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That Suits You Sir! And The Shirt And Shoes Match; mentions Nicky Byrne
Topic Started: Jun 30 2007, 07:43 AM (126 Views)
JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
That Suits You Sir! And The Shirt And Shoes Match Perfectly, Too - 30 June 2007
By Emily Hourican

MONEY has a wonderfully smoothing and bolstering effect on us all (just look what happened to Dolores McNamara when she won the Lotto jackpot), but it isn't reaching the milestone of the first million that marks out distinction.

It might add confidence, even a certain bombast, but to really look as if you've made it, it is still all about the clothes.

Back when an English gentleman was recognisable at a glance the world over, he had three things in his arsenal that were inevitable and irreplaceable - his 'man', his club and his tailor.

"M'tailor" was inherited as surely as death duties, a sense of Empire and a touch of insanity, and remained a constant until the shroud-maker took over.

He was invariably based on Saville Row, and created the distinctive look - discrete, understated, hard-wearing, impeccable - that was the hallmark of the class. The handful of traditional tailors on Saville Row still continue to turn out classic bespoke suits for executives the world over, appealing to the kind of man who shudders at the vulgarity of Armani or Prada. Each suit is created fresh, beginning with a paper pattern and requiring an average of six fittings, at a cost of about £4,000.

Only that process will give the signature Saville Row look, but six is frankly a fitting too far for any but the most dandyish of modern executives. Not to mention the money involved, which could always be spent on something flashier, like a new Hummer.

Fortunately, between bespoke and off-the-peg is the saving grace of made-to-measure, and this is the increasingly popular choice of Irish executives who want to stand out.

As Dublin tailor Louis Copeland recalls: "30 years ago, 100pc of our business was made-to-measure, then it dwindled to very little - but recently there has been a resurgence, because there is more money around and people want to be more individual."

His made-to-measure clients are evenly split between the very old, who have always pursued the traditional tailoring route, and a new crop of younger men who, nurtured on a culture that glorifies control freaks, want more say in their sartorial statements. Somewhere in that mix is Bertie Ahern, RTÉ's Brian Dobson and three-quarters of the Law Library.

Copeland points out that there has been a renaissance in demand for the white-collar-and-cuffs look in shirts, first made fashionable by Sir Anthony O'Reilly, and now a perennial favourite among wannabe executives.

Mr Copeland's made-to-measure suits and shirts hail from a small workshop that employs about seven people above the Capel Street shop.

Shirts cost €170-200, suits €850-1,800, which means that both are very competitive with off-the-peg prices.

Declan Abrahams, of Abrahams Tailors on South Anne Street, says roughly 25pc of his business is made-to-measure, with clients aged 25 to 50. As well as the 'pick-a-pocket' aspect of the business, he is keen to stress the "smoke and mirrors" appeal of made-to-measure.

With a little extra length here, a nip or a tuck there, nature's design can be considerably improved on. And who wouldn't fake it as an Adonis if it's that easy? For a starting price of €850 per suit, what's a little illusion between friends?

The relationship between a man and his tailor is nearly as intimate as doctor-patient, and just as discreet, so Declan won't reveal those few short-changed by nature to whom he gives hope.

A couple of notches higher in the expense stakes, starting at around €2,500 per suit, are tailors Tyrrell & Brennan, who count Nicky Byrne of Westlife and singer Brian Kennedy among the faithful.

Wasn't it Donna Karan who said that, while the belt was the "seat of the emotions", the soul of an outfit is to be found in the shoes. We couldn't agree more. Tutty's of Naas, makers of handmade shoes, should be in every would-be gentleman's address book.

In business over 60 years now, Tutty's (despite the slight lapse in taste that saw them create, with Newbridge Silverware, commemorative silver shoes for the Ryder Cup) are the only people to trust if you have, say, less than orthodox feet, or if you want the heavenly comfort and smug elegance of shoes that have been created on a wooden last perfectly moulded to your foot.

Each last costs €150 and is kept for ten years. The process, from last to first pair, takes about four weeks. Once the last is made, shoes cost from €465 a pair, including at least one fitting, and the waiting period goes down to a couple of weeks.

And for those of you who have little occasion to travel down to Naas, Tutty's run a clinic on Clarendon Street in Dublin every second Wednesday.

We all know clothes maketh the man, but for those who think that owning rails of Hugh Boss and Dolce & Gabanna is where it's at, think again. In the words of Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair editor and one of Manhattan's most elegant men, you're only in the first room.

- Emily Hourican

Credit/Source: www.independent.ie
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jlovenicky
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Jacqueline
Thanks Jo for posting :D
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MrsMaryByrne
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Mary
thanks for posting hun:)
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Nicky's Angel
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Sara
Thanks for that Jo
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