Tom Ford is a modern icon, an American fashion designer who is considered to be one of the world’s greatest couturiers and a leading tastemaker. He founded his eponymous label in New York City in 2005 having previously been the creative director at Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci, where he transformed the brand into the global powerhouse it is today. Ford first emerged as a serious design talent whilst at Perry Ellis where he worked alongside his peer, Marc Jacobs. His signature style is overtly modernist, embracing sharp lines and angles, minimalist colour palettes and defined silhouettes, however Ford manages to pay homage to traditional methods and drapes in order to accentuate the figure. This style has won the label a great many admirers, with the brand being a go-to for the best-dressed members of High Society, silver screen stars and titans of industry. Indeed, Ford has regularly been sought out by Hollywood studios to craft bespoke pieces for their wardrobe departments, even dressing Daniel Craig’s James Bond – the manifestation of the British style, the Savile Row suited gentleman. Ford, a customer of Anderson & Sheppard, is an aficionado of the Row and its sartorial legacy. He has carefully studied the tailoring art and the English-style, borrowing heavily from the tradition for his own tailoring service. A full-suite fashion house, the Maison is now split between its beauty and cosmetic offer (owned by Estée Lauder) and the fashion business (under the Zegna group).
Tag Archives: OUTERWEAR
ANDERSON & SHEPPARD
A bastion of British tailoring, Anderson & Sheppard has been one of Savile Row’s pre-eminent houses since it’s establishment in 1906. The firm has been the preferred tailor to many international celebrities throughout its history (names such as Fred Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Noël Coward, Laurence Olivier, Cole Porter, and Rudolph Valentino), in part due to the more relaxed structure championed by Frederick Scholte and Per Anderson, the firm’s founder who trained under Scholte. This style marked the firm as maverick young Turks, a counter to the traditional, heavily structured military style that had long defined the Savile Row suit. Anderson & Sheppard and their contemporaries essentially revolutionised the English-style, with the English cut today being synonymous with the silhouetted and drape espoused by this cadre of tailors. The style would attract a young Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and latterly, the Duke of Windsor), earning the firm the prestige and honour of being a tailor by appointment to the Court of St James. Many decades later, another Prince of Wales would commission his suits from the house before he too would become King, HM King Charles III. The firm would also become a benchmark reference for the high couture fashion industry, having influenced customers including Tom Ford. No longer on the Row but located off-Row on Burlington Street, today the firm continues the bespoke tradition whilst also supplying a range of ready-to-wear apparel from their nearby haberdashery.
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH
Founded in 1892 as a premium gentleman’s outfitter and sporting goods supplier, Abercrombie & Fitch was a one-time rival to brands like Willis & Geiger and Airey & Wheeler. Their Manhattan store showcased a range of camp and safari wear, tailored sporting apparel, countrywear and equipment, including canoes, tents and guns. The firm was particularly well known as a supplier of fine sporting wristwatches and durable outdoors goods. The firm was also a pioneer in catalog business, dispatching across North America. However, the marque experienced a period of great decline following the Great Crash of 1929 which financially destroyed many of the brand’s most loyal and prominent customers. The Abercrombie name would begin a great resurgence in the 1990s when it was acquired by Limited Brands. The brand would become hugely popular as a lifestyle and casualwear brand as a consequence of a number of controversial marketing and management initiatives. Today, the brand continues as a lifestyle apparel brand, albeit with a heavy nod to it’s sporting and outdoors-oriented past. Vintage pieces, particularly those that pre-date the Limited Brands ownership, are highly sought after by collectors and connoisseurs.
AQUASCUTUM
A legendary outfitter, famous, particularly, for their trench coats which rivalled that of Burberry and DAKS, Aquascutum was founded in 1851 and introduced their iconic waterproof outerwear range in 1853. The firm grew to become cherished by London’s most distinguished clientele, including a great many royals whom bestowed their respective warrants upon the brand. Aquascutum expanded their range to include a full suite of fashions, menswear, womenswear, accessories and tailored items, many featuring their distinctive house check. The brand has undergone a series of ownership changes in recent years with varying degrees of success.
DAKS
When discussing traditional, iconic trenchcoats fashion experts often cite Aquascutum and Burberry as the classic choices. However, another great house with a similar history and status exists: Daks of London. The label was founded in 1894 and has garnered a loyal customer base and a reputation for excellence in the manufacture of tailored outerwear. The brand also offers a full range of tailored pieces, apparel and accessories for men and women, making it an outfitter of distinction for the well-dressed. Similar to those other rival brands noted above, Daks is also famous for its’ own house check.
MAX MARA
Few items of apparel are as iconic as Max Mara’s camel coat, a cashmere wrap coat that is, arguably, one of the most in-demand pieces of womenswear ever produced. It has been the mainstay of the Max Mara house, founded in 1951 as a Ready-to-Wear high fashion designer. Initially focussed on the Italian marker, the Reggio Emilia outfitters offer a full range of fashions, accessories, fragrances and jewellery to an international customer base. The label has also ventured into couture and has an acclaimed bridalwear range.
ZILLI: A LEATHER JACKET EMPIRE IS BORN
The Zilli story begins in 1965 with the foundation of the iconic brand which, today, is synonymous with luxurious apparel and stylish, tailored pieces, especially leather apparel. It was then that a collaboration would begin which would shape the direction of the Maison Zilli line – a collaboration between a French entrepreneur and an established Italian tailor with a reputation for sleek and elegant designs for discerning customers.
CORNELIANI: ARCHTYPAL ITALIAN TAILORED STYLES FROM A RENOWNED FASHION HOUSE
Corneliani is an Italian luxury menswear brand known for its impeccable tailoring, sophisticated designs, and commitment to timeless elegance. Founded in 1930 by Carlalberto and Claudio Corneliani in Mantua, Italy, the brand has established itself as a leader in the world of high-end men’s fashion offering a broad range of quality knitwear, fashions and tailored pieces which may be customised through their made-to-measure service.
RHANDERS: DENMARK’S FINEST GLOVES
Rhanders is a Danish glovemaking company that was founded in 1811 but with a history that dates back much, much further. It is one of the oldest glovemakers in the world, and is known for its high-quality, handcrafted gloves, even being appointed as purveyors to the Crown of Denmark.
ISSEY MIYAKE: A VISIONARY JAPANESE FASHION HOUSE
Issey Miyake is a high-end Japanese fashion brand, named for the late designer who founded the house in 1970. The designer behind the eponymous label was a known for his innovative and technology-driven clothing designs, a brief which continues to influence the label’s collections today. Miyake was born in Hiroshima in 1938 and lived through the atomic bombing of the city as a child. This experience had a profound impact on him and his work, and he often spoke about the importance of peace and harmony in design and in culture.
FITZGABRIELS 