lightweight garments of unique comfort and performance, with extraordinary drape and crease resistance. Escorial’s beautiful handle is often mistaken for that of cashmere and vicuna, attesting to its lasting, timeless luxury.

Not only one of the world’s rarest and most exclusive natural fibres, Escorial is also traceable to origin, environmentally sustainable and ecologically friendly.

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Located in London’s Notting Hill, The Ledbury is one of the city’s destination eateries, founded in 2005 by Australian chef Brett Graham. Winning himself two Michelin stars and a serious foodie following, tables are in high demand, and best reserved a few months ahead.

With service being one of the things that sets The Ledbury apart, we were set the task of dressing staff to maintain a clean, crisp appearance through busy shifts, in varying temperatures, with spillages being par for the course. Mixing a muted and tonal visual approach with a durable and high performance fabric, we also wanted to complement the redesign of the space and the pace of restaurant life.

Each member of the team was measured individually for bespoke suits and shirts – a process that took 12 weeks, creating paper patterns for all. We developed a dark charcoal fresco suit, with a dark brown lining and brown horn buttons, paired with off-white cotton poplin shirts and dark green wool ties. All the colours were picked from the restaurant’s interior, inspired by the British countryside.

The fresco cloth, supplied by Huddersfield Fine Worsted, was chosen for its durability and anti-crease qualities, resulting in suits that looks as sharp at the end of a long shift as they did at the beginning, whilst regulating body temperature and surviving those inevitable occasional spills.

With all involved delighted at the end result, the entire collaborative process has been a truly successful meeting of minds, with joint values in craftsmanship and quality to the fore.

To speak to us about our bespoke corporate wear services, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk

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We say “weave,” rather than “fabric,” because that’s precisely what hopsack is: a type of loosely woven, highly visible basket weave that was commonly used to make the hemp sacks English merchants once used to transport hops and other dry goods (hence, “hopsack”). The open weave promoting air circulation and ventilation being ideal for the purpose.

Different mills have varying interpretations of modern day hopsacks, but Holland & Sherry continues to be a top purveyor. Via its “Mesh & Hopsack Blazers” book, the mill offers a traditional hopsack in a 40% silk, 35% linen, and 25% worsted wool blend, as well as 100% worsted wool fabrics in an even more open “mesh” weave.

While either incarnations will perform admirably in warmer weather, the mesh is a true stand out in harsh temperatures, particularly if the blazer or jacket is unlined as this allows air to pass directly through the garment. To see just how open a mesh or hopsack weave is, hold it up to a light source and notice how easily the light passes through it.

Not limited to Holland & Sherry, another standout is the mock leno that appears in the “Fresco III” bunch from Huddersfield Fine Worsteds. Like the other fabrics in the book, the mock leno is a 100% high-twist wool that’s delightfully springy and resistant to wrinkles but possessed of a more open weave that increases breathability and makes it visually comparable to hopsack.

Before we depart, a small word of note. Hopsack and its similar weaves make for excellent four-season or summer-specific blazers and jackets, but are not so ideal for stand alone trousers. The open weave and raised texture can be vulnerable to chafing and snags, which isn’t such a problem up top but presents a more significant challenge below. In other words, you can have a pair of hopsack trousers made to form a suit or be worn as separates, however these should be only be worn very occasionally and with extra care.

Otherwise, simply pair your blazer or jacket with tailored tropical wool trousers, khaki chinos or even jeans, as its texture-rich weave presents another advantage: it can be worn just as easily with either formal or casual trousers.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke H&S mesh jackets start at £1700, H&S hopsack jacket start at £1700, HFW Fresco Mock Leno jacket start at £1460. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a consultation online.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has featured on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook and Ivy-Style.com, among many others.

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But you may have noticed that not all linen receives equal billing: Irish linen is held in high esteem, particularly for tailoring. To solve the question of why linen spun on the Emerald Isle should prove so enticing, we’ve picked the brain of Brad Herzlich, who serves as a Business Development Strategist for the renowned global fabric merchant Huddersfield Fine Worsteds.

“Irish linen is favoured as the premier linen for both shirting and tailored clothing,” Herzlich says. “Linen for tailored clothing is usually heavier, drier, and more structured than shirting linen, which is woven to be soft against the skin.”

As Herzlich explains, it’s no accident that Irish linen embodies these qualities.

“These attributes are considered at every step of the process: the selection of raw flax, the spinning of the yarn, the weaving of the cloth, and the finishing process,” he continues. “Traditionally, Irish linen is woven into full-bodied cloth from robust yarn, making it usually a bit heavier and with a firmer handle. The resulting density is loved by tailors, as it helps create garments that hold their shape and provide excellent drape.”

Ireland’s textile mills didn’t learn these lesson overnight. The island has a long history with cultivating, spinning, and weaving the flax-based fabric, dating back to the 11th century. But as Herzlich states, it wasn’t until the 1600s that the Irish linen industry really came into its own, thanks to the technological advances provided by French immigrants who brought industrial know-how and more advanced machinery with them.

By the 19th century Ireland had become the largest producer of linen in the world, with the majority of its mills located in Northern Ireland. But like many traditional industries, the Irish linen business was gutted by the emergence of the global marketplace and competition with cheaper labour.

Comparatively few commercial linen weavers remain in Ireland today, but those that do carry on the best of the industry’s traditions, often relying on heritage looms to produce their fabric. Irish flax cultivation has also grown scarce, with raw materials often imported from France, but spun and woven in the traditional Irish style.

Speaking of style, Herzlich also has thoughts on how the fabric may be best worn.

“Irish linen’s breathability and creasing make it best styled for nonchalant and casual seasonal wear. While the cloth may invoke imagery of suits worn in Havana or the Riviera, it is as appropriate in more relaxed safari jackets and overshirts.”

To be clear, Herzlich doesn’t rule out the suit, but feels that linen is best utilised in tailoring with a softer and more contemporary bent.

“Garments benefitting from the cloth’s full-bodied structure are less dependent on internal canvassing or padding, making it an ideal candidate for super soft, unstructured tailoring. For best results, give patch pockets a try, and don’t forget to leave the jacket unlined to make the most of Irish linen’s exceptional breathability.”

Words to live by, particularly when the mercury rises.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke linen two piece suits start at £2000, trousers from £860 and shirts from £230. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a bespoke consultation in London, New York, Stockholm, or at one of our regular US trunk shows.

Our full ready to wear collection, including linen shirts, trousers, jackets and suits can all be found on our website.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has appeared on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook, Ivy-Style.com and more.

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Today is one of those brilliantly, bright spring days that calls for strategic layering. What are you wearing?

Steve: My most recent commission, a bespoke 3-piece houndstooth suit. Having been on my wish list for a very long time, 2022 felt like the year to make it happen. It features a two-button, single breasted peak lapel jacket with 4 1/2” lapels, straight pockets and a ticket pocket. High-waisted trousers with a single inward facing pleat that I like to wear with suspenders, a 2’ inch waistband and turn-ups. The waistcoat is a six button single breasted style.

Coming out of a two year pandemic, this suit represented something of a reawakening, coinciding with our recent relocation to The Penthouse – a larger space in our original location, on W.57th Street. Breathtakingly grand, it reinforced the desire to dress up again and really look the part. Already a firm favourite in my regular closet rotation, proof that great things come to those who wait!

What inspires your personal style?

Steve: For me, inspiration comes in many forms. For my houndstooth suit it was a photo of myself as a toddler, wearing houndstooth trousers, and one of my favorite paintings “Le Cercle de la Rue Royale”, an 1868 group portrait by James Tissot, with two of the subjects wearing houndstooth trousers. Digging further into the cloth’s heritage, I was surprised to find that the oldest known occurrence of the houndstooth pattern is in the form of a cloak (The Gerum Cloak), found in a Swedish peat bog, dating back to 360-100 BC.

Coming from Belgium, we call the houndstooth pattern ‘pied-de-poule’. French for ‘hens-foot’, this is the shape you see in the cloth’s design. Close up it is very noticeable but from afar it’s surprising how muted the pattern becomes to the point that it almost looks like a solid grey suit.

What’s your general approach for putting together an outfit?

Steve: I always dress for the occasion. For work it’s a mix of suits and separates, incorporating a variety of ties and accessories to capitalise on individuality and flair. If I’m going out to a dinner straight after, then I’ll put together a look that will seamlessly cross over from daytime to nighttime.

However, a big consideration here in NY is the weather. Being so changeable, layering often plays a big part. When the temperature drops into the minuses, I’ll start with long-johns and end with heavy overcoat. I think winter is the best season to go for it sartorially, with the variations that three piece suits and layering offer, compared with the milder seasons, when jackets tend to come off and less is more.

Have you noticed a change in men’s dress codes since Covid?

Steve: We had one lockdown here in New York followed by a fairly informal summer. Then what felt like a shift back to formality after Labour Day (first Monday of September). The tie wasn’t there but guys went back to rocking the suits. Pocket squares with no ties was the trend I really noticed. A simple, crisp white silk or linen pocket square in lieu of a tie seemed to signal ‘back to work’.

Does the approach to suit wearing differ between London and New York?

Steve: I’d say there’s a split here between the expat community, who still dress conservatively – Oxford cap toe shoes, two and three piece suits – and the less formal American prep school of dress. It’s the footwear that gives it away. Roughly 75% of my customers wear loafers with their classic suits in navy, medium grey and the occasional glen check.

As well as being MD of Cad & The Dandy in New York, you also curate @thesnobreport on Instagram, which has a cult following. How did this come about?

Steve: I spent 23 years in a sales and marketing roles at corporate firms in Belgium. Being client facing I had to wear a shirt, suit and tie, and always enjoyed dressing the part. Friends, and colleagues would often ask my advice on dressing – do I need a pattern on this suit? what kind of suit is appropriate for this occasion?, etc. which coincided with a time when menswear was coming into its own on social media. I started dabbling with content creation which eventually lead to Instagram and finding a like-minded community, which continues to inspire me.

How did you start working in menswear?

Steve: In 2016 I left the corporate world, took a sabbatical and relocated to the US – a year to discover what I wanted to do. I was in New York and needed a suit for an event so I did a tour of Manhattan’s tailors. I ended up commissioning from P Johnson, and made some good friends there.

This lead to an offer to apprentice and learn the basics of tailoring. I’d always had a passion for both suits and customer relations. I was able to get off ‘the big corporate wheel’, while maintaining one-on-one relationships with customers, which was an aspect of my previous job I had always enjoyed.

A few years later I met James and Ian, founders of Cad and The Dandy, and the rest, as they say, is history……

Have you always loved dressing up?

Steve: Yes, from a young age. Both my parents loved dressing up too, for work and for events. I learned from them that when it rained there was proper attire for that. If it was snowing, there was another ‘dress code’. I became interested in these rules, reading lots of books and articles about them, eventually realising there’s more to clothes than ‘fashion’. Style and menswear evolve while fashion is cyclical. In your 20s, you discover your style, by your 30s you’ve hopefully figured it out. You know the rules and how to break them occasionally.

Were there any style mistakes along the way?

Steve: I went through a bold period when I started really getting into menswear – loud red pinstripes, purple overchecks. It was fun and I don’t regret it, but I learnt that the boldness can be tiring.

The switch from ready-to-wear to bespoke was definitely a learning curve, appreciating that there are more subtle way to express yourself, mostly through your choice of accessories. A beautiful navy suit will last you 10-15 years and is a good investment, but it’s in the accessories that you can really make a statement of style – striped shirt, pop up collar, a statement tie, bold socks. Others notice these subtle details and you get to have fun with the choices, without being stuck with an experimental suit you’ll grow tired of.

Who are your menswear style icons?

Steve: Oh that’s easy – Steve McQueen and Prince Michael of Kent. From morning to night, even in denim and a T shirt, they look impeccable. They always dress the part. They know the rules of dressing properly and they consistently get it right. Their clothes are fitted properly with styles that are very much their own. They wear their clothes, their clothes don’t wear them.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into the world of menswear?

Steve: Open your eyes. There are so many visual stimuli out there. Start noticing people who’s style you admire and look at the choices, colours and fit as well as the things you are naturally drawn to. Don’t be afraid to get it wrong. And don’t be afraid to ask questions! There are so many interesting people in the menswear sphere, many of whom are happy to engage and converse about these things.

What’s your next bespoke commission?

Steve: Our cloth books are full of inspiration, with new seasonal arrivals being the most exciting. For the summer I’m looking at a solid seersucker suit, as opposed to the traditional striped or chequered kind. I’d also love a herringbone suit. The fact that the inside of the cloth is a different colour to the outside of the cloth gives me endless satisfaction. An unstructured buggy lined suit, that you can flash the inside of, looks beautiful. I’d go for something like this avocado green on the outside with a blue thread running through the inside.

In terms of construction, I like a structured shoulder with a little bit of roping – most guys need the help of structure! Towards spring/summer, a thinner shoulder and no roping gives quite a leisurely feel to a suit – easy to wear with a crew neck and sneakers. With seersucker, for example, I’ll go completely unstructured. That’ll be my ‘high summer in New York’ look.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We’ll look forward to seeing you at the new showroom very soon!

Book a bespoke consultation with Steve in New York, online, via email nyc@cadandthedandy.com, call 917-400-4804.

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Yes, that bamboo: the one that belongs to the grass family of plants and can grow up to 910mm in a single day. Well, there’s reason to rejoice in its unsurpassable growth rate, as bamboo happens to make a wonderful fabric for tailoring.

This wasn’t always the case. While bamboo was first utilised as a textile in the 19th century, it didn’t gain traction until the early 2000s, when it was used to make bedding, shirting, and commercial fabrics. However, these early bamboo textiles didn’t quite take to the tailor’s needle. While rich in technical benefits and supremely soft, they proved limp and unstructured and not at all suited to making a suit.

This changed in the mid-aughts when the renowned fabric wholesaler Huddersfield Fine Worsteds began experimenting with its Italian weaving partners to build a better bamboo cloth. After re-working their processing, weaving, and finishing recipes, they managed to create a bamboo cloth that takes to the needle like a fine worsted wool.

“The quality achieved is the one still used today,” says Brad Herzlich, who serves as a Business Development Strategist at HFW. “It boasts a full-bodied tailorability and performance while maintaining an ultra-luxury hand-feel and a richness of colour.”

HFW’s bamboo cloth—which is now available in more colours and patterns than ever, thanks to the release of their Bamboo III book—is made from 100% bamboo plant cellulose, which is harvested and milled into a fabric suitable for weaving. Aside from its sumptuous, silky hand and drape, the fabric carries a wide range of technical benefits. It is wrinkle resistant, hypoallergenic, moisture wicking, temperature regulating, odour resistant, antimicrobial, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, biodegradable, and exceptionally breathable thanks to the small airways that naturally exist within the bamboo fibre.

Now that you’ve caught your breath from reading its utilitarian qualities, we can share that it’s as easy on the environment as it is on the eyes. The bamboo plant is an efficient and highly sustainable natural resource, which requires less rainwater, produces little waste, and has a much smaller land footprint than other textile plants like cotton. Even better, bamboo can be cultivated without the use of environmentally harmful insecticides or pesticides.

However, none of that would be worth a thing if it didn’t make for a fine-looking garment, which it does. Bamboo has the ability to hold vibrant and richly saturated colours, and recent books have featured the fabric in everything from conservative checks to muted pastels to intense jewel tones.

This veritable Crayola Box of colour possibilities has made the fabric a favourite for spring and summer jacketing, as has its 9.5oz weight, high degree of breathability and natural moisture-wicking properties. We’ve even seen it used as a year-round option for formal dinner jackets, taking the role that velvet might play in fall/winter and justifying one of bamboo’s more amusing nicknames: “California Cashmere.”

Before signing off, we’d be remiss not to mention that it can serve as a fully vegan alternative to wool. Benedict Cumberbatch, arguably the best-dressed abstainer of animal products on earth, elected to wear a three-piece bamboo suit to the Met Gala in 2019. We can’t predict if a vegan lifestyle or Met Gala appearance lies in your future, but we think there’s room for a fine bamboo garment, nonetheless.

Cad & The Dandy bamboo jackets start at £1200, with 2 piece suits from £1600. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call +44 (0)20 7434 4344 or book a bespoke consultation online.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has appeared on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook, Ivy-Style.com and more.

Photography by Rose Callahan.

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This is thanks to the nominally cotton fabric’s raised ridges, which are also known as wales. Wales are introduced to the fabric via the weaving process, and as such can vary greatly in size.

Every corduroy fabric will have its own wale count, which is the number of wales per inch of fabric. As a general rule, the lower the number, the larger the wale; and the larger the wale, the more casual the finished article of clothing.

An 11-wale corduroy is sometimes considered “standard,” with enough wales per inch to make an impression at a distance. On the other end of the spectrum are fine needlecords, which can have as many as 16 wales per inch, and the rustic 8-wale corduroy, which makes a far greater visual impression and is most commonly seen in casual pants.

Corduroy originated as a “workingman’s fabric” in 18th century England (indeed, it is still commonly referred to as “Manchester” in Sweden). Those raised ridges gave it a heartier hand and appearance than the finer linen or broadcloth shirts worn by the gentry and helped give the fabric its name.

“Corduroy” is a portmanteau of “cord,” referring to the wales, and the antique English word “duroy,” which was the name of a coarse wool fabric. There is a charming story that makes the rounds each season about how the word corduroy is supposedly derived from the French corde du roi, meaning “the cord of the king,” but alas, this monarchial origin story is as false as a royal pretender.

What isn’t fake is corduroy’s lasting appeal. Though originally intended as workwear, the fabric found a following among U.S. college students in the years after WWII. As J. Press scion Richard Press recounts in his book Threading the Needle, corduroy suits were being sold by the family business in the 1950s, even if old-guard employees derisively referred to them as “rags and bones for the scholarship boys.”

In time, those sour shop keeps would be proven wrong. The pivotal moment may have come with the release of The Graduate in 1967, which introduced the world to a young Dustin Hoffman clad in a corduroy jacket with patch-flap pockets. Corduroy’s transition from square to soul was complete by the 1970s, which saw the fabric employed in three-piece suits with flared bottoms and wide trousers.

We certainly aren’t asking you to repeat those ‘70s excesses, but they do get to the heart of corduroy’s appeal. As one of the most casual fabrics that can be made into suiting, corduroy signals that tailoring is being worn by choice, not demand. You might not want to wear it to court, but you may find it a delightful choice for a Sunday night dinner at the neighborhood bistro.

There are also practical reasons to cherish corduroy, whether you’re having it made up as a jacket or a three-piece suit. Due to the raised ridges, it’s about as wrinkle-free as any fabric can get and can go for long periods without requiring a press.

And while those same ridges have cemented its reputation for durability, they’re subject to increased fading versus a flatly woven cotton fabric. However, we don’t view this as cause for alarm. After all, corduroy remains a fabric of the people, not the king, and its signs of wear should be displayed with pride.

Cad & The Dandy bespoke two-piece corduroy suits start at £1200. For more information, email savilerow@cadandthedandy.co.uk, call 020 7434 4344 or book a consultation.

Written for Cad & The Dandy by Eric Twardzik, a Boston-based writer focused on food, drink and classic men’s style. His work has appeared on Vice.com, Robb Report, InsideHook, Ivy-Style.com and more.

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B: How did you come to the world of bespoke tailoring?

Stephen: My father was a tailor at Kilgour’s in the 50s and 60s. He was a coat maker. My uncle was also a coat maker, my cousin is a cutter… You could say it’s in the blood, but I didn’t grow up dreaming of Savile Row. I thought I’d give it a go, as something to do, but once I started at London College of Fashion I fell in love. I started helping out at different houses while still at college and then went straight into an apprenticeship at Well’s of Mayfair, with a pit stop at Helier Couture on the way.

B: Wow, but you’re a Head Cutter, not a Coat Maker now… Why did you pivot?

Stephen: Fairly early on I realised constructing the garment patterns was more exciting to me than producing a garment from start to finish. When I went to (Anderson & Sheppard), I was introduced to the ‘rock of eye’ approach to pattern cutting, that combines the architectural knowledge of tailoring with a little creative licence. I developed a taste for that use of creative licence.

B: Ah, I guess sometimes, when you know the rules, you’re allowed to break them.

Stephen: Exactly. It’s a delicate balance. I went onto work at (Huntsman/other houses) where the approach was more by the book, and that has its merits too. After all, trends may inform the cut of a suit, but bespoke tailoring has its roots in tradition.

B: What do you find to be the most flattering cut for a suit?

Stephen: I couldn’t narrow it down to a ‘most’ – tailoring is the antithesis of a one size fits all approach, but personally I find a single breasted jacket with a one button cutaway front to be the most flattering. A high armhole allows for ease of movement, and a soft shoulder tends to look a little more casual. Generally, there are no hard and fast rules, only guidelines. For a three piece suit, I’m always looking for synergy between the three garments, but for separates it’s different.

B: We’ve talked cut, let’s talk cloth. What’s your go to bunch?

Stephen: I like the HFW Fresco bunch, but I don’t play favourites. It contains different weights of wool but they’re all open weave so it’s breathable even at the heavier end, which is good if, like me, you like a suit with more drape, which tends to make up better with heavier cloth. I met Gregory Peck while I was an apprentice, aged 19, and his suits, which had excellent drape, informed my taste in suiting. His look struck me as timeless, but then of course he was a a screen legend, and everyone was using heavier cloth back then…

B: You’re not wearing a lot of heavy looking cloth today! Talk me through your separates look.

Stephen: This is a look that I like to call my ‘cruise look’, because I once wore it on a cruise, and hope to again. The jacket is from the HFW Bamboo bunch, which I discovered when a customer asked to see the vegan bunches. Not many people know about bamboo as a cloth, but it’s got a similar handle to cashmere, meaning it’s soft and and flowy, but comes at a keener price. It’s a lightweight 9 oz, but you get to wear it in the autumn as well. It’s a notch lapel single breasted jacket in a nautical navy. The trousers are cut from a textured linen mix in light grey from the Harrisons Seashell bunch. They’re mid-weight, but an open weave, so they’re great for warm weather. The pleat and wide 19 inch bottoms also help so plenty of airflow. As I said, perfect for a cruise.

B: Here’s hoping. Thank you for your time, Stephen.

Book a consultation with Stephen, via our online booking service.

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