Buy Once, Buy Well!

My discovery of the week has been clothing blog The Tweed Pig. They highlight the very best of traditional and classic English design. It's a surprisingly broad remit: the smooth Sixties style of icons like Dirk Bogarde, Patrick Magee as John Steed, and the sharply tailored look of Michael Caine as Harry Palmer beds in nicely with the hard-wearing clothes of the huntin' and shootin' set.
Then there's the bespoke end of the market--Saville Row and the tailors of Mayfair. Clothes made to exacting standards by skilled craftsmen from high-end material. It costs a fortune to have a suit made. But that's not a bad thing.
Saville Row ties in beautifully with Pier Crush Vivienne Westwood's mantra of Buy Less, Spend More, Choose Well. Sure, there's a massive initial investment in a suit from a Mayfair tailor. But that suit will very likely last you a lifetime. Choose Welsh wool or Scottish tweed, and you're getting material from local, highly sustainable sources. And of course, you're supporting local craft and skill all the way, from the cutters and sewers to the people that make the buttons. A decent suit should make you feel like a million dollars. If you've only paid a grand for it, then surely that's a bargain.
There's a distinct uptick in sales out of Saville Row, with more modern designers taking their place alongside the traditionalists, sleekening the profile, but applying the same care and attention to detail for which Mayfair has always been renowned.
As a gent of a certain age, the whole area is fascinating me more and more. Good, long-lasting, well-made clothes are absolutely at the heart of ethical fashion, and it's important that we see past petty snobbery and embrace bespoke clothing as an important strand of the market.
Take a look at The Tweed Pig for a dryly witty look at the world of traditional English design and fashion. It's well worth a browse.
The Tweed Pig