London has a rich and unrivalled sartorial
history, and while its famous Savile Row remains the epicentre of the
traditional tailoring culture, the flame of contemporary elegance burns
brightest in a less celebrated corner of Mayfair. Working from a former art
gallery near Oxford Street, Messrs Luke Sweeney and Thom Whiddett run Thom
Sweeney, London's coolest bespoke tailors. This season the duo have produced
their first ever ready-to-wear collection, which is exclusively available from
MR PORTER.
"We started the business in January
2007," remembers Mr Sweeney. "Before that we both worked for [the
tailor] Timothy Everest in the East End." Mr Whiddett explains the duo's
original intentions: "We wanted to have a bespoke tailoring house, looking
after our clients with great service and great clothes." Key to their
success is the fact that the suits are cut in a shape that's more relevant and contemporary than those
produced by most bespoke tailors. "Our guys don't want to walk down the
street in cropped trousers or with a jacket that stops half-way down their
back," says Mr Whiddett. "But they still want to look modern and
cool. Our clients wear our suits at work, but also to [exclusive Mayfair clubs]
5 Hertford Street and The Arts Club. And because of the way they're cut you
could also go to Shoreditch House [in London's fashionable East End], because
it doesn't look like a boring city suit."
All around Thom Sweeney's bespoke shop
there are images of style icons from the past, men such as Messrs Frank
Sinatra, Steve McQueen and Sir Sidney Poitier. However, the tailors use these
old shots as a springboard that propels them forward, rather than a weight that
holds them back. Mr Whiddett explains, "If an image still looks current
then that says something about the guy in the shot, and the guy who made the
clothes. But there isn't one old look that's just spot on, it's always about
the proportions - the width of the trousers affects the size of the lapels. Our
look is current without being edgy." It's a look that appeals to many
high-profile Londoners, most notably Mr David Beckham who wore a Thom Sweeney
suit when he piloted the Olympic flame down the River Thames en route to the
opening ceremony of the 2012 Games.
From left: Messrs Sweeney and Whiddett
Among the things that sets Thom Sweeney
apart from London's classic tailors is that the clothes the firm makes reflect
modern life better than the traditional
pinstripes-all-week-and-tweed-all-weekend dichotomy that still seems to inform
much of Savile Row. Mr Sweeney explains, "We guide a lot of guys for what
they're going to wear at the weekend and in the evening - people want to look
better in the evening than they do in the office." Thom Sweeney also
caters for the growing number of men who like to wear separate jackets and
trousers, even on formal occasions. "Separates are a big deal at the
moment," says Mr Sweeney. "It can look great if you get it right,
with a double-breasted blazer and trousers. One of our best customers is often
in separates from nine-to-five, but come the evening he's in a mohair suit and
a tie."
Talking of mohair, which is made with yarn
created from the hair of Angora goats, it's an important part of Thom Sweeney's
superb dinner jacket. "The tux is really important to us," says Mr
Sweeney. "We make a lot of tuxes for our clients. Whether you wear it once
a year, or 10 times a year, it's something you need in your wardrobe. Every
time we've made one for a bespoke client he's come back and said, 'I wish I'd done it
earlier'. When you go to black tie events people notice." Mr Whiddett is
equally evangelical, "If you've got a few good suits already and you come
to an event where you want to dress up, there's nothing smarter."
However, people also notice what a man
wears at the weekend, which is why Thom Sweeney makes casual trousers and
blazers. "We've done navy blue cotton chinos," explains Mr Whiddett,
"with a slim leg, so you can dress them down with a polo shirt and
sneakers. The main difference between the casual pieces and the formal jackets
is that for the casual jackets we softened up the shoulders with a flat sleeve
head, so they're a bit easier to wear." In fact soft shoulders are a Thom
Sweeney signature, as well as a defining feature of most of what's good in contemporary
tailoring. Mr Sweeney explains how the house block was developed, "The
shoulder line's a bit softer than you get on Savile Row, but we still keep the
roped sleeve head. It has presence, but it's soft to wear."
These details have been taken directly from
the handmade suits and put into the new collection. Mr Whiddett explains the
rationale behind the ready-to-wear range, "It's in line with the bespoke,
right down to the way it sits on the shoulder."
