Fashion Critique

Katherine Hepburn’s Tailor Made Blue Denim Jeans

Katherine Hepburn famously epitomised the head strong career woman starring along side Spencer Tracey in “Adams Rib” one of the best romantic comedies ever made. She portrayed similar roles in other movies teaming up with Cary Grant on numerous occasions. She was famous for her love affairs with men like Howard Hughes and later Spencer Tracy, which lasted until his death.

But there is one thing she’s not famous for, which slightly overshadows her roles and romps on and off the screen. In 1971 Katherine took the extraordinary step of ordering tailor made blue denim jeans from her late lover's Savile Row tailor. Hepburn's commission foreshadowed bespoke denim collections launched in 2006 by Timothy Everest and Evisu. 

Now days its well sign posted, the road from Hollywood to Savile Row and well trodden by the who’s who of screen idols, like Jude Law ordering bespoke denim jeans at £180 a pop. For many years Silent Screen idol, Rudolph Valentino wore immaculate suits made by the hands of Anderson & Sheppard. Soon after Valentino died in 1926, other actors like Douglas Fairbanks Senior, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and Gary Cooper trod a regular path to Anderson & Sheppard. Such customers did much too promote the exclusive services of Savile Row.

Thirty years after the fact, denim has been elevated to a new level of acceptance. It’s not hard to imagine the possibility of denim suits appearing on the scene. It’s a long road travelled by Denim from Genoa to Savile Row, the sartorial capitol of the world. Thanks to Katherine Hepburn’s intervention Denim has been elevated to a new level of acceptance.

And yet another name comes to mind, of the same gender and equal in ferocity, but far superior in creativity. Vivienne Westwood has dominated the international fashion arena virtually unchallenged for thirty years. Vivienne teamed up with Malcolm Mclaren in the 70’s and together became one of the most creative partnerships in history. Founders of the Punk Style the impact of their influence is still felt today.

Now Vivienne has an impressive range of silk ties, they’re as cool and refreshing as a sea breeze on a hot stuffy summer’s day. There’s her lips tie, displaying a large print of an open mouth with full, rounded lips, framing a wet tongue. And then there’s her oops tie, with what appears to be stains near the tip of the blade. Now chaps how many times at the dinner table have you stained your tie and then said “oops”? Far from being categorised as garish novelties, they are works of art. Perhaps other designers will take head and stop flogging dead horses.

Vivienne Westwood epitomises the head strong career women in similar fashion to Katherine Hepburn, it paid off for both of them.

 

The Evolution of the Old School Tie

It’s well documented that in 1880, the rowing club at OxfordUniversity's Exeter College, invented the first school tie. After an emotional win over their rivals, they celebrated by removing their ribbon hat bands from their boater hats and tying them, four-in-hand around their necks. When they ordered a set of ties, with the colours from their hatbands, they had accidentally created the modern school tie. Schools, clubs, and athletic ties appeared in abundance. Some schools had different ties for various grades, levels of achievement, and for graduates. Thanks to historians and their method of accurate documentation all the original college colours are still available from archived samples and replicate ties can be made to order.

The four in hand knot used to tie their hat ribbons, which later became one of the most popular ways to tie a tie has its own unique origin. Coachman who lead a team of two horses en route would take the four reins, two for each horse, and tie them in particular fashion across their hand , thus four reins in hand, or, four in hand. Later the knot and the phrase the coachman used were adapted to neckwear. Two unrelated occurrences made contribution to a style that survives in tact to this day. And interestingly both working class and upper class made equal contribution, the coachman’s phrase and the university student boating hat band.

Let’s not leave Cambridge University out of the race; they also played a part in establishing an everlasting style, albeit forty five years after the first Oxford school tie. A Cricket Club, founded by a group of Cambridge Universitystudents in 1845 is believed to have created the first sporting colours. They designed a flag of black, bright, orange-red, and gold, symbolizing "out of darkness, through fire, into light." Blazers, caps, and ties were eventually created in these colours.

It took another one hundred and twenty years before the tie saw any significant change. In the 1920’s a pioneering Paris fashion designer Jean Patou invented the designer silk ties. He made silk ties from women’s clothing material. Targeted towards women purchasers, his expensive ties were highly successful. In fact in

America three out of four ties are bought buy women.Jesse Langsdorf an American tailor discovered that by cutting the tie on the bias of the cloth, the tie would be much more resilient and long- wearing. Cut slightly off bias, the tie would pull off-centre and fall crookedly, but if cut at exactly 45 degrees, the aprons of the tie would drape elegantly, straight down from the knot. He also constructed his ties using three different pieces of silk (the blade, the gusset and the under end) sewn together. He patented his idea and sold it to the world.

Throughout the ages the striped tie has remained a favourite style of men who don’t want to step outside a conventional framework. Didn’t some one once say “style is constant, fashion comes and goes”? 

So maybe the next time you knot your favourite Designer ties four in hand around your neck, you’ll appreciate its colourful history. A word of warning, when tieing the knot, don’t’ think too hard about the coachman pulling tight on the reins, ‘four in hand’, you might choke yourself.

Silk ties and Cufflinks, a Perfect Match

Here you’ll find snippets about British fashion Designers at the top of their game, highlighting some original cufflink and tie creations from London and about. Names associated with keeping alive tradition, the fine art of jewellery design and manufacture, mostly home grown classics, distinctly British with proud heritage embodied in each piece of their work.

Another Gold Naval Lace Designer Cufflink, By Veritas
Innovation and master craft manifest, using gold naval lace by Hand & Lock, set into solid sterling silver to produce a pair of cufflinks; the result of a jewellery designer at the top of his game, six years with iconic Jeweller Tiffany is adequate testimony. Want a matching silk tie? Take a look at one by Shane McCoubrey, made from silks woven on wooden looms in England, a perfect match.

A Golden Designer Silk Tie
Shane McCoubrey has come up with a colourful rendering, transforming art and craft into a distinct fashion accessory. Turn the tie into the light, the colours change from gold to lilac and back again, hand woven on wooden looms is the only way to achieve the desired depth of texture and colour variation. Want a matching pair of cufflinks? The obvious choice, a pair of Gold Naval Lace Cufflinks by Veritas Gifts (Precious Metal Designs)

Luxury Represented
See it to believe it: there is no exaggeration of colour or texture in this cufflink. The natural light enhances beautifully every facet, ever slight contour larger than life, only the highest quality Swarovski Crystals is used to represent luxury and done so simply. Add a robust silver stem and you have a cufflink that not only looks good but will take the hard knocks of every day use. The man: In 1892, Daniel Swarovski registered a patent for his machine that cut crystal on an industrial scale with greater speed and precision than the manual process. This was the start of one of the most sought after crystal production centres in art history. Daniel Swarovski founded his company in the Alps, named for his family, in 1895.

Order and Chaos; A Slightly Abstract Silk Tie
Representing faintly, Japanese calligraphy framed in diagonal lines constructed by small checks, interwoven. Variation of colour and texture weld to complete a slightly abstract form with-in a structured geometric pattern, order and chaos, side by side. Add another element, the rich vibrant colours of silks woven in England and you have a Shane McCoubrey work of art silk tie. Like his paintings they reflect brilliant hues of nature.

Cubism, In a Designer Cufflink?
The Cube Designer Cufflink by Ian Flaherty, sporting 80 Swarovski Crystals a piece and recently voted one of the best gifts for Father’s day by Victoria Gray of the Sunday Express Magazine. Precision equalled by quality and they’re made in England.

Work of Art
Every significant movement in art can be traced through the. Jewellers like Cartier and Tiffany crafted work of art cufflinks in mother of pearl, crystal and precious stones...These famous fashion names establish designer cufflinks as the essential accessory for men. And now, materials of choice by the famous mentioned are fashioned into little treasures. Combining Onyx with the textural brilliance of mother of pearl so naturally compatible and expertly gleaned to solid silver reflecting the best that nature has to offer, now on offer directly from the hands of a world class jeweller; Mark Platt – Veritas Gifts (Precious Metal Design)

Enamel and Silver Cufflinks: Birmingham’s contributionOccupying a space in Birmingham’s famous jewellery quarter is the London Badge and Button Company (Lbb London) owned by the Toye Group of companies. Toye, Kenning & Spencer Ltd are one of the oldest family run businesses in the world, having been established in England over 300 years ago by a family of Huguenot refugees the Toyés. Since 1685 members of the Toye family have been using their skills to create fine enamel and silver jewellery. The London Badge and Button Company has over 30 years of experience in design and development of fine silver-gilt and silver cufflinks for high fashion men's accessories retailers. Each cufflink captures a unique heritage, a manifestation of craftsmanship trough the ages.

A Trout Cufflink
The Trout is another from Ian Flaherty’s latest impressionable creations of nature cufflinks. Using enamels to replicate true to life colours, a cufflink in perfect proportionate scale, every detail is carefully considered even fins and gills are evident, bringing lifeless forms to life, his collections should be on the A list of collectors, don’t let this one get away. Build a set, the fox, partridge, mallard, horse and jockey all hand enamelled in the same tradition as Faberge. For many centuries vitreous enamel has been widely used to adorn jewellery of the highest quality- from Parisian gold snuffboxes of the 18^th century to Carl Faberge’s Imperial Eggs in the early 20^th century. Archaeological evidence suggests that enamelling may date back to 3000BC. The Byzantine Empire, Chinese, French and Russian cultures have all influenced the development of enamelware. Cloisonné, which is a design distinguished by using flattened wire to separate the enamel, is most suited to jewellery. Consider it.

A Cufflink Mine
Appropriately labelled the “Mine Cufflink” by Simon Carter, represents another designer in good form. Using a brushed metal dome and studding with small crystals that glint at every angle against the light. Semblance of a mine, but constructed with economics in mind, a lovely way to decorate your cuffs.

This concludes paragraphs of some sought after British designers and their original cufflink and tie creations, not easy to find but worth looking for. Ian Flaherty, Simon Carter, Shane McCoubrey, Lbb London and Veritas Precious Metal Design keeping the true art of fashion design at heart.

London Cufflink Designer Takes on The World

Ian Flaherty designs and manufactures men’s bespoke cufflinks in workshop ready to be distributed nationally and internationally.

Visit Ian at his studio and you’ll find him working at the coal face with his subordinates, unafraid to get his hands dirty. A Scouser by birth and the son of a builder he chose a different career path that lead him out of working class Liverpool and into London, the fashion capitol of the world.

After designing for many prestigious brand names Ian thought it was time to harness his energies and direct them toward developing his own brand. It’s been a long road from Liverpool, now his delightful cufflinks are displayed in some of the most famous department stores around the world, including Selfridges and John Lewis (UK), Nordstroms (USA) David Jones (Australia) plus stores in Japan with un-pronounceable names.

The cufflink market has become crowded as designer brands cash in on the growing popularity of men’s jewellery. Plus there is the lure of manufacturing in Asia as a way to increase profits, but not without risk of negative effect on your reputation. Increasing profits at your customer’s expense does not make good long term business sense. Ian’s a big fan of traditional British craftsmanship and prefers the workmanship he gets from his own Battersea studio.Ian literally draws his design inspiration from the world around him. He’s always looking at patterns and reflections, sketching things that catch his eye as he walks down the street. His designs have been copied, often blatantly by many big names.

Ian’s designs are hand cast in pure English pewter, because it gives the most accurate result. Each item is double plated in rhodium, a precious metal derived from platinum, and polished before being hand-enamelled or inset with Swarovski Crystals. Then polished and inspected again to make sure it’s flawless. Rhodium prevents tarnishing and adds functionality to form making them extremely hard wearing, less likely to be scarred thus adding value. His cufflinks don’t tarnish and neither will his reputation. His customers keep coming back for more precisely because he does not cut corners.

He continues his work happily labelled “the quiet achiever”, carving out a name for himself in the fashion capitol of the world. The only thing that overshadows Ian’s immense talent is his sincerity; his working class principles remain intact.

Having a pair of his in your collection is a must; you’ll reveal their unique story each time you bind your links to cuff.

A closing historic anecdote: Swank Inc a popular designer and manufacturer of men’s cufflinks were incorporated on April 17, 1936. When Cufflinks peaked in the 1960’s they were making 12 million a year. Even though these were aimed at the lowest end of the market, retailing for an average of $2.50 a pair, that still adds up to a lot of men wearing cufflinks. These days the figure is closer to 200,000, but cufflinks are making a strong comeback with gross sales having increased consistently over the last ten years, while the French cuff continues to be the most prestigious type of shirt.The most expensive cufflinks ever sold were a pair given to the soon-to-be King Edward VIII by his later wife Wallis Simpson. These featured diamonds set in platinum and sold at auction for $440,000. The most a pair of Flaherty cufflinks will cost you is £67.00.

Designer Silk Ties and Their Creators: Obtuse Critiques

Here you will find a series of brief critiques about fashion designers and their designer tie creations. There are those who have haven risen to prominence, others emerging and those who have fallen from grace. Regardless of status, each one has made a significant contribution to the designer silk tie, an everlasting style

A Designer Silk Tie in Fragrant Blossom
The Spitalfield flower pattern can be traced back to Huguenot weavers of the1800’s. Today recognised as the trademark of the Timothy Everest brand. He’s given the flower new life. It’s essence captured tastefully in a new range of lovely, colourful silk ties that reflect the brilliant hues of nature. Be ware of imitations, this pattern is exclusive to Timothy Everest, it’s his signature. Turn the tie over and you’ll witness the finite detail that only a tailor could conceive. The Spitalfields flower in fragrant blossom all seasons. It doesn’t end there, the entire collection blooms into autumn, prevail the winter gloom. And for spring it’s even brighter, classic style in a contemporary framework, each tie, an example of fine English needle work

The 60’s Designer Silk Tie.
Shane McCoubrey started his own label after working all over the world designing for, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Gucci. Happy to go it alone and develop his distinctive style he’s gradually gaining recognition. Drawing inspiration from the 60’s Lava Lamps, Shane produced some vivid renditions for his introductory range of Designer Silk Ties; you’ll have to search long and hard to find ties that reflect such artistic prowess with true individuality. Shane has a small dedicated following.

Feraud Designer Silk Ties: Impact-less
The Louis Feraud Brand has yet to make an impact with its men’s accessory range. The designer silk ties are adventurous enough, but in short bursts, the rest of the collection have little to say. Although lack lustre the name is on the move and the look gets stronger each season, if you compare with brands like Armani you’ll be disappointed. Stand alone; Feraud designer silk ties are made in Italy to exacting specifications and price wise, a good entry point. The opinion, any Feraud product is worth having in a collection. A bit of floral, some paisley and add a few stripes, a safe recipe to begin with.

The Elusive Designer Silk Tie
Neil Bottle’s customers include Hillary Clinton and Cherrie Blare; his textiles designs have hung in some of the most famous galleries and museums in the world, including Guggenheim New York and The V,A London. His designer silk ties and scarves were on the (A) list of buyers from Libertys of London to Harrods. Out of the limelight, he still produces in small quantities, no longer available in high street stores, never the less, collectables, even more reasons to add one to your collection

More than a cufflink designer
Veering off the conventional path, without loosing control, Ian Flaherty has produced a small range of designer silk ties worthy of the highest praise. They’ll give many give many years good knottage, while complimenting his illustrious cufflinks. Added value, they’re completely woven and handmade in England To be seen to be different, the choice is yours.

A Woman’s Designer Silk Tie
Although women have probably always adorned their necks, they did not wear neckties until the later 1800s. Feminine versions of men's Designer Silk Ties began to appear along with the more tailored clothing women wore while bicycling, skating, hiking, or boating. Now there are many women designers who’ve made a significant mark amongst the men, like Cressida Bell Designer Ties “A touch of femininity, the scent of a woman”

The Vivienne Westwood contribution
Free form, a little abstract, totally unpredictable and always an element of surprise, best describes Vivienne's silk tie creations  . Drawing a little out of each era of her career, from punk to pirate, she has pasted a hint of each, blending with classical form and even a little graffiti. There is no mistaking; no collection is whole without a Vivienne Westwood Designer Tie.

 There is none as volatile as the fashion industry, here today gone tomorrow.