Time Out!

"The Laziest Tailor in Leeds" has been at it again folks.

Last week I hung my tape-measure over my dummy and left the showroom for a week's holiday in Portugal.

In truth, I do put the hours in, and whilst bespoke tailoring and running my own business is something I love, six day weeks, tight deadlines, and the energy required to keep driving things forward all take their toll.

I wouldn't change things for the world. I believe you get out of life what you put into it.

Hard work provides me with the means to put bread (and perhaps a bottle of red) on the Michelsberg Table and more importantly to be able to live La Dolce Vita from time to time.

I'm sure many of my customers would agree. After all, it's their hard graft and the success that goes with it that enables them the self-indulgent treat of commissioning a bespoke suit.

I'm not going to bore you with the details of my break as I'm guessing you read my blog to get a monthly dose of unadulterated suit-porn. Not my chosen brand of sun-cream.

That said, as the proud father of two little ladies, please let me leave you with this picture of family Michelsberg.

We're waiting to be shown to our table at 'As Dunas' restaurant overlooking the sea. On the menu is grilled Dorade and garlic potatoes smothered in butter, washed down with an ice cold bottle of Defesa white wine.

Next month I'll redeem myself and it will be threads all the way.

Obrigado!

Surf, Sushi and Saxon Sheep

This month, I've been on it like Wallace and Gromit. The showroom lights of Michelsberg HQ have been burning long into the night and like Scotty in Star Trek, "I've giv'n her all she's got captain, an' I canna give her no more."

There's been many an evening when I've shut up shop, my cheeks a deep red, the vein on my temple throbbing like an electric eel on steroids. It's been a mental month and for that I'm extremely grateful.

That said, all work and no play....so last week my wife and I (sans kids) headed down to Devon for some 'us' time. We set off at the crack of dawn and by midday I was sporting my favourite threads, a "C Skins" 5/3mm wetsuit.

Surfing is, and will always be, a huge part of my life. Just sitting in the ocean, I can feel the negative energy seeping out of my system, washed away by the cleansing waters of the Atlantic. After just a few waves, I'm giggling and grinning like a five year old. Mother Nature can be a cruel mistress but this time I got lucky. Blue skies, a clean two foot swell and the smell of salt in my nose. Heavenly. Utterly wonderful.

The picture below is of Saunton Sands, the spiritual home of Michelsberg Tailoring. To quote William Wordsworth, "Earth has nothing to show more fair. Dull would he be of soul who could pass by a sight so touching in its majesty."

I returned fully refuelled and ready to rock and since then it's been full steam ahead. We've delivered some absolute belters, many of which can been seen on my Facebook Page, and in amongst the fittings and day to day running of the business there's been some tasty treats along the way.

Last week Matthew Simpson, Sales Director of John Fosters, took me out for lunch and here we are at Yo! Sushi in Harvey Nichols.

He doesn't look happy because I'd just told him he was paying the bill! Matthew is the consummate Sales Professional - he's proactive, efficient, a man of discretion and over the years we've built up an excellent working relationship. I love their cloth and my last four work suits have been made-up in their Super 120's with Cashmere quality.

When it comes to Yorkshire mills, you'll find none finer and my links to them are particularly close. One of my best friend's father, used to run the business and a very close friend of my parents was a past Director. Now owned by the SIL Group they've been going since 1819 and have legendary status in Japan.

Matthew and David Gallimore (Managing Director), pictured above, are very much the driving force behind the brand and spend much of their time travelling and promoting their wares in the Middle East, Asia, and US.

As far as textile businesses go, I think they are incredibly progressive and have recently launched their 'Escorial' Bunch. I've blogged about Escorial Sheep in a previous post, a very rare, blue-blooded animal, that given half the chance, would summer in Mustique and dance badly in Chelsea nightclubs.

Their fibres are particularly 'curly' which provides a natural stretch and crease resistance to the cloth they produce. It feels divine and is, in Matthew's words, 'unapologetically expensive.'

Next month looks set to be just as full-on. It's wedding season, suits for the races, blazers for summer parties, evening wear for cruises and that means more graft for yours truly. That said, there is a week’s holiday in Portugal coming up with my family and you'll never guess what? There just happens to be a couple of cracking surfing beaches round the corner... ;-)

Mohair Magic

Ahhhh, the sun. It's food for the soul. A big Greg Wallace cuddle of warmth and positive energy.

No matter what the weather I always try and remain optimistic and my attitude to business has always been along the lines of Del Boy's, "He who dares, wins."

I love to do something different, and my chance to push the tailoring envelope further came when a customer set his heart on wearing a purple mohair suit for his wedding.

I had a cloth that was close, but ultimately, no cigar. So, in the hunt for something of Cohiba proportions, I opened my little black book and went to the beginning of the supply chain. The mills.

One of the luckiest things for my business is having the UK textile trade here on my doorstep in Yorkshire.

Whilst Rick Stein is plucking crabs from his own backyard, I can take a fifteen minute drive from HQ and come face to face with some of the finest cloth producers in the world.

Names like Bower Roebuck, Taylor & Lodge and John Fosters bring tears to the eyes of cloth connoisseurs throughout the world, and when it comes to Mohair, the Brits are without doubt the best.

My mill of choice for this mission was William Halstead & Co in Bradford. Founded in 1875, it's owned by SIL Holdings ltd and employs seventy staff at its Stanley Mills site.

After a quick chat on the blower with Philip Seal (Sales Manager) and Karen Whittaker (Designer) I jumped into the motor, put the roof down (Flash Git) and headed on over.



I love manufacturing businesses. There's something I find incredibly exciting about the smell and clatter of machinery. That sense of industry, people working together to produce something tangible.

I then sat down with Iain Milligan (pictured below), their Sales & marketing Director, who gave me an overview of the company.



Here is a man who is the master of understatement. His passion for textiles oozes out of every pore. In a lilting Scottish brogue he quietly showed me the work they are doing with Prada, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Dunhill, some of the younger tailors on Savile Row like Spencer Hart and Simon Spurr in the US.

How cool is that? Certainly cooler than a call centre. Seventy lads and lasses from Bradford providing the top of the global fashion industry with the finest threads on the planet. At the risk of sounding like David Cameron, that truly makes me feel proud and the fact that it's putting bread on the table for lots of Yorkshire families is even better.

Anyway, Mohair in the shade we wanted didn't exist, so we hatched a plan...

1) It started with piece of cloth, hot off the loom in its 'Greige state' (pictured below). This means it's unwashed and totally unfinished.



2) The loom had been set up with a black warp (black threads running North to South) and a white weft (white threads running West to East). This means that when the cloth was sent to Roberts the Dyers (also owned by the SIL group), only the white threads would pick up the purple coloured dye, producing a fabulous two-tone effect.

3) Once it had been dyed, it was returned to the 'menders' at William Halstead who after working their magic, put it on the 'perch' where it was inspected a final time for faults.

4) The final stage was for the cloth to be sent to the most exciting, progressive, tailoring company in the Northern Hemisphere (moi), and two fittings later the results can be seen below.



Here's Steven in his Michelsberg bespoke three piece suit. I particularly like the mother-of-pearl buttons we've used which add a touch of bling and compliment the characteristics of the cloth.

Mohair is a stiff fibre from a goat originating in Ankara and tailors very sharply. It's got a wonderful natural sheen or 'lustre,' is cool to wear and is very 'elastic' so it sheds creases quickly.

William Halstead sells 'Summer Kid' Mohair. This means the fibres are from the first and second shearing of the baby goat which goes on to produce the softest and finest yarn. It comes from the Camdeboo region of South Africa which is arguably the best in the world.

As a cloth, it was hugely popular in the 1960's. Here's a suit in Dormeuil tonik mohair as worn by Michael Caine in the film 'Get Carter.'



There's no doubt it's a firm Michelsberg favourite. I love its texture, the way it behaves under different lights and of course, the clean lines it produces when tailored properly.

I recently delivered my first 'Uber-level' fully hand sewn bespoke suit (from £2000) to Barry (pictured below) and the cloth of choice was a midnight blue Summer Kid Mohair cloth from Taylor & Lodge in Huddersfield.



My experience with Halsteads was utterly fantastic. I learnt a great deal about different designs, weaves, cloth in general and it's truly inspired me to keep pushing the boundaries.

I'm sure chefs get a buzz when they're making fabulous food using local ingredients and it's much the same for me. As far as I'm concerned, the larder of Leeds is looking good and that first Michelin star can't be very far away. Ca marche!

Grazie Roma

Out for lunch with a customer last Friday, I felt the sun's warmth on my cheek for the first time in ages. The restaurant was buzzing, people were smiling and one duck pappardelle later I left, ready to cast the dark, dank, cloak of winter from my shoulders.

From a cloth point of view, the mill owners of Yorkshire are feeling frisky and have well and truly declared that Spring is in the air. They've just sent me their new bunches which have more kick than a lamb running from the butcher.



Every cloth has a story to tell. I recently showed a customer a purple chalk-stripe flannel from Holland & Sherry I was thinking of having made up into my next suit. He grinned and said, "if I were you, I'd go for something a little more Catholic." Brilliant.

If textiles were religious, then these fabrics would be sparkly-eyed happy clappers, banging their tambourines, full of hope, joy and positivity.

Scabal's 'San Remo' bunch smacks of jazz on La terrazza, the whiff of a Cohiba cigar and dark eyed Latin beauties. There's a lightweight jacketing bunch in wool and silk from Dormeuil, put on earth to be driven 'Italian Job Style,' in an e-type jag down the winding roads of the Amalfi coast.

I've just taken an order for a suit, in a petrol blue summer kid mohair from William Halstead's. It's destination, Vegas. The natural sheen and lustre deserve nothing less than a stretch Cadillac, chilled champagne and some very naughty behaviour.

All in all, they ooze and bubble with colour and optimism - a preview of long summer nights and the good times ahead.

I mentioned last month that as well as our new bespoke full canvas offering, I had more news to tell and indeed that's the case.

For the past two years I've been a bit like the man from Delmonte, searching for other tailors to work with to offer my customers something a little bit different. I've been to menswear shows all over Europe and had trial garments made by work-rooms in Portugal, Italy, Eastern Europe, Mauritius and China.

Our current half canvas British bespoke offering creates an imposing silhouette with a strong, highly defined shoulder line. The waist is suppressed and the chest has a swell and thrust matched only by that of a strutting peacock. It's everything that you'd expect from an English tailors and like the bobby dazzler below, I love it.



That said, I do have a huge respect for Italian tailoring. As a young thrusting executive in London for many years, I used to buy off-the-peg suits from Zegna and Armani. On a trip to Rome, I remember buying a black two piece suit from Valentino on the Via Condotti. When I left the shop, I felt like I'd 'made it.' :-)

But it was a recent trip to Pitti Uomo in Florence that really made me stop and look at the Italian way of doing things.

It's been said, the best dressed Englishman is an Italian, and to be fair, Italian men do know how to dress. Achieving La Bella Figura is in their blood.

Whilst there are differences between Italian tailoring houses, I think it's fair to say their way of building a suit is much more unstructured and provides a more relaxed alternative. Jackets are often half-lined, with little or even no wadding in the shoulders.

So, after putting a number of firms through their paces, I finally jumped into my helicopter and said 'Yes.' For the last 6 months I have been trialing my new Italian inspired made-to-measure offering with considerable success. I've delivered over twenty suits, one of which is pictured below.



The soft, more rounded shoulders are typical of what you'd expect from many Italian companies but there is in fact some padding used. A true 'Neapolitan' shoulder has NO padding but I think the desired effect has been achieved.

The construction is half canvas with fused fronts and comes in at a similar price point to the British Bespoke, starting at £700. It's great for people who prefer unlined jackets, or very light fabrics. The process is quicker than British bespoke, as there is no need for two full fittings, and a garment can be made to a 'straight finish' in five weeks.

So I now have three strings to my tailoring bow. A half canvas British Bespoke and Italian inspired made-to-measure line coming in at £700, and a top of the tree, full canvas garment, pad stitched by hand, with hand sewn button holes coming in at £2000 upwards.

It goes without saying there are other fine tailoring workshops on my radar that require investigation. All this market reaseach naturally means further additions to the Michelsberg wardrobe and that's never a bad thing. ;-)

A Snappy New Year

Another year, another dollar, and after what has been a highly indulgent Christmas, it seems another chin.

For ten gloriously gluttonous days I put my feet up, except for an enjoyable trip to Helmsley for a photo-shoot with two new customers.

Introducing brothers George and James Craig, from the band, 'One Night Only.'



They knocked on my door after spotting the particularly dandified double-breasted waistcoat in scarlet doeskin I'd made for Jack at Jeffery-West shoes.

The clincher was when he explained to them that a button was missing 'because a girl had ripped it off.' Priceless. PR from the gods.

Beers were drunk, ideas exchanged and I think the results speak for themselves.

George, the lead singer, went for a very fitted, single-breasted number with slim notch lapels and cut-away fronts.I love the flash of lining on the cuffs and the bright yellow melton under-collar.



James, the drummer, went for an electric blue, silky Super 130’s cloth from Dormeuil, with brown velvet top-collar and jets. There’s a brilliant white lining with flashes of velvet in the cuff vents and cloth covered buttons.



These guys are going places, quite literally. George is currently playing with the rest of the band in Rio, whilst James is in Vegas as best man for a mate's wedding.

Dealing with them has been a genuine pleasure and the fact that my threads are tearing it up in Brazil and Sin City, puts a big fat smile on my face.

AND NOW FOR SOME BIG NEWS.

Never happy standing still and doing the same old thing, I am thrilled, delighted, excited and buzzing to announce a new line to the Michelsberg armoury.

THE UBER LEVEL!!

It's a top-of the tree, earth-shatteringly awesome, fully bespoke, full canvas product.

A first fitting of which is shown below.



Like an Aston Martin, it's beautiful to look at and will turn heads, but when it comes to performance and handling it's what's underneath the bonnet that counts.



The construction under the cloth has a number of layers. First the body canvas (which goes right down to the bottom of the coat), then the chest canvas, or hair-cloth, and finally a layer of domette (it looks a bit like felt) to protect the wearer from the prickly canvas underneath.

These three layers are then pad stitched (sewn) together and crucially shaped and moulded by hand to create a soft armour with which to flatter and caress the wearer's body.

The lapels are hand-padded which means the cloth and a layer of silecia (a bit like linen) is folded and sewn together by hand to achieve a beautiful 'roll,' rather than the flat lapels you get with many off-the-peg garments.

This folks, is as good as it gets. A herd of sartorially astute, stampeding wilder beast would stop dead in their tracks and gasp at the mind-blowing quality of such workmanship.

The clip below gives you a quick peek at the V12, 48 Valve, work of art that lurks beneath Huddersfield's finest.



There's about sixty hours of hand-sewing involved which provides a wonderfully artisan feel to the garment. As well as the time spent in building the internal structure of the coat, it's the time invested in the finishing that takes things to another level.

The edges of the fronts, pocket flaps, cuff vents and out-breast welt are all prick-stitched by hand. The lining is hand-felled (sewn) all the way round and eased into the armholes. Finally, the lapel hole and every button hole is meticulously hand sewn in silk twist thread as can be seen in the footage below.



It's what you'd expect if you went to the blue blooded houses on Savile Row, and that's been my goal from the start. To be able to offer my customers a world-class service with a product to match. The real deal. The best of the best.

This January has got off to a belting start and I've got more news to reveal in my next blog. So until then it's back to my pins and chalk and hopefully a few trips to the David Lloyd health club to try and get that chin sorted out.

Sew this is Christmas!

Last Sunday I enjoyed a perfect quiet moment to myself. Wallowing by the log fire with a belly full of lamb shanks, I raised a glass of Chianti to the newly installed Christmas tree in the corner and looked forward to my favourite time of the year.

To me, Christmas is all about the build-up, and mine has well and truly begun. Last Monday evening was the final of the Michelsberg Debating Competition.

Held at the Malmaison Hotel in Leeds, there was a really festive vibe as judges, teams and guests enjoyed carols and a glass of red wine, amongst twinkling lights and candles in the Chateaux lounge.

Jo Bancroft, trainee solicitor at Ford & Warren, won the award for Best Speaker, her prize, a bespoke suit, which will be made for her future husband when they get married in September 2012.



The motion was, 'This house would rather be East than West,' and judges included (from the left) myself, David Parkin (TheBusinessDesk.com), Adam Roney (Best Speaker 2010, ex Eversheds, now Founder of Calls9) and Andrew Stubbs QC (St. Pauls Chambers)



Sairish Tahir and Tom Woodhead of Pinsent Masons, pictured above, were voted Best Team and other finalists included Alex Cook & Dorothea Shreiver of Eversheds, and Nicola Collins and Anna Moran of Clarion Solicitors.

Other participating firms included DLA, Gordons, Squire Sanders Hammonds, DWF, Addleshaw Goddard, Cohen Cramer, Shulmans and BPP Law School.

The event was everything I’d hoped for – it was fun, edgy, and I have nothing but admiration for everyone who took part. Next year I will be opening it up to trainee barristers and young professionals outside the legal sector.

Then on Thursday evening it was my Christmas Drinks party.

Despite the filthy weather, well over a hundred customers and suppliers came to support me and let their hair down. What a buzz. It was my party and if alcohol consumption is anything to go by, we had a ball.

It was a bit like a private members club for people with a shared love of fine threads and a healthy disregard for clean living.

One of the great things about tailoring is that over time, many of your customers become friends, such as Steve and Anje in the photo below.

I got a real kick out of them all enjoying each others company and devouring my liquid hospitality provided by the legendess that is Miss Sophie Bratt.



The Christmas spirit was well and truly raining down upon (and into) us and to cap it off, I had my youngest daughter's christening on Sunday.

There are few places more beautiful, charming and special to me than The Priory Church at Bolton Abbey, and the Rev. James Turnbull made what is always a joyful event, truly magical for us all.

Our best friends made it up from London to be with us and here is Paul Flynn, The Godfather, with the lady of the hour, Elizabeth Jasmine.



So, to all you 'Bah! Humbug' gibbons out there, I'll say it loud, and I'll say it clear. I love Christmas! Things are winding down a bit, my brother and his family are heading over from Melbourne and the final of 'Strictly' and 'MasterChef' are still to come. It's all good.

Wishing you all a truly wonderful time of it over the next couple of weeks and here's to more fun, fine suits and new friendships in the year 2012.

Sharp suits and sniffles.

As I staggered into the coat-makers with half a dozen fittings in each hand, my bag over my shoulder and a length of cloth and lining under my arm, I recalled the words of Thomas Edison: "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration."

I raised my eyes to the sky, thanked the Lord for Right Guard and made a mental note to book in for an IQ test.

This month has been full-on. Absolutely Mental. It hasn't helped that I've been suffering from that terrible affliction known as man-flu, but like many a chap, I've put on a brave face and battled on without a whimper, or, request for sympathy...sniff..

Business has been great and I'm not complaining. I've delivered some of my finest suits yet, real Michelsberg specials, including a stunning, very classical dinner suit in Summer Kid Mohair and Cashmere from Taylor & Lodge (as worn by Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace) and a couple of belters for the lead singer and drummer of 'One Night Only.'



I love the contrast of the brown velvet collar and pocket jets against the electric blue Dormeuil cloth (made-up using the reverse side). It's extravagant, louche and wonderfully decadent.

Then there's this fella made in the finest Italian Flannel from Biella - that stripe and acid yellow lining just oozes confidence and attitude.



On top of the day job, I've been running the Michelsberg Debating Competition and last night was the second round.

All the big law firms of Yorkshire are involved and so far Pinsent Masons and Clarion are through to the final. Co-ordinating twenty-four young lawyers and ten barristers hasn't been easy, but so far so good, and the final takes place this coming Monday at the Malmaison Hotel in Leeds.

Then I've been organising the Michelsberg Christmas drinks party which kicks off on the 8th December from 6pm. It's to coincide with carol singers and late night shopping at the Victoria Quarter. I've ordered the bubbles, glasses, bar staff so all I need now are my thirsty customers and suppliers. They haven't let me down yet :-)

And finally, there's been some very exciting developments in terms of our tailoring offering to customers. Since the move to the VQ, we've started doing bespoke shirts and so far I've delivered just under seventy of them. One customer, a Mr. Geoff Shepherd, likened them to "high-end business pyjamas." I only wish I'd started selling them sooner.

But as far as our threads go, the big news is yet to come and will be revealed in my next blog. In the meantime, it's back to my box of tissues and book on Quantum Physics. Sniff.