Tailoring Heaven

When I still had aspirations of being a fashion designer, tailoring was one of my favourite things and the trick of getting it right is all about subtly and details. Good tailoring is not flashy but when done correctly it make a person look put together. For this reason there was no way I could live in London without going to Savile Row. Located in a quiet area, Savile Row is home to the best tailoring shops in the UK. Many of the companies have been in business for over two hundred years and when royalty need a suit, they come to Savile Row. It is from this street that Prince William`s wedding uniform is being made.

I went with Jenn last Sunday when all the shops were closed and I could freak out without attracting too much attention. Okay, that`s not entirely true. The was one police man patrolling the area and every time I squealed with delight he got a bit closer, just in case. It took him about ten minutes to realize that I wasn`t going to break into any of the stores, I was just *that* excited about clothes, and then he backed off.

Many of the stores have their showrooms on the main floor and their workrooms in the basement. One of my favourites was Henry Poole & Co.

I found a few Anderson`s.

And this happened...

To explain to the non-CCM readers of this blog, that butterfly headband has been travelling around to all of my classmates as we complete our internships. We all have to take a picture that includes the headband and send the photo to one of our instructors. And no, we didn`t tell her that we were doing this. The photos just started showing up in her mailbox.

The reason I picked Anderson & Sheppard (other than the name) is this is where the late Alexander McQueen got his start in the fashion industry, learning the art of tailoring. He said that when sewing the interlinings into a jacket for the Price of Wales, he made sure to write profane graffiti inside. No one knows if that is true, but to find out you would have to completely rip the garment appart. It's an excellent story.