A Christmas Package

So, will it be 'Calvin's' for Christmas?

Money says the shedding of wrapping paper at Casa Michelsberg will reveal a white box, emblazoned with the image of a smouldering footballer.



His body, a waxed temple to muscular perfection, laughs in the face of love-handled lesser mortals. Sullen eyes, lowered towards his slim waist, fall on a cotton pouch, so tight it's possible to tell his religion.

This bushy tailed beacon of virility and athleticism might cause many a chap to 'suck in' beneath his dressing gown, but the truth is that a man's underwear is often the weakest link in his wardrobe.

Only yesterday in the health club, I stepped over a particularly offending pair of pants. This threadbare ode to age and neglect, was no doubt discarded by the same Neanderthal, who likes to use the hair-dryer on his bits and bobs, and throws foot-powder around for us all to walk through.

The victim of a thousand machine washes, the colour had transcended into a mouldy blue hue, with so many holes under the faded elastic waistband, it would have struggled to support an arctic shrew.

But is support what we should be looking for?

As far as fertility goes, keeping the family jewels cool and unrestricted is the name of the game, so the nut-hugging 'briefs' promoting 'superior support' by Mr Klein & Co might just be an exercise in marketing.

The alternative to briefs is of course boxer shorts and the 'freedom' they provide the wearer. Massive in the Eighties they had their heyday when Nick Kamen stripped down to his smalls in a launderette for a Levi 501's commercial.



I remember a pair of silk boxers I bought for a black-tie 'ball.' Utterly horrendous. They rode up to the point of castration and the cold material made me feel like I'd wet myself.

I've just been approached by a company that make bespoke boxer shorts. They provide a couple of different styles, contrast stitching and monogram options, and said they'll make me a pair for free. Whilst I'm interested in the end result, deep down, like Ronaldo, I'm a briefs man.

That said, I would vigorously shout down those with no obvious entry / exit mechanism. Who was it that decided the fly, or "Y" front was superfluous to requirements?

Pulling a highly elasticated waistband down, just below the marble pouch, is an accident waiting to happen. One false move and you're a eunuch. More's the case, what does the chap next to you at the urinals think? Whose the freak that likes to waft his goolies about??

When it comes to colour, white seems very popular. I find this strange. If I had to pick a carpet for a room in my house that had a greater chance of getting a bit mucky, - the 'boot room' perhaps? - I'd probably shy away from laying a white carpet.

Taking that analogy further, I'd also shun swirling, multi-coloured offerings, complete with slogans and fake lipstick kisses.

As for fabric, cotton is king. Something in silk? I'd sooner have 18oz Harris tweed.

Your choice of smalls is a bit like marmite - you're usually either in one camp (boxers), or the other (briefs). Any other camp (commando / La Perla thong) and you need a good talking to.

So, only four weeks to go until Christmas. I'm pretty sure Santa and his elves are busy right now, filling his sack, with a little something to snuggle yours :-)

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Michelsberg Customer Christmas Party on Friday 6th December from 5.30pm!

Wool Week

Last week was "Wool Week."

Run by The Campaign for Wool since 2010, it's an international salute to the mighty sheep, on behalf of woolgrowers, fashion designers, retailers, artisans and shifty looking Welshmen.

Patronised by The Prince of Wales, it's a PR platform to extol the virtues of a fibre that is sustainable, bio-degradable, non allergenic, with fabulous insulation properties.

Events have been run up and down the country and here I am in front of the warping beams at Glendale Mills in Huddersfield.



Owned by Scabal since 1971, it's been weaving cloth since 1899 and was bought by the group to secure their supply of what is arguably some of the finest quality threads on the planet.

With only thirty percent of the mills production used for its own needs, it's very much a business in its own right. Trading under the name "Bower Roebuck," and also incorporating a sister company "Savile Clifford," they design and weave cloth for the biggest names in fashion. Prada, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, and Dunhill are all loyal customers.

Here I am with the mills Managing Director, Ronald Hall (RHS), and the agent for Scabal, Robert Oakes, having a sneak preview of the Summer 2014 collection before taking a tour of their looms with designers Hayley Cresswell (Bower Roebuck) and Clare Wheeler (Savile Clifford).





It's my experience that people in textiles genuinely love what they do. Get them talking about yarn counts (see Hayley below), the merits of using soft Yorkshire water in the finishing process, or the flexibility of using the older looms and they literally light up.



With quiet pride, the production director explained they'd recently found a way to weave a particularly complex and luxurious wool and silk blend in a hopsack design. "Most mills in Europe wouldn't want the hassle." Coming from a Yorkshireman, that's emotional stuff. I swear his whippet's lip nearly trembled.

Evelina (pictured below), one of the 'menders' who spots and repairs any faults in the cloth, was equally ebullient.



She explained the extensive training required to do the job and personal satisfaction gained by contributing towards the production of the most sought after fabrics in the world.

The Super 200's with Vicuna and Chinchilla cloth she was working on would cost about three and a half thousand pounds for a suit length. Ouch.



Whist Scabal's genius is in strategy, marketing and customer service, these guys simply live to produce something beautiful. It's a craft, an art and their commitment, pride and passion in the work they do is heart warming.

Later that evening, the Victoria Quarter threw a party to kick off Wool Week. A collaboration between the SIL group, Leeds College of Art, Harvey Nichols and myself, various installations were featured throughout the centre. The mayor showed up, rocked his chain, speeches were made then we all got stuck into the good stuff.

Most of my time is spent with customers and tailors, so it gives me a real buzz to talk shop with men of the cloth.

Here I am with Paul Johnson from WT Johnson & Sons who finish most of the top end cloth produced in the UK. A top bloke, his reputation in the trade is only matched by his performance on the golf course.



It was great to catch-up with old friends Matthew "smiling inside" Simpson and David Gallimore (of John Fosters) and be introduced to David Ogilvie (in the Tweed), Managing Director of Reid and Taylor, now part of the SIL Group.



Final beers were supped with Simon Murgatroyd of Brook Taverner (on the RHS below) who introduced me to James Laxton (on the LHS) of Laxtons Ltd .



He's a young, sparky entrepreneur who has bucked the trend of off-shore production and invested millions in state of the art technology in their new production unit in Guiseley, West Yorkshire.

As well as the huge environmental benefits and reduced carbon footprint, UK production has delivered improved service with quicker lead times, better management, and a greater control of raw materials and quality. Simples eh?

It's been a week of getting out and amongst it with the textile massive and I've loved every moment. With five different photos of me in this blog alone, I do apologise if I'm coming across as the Michael Winner of the tailoring trade.

Then again, if you've got it, flaunt it, so "Calm down dear!" - I'm just getting started!

Dugdale Bros & Co

Farewell sweet Summer - you've been a joy. This year we've been spoilt rotten, but gin and tonics must now give way to a warming brandy, as the cold, hard barrels of Autumn and Winter swing in our direction.

Now is the time for log fires, pastry and mash and breaking out the winter wardrobe.

Respect to Chris, one of my customers, who had the foresight to order this little beauty in August.



It's a 'covert coat' which gets it's name from the hardwearing 'covert' cloth from which it is made - a process which involves the twisting together of two threads of a similar colour (usually in faun or green) which results in a durable fabric with a slightly mottled finish.

This one is sixteen ounces in weight and was sourced from the cloth merchant Dugdale Brothers of Huddersfield. I can still remember the first time I pushed the bell on their highly polished door.



Based here since 1906 (in what used to be the main Post Office) history and heritage drip off every wood panelled wall. It's imposing, yet warm, and everything feels utterly solid. There's brass fittings, stone floors, solid oak tables and an iron lift that resembles a cage for Hannibal Lecter.

Introducing Keith 'Robert' Charnock, whom I've had the pleasure of doing business with since Michelsberg tailoring was born.



To me, he is the Fantastic Mr Fox of the cloth trade. Elegant, with a penchant for cashmere overcoats, he is charm personified.

A textiles man through and through, he's a born salesman. A true hunter, with eye's that twinkle with shrewdness, his energy levels are incredible.

He'll jump up my stairs two at a time, and has more stories than an Italian grandmother. When it comes to tailoring companies, he's seen and done business with them all.

He began in the trade as an apprentice with John Foster's of Queensbury, before joining his father at the mill Kaye & Stewart in Huddersfield. These guys made cloth for all the top merchants including Dormeuil, H Lesser & sons (now owned by LBD) and Wain Shiell (now owned by Scabal).

It was here that he learnt, and fell in love with, manufacturing but was tempted away by the iconic tweed merchant, John G Hardy, who wanted to get into flogging wool worsteds and needed a man who knew the game.

After that, he joined Dugdale's, and eighteen years later, did a Victor Kiam and bought the company from the last remaining family member, Betty.

Dugdales is a true 'manufacturer without looms' and in my opinion, is one of the best value for money merchants I deal with. Yorkshire is still the epicentre of UK textiles and the knowledge and relationships that have been built up by this firm, is second to none.

They made their name selling barathea's, a fine textured weave with a pebbled effect, often used for blazers, military uniforms and dinner suits. Now, their range of fabrics is far more comprehensive, from the more durable Super 80's and 100's worsteds to finer luxury blends.

I've mentioned their over-coatings, but they've also got a cracking mohair bunch, cashmere jacketings, linens and cottons as well as a stunning selection of top quality cupro bemberg linings.

Since the year 2000, the reigns of power have been handed over to his son Robert, pictured below.



A bouncing bundle of bonhomie he has certainly inherited his father's ability to spin a yarn, in more ways than one! Over a cup of perfectly brewed Yorkshire tea he painted a positive picture for the future.

Bespoke tailoring continues to grow in popularity and whilst thirty percent of the company's business is export, this is set to increase. At the moment, most of this is within Europe (Italy, Germany and Switzerland) but the Middle and Far East present real opportunities.

One of the threats is UK production capacity, as most of the remaining mills, commission weavers and finishers are pretty much flat out. A good thing, but certainly something that needs addressing.

At the moment they employ sixteen people and ship at least two hundred cut-lengths a day. Here's Paul and Dean who cut, pack and send out the cloth.



I shouldn't forget the new blood. Here's apprentice Jake, only seventeen years old, with guns to rival my very own.



And finally there's the office posse that ensure the business runs like a well oiled machine. Introducing June (UK trade & accounts), Carole (export), Amy (UK & Export), Clare (Customer Service), Josh (stock control), Brian (accounts), Lynn (accounts & invoicing) and Robert (Top Cat / Mr Big).



Visiting suppliers, in fact anyone in the trade, gives me a real buzz. It's great to put a face to a name, some of the characters are fabulous and I even pick up a bit of knowledge here and there.

Team Dugdale were an absolute pleasure to be around and their bunches will continue to be a vital part of my tailoring armoury for many years to come.

I'll end this "Strictly" style, do a Brucey shuffle in my Jeffery West's and implore the boys and girls at number five Northumberland Street to "Keep Merchanting!"

A ten inch rise

There aren't many professions where you inform a customer that you're going to give him a ten inch rise in his trousers.

The 'rise' in the world of tailoring is the difference between the outside and inside leg measurements. In simple terms it's roughly the distance between the top of the waistband and the bottom of the fly.

At Michelsberg Tailoring, there are two cardinal sins when it comes to making a pair of strides. A baggy arse (or 'seat') and a floppy crotch (or, to give it its proper name if you're a chap, a 'fork'). Too much rise and a pair of pants can resemble a wet, saggy nappy. Not a good look.

That said, too little rise, particularly on a man with a large seat, and you're on dangerous ground. Nobody wants to see someone prancing about in a pair of nut-huggers with his proverbial balloon knot on display.

A pair of trousers should look 'neat' and above all feel comfortable to wear.

There's a real sixties vibe going on at the moment and most of the trousers I'm making are very fitted, to be worn low on the hips, with narrow bottoms. This style calls for a shorter rise with many a pair resembling those in the picture below.



If you've got thin legs and a relatively slim build then these can look very flattering. Not so, if you're a prop forward with a fifty inch chest with thighs like filing cabinets.

Getting a pair of trousers right requires a good understanding of proportion and getting to grips with what a customer wants and is willing to put up with.

Oscar Wilde said, "Clothes should hang from the shoulder, not the waist." I'm pretty sure he was talking about trousers and the debate surrounding belts versus braces.

As a schoolboy, I adored the film "Wall Street" and was so impressed by Michael Douglas's braces that I invested in a pair of my own.



Here I am at a ball in Harrogate, with ex Bradford Grammar School boys Messrs Brunning, Brayshaw and my brother Edward. Clearly the young lady on my right was unimpressed by my scarlet and yellow striped lovelies, but I think I might have had better luck with the young filly below :-)



Wearing trousers with braces has two distinct advantages. Firstly, because they are worn higher (and therefore require a longer rise than the hipsters I mentioned earlier), it makes the legs look longer. This can be seen in the picture below of me lighting up a Marlboro Red.



Secondly, because they are quite literally hanging from the shoulder, they can be fitted loosely around the tummy. This leaves plenty of room for expansion if you want to indulge in a long lunch, sumptuous dinner, or, beer and pie fest.

When it comes to buying braces there are two firms that immediately spring to mind - Albert Thurstons, who supply to the great and the good on Jermyn street and Savile Row, and the American firm Trafalgar.

Forget those with metal clips as they can damage the cloth. What you need are loops of soft gloving leather with hand stitched button holes, like my wedding braces below.



These naturally require brace buttons which are sewn inside the waistband, often with a 'split-back'. Some of my customers prefer the more old-school style where you have a 'fish-tail' back with the buttons on the outside, as illustrated in the picture below.



Whilst I could extol the merits of braces until I'm blue in the face, there are many chaps out there who simply refuse to entertain them. They either don't like the feel of them on the shoulder, or, have concerns of resembling Bobby Ball, or, a character from a Dickens play.



The alternatives are a belt, or, having strap and buckle side fasteners on the waistband which are pictured below.



These are my favourite choice at the moment. They are very much a nod to the world of bespoke tailoring, work well with braces, and as a bit of a flashy git, I like some bling on the side of my trousers.

Over the past twelve months, I've done the hipster, flat-fronted, skinny legged thing to excess and have decided it's time to revisit my youth. Whilst I'll keep the bottoms fairly narrow, I'm going to break out the braces, go large on the rise and throw in a forward pleat or two.

As for the gorilla mask and Cherry Docs, least said, soonest mended!

An Englishman abroad

In a past life, I'm convinced I was one of the sun-worshipping Inca tribe down in Peru.

God bless those healing rays and everything they stand for. Blue skies, short skirts, the crackle of Hendricks gin on ice and the whiff of Hawaiian tropic. Magical.

Earlier on this month I was having it large in Ibiza, to celebrate my friend Flynny's fortieth birthday. Staying at the Destino Hotel, with big nights on the agenda, it was going to be a glamorous affair, leaving me with the question, what to wear?

The first thing on my shopping list was some new strides. I've got legs like an anorexic flamingo so wanted something fairly fitted, with narrow bottoms to show off the new loafers. Looking through LBD's 'Mersolair' bunch, I picked out a couple of pairs in light-weight cotton, and then something odd happened. I found myself flirting with linen.

Made from the fibres of the flax plant, it's a durable fabric with the ability to absorb and lose water quickly. This means that it is perfect for hot, humid climates. My problem is with the creasing. Ten minutes on your back after pressing and it looks like an elephant's foreskin.

That said, the weather forecast was looking good - big, fat, sweaty sun-shines the whole way through - and so I plumped for a pair in powder blue. There are moments in my life that I will look back on and smile, and wearing them at the nightclub 'Pacha' is one of them.

Ten of us, old friends, hands in the air, screaming our heads off, jumping up and down on sofas in the VIP section, the life of a responsible parent parked for three glorious nights. As I poured myself a glass of Cristal and surveyed the scene below, I was living the life of a playboy and had the trousers to match.



My newly found enthusiasm for linen was strengthened further when my customer Neil commissioned this suit for a forthcoming trip to Tuscany.



Many of the suits I make are head-turners. Sharp, closely fitted numbers, perfect for a night on the town, or a day at the races.

This one is different. It's for chilling. Made up in a relatively heavy Irish linen, it's a lovely warm colour and has a wonderfully relaxed, almost rustic feel about it. I love the patch pockets and the trousers have a split back as they are to be worn with braces. There's even a large 'hare pocket' on the inside to accommodate a newspaper, or, rolled up Panama hat.

It's the perfect attire for the Englishman abroad. I can just see Neil and his wife bimbling along the cobbled streets of Firenze, sitting down to a late lunch of Bistecca alla Fiorentina and a glass of Brunello.

Closer to home, what better attire could there be for a garden party? The jacket draped over the back of a wicker chair, feet up with a glass of Pimm's, laughing with friends, kids running wild, cricket on the radio.

Linen to me is an enigma. It's the scruffy cousin of the Huddersfield luxury worsteds and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's louche, devil-may-care attitude makes you immediately comfortable within it's sun-drenched, wrinkly skin.

Whether it's a bon viveur floating about on his yacht, a man from the Foreign office doing the rounds in Panama, or, a tailor reaching for the lazers in Ibiza, the flax plant is up there with the best of them.

Doing "The Baz" in Ibiza

I've seen that look in my customers eyes before. Desire, longing, want. Every new Bond film spawns a thousand suit fantasies and the latest catalyst for sartorial spending has been The Great Gatsby.

God bless The Silver Screen. I remember the 'Unit 4' cinema in Shipley when I was a child. A lurid horror-show of artex walls, sticky floors and velvet jump seats with built in ash-trays. This was the home of "Ghostbusters", "Cocktail", "the Karate Kid" - my friends and I transfixed as the lion roared through a smog of Marlboro reds.

How times change. I'd decided to check out DiCaprio's latest flick at "Everyman" cinema in the new Trinity shopping centre in Leeds. Ordering my tickets at 'the bar,' this was a far cry from my youth, where a man, who'd clearly given up on life, sold stale Maltesers and warm Pepsi from behind a scratched perspex kiosk.

I was asked whether I'd like my beer chilled, or served at room temperature. Yes, there was still time to order a pizza (which they'd bring to my seat) and the seat turned out to be a sofa, complete with plump cushions and a side-table. So far so good.

Sadly, the film was rather underwhelming. The acting was fine, there was glitz, glamour and frilly knickers in abundance but the story had all the depth of a flea's paddling pool. So, let's move on to more positive aspects, and in fact the reason why I went in the first place - the clothes.



From the off I was in seventh heaven. Enter stage right the tweed jacket. I adored the bellow patch pockets, half-belt on the back, and the way it had been styled with a bow tie and pocket hanky.



Then came Leo's white linen suit. I have a love / hate relationship with 'whites'. On the plus side they look so damn rakish. Perfect for chilling on the deck of a gin palace, or, if you're Tony Montana, visiting a cocaine field in Columbia.

On the down side, white fabrics are transparent and the seams, pocket bags and your underwear are often visible underneath. Heavy linen masks this better than a fine wool cloth, but then you have to live with the creases. What's the alternative? Go commando? Use a heavier, thicker cloth and fully line the trousers?? Do that and you'll end up sweating like a Scouser in Dixons.

In theory, wearing white is a great idea but in practice it can be a bit of a nightmare.



The stand out for me was his pink suit. What a fabulous outfit. I loved the stick-pin through the shirt collar and the tie complimented the cloth quite beautifully. Truly stunning. And how about the double-breasted waistcoat on the right with the widely spaced buttons. Wonderful.



The double-breasted number above was yet another triumph and here is further proof just how much a hat can elevate an ensemble. If you're looking for a Panama, then there's always James Lock & Co, or, Bates in London, however, a customer recommended a company called Pachacuti in Derbyshire and they look the business (and are a fair trade organisation).

I've heard a few grumbles on various clothing forums that the costumes were not historically accurate for the 1920's. As far as I'm concerned, it captured the mood and spirit of the time perfectly, and whose really bothered if the trousers were a touch on the slim slide.

A very good customer of mine recently commissioned this bobby dazzler below.



He's a true gentleman and a huge fan of vintage clothing. It's inspired from days gone by and certainly wouldn't look out of place quaffing champagne on Gatsby's terrace in Long Island.

I've dressed it with a linen pocket hanky, a Michelsberg bespoke shirt (with stick pin) and tie, and the pocket watch is my own. As a tribute to the film's wardrobe department, I only think it fair I should call it "The Baz."

As of this Friday, my wife and I will be having three wonderful nights away in Ibiza (sans kids) to celebrate Flynny's 40th birthday with Jo, Rach, Loz, Georgina, Chandon, Mark, Jo and Lu.


As the corks pop and martinis flow, to the throbbing bass and shaking hips of the coolest clubs in the old town, I'll raise a toast to those bright young things of the 1920's, who set the bar when it comes to doing decadence with style.

Michelsberg - The Movie

With a big thanks to Chris Thompson at Broken Clock Photographic, I can now introduce "Michelsberg - The Movie."

Enjoy.