Menswear -

DASHING KICKS

There was a point, about 7 years ago, where a seismic shift occurred in my attitude towards wearing trainers. Previously, things were fairly clear cut, when wearing a suit I’d always lace up a pair of leather brogues or oxfords and then when in shorts or laid back attire the trainers would come out.

Of course I was aware of dudes like Dan Macmillian, GQ’s most stylish man of 2001 hanging out in his Savile Row suits with T-Shirts and white plimsolls, but at the time I just felt the look was too transatlantic for me. However, attitudes and tolerances change and as everyone is dressing more casually now-a-days I feel churlish not joining the throng. In fact, I’d go as far to say that I’ve really been enjoying mixing up my looks with the addition of sporty trainers.

I’m interested in the balance of form and function in menswear and footwear always makes a good case in point. From platform shoes that traditionally kept your feet elevated from the mud to hobnail climbing boots, shoes have been adapted to all terrains. Ultra light sprinting shoes with internal springs are great for runners but they don’t look so good with a suit. Interestingly, the new era of trainers have evolved to look fine with dress down tailoring, leather, rubber and tech materials combined mostly in an elegant way.

We have taken the idea of the modern urban trainer to the next level with the addition of our special lumatwill reflective tweed. We chose our Denim Raver design, an interweaving of fine Merino wool and reflective threads as the blue compliments so many other colours. The modern tweed is finished with a waterproof teflon coating which works well as a protection from dirt and rain. For the overall design we’ve gone with a classic dress trainer look; a fresh white rubber sole stitched with a leather toe cap and heel in navy. This leaves the side panels, which are less likely to wear down, free for our unique reflective tweed.

The whole shoe is finished off with white laces which literally tie the design together as well as ensuring a snug fit as you dash around town.

Available in UK mens sizing 8 – 11 and cost £240.

For more information please do pop in and see us, and try on a pair.

All the best,

The Dashing Team

*SAVE THE DATE*

20th November 6pm – 8pm in store

We are hosting a special Christmas shopping event

with some special friends.

More information coming out next week, watch this space.

WRAP UP THIS WINTER

Walking the dog on a crisp autumn day with a low slung sun raking through the trees is one of life’s great pleasures. Add a Dashing scarf thrown loosely around your neck in a devil-may-care manor and you may well find yourself positively elated.

At Dashing, we come into our own at winter. Wool is without doubt the best thing to be wearing and nothing is easier than pulling on a jumper and picking up a scarf.

It will come as no surprise that we have chosen some very jolly colours for our new season jumpers. A glorious royal blue, a vibrant orange, a moss green and a rich autumnal burgundy wool.

The light, soft lambswool jumpers are surprisingly warm and are all knitted for us in Hawick, the famous Scottish Borders area renowned for quality wool and knitting.

I’m a fan of ‘V’ necked jumpers as I often like to wear a shirt and silk scarf underneath and the shape allows everything to sit well. Many people enjoy the higher fitting crew necks and so we have decided to have both styles knitted and to also add cable designs to the crew neck. Our sizing is small for a close fit on a 38 inch chest, medium for a chest size around 40 inches and then large around a 43 inch chest and extra large for chaps with a 46 inch chest; the arms and length adjust accordingly.

Watch the latest instagram reel about our jumpers.

For our scarf range, we still stock a few of our desirable ombre shaded Merino and cashmere scarfs and a couple of classic lambswool designs but the big interest is for our scarf range woven using recycled Cashmere yarns.

Followers of our woolly jottings will remember our trip to visit the first new shoddy machine in the country for decades and learnt with interest how it shredded up old cashmere garments and created a fibre ready to be re-spun with yarn. We have used shoddy cashmere alongside our new season colours of British wool to create a really fabulous range of scarves. The cashmere yarns in subtle neutral shades provide an elegant ground upon which the vibrant British yarns in bright green, orange, blue and mauve can really radiate. We have woven the designs with twilled herringbone structures, classic designs that everyone can relate to and the warp threads are then fringed for a traditional scarf look.

Watch the latest instagram reel about scarves.

For more information please do drop us an email: info@DashingTweeds.co.uk, or pop in and see us.

All our collections are available online, but often more options available in store.

All the best,

The Dashing Team

WOOL MONTH

Wool is where it’s at! When it comes to the future of sustainable fashion, zero waste clothing and furnishing, well-being and innovation, all roads lead to wool. This is not surprising, the wool industry has been developing technology to go from fleece to fashion for thousands of years. It’s only been in the last few decades that the petrochemical industry has flooded the market with cheap plastic yarns, wreaking havoc on the environment and the mental well-being of people constantly craving junk fast fashion.

The good news is that wool is fighting back. The Campaign for Wool has King Charles III leading the way to promote wool. Wool Month consists of events around the country educating consumers on the numerous benefits of wool, during the month of October.

At Dashing I like to think we are always ahead of the game. We have been extolling the virtues of wool for many years. Recently I shared stories of the whole journey of British wool and below you can enjoy clicking through our wonderful woolly adventures.

Introduction to the British wool story

The starting point not only to Dashing Tweeds but to probably one of the biggest, most lucrative industries Great Britain has known.

Read the full blog here:

British wool and sheep breeds:

The really interesting thing is that all the wool is just a byproduct of the meat industry. Farmers are obliged by law to shear sheep for their comfort in the summer months, but no one actually breads sheep just for their wool anymore.

Read the full blog here:

Wool grading:

If variety is the spice of life then the sheep of Great Britain must be high on the list for liveliness. We have over 60 native breeds in the country and their wool comes in such a range of varieties that it takes many years of training to sort them into the 130 different grades required by British Wool.

Read the full blog here:

Shoddy:

Shoddy was a way of putting wool waste back into the supply chain and dates back to the 1800’s. The mills of the time were continually spinning valuable wool and weaving cloth, the scale of production was huge and England was supplying half the world.

Read the full blog here:

Spinning:

Our spinning revolution was the turning point of Britain’s textile industry. Twisting strands of fibre together by hand is as old as civilisation, and dates back fifty thousand years.

Read the full blog here:

Dyeing:

Using extracts of plants and animals, people have been dyeing wool for thousands of years. Some rare and expensive colours such as the Tyrian purple derived from sea snails was only allowed to be used within royal circles in Roman times.

Read the full blog here:

Weaving:

In terms of shear creative invention, weaving must surely be one of the great landmarks of civilisation. During Neolithic times men and women probably copied our clever feathered friends, watching them weave twigs for nests and started to interlace bark shreds together to make things like door mats, although I’m not sure if they had invented doors by then.

Read the full blog here:

Finishing:

Finishing is not just the end process of tweed creation, it is the beginning of a fabric’s life. Wool is woven in it’s natural greasy state and so needs a good wash and dry once it is woven, but there is a whole lot more to the finishing process than you may have thought.

Read the full blog here:

Now that you have a full appreciation of the wonders of wool, I’m sure you will be wanting something fabulous made. All our designs are woven in wool and we can tailor you a beautiful piece that you can love and cherish for years to come.

To find out more about our tailoring offering, check out our website, drop us an email, or visit us in store.

NEW COLLECTION LAUNCH AND EVENT

When it comes to colour we love nothing better than experimenting to see how far we can push the boundaries whilst our designs remain palatable. Colour theory has fascinated thinkers for centuries and great books have been written on the subject by luminaries such as Goethe and Josef Albers. The pointillist painters of the late 19th century paved the way to the use of colour pixels on our screens as interaction with colour changes dramatically when varying pigments are placed in juxtaposition. With this in mind we thought it would be interesting to ramp up the hue and boldly go where few dare, especially in the world of tweed design.

One of the many beauties of wool is that it can be dyed to any colour and this season we have been working with Shepley yarns and their vibrant range of British wools with a sound ecological footprint and accredited dye standards. We choose a palette of electric blues, vigorous greens and radiant oranges as the basis for our collection, reminiscent of the psychedelic rise of Acid House and the 90’s rave scene.

Our sensational design named Acid is a fabulously textural interweave of almost fluorescent yellow, bright blue, soft lilac and taupe brown, it really has to been seen to be believed. Remarkably the vibrant colours nestle together in the most glorious and harmonious way creating an overall stripe effect that is as vivacious as it is daring. The cloth weighs a useful 16oz, a mid weight cloth ideal for winter suiting or a light overcoat.

We have tailored an unlined blazer style jacket and matching narrow legged trousers in our Acid cloth. The relaxed cut of the jacket with patch pockets compliments the joyful nature of the tweed and the easy wearing trousers are right for so many occasions. We have also crafted a fabulous fitted coat, this is a close fitting knee length cut and is ideally worn instead of a jacket. The colours of the Acid tweed work well with denim and plains enabling the coat to work as a statement piece that bursts with delight.

We’ve named our bold check for the season Jungle, another reference to a musical genre originating from the rave scene, a time that saw a melting pot of upbeat mixes and eye popping displays of colour. This is reflected in the thrilling orange and marine check laid over an elegant grid of earth tones. The 16oz British wool is entirely made in the UK and is of a classic tweed quality suitable for outer wear in the elements.

We have crafted a slick fitting bomber style jacket using our Jungle design. The cuffs and waistband are ribbed in a navy band and the elegant shape features a central zip and side welted pockets. The easy to wear bomber has a broad collar which looks great both up round the neck or folded down. For a dramatic pairing we have had matching trousers tailored; the whole ensemble takes classic tweed sports wear into the 21st century.

For the evening, we have worked with our luxurious Merino worsted yarns to produce a discreetly elegant yet spirited design we call Jazz. Shades of dark maroon, navy and royal blue quiver together with a soupçon of lilac purple in a stripe that seems to frolic over the swarthy cloth. The 11-12oz worsted has a lustrous finish and makes up well into exquisite evening wear for any occasion.

Red carpet and black tie events are as popular as ever, and now more open to glamorous interpretation. We have tailored an exquisite three piece evening suit in Jazz. The cloth design, reminiscent of art deco motifs, certainly cuts a dash with black grosgrain silk lapels and a double breasted waistcoat.

Folk are waking up to the importance of traceable and sustainable clothing the use of British wool is more important than ever. We are now proud to be a part of the British wool organisation which entitles us to use their emblem of a Shepherds crook on our fully British Wool designs.

Come and join us to celebrate the launch of our new collection, with an event in our Dorset Street store, from 6pm – 8pm on the 19th September. Showcasing the fabrics and fashion we have tailor made this season!

DRESSING FOR YOUR NEXT LIFE

You may be reading the title of this piece and thinking that we have diversified into shrouds or even mummification linen; not quite yet. The reality of life today is that people are living longer than ever and starting whole new careers in midlife. It can be a very refreshing time of reinvention, perhaps heading back to school for a while before embarking on a new road.

My degree was in biology and I was always fascinated by evolution, it seems to occur in sudden saltatory jumps; much like life. One minute you change job or hit the gym and suddenly you become a smarter, leaner person. Or perhaps like a young Clown fish you have decided to change sex. Whatever your metamorphosis one thing is for sure; you’ll need some new clothes.

Fashion is highly influenced by the natural selective forces of society. Stiff Victorian suits are obviously completely passé, but so too are tailoring styles from just a decade ago. If you have been stuck in a niche, you may suddenly find yourself completely behind the times. This is where we can offer you a great deal of help.

Our designs are informed by the changing demands of work and leisure. We are in continuous conversation with customers as to what garments provide the optimum balance of elegance and practicality.

There is no doubt that clothing has been on a steady journey towards the less formal. I felt it hit a nadir a couple of years ago but now I’m pleased to report that the current direction is up. Tailored clothes made to last and look good are both sustainable and desirable. Personal style is the order of the day and constant change in the name of fashion is now deeply unfashionable.

Finding your personal style as you grow older is one of life’s pleasure, the insecurity of youth is replaced by the confidence of wisdom, and this should allow you to be more daring in your choices.

At Dashing Tweeds we never shy away from experimenting with all aspects of clothing and style in order to give you as much choice as possible. We delight in offering you styling advice as to the best colour combinations and tailoring silhouettes and how to make your wardrobe work well for every occasion.

Dress norms can now be a bit of a minefield, gone are the days when you could simply wear a suit and tie to work and then change into a cocktail or dinner suit in the evening.

However, wearing boring chinos and a lack lustre shirt are not going to impress your new hip co-workers or even your fresh date for the night. It’s time to remix the hereditary elements of tailoring and make something new. Remember when it comes to the evolution of tailored forms, there’s more to it than just the genes.

Our made to measure tailoring takes 6 weeks, so plan ahead.

Jackets £1,200, trousers £675, skirts £500 and waistcoats £550.

Soft tailored cigar jackets £850, bomber jackets £1,050.

2 piece suits £1,625 and 3 piece suits £1,850

Coats from £1,550 dependant on length

We also offer an in-house bespoke service as well.

To design your own look, or get advice on what to wear, do drop us a message for more information.

Founder/ Owner – Guy Hills

Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk

All the best,

The Dashing Team

SAVE THE DATE: 10TH APRIL

6pm onwards, in store at 47 Dorset Street

Launching the collection in store, and celebrating with our good friends

Collarbone London and Pachacuti with their panama hats.

To RSVP: drop us an email.

DASHING KNITWEAR

It’s been a long time coming, but I’m now really enjoying feeling a chill in the air and a need to wear more and more woolly layers. Keeping warm can be a fine balancing act, overdo it and you render yourself immobile with clothing and start to roast, not enough and you shiver all day. Wool of course comes to the rescue; just a thin layer of lambswool over a shirt and topped off with a tweed jacket is pretty much all you need for most days.

Finding the right shade of jumper in top quality lambswool that has been sustainably knitted in Scotland is harder than you think. However, if you are reading this then your quest is already over and we can send you one today. Although, it’s much more fun to come and visit us in person and try one on whilst we serve you a fine cup of tea.

These also make great gifts for your loved ones this Christmas.

See the full collection here.

We hope to see you in store soon, or feel free to phone us for a chat to discuss sizes for yourself or gifts for loved ones.

Get your items in time for Christmas:

UK – order by 19th December

Europe – order by 18th December

Rest of the world –order by 15th December

PRINCE ROSTISLAV ROMANOV

Conjure up a mind’s eye image of a male bohemian artist and you’ll probably be picturing Rosti before you read any further. Prince Rostislav Romanov, or Rosti to his friends is a true artist; creative to the soul. He expresses himself mainly through the medium of oil paint landscapes, but his artistic talents leap forth when leafing through the drawings of his hand made paper sketch books and through his new skill of applique on a Dashing cap.

I’ve known Rosti for a few years now, he first dropped into our original shop just to complement us on our use of colour in our weave designs. Then a year or so later, when we setup our in-house workshop we were in a position to make his sartorial dreams come true. Having studied fine art at Falmouth, Rosti has a love of nature, landscape and colour. Scattered throughout his spacious house in Tenterden, Kent are books by favourite influential artists, Milton Avery, Philip Guston, Gillian Ayres and llya Repin to name a few.

As befits the dreamy country setup and the romance of creatives, the action takes place in a shed at the bottom of the garden. I waited with eager anticipation, camera in hand, as the doors squeaked open. The rich waft of oil paint hit me as I entered and to my delight Rosti’s painting den was a cacophony of colour and controlled chaos.

On one side litho printing rollers, then around a central chair, tables strewn with paints of every hue and palettes at the ready for work on the current canvas. As Rosti paints wearing his beloved artist suit in our Motley design he listens to his vinyl collection and notes the albums he’s played on the back of the canvas; a charming addition to the artwork. The suit is ideal for painting as the design features inherent colour splashes. Rosti wanted to be able to wade in the marshes while sketching so the baggy trousers are cut high off the ground and the double breasted teba jacket has generous pockets.

Rosti’s love of nature is evident as we stroll around the grounds of the house he shares with wife Fotini Georganta and their son. The garden dates back to Tudor times and is home to the most splendid trees including huge redwoods, beeches and chestnuts. I’d forgotten making Rosti his coat in our Gallant Check design from a few years ago which looked gloriously autumnal when paired with this three piece ochre herringbone suit and it’s elegant double breasted waistcoat.

As with so many great artists, talent comes with a degree of angst and in Rosti’s case alcohol became an early vice. Following art school Rosti headed to Russia, the home of his aristocratic heritage, his great grandmother was Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. In his own words he moved to the land of cheap vodka where ‘my alcoholism found me’ and drifted around with friends. A wakeup call occurred on a trip to San Francisco. His friend not being home yet, Rosti tried to check in to a hotel but his grunge look of the time led to refusal and a night on the streets. Luckily, rehab in South Africa proved a success and Rosti’s sobriety has allowed his natural creativity to shine. Dressing well, with integrity and quality is a delight for Rosti and I was delighted to really see how much he loves to wear the clothes we have tailored.

A DASHING CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Christmas time and yuletide wait for no man, woman or indeed anyone with present buying on their mind. It may be a cliché but time seems to run faster as you grow older, apparently it’s all to do with the number of new experiences we have.

When I walk down a high street, I look around and I’ve just seen it all before. Originality is hard to come by. At Dashing we like nothing better than bringing a youthful wonder into your life. We have fabric designs and colour combinations which make you marvel and more importantly they’ll arouse desire and fascination in your loved ones.

Being practical, budget is often a primary factor, you don’t want to embarrass your aunt by giving her a coat for four figures whilst opening her snow globe of two figures.

Conveniently we offer lovely Dashing gifts at a range of prices. Caps start at £50 and are always welcomed presents; you need something to keep your head warm and dry now. Wool, as I’m sure you know is wonderful for temperature regulation, a simple scarf makes all the difference between comfort and misery during winter.

We offer scarves in Lambswool as well as a Merino and cashmere blend. Next up, in terms of size our throws are highly versatile. I always keep one as a travel rug in the car and they look so elegant draped over furniture at home. If you are a generous dog lover then George can vouch for them as glorious coverings for his favourite chair.

The most desirable Dashing gift is a suit or coat made to measure and the way to give this is using our shiny gift vouchers. Just let us know how much you wish to spend and we can write on the card something like a new Dashing jacket, a shooting suit or an entire wardrobe of new looks. We can send vouchers out by post along with swatches of fabric but it’s more fun to drop by our store if you can as we have some one off samples and experimental pieces which hardly anyone has seen before and may be just what you are looking for.

To further entice you to Chiltern and Dorset Street there are some other excellent shops where I often pick up treats. Next door to us is Labour and Wait, they stock the most useful brushes I have ever come across. Cadenhead is a must for whisky drinkers and also for mind blowing rum which they bottle on-site from a barrel. I also love Perfumer H, their scents are nose tinglingly delightful and they now have a special smelling fountain pen ink. Cromford Leather is an incredible specialist shop making bespoke leather jackets and if you are into gardening then Niwaki have the sharpest weeding tools ever. Of course you could just visit us and walk across the road to relax with a pint and a pie at The Barley Mow pub.

I reckon that you can probably get all your present buying done in Marylebone and to make life easier we are going to be open late 23rd November, until 8pm, and are offering 10% off all our collections for one night only.

Life is short; enjoying yourself and treating loved ones is important. At Dashing we strive to make everything we do original and of the highest quality. When shopping, I like to bear in mind Oscar Wilde’s quote;

“I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best”

and I’m sure if he were around today Dashing Tweeds would be a favourite haunt.

If you want to purchase online, please keep in mind our delivery timeframes for getting your gifts to you by Christmas:

Delivery to:

UK – 2 days, order by 19th December

Europe – 3 days, order by 18th December

Rest of the world – 3-4 days, order by 15th December

BRITISH WOOL & SHEEP BREEDS

The reason why so many of us love a pub quiz is that knowledge is the key to survival. For early man knowing which plants were toxic and where the buffalo roamed was vital. As humans settled down to an agrarian lifestyle we started to tame rather than chase. We bred and cross bred all sorts of animals and our knowledge increased daily.

The fact that the tamed Asiatic Mouflon is the ancestor to all our sheep and that more breeds of sheep live in Great Britain than any anywhere else may not make much difference to your life nowadays, but you never know, the knowledge could one day win you a pub quiz.

I’m writing all about wool at the moment as wool month comes to a close. You are going to have to indulge me as I take you on a fascinating journey of just how amazing wool really is. There is something about wool that seems to inspire great passion. I could have chatted for days when we went to visit Haldi Kranich-Wood at Wool House in Bradford, one of the largest centres of wool grading in the county.

As you know wool was our greatest asset in the middle ages but it’s still a good export. I learned that British wool from mountain sheep with a bulky thick fibre is unbeatable for carpets. Nothing else, synthetic or natural, springs back as well as ours and for the toughest floor coverings in places such as casinos and cruise ships, everyone wants our wool.

The British Wool Marketing Board was founded sixty years ago to ensure that our farmers receive the best possible price for their wool. Anyone in the country with more than six sheep is obliged to sell their wool through the board where auctions take place bimonthly in the season. All of our 35 thousand sheep farmers send 34 million kilos of wool to be sold every year and it is all sorted by hand.

Head grader Ian Brooksbank explained how the six types of wool; fine, medium, cross, lustre, hill and mountain are graded depending on their colour and quality and then bundled into eight ton lots for auction. The really interesting thing is that all the wool is just a byproduct of the meat industry. Farmers are obliged by law to shear sheep for their comfort in the summer months, but no one actually breads sheep just for their wool anymore. Compared to the past wool prices are pitiful.

The poor price of wool came as a great shock to our king a few years ago. Determined to remedy this and spread awareness King Charles started the Campaign for Wool in 2010. The campaign has been doing a fabulous job explaining why we all need more wool in our lives. Wool actually gives out heat when it gets wet, an exothermic reaction unlike any other cloth, and I love the fact that it absorbs smell and hardly needs washing. Wool keeps you warm and dry but it also blocks harmful UV light and absorbs far more moisture than cotton which is vital for sporting activities.

Wool just has so many wonderful attributes and I’m always happy to tell you more when you drop by my shop. I’ve also taken up spinning, in a Gandhi rather than Hoy way, it’s a very addictive hobby so come along and we can spin yarns together and plan a sustainable woolly future.

SAVE THE DATE:

As Christmas approaches we plan to host a late night shopping event in store on the 23rd November opening until 8pm, along with all our neighbours in the area. It will be a great evening in Marylebone, so do pop it in your diary and we hope to see you then. We will be offering 10% off all our collections and made to measure, so it is a great time to plan ahead for your gift shopping, and we offer gift vouchers in store too.

BRITISH WOOL: INTRODUCTIONS

When it comes to tweed, wool is where it’s at. The starting point not only to Dashing Tweeds but to probably one of the biggest, most lucrative industries Great Britain has known.

There is evidence of wool being spun and woven in the country as far back as the Bronze age four thousand years ago and by the fourteenth century wool exports became the backbone of our economy. The vast riches from our wool trading over 800 years ago, can still be seen today by visiting awe inspiring cathedrals such as Norwich and Ely.

Fast forward to the industrial revolution and by the mid nineteenth century over a quarter of our industrial output was from British textiles sold the world over.

It’s hard for us to realise the importance of wool. Politicians have a daily reminder from the Woolsack in the House of Lords, but for most of us the role of wool in our history and its relevance today is a bit of a mystery.

I’ve really been enjoying learning more about wool and over the next few months I’m going to share with you some of my newly acquired knowledge. I’ll try not to bamboozle you with the names of our 60 plus native sheep breeds and with the deftness I observed as skilled workers at Wool House, Bradford sorted fleeces into 130 different grades.

Whilst sharing the story of wool, we will follow the rise and fall of wool prices, the fibre to fashion journey and learn just how important wool is for our future.

The global spotlight is now rightly focused on the toxic fast fashion industry, they have pulled the wool over our eyes; over producing oil based clothing that no one values. Sustainability and the welfare of our planet depends on us radically shifting our ideas on fashion, understanding where our clothes are produced and most importantly caring about how we dress with longevity in mind. I feel that wearing wool and delving into our thousand years of sheep knowledge will help us all.

The Campaign for Wool launches Wool Month for October, so to find out more about wool, do pop in store and see us soon.

LAUNCHING THE NEW COLLECTION

Autumn is definitely my favourite season. From my Jewish side I enjoy feeling that it is the start of the year when new fruits can be eaten and life starts afresh. I love the colours. Everything becomes rich and plush, lit from a low sun heading to the autumnal equinox. It is also the best time to wear tweed and boy do we have some excitements for you!

We have designed and woven some incredibly exuberant new tweeds this season inspired by my trip to Mexico last year. The bold colours of the cities combined with the graphic architecture of the Aztecs provided such a rich stimulus.

James Lance, actor and great friend of Dashing has kindly been modelling the collections tailored for our store, showing them off to their best advantage, but of course we can tailor any silhouettes you desire.

We have named the cloth above Ignacio and as you can see it looks fabulous as an unstructured jacket paired with wider legged trousers. The relaxed cut reflects the joyous nature of the 10oz wool cloth. The scale of the check is a large six inch repeat in an almost ecstatic mix of magenta, yellow, lilac and charcoal.

This new bomber jacket works really well made up in our new design called Teo. It’s increasingly acceptable to wear more casual tailored pieces and this jacket with patch pockets and a generously wide collar strikes a good balance. The cloth is a medium weight 14oz tweed, woven in Scotland using a Donegal wool. The basket weave design in grey and yellow has a muted appearance but the neps of red, green and blue add a vitality.

George is more than happy to rest his head on the soft Donegal wool used in our new Teo design.

James looks fabulous pairing our Rivera tweed with his double denim shirts. There’s nothing we like more than folk wearing our cloth in their own style. Individuality and joie de vivre are the essence of Dashing.

The blue and red stripes feature a tessellated design reminiscent of Aztec pyramids lending a certain sportiness to this 17oz cloth. The weight is also ideal for a winter coat or even a bespoke skiing outfit.

The Herringbone design is one of our early classic urban tweeds, featuring a double red pinstripe with a grey and black herringbone structure. It tailors fabulously into coats and sports jackets. I love the way James rocks his look with a vintage red shirt, ready to hit the road and make the world a merrier place.

Do drop by our shop soon to view our new collection or we can also post you samples of our new tweeds. Everything at Dashing is going incredibly well, these new designs do tend to sell out fast.

If you wish to use our made to measure tailors then do allow at least six weeks. If you order something soon it will be ready end of October so bear that in mind if you have important dates ahead.
We look forward to seeing you soon.

Guy, Holly, Naomi and Lara.

PS a HUGE thank you to James Lance for his innate style and time spent modelling our new collection.

WHAT TO WEAR: Frieze

As the sun kissed return to London one of the first parties to look forward to is the opening of Frieze.

Much to my dogs vexation his favourite stomping ground in Regent’s Park becomes the most richly embellished camp site in the world. Huge tents are erected and massive sculptures land by the herbaceous borders. Trucks bearing wooden treasure boxes reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark rumble round the inner circle followed closely by a procession of champagne toting staff and the odd sniffer dog. It really is a sight to see the global art circus come to town.

A few days later the main broadwalk develops into a wafting catwalk as the London scene and many others from far and wide descend and inspect the offerings of the art dealer elite.

As well as musing over the art, I love nothing better than people watching. Decoding sartorial messages is fascinating, from the conservative tailoring of the dealers informing you that they are reliable and trusty folk, to the devil-may-care ease of the super rich with nothing to prove, through to the elegant panache of young art collectors, and the odd lost soul bobbing by in prescribed threads from the high street, the pageant is compelling.

Individuality is the order of the day when visiting Frieze. Once your artistic eye is attuned you are in a receptive mood to evaluate the meaning of life though art, and everything takes on a new significance. Fresh eyes enliven mundane objects with meaning and you start to consider the inherent value of yourself and things around you. My grandmothers family were art dealers from Frankfurt and I’ve realised through the beautiful works handed down to me that everything you own should have merit and provenance. This is more important today as we are subject to so much throwaway rubbish.

With these ideas in mind it becomes a joy to decide what version of yourself you are going to project through your clothing. As a painter choses from his palette so you can combine items from your wardrobe to create a harmony or even discord about your person. Of course, art as well as dressing often needs new direction and that is exactly what Dashing Tweeds is here for. Not only do we offer you exciting, beautifully made new clothes but we also offer advice as to the best way to turn yourself into a living work of art with merit and provenance that would please my grandmother as well as yours.

Our store is conveniently located en route to the Frieze art fair in Regent’s Park. At the moment we have a sample sale with suits from previous seasons as well as our exciting new cloth and tailoring presentation, and 10% off made to measure, ready to wear, throws and accessories. You can have a preview of our super creative new collection, a range of sumptuous designs inspired by my trip around Mexico.

I like to think that dressing well is an art that can bring joy to all, so drop by and we can help you picture yourself.

To find out more or to book an appointment drop us an email Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk or call us on 0207 486 6882.

WHAT TO WEAR: The Glorious Twelfth

I’m sure that some of you are busy dusting down your tweeds as we speak, trigger fingers twitching with anticipation at the thought of the opening of the shooting season. Others may well be oblivious to the famous date in August or generally apathetic as a decent grouse shoot is increasingly hard to come by.

Whatever your feelings, it’s a good time to dwell on the importance of tweed for country sports and so many other occasions. Training my eye with clays at a friends moor a few weeks ago, I was naturally sporting one of my favourite country suits cut by the illustrious tailors Henry Poole. It was made using our classic take on the famous Glenurquhart design, houndstooth shades of brown with dashes of purple, yellow and red. On the face of it our McDougall Check sounds outrageous but ironically the way the disruptive patterns fool the eye, I blended into the moors more elegantly then fellow guns wearing dull block colours. Naturally the breeches were cut as plus 4’s, a loose fit falling 4 inches below the knee and pretty much the most practical and comfortable leg coverings you can wear. The jacket, or coat as it should be called, had both a box pleat back and action shoulders allowing me plenty of movement with which to miss my shots.

A shooting suit is a highly evolved item of clothing at once smart and practical, refined over many years to work in all weather conditions and terrains. I try to apply this balance of form and function to all the new garments we make. The joy of tailoring is that you too can be in charge of the design of your clothes and have them made exactly to suit your actions.

To my mind any item of clothing should cover three main criteria. Firstly, clothes must make you feel good, whether you are dressing to disappear or stand out it’s vital that you are doing this in the best possible way, going out and looking shoddy is bad for you. Secondly, your clothing needs to perform. I have absolutely no time for fashion victims who wear shoes for example they can’t even walk in. And finally your clothes should be loved and cherished, buy the very best items you can and look after them. I find repairing clothes a pleasure and we are always happy to give you advice.

With all this in mind, it’s a great exercise to think about exactly what you want to wear and what your clothes need to do while you are wearing them. In the past we have tailored artists outfits with special brush and sketchbook pockets, many cycling looks in our reflective raver tweeds, numerous wedding and party outfits as well as country tweeds for staying hidden from that elusive grouse. So while you are musing away the summer afternoons, pose yourself the age old question which I guess Adam first asked himself, ‘If I cover my nakedness then what shall I wear?’.

Ideally everyone should be the architect of their own aesthetic and we are here to build your dream look. If you have any questions, call us up and fire away.

WHAT TO WEAR: The Rise of the Short Suit

Now that I’ve had my first lick of warm sun this week I can’t wait for more. I’m busy pulling out all my summer clothes and giving them a good steam and brush, the best way to freshen them up and get rid of any pesky moth eggs.

One of the summer looks that I like best and one that’s definitely on the rise is the short suit. Those of you who follow trends will be aware that Pharrell Williams hit the head lines wearing a Lanvin short evening suit in 2014 and fewer of you will have seen me on my first day at prep school in 1977 sporting a vaguely similar look albeit with a pink striped tie.

Short suits, the uniform of school boys since Edwardian times were seen as a right of passage leading eventually to the wearing of trousers after suffering freezing knees for several winters. The thought of venturing back into shorts other than on a green or beach is anathema to many. However, recent menswear trends and global warming has now made this jolly look wholly acceptable for grown men, and I’m all for it.

Mixing what is essentially sports wear and tailoring is one of our axioms and unites the elegance of structured clothing with the freedom of leisure wear. As soon as the sun is out the look is permissible for most summer events. Should you be venturing to tennis at Wimbledon, sailing at Cowes week or sauntering around The Chelsea Flower show then a short suit will strike the right balance.

I favour the classic Edwardian look for short suits worn with a turn up and hovering an inch or so above the knee, in the style of a tropical uniform. For the jacket a sporting cricket style blazer with relaxed patch pockets always looks good. These tend to have three buttons with a notch lapel, no vent at the back and optional cuff buttons but the joy of coming to see us is that you can decide exactly what you like.

As a parting note, it’s worth remembering that for most of the time clothes are supposed to be fun. A short suit strikes the right chord; as Shakespeare observed:

“Brevity is the soul of wit”.

To book an appointment email Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk

DASHING WEDDINGS

Amidst all the turmoil of modern life marriage still seems to be in vogue. For better or for worse gathering all your friends and family around to witness your affirmation of love is a delightful thing to do. Choosing a partner who has the one in a million qualities you are looking for is no easy matter and it can be an exhausting and an expensive search leaving no stone unturned. So the last thing you need, once a nuptial date is settled, is another quest for suitable wear.

Back in the day, when I was a chance extra in Four Weddings and a Funeral, dressing for a wedding was an easy affair, you just dusted down your old morning suit, polished your shoes, brushed your top hat and off you’d go. For my own wedding I just added a new double breasted waistcoat tailored in duck egg blue.

Nowadays, many weddings seem to be slightly less formal affairs but it’s still important to dress up and cut a dash, after all you are dressing not just for yourself but to add to the atmosphere of the day; weddings are all about participation.

Whether you are the groom, father of the bride or a guest we have what you need.

Our more subdued wool worsteds such as Newton and Midnight tailor into fabulous suits for grooms and won’t upstage the bride. We recently tailored a beautiful three piece suit using the greener side of our Newton design and it was a great hit. Following the lead of Mick and Bianca Jagger getting married in matching cream suits is a very stylish idea. Our Opticks cloth with a subtle window pane check is a top choice and has already been seen at a couple of very joyous joinings.

Should you be on the more flamboyant side and want to make your wedding day a momentous colourful occasion to remember then we are definitely the people to come to. Our bespoke tailor can craft anything you fancy. Working with creative customers is such a pleasure as we can make their sartorial dreams come true. In our shop we have a large library of inspirational books as well as sample cuts from my archive. There’s an art to pushing boundaries whilst still maintaining a certain elegance, it’s a tightrope walk of style but we are here to make everything balance.

Many wedding guest codes now ask for you to wear something fresh and summery, a stipulation for which your old work suit certainly won’t do. Every summer we design gloriously original fine wool suitings which wear well in all weather conditions. We can tailor these for you into relaxed blazer suits or more formal cuts that remain timeless looks.

I was just thinking that if you are reading this then you are probably already a Dashing fan and know how much pleasure wearing our clothes gives you. I’m sure you must know others who would be delighted to wear Dashing and it would be greatly appreciated if you recommend them to come and see us, I’m sure they will be delighted and we would be most grateful to you. Our tailoring takes 6 weeks, so best to plan ahead!

If you want some advice on your own Dashing suit, please get in contact with Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk.

WHAT TO WEAR: Literary Festivals

I’m not sure if I’ve noticed them more as I get older or if the UK is in the midst of a literature festival frenzy but everywhere I look someone is arranging a festival celebrating the cerebral act of reading.

From Hay to the Isle of Colonsay via Chipping Norton and Ullapool there are simply dozens of bookish events popping up everywhere.

I’ve spent many happy days in ruined Welsh castles listening to authors’ latest oeuvres over pints of cider. Trying to nod wisely rather than off and then with a jolt of adrenaline, raise my hand to ask a poignantly worded question, drawing attention not only to my witty dress sense but to the keenness of my mind.

There’s a lot of excitement to be had at a literary festival, the meeting of minds and the mingling of erudite folk. As with all social events dress is key. But what to wear to a literary festival requires more thought than you may at first think. Style inspiration has to come from an intellectual perspective, whereby a nonchalant scruffiness suggests that your mind is on a higher plane than the mere animalism of promoting the size of your pecs; which of course it is.

“A man should look as if he’s bought his clothes with intelligence,
put them on with care and then forgotten all about them”

This famous quote from the legendary tailor Hardy Amies should be adhered at all times and is especially apt when dressing for a bookish crowd. Vanity is never an attractive trait but as Tom Ford rightly states:

“Dressing well is a form of good manners”

If there is one ukase at a literary festival it is for good manners.

So with all these style quotes in mind, what should you wear for the meeting of minds in a Welsh field? It will come as no surprise to readers of my posts that the most interesting and versatile of fabrics is again the hero of the day; yes tweed is the true robing of the bookish, followed closely I must add by corduroy. Although tweed is of course the fabric of choice for British Kings whereas ‘cord du roi’ is that of the French.

It is of no surprise that a well loved, if a little neglected, tweed suit is the chosen attire of the scholar, wool keeps you warm whilst in the act of conjuring wise words, wears for many, many years and barely needs washing. Just summon up images of everyone from Bertrand Russell to Rivers Solomon to see the versatility of twill woven wool.

We can of course help you with the cut of your jib. I favour a relaxed, perhaps unlined tweed jacket sporting large patch pockets the size of penguin paperbacks, with flowing turned up trousers that waft gracefully as you meander between talks; your mind on a higher purpose than how attractive the speakers literary agent is. We have elegant, played down British wool designs that make up into understated tweed suits. With all great art and literature, framing is of the utmost importance; just think of your tweed suit as a frame for your intellect and come to us for a peerless level of gilding.

To book an appointment, email me Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk

LAST CHANCE

The fundamental tenet of Dashing Tweeds is that of creation. A continuous process of designing and weaving new wonders in wool. Sustainability is also important to us and nothing seems to make more sense than weaving locally and making exquisite clothing that lasts for years. With all this in mind, especially as spring cleaning is nigh, we have to adhere to an ‘out with the old and in with the new’ policy.

Obviously, we are not going to destroy old stock, as others are rumoured to, but we are going to offer you irresistible reductions on our old cloth stock.

We have decided to offer the last few metres of all our old fabric designs for a snip at £30 per metre.

A mutually fabulous arrangement allowing us room to weave more designs for you and also giving you the chance to get your hands on our lovely tweeds at a fraction of the price.

If you are a maker then there are endless ways you can use small lengths of our wonderful cloth for anything from elbow patches to cushions. My latest project is a cloth case for my sons new rolling chess board. Otherwise I’m sure you have a sewing friend who would be delighted with a Dashing gift.

All our cloths are available online, and in store.

We hope to see you soon, and if you have any questions, or need any help, do get in contact.

WHAT TO WEAR: Goodwood Motoring Racing

Hanging out with the fast set was not something your grandmother would have encouraged but compared to other louche groups the hedonistic youth of the twenties did seem to have a lot of fun dressing up and spinning around in some of the most beautiful cars ever made.

The motor racing circuit at Goodwood revels in the golden era of racing from before and after the second world war. The track and paddocks buzz with that intoxicating mix of joie de vivre and fuel, an exhilarating thrill where the jazz age throbs to the pulse of V8s. No matter which event you are attending there is an elegance to Goodwood that you rarely find elsewhere; you’re ‘where it’s at’ and if a biplane landed with Terry Thomas or a Mini spun up with James Hunt you would not be surprised.

Surrounded by the beautiful undulating hills of West Sussex the car racing track of Goodwood resides on Lord March’s estate on the site of the old aerodrome RAF Westhampnett. The 2.4 mile track was originally the perimeter road and was arranged as the nine turn track in 1948 by the 9th Duke of Richmond, Frederick Gordon-Lennox. Over the years it has seen incredibly exciting race action, everyone from Stirling Moss to Rowan Atkinson has sped round the track and entertained the stylish crowd with bravado and skill behind the wheel.

This year there are three main race meets. If you are lucky enough to be in the know then the Members meet on 15th – 16th April recaptures the atmosphere and camaraderie of the original BARC Meetings held from 1949 to 1966.

For others there is time to book tickets to the Festival of Speed held on 13 – 16th July or to my favourite event the Revival meet from 8 – 10th September.

Should classic cars and dressing up get you going, then the Revival meet is for you. Even walking through the car park is exciting as you pass rows of fabulously loved classics, then through tents of harmony singing dancing girls towards the famous track where competitors undaunted by the rarity of their rides stop at nothing to win. It’s de rigueur to dress appropriately for the Revival, but luckily as long as you are seen to make an effort the interpretation of period dressing from the twenties to sixties is relaxed.

Nostalgia is a mindset with rose tinted specs, everything used to be better, but it’s hard not to think this is true as you amble through crowds of elegantly dressed men and women. Sports suits of an individual cut in tweed and wool worsted look so good when accessorised correctly with neck wear, hats and spats.

Classic tailored menswear was at it’s most dynamic during the early 20th century and individualism flourished within the realm of tailoring, style was constantly changing and the choice of cloth was enormous. As long as your tailor approved you could bespeak anything you liked. To my mind this is really the attitude of the Revival meet, not so much a parody copy of the times but the mindset that you are in charge of your semblance and can feel free to court admiration through your persona.

Of course you know where to come for help, we are always happy to literally materialise your reveries. So should a day out at Goodwood Revival beckon or you just wish to create a lasting look that reflects not only yourself but our new times of sustainability and quality then we will see you soon.

We can tailor the below in 6 weeks:

Jackets £1,100, trousers £625, skirts £450 and waistcoats £500

2 piece suits £1,485 and 3 piece suits £1,725

Coats from £1,450 dependant on length

All prices include cloth, lining, buttons and any final alterations.We hope to see you in store soon. If you want to book an appointment, best to give me a call on 07831 548 068.

LAUNCHING THE NEW CLOTH COLLECTION

CLICK HERE TO WATCH OUR LATEST YOUTUBE VIDEO LAUNCHING THE COLLECTION.

For many the English country garden is the centre stage of the summer social scene. From flower shows to country operas, via numerous garden parties, festivals, fetes and secluded liaisons there is not much that does not happen in an English garden. With this in mind, we have worked garden inspiration into woven wools and created a cloth collection that will look equally fabulous strolling through your British walled garden or motoring down to the Corniche des Maures.

Enjoying the garden theme we have named the cloths appropriately after renowned creatives with a love of gardens.

The first cloth in our collection we have named ‘Jekyll‘ after the celebrated garden designer Gertrude Jekyll who even had a rose to her name. The pure Merino wool cloth is mid weight at 14oz and ideal for fine tailoring, holding intricate detailed shapes. The design sums up a whole garden in itself, the sun drenched green ground is checked with a fresh rose pink, shaded with fine brick brown and features a motif reminiscent of white trellis work. The generous 3 inch pattern repeat imparts a lavish informality creating a festive feel to the fabric.

Sir Cecil Beaton is one of my favourite society photographers, famous in his later life for tending his beautiful garden near Salisbury. We’ve put his name to our classic soft summer tweed, woven in a delightful mix of Merino wool and silk. Our ‘Beaton’ cloth is woven in a classic gun club or Coigach design of regular quarter inch pattern. The soft ecru ground is interlaced by a perfect balance of fresh green, dusky pink, pollen brown and stone grey with a fine shimmering silk thread in the warp.

Next up we have ‘Burnett’ a very interestingly textured mix of reddish brick brown lambswool interlaced with silk yarns in a saffron yellow and slate grey. Weighing 11oz and including a small percentage of cashmere the Burnett tweed has a subtle soft handle that makes it a delight to wear on sultry summer days. The overall appearance of the cloth brings to mind a magical walled garden so its appropriately named after Frances Hodgson Burnett the author of The Secret Garden.

We conclude our summer collection with ‘Spry‘, a cloth that is both witty and elegantly simple. The design idea for the moody sky blue cloth in lambswool and cashmere, with pinstripes of neon spots in pink, yellow and blue, came from wild country house parties in the late nineties when friends would gather to dance on the lawns wearing an assortment of fluorescent outfits as the sun set in the cerulean sky. We have named this cloth after Constance Spry the innovative florist who famously used wild flowers to decorate royal weddings. At a light 8oz the soft draping fabric can be worn all summer and indeed all night long.

All our new fabrics are available by the metre online, or in store, and through our made to measure tailoring.If you want to book an appointment, best to give me a call on 07831 548 068, or drop us an email on info@DashingTweeds.co.uk.

WHAT TO WEAR: Cheltenham Races

For many Cheltenham means just one thing, a fabulous day at the races.

The famous meet has been going for over two hundred years and this year gallops off from Tuesday 14th March. Spread over four days Cheltenham races offers something for everyone from the grade 1 Gold Cup and Queen Mother Champion Chase to drinks tents, lunch tents, music and of course a chance to dress up.

Apart from the elation of an occasional win what I enjoy so much about the races is being thrown into a mixing pot of style and history. Race meets are a microcosm of culture, all walks of society rub along, united by a shared love of horse racing. Like all good parties there is a visceral atmosphere that ignites passion.

I have memories of Gladstone bag wielding touts, tic-tacing to each other atop their boxes, rakishly dressed in tweed caps and spivvy coats whilst an assortment of folk inspect their odds. Young ladies place bets whilst wearing delights ranging from last nights cropped ball dress to breeches and boaters, with dashing blades swanning around in sharp cut tweed suits and raglan coats keeping an ear out for tips. In the enclosures, owners look impeccable in country tweeds or barathea suits bedecked with binoculars whilst starlets ruffle in mink trimmed tweed. All the while, wiry mud splattered jockeys thrashing it out astride powerful thoroughbreds intent on a win. There really is nothing like a day at the races.

I always feel as a general rule in life, that one should be a participant not a voyeur. With this in mind Cheltenham gives you the ideal excuse for a new tweed suit and as time is fast approaching you need to really get thinking now. Our made to measure tailoring service takes six weeks, so you’ll need to order by next week for delivery in time for the races.

We design and stock an increasingly broad range of tweeds, all will look fabulous for Cheltenham although it’s up to you to reflect your personality in cloth and become the man or woman you wish through your dress.

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Our elegant and subtle Jura designs look sophisticated and timeless and then there are our creative tweeds which whilst maintaining the quality and ruggedness of the classic cloth, offer you and the voyeurs an added frisson of excitement. At Dashing we cater for any sartorial whim and whatever you chose you can be assured that you will only add to the joy of Cheltenham races.

We can tailor the below in 6 weeks:

Jackets £1,100, trousers £625, skirts £450 and waistcoats £500

2 piece suits £1,485 and 3 piece suits £1,725

Coats from £1,450 dependant on length

(with 20% off if you order before the end of January)

All prices include cloth, lining, buttons and any final alterations.We hope to see you in store soon.

If you want to book an appointment, best to give me a call on 07831 548 068.

Daisy Knatchball from The Deck looking very Dashing in our McDougall Check design at last years Cheltenham Races.

HAPPY NEW YEAR – JANUARY SALE NOW ON

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.

We hope you’ve all had a wonderful break over the Christmas holidays.

To celebrate the New Year we are launching our January sale today, available online.

We are offering 20% off our capsule collection of fashion accessories, which includes hats, gloves and scarves.

We will also have a Sample Sale in store when we reopen on the 3rd January, this will run until the end of the month or until stocks last!

We are also offering 20% off our beautiful British woven fabrics, and 20% off all made to measure ordered in January! (Also to note our M2M prices will be increasing as of February due to rising costs).

We hope to see you in store soon.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2023!

All the best,
The Dashing Team

WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Finishing with a tooting flourish feels like the thing to do this time of year. Since the summer Dashing Tweeds has been building up a steady head of steam and is now powering along at a tremendously successful speed. Massive momentum is required to move a weaving fashion brand along and that has kindly come from you. The Dashing team has had great joy creating the vehicle but it is thanks to you all that we are now moving along so well.

The dream of Dashing is to create a unique brand which can bring you colour, texture and fabulously designed British textiles and then provide you with a whole range of ways to have these made into wonderful and original tailored garments. We only work with the best makers and are gradually finding more to add to the Dashing family. Our in house workshop has been thriving, we are so lucky to have the priceless expertise of Aida our incredible seamstress. She has made this the year of the Teba jacket, hand sewing this elegant relaxed look for many very happy customers.

Our other makers around the country have been thriving, Robert and his team of hatters in Yorkshire have been making caps for us as fast as we can sell them and of course our greatest thanks goes out to everyone who weaves our cloth from Robbie and Stevie in the mills to Colin and his team of dyers and finishers and a whole list of yarn spinners, dyers and of course sheep farmers.

It brings me such joy to think that the success of Dashing directly impacts on the whole British supply chain we have created and this should also fill you with a sense of Christmas cheer and pride that we as a country still create the best and most interesting textiles in the world.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas, thank you for helping make this the year we have accelerated forward. If you are sitting down watching festive films do keep a look out for Dashing on the big screen, although we are not allowed to talk about it, we provide fabric to many of the biggest costume designers around the globe, they bring tweed and cheer to us all.

We are closed from 6pm the 22nd December and reopen on the 3rd January55.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
from the Dashing Team.

Watch our showreel from 2022 here.

Dashing Tweeds New Scarf Collection

Scarfs I find are one of the most elusive items of clothing, like bottle openers and sprites they seem to vanish as soon as you look for them. However, there is no need to worry as we are have designed and woven fabulous new scarfs for the season and you can find them easily at Dashing Tweeds.

As well as providing easy warmth a scarf can transform any outfit. Whether you take inspiration from Mad Max or Toulouse Lautrec, a scarf can provide a ruggedness or elegance with a simple swish round the neck.

This season we are offering two qualities of scarfs in an exquisite variety of colours. The first design fits the ‘Road Warrior’ image, a beautifully lightweight blend of Merino lambswool and Cashmere in a gauzy texture which at over six foot long and 2 foot wide you can swathe around your neck with splendid swarthiness.

This design is woven with a graduating warp ranging from black to natural undyed ecru wool, weaving with the coloured horizontal weft threads creates a sophisticated ombré effect, the depth of colour lightening across the width. The current colours available are black, blue, red and green, and the pink has already sold out.

Our classic scarves this year are pure Lambswool of a traditional quality woven in Scotland and featuring hand tassled ends. Huge scale checks are broken up across the two metre length with a varsity theatricality that feels equally at home on the Twickenham sidelines or Cambridge Footlights. We’ve woven these in bold yellows, blues and red to brighten up any lacklustre winter day.

Both our scarf offerings make ideal presents and as sizing is not an issue you can enjoy the process of selecting colours that will complement the aura of your inamorata. Do stop by our flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone to see the full collection in person. Alternatively, our online storeis also up and running and we can post them to any location worldwide.

Dashing’s New Cloth Collection

This coming autumn season we are seeking comfort in one of the most sumptuous of tweeds, soft Donegals. This new collection is designed in our London studio and woven in Scotland using fine Merino yarns spun in Ireland.

At Dashing Tweeds we are always interested in experimenting with colour, Donegal yarns with their famous nepps of different coloured wools are a great starting point and as a first for us we have even created our own yarn. Known as the Motley design this initially appears to be black with neps of primary yellow, red and blue but on closer inspection a whole plethora of colours can be seen.

As colour is the focus we have used classic weave structures this season, working with herringbones and twills to produce a very wearable collection.

Our Ochre, Claretand Lapis Herringbone designs have a pleasing scale and work well for jackets and coats. Herringbones are classic designs which never go out of fashion so anything made up in these will be a great investment. At around 14oz (430g) they are light enough to wear now that autumn days are mild but warm enough for winter nights.

Our Gallant Checkis the most exuberant design, fabulously fun in a large scale with over checks in yellow, green and red. This design captures the joy we try to bring to our fabrics and will put a smile on anyones face.

To RSVP to our private view of our latest cloth collections on the 18th September click here or stop by 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone whenever you’re in the area.

Please don’t hesitate to get in contact if you have any questions or would like us to reserve you some of our latest cloth collection. Drop us a line at Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 14th – 22nd September

London Design Festivalreturns to the capital for its 17th year this September with an inspiring programme of events and installations across the city.

Initially established in 2003 by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans, London Design Festival is an annual citywide celebration that brings together a global community of designers, artists, architects and the creative industries with a vision to celebrate and promote London as the design capital of the world. Since its inception, London Design Festival has grown to encompass a broad range of activities, and attracts visitors from around the world from over 75 countries and the 2018 Festival welcomed a record-breaking 588,000 visitors.

This year also marks 11 years with the V&A as a collaborating partner and the official Festival hub. During the Festival, the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance will once again play host to a series of specially-commissioned projects by internationally-renowned designers.

As a citywide event, London Design Festival is an essential platform for the capital’s major trade shows taking place across London as well, including: 100% Design, designjunction, Focus/19and London Design Fair.

These shows feature work from a local and international network of both new and established exhibitors. This year there will be 10 official Design Districts from East to West; North to South. Design Districts are areas where there are distinct concentrations of design activity and events that can be traversed easily on foot. Each District is organised locally and independently via the platform of London Design Festival.

This year will see a new Design District taking part in the Festival; Kings Cross Design District. It joins Bankside Design District, Brompton Design District, Clerkenwell Design Quarter, Chelsea Design District, Marylebone Design District, Mayfair Design District, Pimlico Road Design District, Shoreditch Design Triangle, Victoria Connections Design District and West Kensington Design District. In addition, the Festival is delighted to welcome back Paddington Central Design Route as a Design Route.

We are really excited to be hosting an event alongside our Marylebone Design Districtneighbours. Each district has a designated day to host events making visiting them all that little bit easier.

Marylebone’s main events will take place on Wednesday 18th September, which is the night of our new Menswear collection launch. Watch this space for more information about this in our next newsletter and to RSVP follow this link.

MILL OF THE MONTH: Stephen Walters

Photography by Ant Jones

Fit for a King or indeed a Queen is an expression we don’t hear much nowadays but one that would work well when talking about our jacquard fabrics woven for us by Stephen Walters.

The silk weaving company founded in Spitalfields in 1720 is now based in Sudbury, Suffolk and has been making fabrics for royalty for hundreds of years, major commissions include Queen Elizabeth II coronation robes and wedding dresses for Princess Anne and Lady Diana Spencer amongst many others.

Here at the Dashing HQ we are easily satisfied with the best so working with Stephen Walters is a natural choice. Regular loom weaving is a process by which the vertical warp threads are lifted together to form patterns such as twills and herringbones. These looms have been around in various forms for thousands of years and are what we use most of the time for our classic tweeds.

Jacquard looms have much more complex mechanisms by which individual warp threads are lifted, enabling highly complex patterns and even photographic images to be woven into cloth. The technology dates back to the 17th Century and includes innovations such as the invention of punch cards the earliest form of binary data storage later adopted by computers. We can thank King Louis XIV for renouncing the Edict of Nantes and causing skilled Huguenots to flee France and bring us the technology.

As with many powerful tools the skill is in control; we have used Jacquard weaving to provide an element of humour to our designs that would not be possible by regular weaving. Our Threadbare design is woven in pure cotton with the idea of emulating a garment worn to threads, we thought it amusing to use the Jacquard loom to give the supposed warp and weft an open wiggling shape as if stretched with age. The scale of the design does contain a regular repeat but this adds to the optical element of the fabric. The cotton cloth adds another dimension to our staple of woven wools and makes up in to a delightful summer jacket.

Our Exploded Houndstooth is another playful idea executed on Stephen Walters’ jacquard looms. The idea was to extrapolate a classic houndstooth design to a scale not otherwise possible on a classic loom, a zoomed in version of a weave made with a fine silk weft on a cotton warp. The resulting fabric is arresting to look at yet strong enough for a wild night out, perfect for a player and fit for a king of clubs.

Our jacquard designs are now also available through our Dashing Classics range meaning they will be stock supported going forward. However if you wanted these designs in a slightly different colour way, this is also possible but at a premium through our bespoke services. To find out more, do email Naomi@DashingTweeds.co.ukwho looks after all our cloth production.

P.S – *SAVE THE DATES*

We are also hosting two events in September for our official womenswear collection launching on the 17th September. To RSVP, please click here.

We will also be celebrating a private view of a new collaboration with 1960’s celebrity tailor, Dougie Millings on the 18th September. For more information and to RSVP, click here.

DASHING MEN: Hans Witteveen

When it comes to all round action then Hans is your man. Whether speed skating frozen canals in the Netherlands, cycling the alps, tearing up a tennis court or simply busting moves on the dance floor Hans is there with debonair aplomb.

A partner of law firm Stibbe and Head of the London practice, I am lucky enough to have Hans as my neighbour in Primrose Hill, with his film making wife and two teenage daughters he’s also a consummate host and a good cook.

Growing up in Amsterdam Hans started playing tennis almost as soon as he could walk and would also regularly train on the 400m skating tracks that are popular in the country. During the now rare cold winters the whole country becomes enthralled by the famous Elfstedentocht tour of eleven historic cities in the Friesland district. The tour stretches 120 miles along frozen canals, lakes and rivers and Hans was lucky to be able to participate and finish in the last race of 1997.

All this action has honed Hans’ physique into a proportion that looks excellent in a tailored suit. Earlier in life whilst working in his New York office Hans found the boxy American suits were not to his taste and favoured the more fitted silhouettes of Italian and particularly English tailoring. Dressing well for work is essential but the pleasure for Hans is when he can wear a great fitting suit for the shear pleasure of it. Starting with designer pieces from INA NYC in his younger days Hans is excited to have now discovered Dashing. His personal taste is for a close fitting well tailored suit that drapes perfectly, he prefers his trousers to hang just short of this shoes with no break, a look that gives sharp clean lines.

For sheer exuberant pleasure Hans loves his double breasted suit in the Dashing Stripe and is never short of compliments when donning it for a night out. The cut is derived from a famous suit tailored by Mr Fish in 1968 and now on display at the V&A museum. In the mid sixties Mr Fish had a renowned shop in Clifford Street just off Savile Row and as well as inventing the kipper tie he tailored for all the stars of the time from Mick Jagger to Peter Sellers.

Hans also loves the wit of his suit in the Clerkenwell Stripe a navy worsted with a boucle pinstripe. As a lawyer, friends are initially not surprised to see Hans sporting a pinstripe suit but as they get closer it becomes clear that the textured looped yarns of the stripe are altogether more humorous than expected and place Hans in a whole new light.

For those who don’t already know, be sure to drop by Dashing before the 31st August to shop our summer sale, with 30% off RTW, 20% off cloth and 10% off made to measure.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

Long Live Fashion

Sustainability is the key nowadays. We have long been told that the rate at which we are plundering Earth’s resources and generating waste cannot continue, only now is this beginning to sink in. We need a radical rethink of the way we consume everything if we are to thrive or even survive; a good start is to think about our clothing. As naked apes we find clothing essential, not only does it protect us from the elements, but as is the case with so many animals, its use within society as a display for pecking order and mating rituals is paramount.

Sustainability in general should be a major concern of yours and as awareness grows of all others around you. Displaying your empathy to the cause by wearing clothing made in a sustainable way will not only make you feel better but also actively disclose your conviction to others. This will without doubt make you a more attractive person in their eyes and greatly increase the fulfilment required by your dress, especially where mating is concerned.

So how to be sustainable? Transparency within brands is now more commonplace elucidating the whole making journey of a garment but this can quickly become a tangled web. I find it easier to stick to the simple rule of quality over quantity. Buying fewer clothes and looking after them well is a good start. For clothing to last it has to be made well in a good quality yarn. Wool is tough to beat when it comes to longevity and sustainability, improvements in cross breeding sheep has lead to beautifully soft wearable fabrics and sheep feeding on natural grassland are entirely in balance with nature.

Repairing clothes is only possible if they are of a certain quality, cheap cotton garments made at a huge cost to the environment, especially where water is concerned, seem to spontaneously disintegrate in one go making mending impossible. If your favourite quality outfit develops a hole then they are easy to mend. Darning is an age old skill that is currently in the midst of a revival and it needn’t be done as neatly as possible. Prince Charles was sporting an obvious patch to his Anderson and Sheppard jacket a while back, proud to be extending the life of an old favourite. Indeed visible mending especially on wool garments has become an even more obvious sign of ones personal attitude to sustainability.

The Japanese, have made a whole art of patching with their Boro fabrics constructed almost entirely of mended rags but you needn’t go this far. A classic elbow patch to extend the life of a jacket could be all you need to increase your clothing sustainability. When things go beyond repair you know where to come for garments that will not only last for many years but become firm friends on the journey to a sustainable life.

Meet MiRo the Dashing Robot

Tweeds were designed for dressing everyone on your estate, a jolly uniform of sorts. Our modern tweeds are a great way to personalise your robot.

Robots are coming, whether we like it or not. They’ve been dramatically present for decades as little helpers such as R2D2, guardians in the form of Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Terminators from the future. Luckily the reality is not yet so blatant. Instead they are sidling in from the periphery without being too noticeable, yet.

Fascinating work is taking place on how we would like to communicate with the workers of the future; too metallic can be distancing and yet too human gives you the creeps. Their roles are also still to be decided. In Japan, where the unbalanced population is ageing and there is a dislike of immigration, robots are helping with the weight of looking after the elderly, replacing a previous generation of staff.

In the current tech revolution it seems that there is a democratisation of services once reserved for the aristocracy. We think nothing of having food delivered, transport summoned and dictions taken by devices. The next stage is surely an army of compliant staff. This leads to the big question of what they should wear.

To start things off in terms of robot raiments we have worked with Sebastian Conran and his biomimetic programmable autonomous creation. MiRo is a very cute looking artificially intelligent robot developed mainly for teaching and understanding how people will use robots in their lives.

Robots will be the eyes, ears and hands of the intelligent house or the smart office and it’s important that they fulfil this role with aplomb. We tailored a collar for MiRo in our hi-tech Lumatwill cloth a firm favourite of Sebastian’s for his personal cycle jacket and a befitting fabric for a robot. Not only is it attractive but the collar helps protect the motorised neck joint of MiRo a potentially vulnerable area of the otherwise hard shell.

SUMMER SALE

I’m always one for a distraction and homonyms are a good start when it comes to veering off the point. Writing about how we are going to offer a 10% summer discount off our made to measure services, 20% off our cloth and 30% of our ready to wear creations starting on the 1st August is very exciting but that’s about it in a sentence. More elucidating is an article I have just been reading about the wool sails of Viking boats.

Without wool we would have had no Viking invaders towards the end of the first millennium AD. Having known that the Pheoenicians made their sails of woven flax or papyrus over five thousand years ago I assumed that this material would be in common use world wide, but not so. In fact the Vikings had to step up their wool cottage industry hugely to prepare for their raids.

European short-tailed sheep were sheared and had their fleeces spun into two types of yarn. The hardy sheep have longer tough wool on the outside and shorter softer strands close to the body. The outer wool was spun into strong fibres of use in the vertical warp on their weighted looms and the softer wool was used in the horizontal weft, packing all the holes in the sail cloth. A slight felting of the sail cloth and immersion in fir tar, fish oils and tallow was all that was required to make strong wind proof sails ready for a jolly raiding party on us poor Angles.

As we know the Vikings came to raid all our riches of which there were plenty, fabulous silver and gold items were looted and exquisite textiles were had at a steal. Which brings us full circle back to our sale. Our fine Merino wool summer cloths are going for a song with a fifth of the normal price as are our British wool tweeds. Ready to wear jackets and suits can be had for a snip at almost a third off.

We will also be having a sample sale with 50% off all suits in the shop so now is the time to treat yourself to a tailored jacket or get yourself a made to measure suit which will be ready as soon as summer fades. So sally forth to Dashing at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone and grab a bargain but perhaps leave the seax at home.

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The Panache of a Panama

There are very few entirely hand made products in our lives nowadays. Ones where we can saviour the provenance and take pleasure in the generations of handed down skills that have accumulated to provide us with a useful item of joy. A Panamahat is one of those little luxuries that everyone should save for, not only are they potentially life saving when in the sun but they also have that rare combination of practicality and elegance. There is just no real replacement for a fine Panama hat.

At Dashing, we are working with Pachacuti a fair trade company set up by Carry Somers over 25 years ago. Avoiding middle men, who locally take a large cut from the weavers, they work directly with the makers ensuring they earn a decent living. This has enabled hat weaving communities to move away from the coastal regions of Ecuador and set up in the idyllic forested hills where they can encourage a new generation to continue the livelihood.

Interestingly, Panama hats come from Ecuador and acquired their name through numerous sales of the hats as they were transported for distribution through the trade routes. In the gold rush era any wise prospector would pick up a hat or two along with their gold digging tools, helping spread their popularity.

The enduring appeal of the Panama hat has to do with their superb quality. Toquilla straw is hand cut, boiled, split and dried before being hand woven in a continuing spiral that can take up to 8 months for a fabulously fine example. The skills have been passed down for generations and the only thing that has really changed is the style of the shapes.

Our Dashing Panamashave additional panache through the use of our unique cloth designs. These are applied by hand to the headband, giving the already desirable hats a peerless appeal.

We have a few sizes and designs left in the shop so come and snap one up before your summer adventures begin. They will serve as faithful companions on your journey, protecting against the elements as you forge ahead.

Should you be one of those people for whom only the best is good enough then there is a chance for you to commission the world’s finest hat. Mark from Pachacuti went on a recent trip to Ecuador and met the man who is widely regarded as the finest hat weaver in Ecuador. The world record stands at close to 4000 straw picks per inch and given close to a years work he is keen to try and break this record for you.

For more information, do check out Pachacuti and to customise your own Panama band using our cloth please drop an email hereor pop into Dashing at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

Press: Wonderland Magazine – The Wool Beach Lodge

Dashing featured on Wonderland magazine’s website highlighting the sustainable and versatile properties of wool shown at Campaign For Wool‘s latest pop up, The Wool Beach Lodge.

Different Tweeds for Different Needs

When it comes to wearing tweed there are no restrictions at all. From school boys to doddering gents via a whole new wave of hipsters, tweed is for everyone male or female. Our bespoke tweed Nike Airforce 1’s were coveted by both teenagers and mature men. Our caps are sported by young fans of Peaky Blinders, city cyclists and a whole range of interesting people who drop by our shop.

Jackets and coats are best sellers and now that we are starting a made to measure range for ladies and even dogs there is no reason to not add new tweeds to your wardrobe. Colour is the key as tweed is the original way to add a colourful item to your wardrobe. Everyone has a favourite colour and we stock a huge range so get out your metaphorical brush and paint away, as they say ‘different strokes for different folks’.

Tweed is probably one of the most versatile and democratic cloths there is. Historically fabrics such as silk were the preserve of the aristocracy and rough hemps the raiment of peasants but tweed straddled all levels of society. Worn by Lords and poachers alike, the quality and usefulness of tweed has ensured it’s unwavering popularity over centuries, and so today despite the onslaught of synthetics, tweed is as popular as ever and continues in its versatility.

Through selective breeding of sheep and new technologies in spinning and finishing, wools and the resulting tweeds are constantly improving. Menswear is all about an evolution of form and function and all clothing needs to perform to the tasks of the wearer. As we are modernising tweed their relevance to 21st century life is increasingly apposite.

Sustainability is a major benefit of tweed but there needs to be an element of fun to clothes as well. This is were Dashing Tweeds excels, clothes need to bring an element of joy to all concerned and our fabrics transcend all ages and niches of society. For any Made to Measure enquiries or to book an appointment, drop an email here or stop by 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

Charlotte Chaplin: Health and Woolness

Wearing wool for health is not something we hear enough of these days. In the 1880’s the German physician Dr Gustav Jäger extolled the benefits of wearing wool next to the skin, rather than plant based yarns such as cotton or linen. His philosophy caught on to such an extent that the British business man Lew Tomalin established the eponymous brand. The resulting woollen underwear and swim suits he made proved such a success that a Royal Warrant was granted.

Fashion is a circular affair, at the moment with uncertainty in the air comfort can be had by glancing back and wondering what we can learn from the past to make life better both for our health and for that of the whole planet.

The rise of synthetics and the demise of woollen clothing, is a case in hand. Crude oil based clothing such as nylons, polyesters and acrylics were thought to be the answer to everything. They were cheap, easy to produce and seemed almost too good to be true yet now we are just beginning to realise their true cost on a global scale with micro plastics entering the food chain every time you wash a so called fleece. Sustainability is what is needed and there is nothing more sustainable than Herdwick Wool from The Lake District.

Charlotte Chaplin has around 500 of the indigenous sheep on her farm in Finsthwaite, Ulverston. The Herdwick breed has been around for hundreds of years and live in complete harmony with the natural habitat of the Lake District. With short stocky legs and an enviable fleece they roam easily over the steep hills grazing naturally on the local flora, taking just what they need without denuding the pastures. Interestingly they are born black and as they age they pass through chocolate tones on their way to almost pure white.

Charlotte starts to shear her ‘girls’ as she calls them at around 18 months just when the wool is turning white and the length is perfect for spinning. A local farmer Stephen helps with the shearing and then the fleeces are sent off to Haworths for scouring. Charlotte is keen to keep the wool as natural as possible so there is no dying and the pure wool is just cleaned before spinning at Laxtons. From there the yarns are sent to Townend weavers where Charlotte’s elegant and timeless herringbone designs are woven into cloth. The last stage is finishing and Charlotte uses our preferred company Schofields, they soften the hardy wool and make it eminently wearable.

In our Marylebone flagship shop we are stocking three of Charlotte’s designs all in the natural colours of the Herdwick wool. Touching the cloth evokes feelings of the healthy wild landscapes of the Lake District and just by wearing it I’m sure this will rub off on you. The cloth makes up into beautiful jackets and for the brave we can certainly follow Dr Jäger and tailor a health imbuing swimming outfit.

If you have any questions or would like to book a Made to Measure appointment using Charlotte’s designs, kindly drop an email here or visit us in store at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

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DASHING MEN: Joe La Placa

Joe La Placa’s whole life has been immersed in the world of art whether as a painter, musician or gallerist. Listening to him talk about the start of his career in New York after studying at the School of Visual Arts, I could not help feeling how much I would have liked to have been there. Hanging out with Andy Warhol in the factory, working with The Sugar Hill gang in his producers studio, constructing early synthesiser electronics, painting and helping Jean-Michel Basquiat with his work, Joe’s foot print appears in the corner of one piece adding no doubt to its million dollar value.

I caught up with Joe at 22 Grafton Street in his current role as Director of the Cardi Galleryproudly showing me his latest show of Mono-Ha artistswhich he is hoping to sell as a whole to a serious collector. As far as I can see Joe never stops, running both the Mayfair and Milan branches of the gallery, looking after his family and still managing to squeeze in some time for recording original melodies on his guitar.

Talent and the drive for success is in the genes, his grandfather a humble cobbler from Palermo arrived in Manhattan to became a large shoe manufacturer, his mother was a successful opera singer and his father a scientist. This mix of business acumen, artistic flare and analytic focus is a rare one that has stood Joe in good stead. His early painting work consisted of immaculately drawn moire patterns on a huge scale, a visual metaphor for sound waves amongst other things and definitely with a ‘wow’ factor.

Joe’s love of the artisanal explains his passion for Dashing Tweeds, his favourite suit is in our Grey Spark design, a grey worsted Merino cloth with a broken check in wool and Japanese cotton. The design started life being hand woven by Kirsty in our London studio before production in the Scottish Borders. For Joe this design ideally marries the two worlds of a Mayfair director with artistic luminary.

For those of you with an artistic streak be it creative or collector then Dashing is what you need to wear. Bespeaking a suit is a collaborative affair so do drop by our flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone to see our latest collections. If you would like to book a Made to Measure appointment please click here.

New season fabrics from clothmaker & tailor Dashing Tweeds – Financial Times

Dashing’s latest feature in the FT’s How to Spend It Magazine. Read the full article here.

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DASHING EVENT: Talking Ties with Shaun Gordon on the 4th July

On 4th July Shaun Gordonwill guide you through all the ins and outs of ties. There will be a short talk, demonstrations of techniques and a chance to learn new knots that will not only impress your peers but lead you to a more fulfilled life. The event will also give you the chance to preview ties from Shaun’s latest collection, which is inspired by the sculptures in the Medieval and Renaissance hall at the V&A museum.

Shaun’s personal mantra is one that we would all do well to follow. The essence is that if you look good, you’ll feel good and so will others around you. Shaun acquired his sartorial skills from Alvin, his impeccably dressed Grandfather and I’ve never seen him look less than immaculate. His belief certainly holds true and I always find it a pleasure to see what he’s wearing.

Shaun’s elegance is very much based around his beautiful ties, he chooses colours and patterns which pleasingly offset his mixture of vintage and bespoke tailoring to create a lively freshness.

Ties have become a maligned item of clothing in our current dress down culture. Americans have been debasing sartorial standards in the City for years now, with the introduction of casual Fridays, giving ties the boot and replacing well hanging wool suits with wrinkly cotton chinos and indecision.

On the up side, it’s never been easier to look impressive and make an impact both at work or play. Traditional English tailoring is all about attention to detail, creating a gently sculpted chest and nicely shaped waist using an elegant worsted cloth, wearing a good fitted shirt and of course adding the perfect silk tie as the finishing touch. Savile Row has spent close to 200 years refining this look so it was no surprise that Shaun’s search for neck wear perfection led him to dissecting vintage pieces in order to learn how to make his own.

With a degree from London College of Fashion, industry experience working for Turnbull and Asseramongst other companies and an additional two years of personal tie making research, Shaun decided to set up his own company. His designs radiate a joyful elegance which would suit any gentleman.

The history and social implications of tie knots is a fascinating subject that one could talk about for hours. When was the four in hand first used? Is a double Windsor twice as good as a single? Is a small Kent knot hipper than a square knot and should I even attempt a Merovingian from The Matrix?

There will also be an exclusive 10% off all Shaun Gordon ties during the event, so get your ties ready and dress your neck for the evening!

The event is free, but please RSVP hereand stop by our shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone on the 4th July. We look forward to seeing you then.

6.00pm – 6.45pm Arrival drinks

6.45pm – 7.15pm Talk and Demonstration

7.15pm – 7.30pm Q&A

7.30pm – 8pm Networking

For the love of Harris Tweed

Authenticity is the new luxury. Machines that were once just sci-fi fantasies are now a reality and if Captain Kirk wannabes ask their replicators to make a tweed I’m sure the outcome will look pretty good. But is it the real thing? Tweed clad philosophers could theorise the night away spinning arguments with quotes from Plato to Bertrand Russell but one point they would all have to agree on is that the synthesiser could not make Harris Tweed.

Rules for the weaving of genuine Harris Tweed cloth from the archipelago Islands off the West Coast of Scotland are incredibly strict and were recorded as acts of Parliament over a century ago. Genuine Harris Tweeds are produced by just a few mills and many are hand woven by crofters living a self sustaining life on the island ensuring a very low carbon footprint for the fabric. The Harris Tweed Authority hand checks all production and authenticates it with the famous orb logo.

As climates ameliorate the islander have adapted and produce what they term “feather weight” qualities. These weigh in at around 14 oz, which may say as much about the local bird population as the climate of Scotland. However, if you are going to invest in a Harris Tweed jacket or suit it’s reassuring to know that the hardy fabric will wear for many years.

A while ago we worked with the Carloway Mill to weave some original designs for us. These were highly prized by tweed aficionados around the world and especially in Japan where the love of originality is endemic in the highly cultured population. Sadly, the Carloway Mill has now laid down its shuttles, but there are others and we are stocking a large range of glorious coloured tweeds woven by Harris Tweed Hebrides. We have close to a hundred different colour ways of classic Harris Tweeds to choose from.

In addition to the classics we have our unique collaborative design Iona as below. This fashionable royal blue barley corn weave structure is a more modern design and suitable to wear in town and out in the country.

Our Iona cloth is handwoven on a Hattersley loom as below. If keeping a low carbon footprint is as important to you as it is to us then you will be interested to know that these looms are driven solely by foot power. The weaver literally puts his all into the production, boldly pedalling as no man has before…

Beam down to our shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone and even if your everyday items are facsimiled you can be sure your new Harris Tweed jacket is an original. Do drop us a line at Holly@DashingTweeds.co.uk if you have any questions or would like to book a Made to Measure appointment using one of our Harris Tweeds!

Going Short!

One often reads that economics effects the amount of leg you see or visa versa. The so called skirt length theory suggestS that the observation of hem lines is a good indicator of market direction with traders looking forward to a bull market as they spot more knees. Now in our times of equality, its high time that men get their knees out in the open and perhaps the economy will start picking up. There may be several years of more data to collect but signs are that shorts are on the up.

Short suits for work, once a novelty rarely spotted outside of Sydney or outposts of the empire are now no longer to be scoffed at, at least outside of the square mile. As global warming kicks in shorts will be on the rise. Needless to say, shorts are the garment of choice for summer holidays with the purchase of a pair imparting one with an almost immediate air of tranquility.

Enjoyment is an important ethos of Dashing Tweeds, our fabrics are designed with a wit that is often missing in menswear. The colourful nature of our sophisticated fine Merino cloths make for fabulous shorts and with my preferred cut, slightly wider with a turn up just at the top of the knee you can tell that good times are ahead.

To order a pair drop us a line to Holly@DashingTweeds.co.uk or come by the shop to be measured up. We have a great choice of short suitable light weight fabrics and you can order a pair to any length depending on your mood.

EVENT: Ryan Brockbank of Tailored Casuals

We are excited to announce we will be hosting an event with Tailored Casuals showcasing their first capsule collection on the 4th June from 6pm – 8pm.

With years of experience in fashion and design, the label aims to fill a gap in the market for high quality affordable casual wear with a more tailored feel. Referencing a retro football aesthetic and classic tailoring silhouettes, Ryan has gained notable interest from Savile row and leading sportswear brands. It was during his graduate collection that he approached Dashing for some help with fabric as he admired our vibrant designs.

Ryan was lucky enough to be nominated as one of the best 25 collections of Graduate Fashion Week during which point Dashing also exhibited a few of his garments in the shop window of the Sackville Street store. The relationship grew and to help with the launch of Tailored Casuals we agreed on a 4 piece capsule collaboration using their peak design, but with a twist.

Do drop by Dashing on the 4th to learn more about Tailored Casuals and hear from Ryan about his inspirations and aspirations for the brand. We will also be showcasing Ryan’s designs in our window display which feature Dashing’s unique cloth designs!

To RSVP to the event, kindly click here.

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Dashing’s Feature in How To Spend It

Be sure to check out the latest Dashing feature the most recent FT How to Spend It article below!

DASHING WOMEN: Flora Macdonald Johnston

Junior Fashion Editor of the FT, Flora is a fan of a check pattern. In a recent article about striking plaid designs Flora learned about Dashing Tweeds and how our creative process is on a constant roll. Enamoured by our urban designs, bringing tweed into town, Flora was very keen on sporting one of our jackets.

We are excited to announce we are launching an exclusive womenswear collection this September to include jackets, trousers, skirts and coats all through our made to measure tailoring service.

Flora desired a fashionable more masculine ‘boxy cut’ for everyday wear and easy pairing with her wardrobe which we sampled for her in our new designs. Through our new range of made to measure womenswear, each person can select the style and cut that suits them!

The cloth Flora chose is our Black Urban Shadow Check a medium weight fine Merino wool cloth with a beautiful drape and a quality to last for many years. As you can see Flora knows how to put a nonchalant look together par excellence, her wide leg trousers, colour coordinated accessories and flawless complexion need only a Dashing jacket for completion.

If you would like to book a Made to Measure appointment at the Dashing flagship shop, kindly drop an email to Holly@DashingTweeds.co.uk or pop in at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, W1U 7ND.

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Turning heads with Twisk!

One of the most admired traits of an Englishman is his individuality, the whole world admires characters from Terry Thomas to Boy George who have the courage and conviction to live the life of an original.

We live in an age where the world wide web has spread homogeneity, yet distinctiveness is still highly prized and admired. It is possible to buy practically anything from anywhere but surprisingly it has become increasingly hard to seek out something others may not have.

Shoes have a status in menswear that far exceeds their simple function of keeping your feet safe and dry. They have long been a symbol of wealth and status as well as signifying ones attention to detail, and on the other foot phrases such as ‘down at heel’ reflect the whole person not just the shoe.

Twisk was launched to provide shoes for men who admire both quality and unique style. They are designed in England, made by the skilled hands of craftsmen in Italy and exude a rebellion that Sir Francis Dashwood would certainly be at home with.

Not shying away from their own brief, Twisk have pioneered a welt shape like no other. The sole is curved to five distinct points analogous to pentadactyl limbs or perhaps spiritual pentagrams and crafted in leathers of exuberant hues as well as rich chestnut browns and blacks.

We are now stocking Twisk shoes and boots in our Marylebone flagship store at 47 Dorset Street in a range of sizes and styles. Do drop by anytime to try them on. They look surprisingly good at the end of your legs.

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EVENT: Return of the Jocks

In celebration, on the 16th May from 6pm – 8pm we are hosting a launch event for Marcus Agerman Ross and his new print edition of Jocks of Nerds.

He will talk about all aspects of the magazine as well as spinning the decks. So do drop by for a drink and chat, you never know what new friends you’ll meet.

RSVP by clicking the link here.

One often hears about Golden Eras, times that you have just missed which are eulogised about for years to come. As far as menswear is concerned the Golden Age of the fashion magazine has to be the last two decades of the 20th Century. Pioneering new titles such as The Face, i-D and Arena all started up in the 1980’s and literally turned everything upside down. Inspiration came from the streets, real people from all backgrounds were cast as models and the images that were created deified convention and filtered up to influence the fashion industry in a whole new way.

Marcus was lucky enough to be working at the coal face of this mine of creativity albeit during the sunset period before the dawn of digital. By 2003 he was theFashion Editor of i-D magazine with a fist full of contacts that such a position bestows. Vice magazine lured Marcus away and offered him a role that was more concerned with business development and an understanding of the nuts and bolts ofmagazine production. However, the behemoth that is the internet was starting to flex its muscles, extending its limbs into all of our lives. Those publishers with foresight saw the impending peril and cleverly prepared to jump ship or at least straddle theold and new vehicles of content delivery.

Marcus was one of the wise and in 2009 started his own magazine online. At thetime the idea of creating something as beautiful as an art directed magazine for consumption on line was anathema. For a start only four fonts were available to use and Moses was still the only bearer of a tablet. Starting as so many pioneers before him, Marcus took to his kitchen table armed with only immense enthusiasm and a desire to do for his generation what the likes of The Buffalo Boys had done for theirs.

Jocks and Nerds was the working title Marcus gave to his magazine subtitled ‘Style, History, Culture’. The idea was to create a dialectic discourse exploring the almost Apollonian and Dionysian dichotomies within us all and implicit in the title. As well as creating content himself Marcus commissioned writers and photographers to shine a light on subcultures exploring their roots and desires as well as explaining theintricacies of their dress codes. As with all good London scenes fans would meet in Shoreditch pubs and clubs in the days when the area could still be described as edgy and Marcus would impress with his skills behind the decks. These night were always amusing as cliques would mingle, some on Vespas others on fixie bikes, some in leathers and others in tweeds.

The success of the digital magazine, in terms of subscribers and readers led Marcus to travel full cycle and defy current trends by publish a print edition. It was at this time that I would often bump in to Marcus around Soho with a fully loaded trolley of copies destined for ‘in the know’ outlets where eagerly awaiting fans would be hanging out.

Producing a monthly magazine independently is no easy task and a while back Marcus had to put the whole thing on hold, but as they say ‘You can’t keep a good man down’, Jocks and Nerds is returning. Join us on the 16th May from 6pm – 8pm to pick up the latest copy for the newly launched magazine and to hear from its curator Marcus Agerman Ross.

Please RSVP here.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

P.S – *SAVE THE DATE*

Marylebone Food Festival is on from the 24th – 28th April, to find out more and explore the world of food in our local area, follow this link:
https://www.marylebonefoodfestival.com/

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Shining at The Golden Shears

The Golden Shears award is the country’s most prestigious tailoring competition taking place bi-annually at the great Merchant Taylors’ livery hall in the heart of London.

The competition was set up in 1974 and for the last twenty years has been focusing on the talents of trainee tailors and apprentices from all over the UK. It is a huge honour to be selected as one of the 24 finalists for the awards night. During the evening the tailored creations are presented in a professional catwalk show to a panel of the most highly regarded tailors and stylists. Marks are awarded for technical ability as well as for design flair. The students have to create a garment entirely on their own from the conception through to cutting and sewing and since the recent renaissance in tailoring the competition has become extraordinarily tough.

This year Leisha Parlour a 20 year old South Londoner on a Bespoke Tailoring course at the London College of Fashion was very excited to use our reflective ‘Red Raver Wave‘ and ‘The Cyclist‘ fabric for her competition piece. She tailored a fabulous ladies trouser suit with bias cut patch pockets on both the jacket and trousers and other features such as pleated shoulders which enable maximum movement and comfort.

Many of her friends are skateboarders inspiring Leisha to create what she describes as casual bespoke tailoring, taking elements from both baggy skater styles and classic tailoring. The beautifully tailored piece took months of work and received great praise at the event. Leisha has work experience booked with the Italian tailor Riedizione this summer and then another year of study before she would like to work as a cutter for a major fashion house. We wish her all the best!

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

dashing tweeds, tweed, tweeds, menswear, tailoring, tailors, made to measure, bespoke, London, London tailors, Marylebone menswear, Marylebone tailors

EVENT: Daringly Creative Design: The Story of Dashing Tweeds 25th April 2019 6pm – 8pm

Creativity is at the heart of Dashing Tweeds. Over ten years ago I became fascinated by the richness of the cloth archives in Savile Row and beyond, there was just so much choice for men and many more colours than I imagined. I just wished that these joyful fabrics could be modernised and put into production.

Meeting Kirsty after her Masters show at the Royal College of Art was the moment that I realised these wishes could come true. Kirsty’s exhibit of a fridge overflowing with kaleidoscopic weave creations of her own hand, not only showed that she had a innate talent with colour balance and innovation but also a deep seated understanding of weave, acquired from her Scottish roots. Luckily the idea of taking tweed as the starting point for an adventure into modern textile design greatly appealed to Kirsty and Dashing Tweeds was born.

On Thursday 25th April you will have a chance to learn how our creative process works. Kirsty will talk about the way she translates her ideas into fabric, how we go about the continuing development of tweed as modern sports wear and how important colour is to both design and everyday life.

Kirsty will also talk about textile production in the UK today and the rise of interest in British wools. As you know we were once the global centre for textile production and the skills learnt over hundreds of years are still in use today and being improved upon constantly. In order to be relevant globally now it is important for the weave industry to innovate and we will discuss some of the exciting developments the future has in store you.

To attend the event, please RSVP here and stop by 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone from 6pm – 8pm.

6.00pm – 6.45pm Arrival drinks

6.45pm – 7.15pm Presentation

7.15pm – 7.30pm Q&A

7.30pm – 8pm Networking

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

Woven in Time

It never ceases to amaze me how when it comes to technical and engineering solutions nature has got there first. The aerodynamic shapes of sycamore seeds or swift wings need only be copied for man to fly. The carbon fibre bodies of race cars are analogous to the chitin structure of beetle carapaces and bats were able to travel in darkness long before radars whined their first bleep. It will not surprise you then that nature found the best way to keep beasts warm and dry long before polluting plastic bottles evolved into so called fleeces.

Off the top of their head sheep have a way of outperforming any man made fibres especially when it comes to warmth, comfort, durability and eco friendliness. The only problem that man faces is getting it onto their own backsides. This has proved a very good test of our ingenuity and has take hundreds of years to perfect.

One of the best explanations of the process that I have ever seen was premiered last month at Australia House by the Campaign for Wool. Woven in Time tells the story of the rise of Merino wool use in Britain and the creation of the modern weaving industry as we know it today. The beautifully concise narration by Peter Ackroydtakes us through the 200 year history from a Yorkshire cottage industry through to the technical advancements of cloth now.

For anyone interested in clothing, history, industry and manufacturing this is a must see half an hour film and the best thing is you can watch it right now and enjoy!

All the very best,

The Dashing Team!

P.S – *SAVE THE DATE*

We are also planning an event to talk about the creativity behind Dashing Tweeds
on the 25th April! Stay tuned for more information on how to attend!

Unlined Jackets for Spring!

You may have noticed that a new form of clothing has been conceived recently; the shacket.

This bastard offspring of a shirt and jacket is actually starting to gain a popular reputation amongst the sartorially conscious, and probably rightly so. As the climate ameliorates and gadgets proliferate, men are left with the dilemma of choosing between pockets or a man bag. Since girdle pouches of the renaissance, stylish men have struggled to elegantly carry everyday stuff, if you are French then it’s just possible to carry off one of those small wrist worn handbags but for the rest of us pockets are a necessity.

A jacket with pockets was one of the most seminally useful items of clothing to have ever been invented and unless you happen to be a sporran wearing Scot nigh on essential.

Whilst untucked shirts sporting pockets can to some extent impersonate a jacket you are better off with the real thing in a light form, and this brings us to our made to measure unlined jackets.

These jackets are beautifully tailored and bestowed with no less than five functioning pockets. Instead of a heavy construction hidden behind a lining the jackets are simply tailored with the exposed edges of the seams elegantly sewn over with a fine lining of your colour choice. By the nature of the pattern the external pockets are patch ones as used on classic cricket or rowing blazers but the internal ones are able to be fastened securely with buttons.

Our new summer fabrics in fine Merino wool are ideal for unlined jackets being strong enough to hold their shape yet let enough to avoid overheating.

To find out more do drop us an email at Holly@DashingTweeds.co.uk, or pop in to our store at 47 Dorset Street.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

End of Roll Saturday’s at Dashing!

At Dashing, all of the concepts for clothand ready to wearstart in their weave design studio in Islington, which is the creative hub for the brand and is where the updated cloth designs for each season are conceived, adding new colours and textures to menswear and providing a contemporary twist to traditional tailoring whilst still maintaining the luxurious quality.

With a wide range of cloth available at their flagship shop in Marylebone, Dashing wanted to offer people the last chance to get their hands on some of their limited edition final lengths.

Introducing End of Roll Saturday’s where you can get any End of Roll design with 50% off, available in store only.

Innovation and experimentation is at the very heart and soul of the brand. Dashing is all about bringing variety back to menswear through cloth production and all of their original contemporary tweeds and high concept woven textiles are designed in their Islington based weave studio before the samples are sent for production to the mills in Scotland and around the UK.

Dashing Tweeds uses all the skilled crafts accumulated over generations and combines them fearlessly to make highly unique fabrics. Dashing’s End of Roll’s can therefore be re-crafted into a range of items from home wear such as sofas, pillow cases and chair covers to electronic accessories such as laptop cases.

The heir to the throne Prince Charleshimself was even spotted wearing a suit jacket with a neat but conspicuous repair. The royals are possibly not the best figureheads of frugality butthree cheers for Charles for making do and mending, particularly for insisting on using only British fabric, generally from smaller mills. Bespoke suits of this kind cost large sums, therefore its reassuring that when he discovered a tear in the fabric, rather than popping out to the shops for a new suit, a repair was in order with one of his tailors.

Additionally, you can use Dashing’s End of Roll cloth to create smaller garments such as skirts, having your very own Dashing look. The Dashing cloth can also be used to add a burst of colour in design details throughout your own clothing, such as collar or sleeve features.

Do stop by our flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street, Maryleboneto shop our library of End of Roll designs on Saturday’s. If you have any enquiries kindly click here.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

The SS19 Collection of Dashing

Spring will soon be in the air and it’s never too early to start planning your summer wardrobe. We have one of our most Dashing collections ever to show you. Our new cloths are in and just waiting for you to bespeak them into something unique. Below is a style guide with a few ideas of how to wear our fashionable yet gloriously individual British looks that will be the envy of all around.

For a cultural daytime adventure with friends our Pixels suit strikes the right chord. The fairly flamboyant check is tailored in a relaxed unstructured style jacket with no lining and taped seams. The casualness is emphasised by both patched breast and side pockets and with no vents the cut is reminiscent of a classic sports blazer.

The trousers are cut with a wider legged style which is returning to the forefront of menswear and the deep turn ups add further to the nonchalant look.

The most out there look of our summer collection is our short suit in the Tetris cloth. We were imagining wild days dissolving to dawn on a Balearic Isle. The Nehru collared jacket became popular in the late ‘60s and resurfaced in the ‘90s suggesting an imminent resurgence. With neat jetted pockets the pared down jacket works well in the colourful graphic design and the tropical nature of the cut lends itself to shorts.

The calf is a neglected muscle to flaunt, often taking second place to biceps. Suggestive of sportiness and fleet of foot there is a sophistication to a well turned leg that eludes the brute efforts of upper limb bravado. A well cut pair of shorts just above the knee can create a balanced look that just needs confidence to complete.

Our creative cloths are without doubt statement pieces. Our inimitable fabrics work well when put in a context of heritage and modernity. Here we have styled our Tetris cloth with fabulously decedent cream Fox Flannel trousers (which we can make for you) and a simple blue tee. The classic flannels in a fashionable wider leg look effortlessly cool and of course when paired with our jacket gives a fresh look that will be appropriate for so many society occasions.

A double breasted suit has always had a certain swagger about it. The cut is reminiscent of formal court dress frock coats and also of naval reefers. We used the silhouette to add panache to our Galaxian cloth. This flamboyant design can be worn to arty evenings, taking gallery openings, operas and fine dining in its stride.

Keeping it simple with just two show buttons and minimal jetted pockets, the classic look is completed with wider jacket lapels, flowing trousers legs and turn ups.

Our Block Out look takes inspiration from a shawl collared dinner suit. The subtly toned suiting is shown to its best with this understated style. Just a single covered button helps achieve the simplicity which is complimented by narrow flat fronted trousers. For celebratory evenings where making an effort is de rigueur rather than obligatory.

Summer is a time of garden parties, festivals, balmy evenings, dinners and weddings. People now conceive their dream weddings in all manners of new ways, the traditional formal dress code of morning suits seems to be waning. However, rather than this proving irksome it should be embraced as an excuse for a new suit.

We styled our Berzerk suit with just such occasions in mind, the double breasted, peaked lapelled waistcoat with covered buttons gives a formality which is nicely offset by the elegant humour of our large scale check in green and magenta. It mirrors the jaunty peak lapels of the jacket and sits perfectly over the waistband of the straight cut trousers which feature a leisurely two inch turn up. This suit would fit any brief that suggests a summer lounge look or a colourful English wedding.

Do stop by our flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone to shop our new SS19 collection, or if you prefer to shop online click here where you can also order samples from the new range and if you would like to book a Made to Measure appointment with the Founder and Creative Director of Dashing, Guy Hills, please drop him an email Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk!

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

cloth, dashing tweeds, tweed, menswear, tailors, made to measure, bespoke, tailoring, british tailors, design, chiltern street, marylebone

Dashing’s Latest Cloth Collection

This spring season we really are bringing you some most Dashing new fabrics. We’ve given traditional check and block designs a techno wake up with names coined from early 90’s video games and a playful attitude to match.

We’ve found that fine Merino wool is the very best for summer and so have concentrated on the highest quality 9oz suitings. This weight is ideal for creating an elegant drape and being pure wool the fabrics not only tailor well but are extremely comfortable to wear.

First up with have ‘Berzerk’, a beautifully balanced large scale Glen check with acid green and vibrant magenta threads against a ground of neutral ecru and grey. This in a way is the most traditional design and would make a splendid summer soiree or informal wedding suit.

Next up is ‘Pixels’, a Madras type design in greenish shades with a hot pink overcheck. Vibrant and large scale this is less formal and ideal as a daywear lounge suit for sauntering through life.

‘Tetris’ and ‘Galaxian’ as the names suggest are the boldest of our new block type design and like nothing you have seen before.

At first glance the sine wave undulating cubes in ‘Tetris’ floating against a wash of pink, green and grey may seem incongruous in a suit, yet surprisingly once tailored up the effect is mesmerising in a delightful way. We envisaged a short suit to be worn to dinner on a Balearic Isle, setting the scene for a night of ecstatic elation.

Similarly ‘Galaxian’ in a bolder, more graphic colour combination of magenta, acid green and grey would look unsurpassed when made up as a suit for summer cocktail parties.

Lastly ‘Block Out’ woven in navy and steel Merino yarns is a serious party fabric. The weave structure gives the face of the cloth a steely lustre through which the undulating dashes of navy traverse. For nights out in the spotlight or even on stage our modern new design ticks the box.

We are also excited to announce that we will be showcasing the latest collection at ‘Munich Fabric Start’ for the first time this season with our Agent Matthias Rollmann. The show runs from 29th – 31st January and has over 20,000 visitors yearly with 1,050 exhibitors, Dashing will be showcasing designs alongside other brands such as Fox Brothers, Alfred Brown, Ulster Weavers and Bernstein & Banleys.

To find out more about the show or to set up a meeting do drop us an email – Holly@DashingTweeds.co.uk

Do stop by our flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone to shop our new cloth, or if you prefer to shop online click here where you can order samples from the new range as well!All the very best,

The Dashing Team

how to spend it, financial times, plaid, tartan

Mad for Plaid – Financial Times

Dashing’s latest feature in the FT Weekend, with kind words by Flora Macdonald Johnston.

tweed, menswear, fashion, marylebone, mens fashion, tailoring, textile, sale, January sale

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It’s that time again, time to look towards the future, shrug off the old and metamorphose.

Popular resolutions often include health drives, decluttering and living a cleaner more environmentally friendly life, all things with which we fully empathise. Also, perhaps it’s a good idea to bring joy to others through acts of generosity and through a general aura of bonhomie. You will not be surprised to learn that all your wishes can be fulfilled through the wearing of Dashing Tweeds.

It goes without saying that dressing in a more upbeat manner puts fellow citizens in a good mood, people will feel you’ve made an effort just for them. Think how many ‘occasion pieces’ languish in your wardrobe providing moths with a sumptuous feast when they could be aired on a more regular basis, simply replace ‘dress down’ with ‘dress up’.

Wearing quality clothes for as long as possible, mending and patching is the only way forward, the world just can’t sustain societies which discard high street bought clothes within a year. Some discarded clothes from sweat shop production are sent off to third world countries where ironically they often cause more harm than good by undermining the sales of locally produced more environmentally friendly textiles. So the moral of the story is to buy sustainable British wool clothing, look after it and pass it down through the family, especially during the rare time of a Dashing sale.

Take advantage of our 30% off ready to wear by handing your cap to a deserving pal and buying yourself a new one, similarly hand your suit to someone waiting in the wings of succession and for 20% off our made to measure service, you can have a new one in a spanking original design tailored to last many more years.

We are also offering 10% off our beautiful British woven fabrics, use a patch to repair some holes or create a whole new heirloom garment for generations to come.

These offers are available in store at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, or online at www.DashingTweeds.co.uk – using the below codes online:

‘DASHINGCLOTH10‘ – for 10% off cloth
‘DASHINGM2M20‘ – for 20% off our made to measure service
‘DASHINGRTW30‘ – for 30% off our ready to wear collections
(offers available until 31th January 2019)

All the very best, and Happy New Year,

From the Dashing Team

tweed, menswear, fashion, marylebone, mens fashion, tailoring, textile, hypebeast, sneakerhead, nike, nike lab

Dashing x Nike Lab!

The hypebeast and sneakerhead culture is booming and Dashing is on the case. Combining luxury with streetwear aesthetics, Dashing teamed up with the iconic Nike Lab in Shoreditch for custom sneaker orders in our cloth.

Since our collaboration with Converse seven years ago we are honoured to be an official supplier to Nike. Dashing created a bespoke pair using one of our latest designs – Sweet, which was inspired by the rocking 70’s.

Dashing’s Founder, Guy chose to freshly kit out his feet with a pair of classic Nike Air Force 1 High Tops. This silhouette is an iconic Nike staple, an original design with its roots in basketball. As you would expect from the luxury price you can fully customise the shoe from scratch and Guy took great pleasure in exercising his creativity with every possible element.

Dashing draped the tip, strap and backtab of the shoe using Nike’s key ‘Playmaker leather’ in Night Maroon. The eyestay, backstay and double Swoosh are all in the ‘Dory Metallic’ design embodying the timeless ‘University Red’ tone. With a flash light, the Nike Swoosh on the sneaker reflects, so it fits in perfectly with Dashing’s aesthetic.

Avid sneaker collectors around the world are now building their own bespoke shoes using cloth from Dashing’s rarefied collections. Dashing offers such a diverse variety of colour and patterns that the sneakerhead generation is spoilt for choice. By using Dashing’s seasonal cloth collections the bespoke shoes are given an extra element of desirability and originality leading to envious glances from like-minded hype beasts.

As a sector that is driven by millennial shoppers, the sneaker scene is now beginning to infiltrate the mass market with many luxury and premium fashion brands offering an element of customisation within their ranges. Kal, a confirmed sneakerhead has taken huge pleasure in customising his Nike ‘crepes’ in Dashing’s Threadbare cloth.

Drop by our store in Dorset Street, Marylebone to view the Sweet Nike Collaboration and our full range of fabrics which Nike can use. Then arrange to stop by Nike Lab in Shoreditch at 477-478 Bateman’s Row, London EC2A 3HH to book your one to one appointment. The lovely Sam and Jess will guide you through the bespoke customisation process helping you build totally unique ‘crepes’ from nose to lace.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

dashing tweeds, tweed, tweeds, menswear, luxury, tailoring, British tailors, British tailoring, design, cloth, chiltern street, Dorset street, 47 Dorset street, Marylebone, london

Final Festive Orders at Dashing!

“Last Orders Gents!” and Ladies. There is still plenty of time left to prop up the bar at your Christmas parties, but there is hardly any time left to get all your Christmas shopping done.

We have a range of gifts available in store and online from warming Donegal jumpers, laptop bags, flat caps and cycle hats, winter overcoats, Dashing dog collars and many more, but time is ticking and we want to make sure you get everything in time for the big day!

Below outlines our final order dates for delivery in time for Christmas:

UK delivery,order by is the 19th December
European delivery, order by 17th December
International delivery, order by 14th December

If you think your loved ones have an eye for Dashing, but you’re not exactly sure what, then a gift voucher is a great idea, they can ponder and decide what they want at a later date. We can post you a gold edged voucher to wrap up and present at Christmas.

The Dorset Street flagship shop is open from:

Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm
Saturdays 11am – 5pm
and closed on Sundays.

Then during the festive season, the shop will be closed for Christmas from the 22nd Decemberand will reopen its doors on the 3rd January, if there is anything we can help you with in the meantime, do drop us an email here.

Wishing you all a joyous Christmas and a fabulous Happy New Year!

All the very best,The Dashing Team

dashing tweeds, tweeds, tweed, menswear, womenswear, luxury, chiltern street, Marylebone, Dorset street, 47 Dorset street, fashion, style, tailors, tailor, tailoring, British tailors, British luxury, made in Britain, Christmas, event, the Portman estate, Portman marylebone, chiltern street

A Very Dashing Christmas!

We come into our stride at Christmas time, after all ’tis the season for Dashing. However, for you there are halls to deck, figgy puddings to bring and of course piles of presents to find before merry gentleman get any rest at all. Shopping need not be a trudging lament through rude winds and even ruder crowds, you can find comfort, joy and lots more by dropping into Dashing Tweeds on Thursday December 6th. From 3pm till 9pm, there will not only be quaffing for all at our Dorset Street store but also a beautifully curated array of gifts.

We have recently been collaborating with one of the finest new English tie brands, Windridge and Young. They have been creating exquisitely made collections of classic ties using our creative fabrics. Our fine Merino and British wool designs make up extraordinarily well into neckwear giving a refreshing and relaxed change from the ubiquitous silk jacquards. Tie wearers can never have enough choice, so now you can surprise the ones in your life. They are certain to not already own a Dashing tie and our wool ones will jolly up the winter season.

Marion Friedmann has become a great friend over the last year, her refined eye and original style coupled with her tireless energy bringing Mexican artists to light makes meeting her a constant pleasure. Her geometric lamp by Pedro Cerisola will be hanging from our ceiling rose and Marion will also be displaying a select range of handmade objects and artworks in obsidian, ceramics, glass and textiles from various fascinating Mexican artists.

The delightful hedonism of those rave days in the ‘90’s is part of the fabric of Dashing Tweeds. Dancing around fields without a care in the world, feet on the ground, head in the clouds, psychedlic colour splashes, ethereal electronic tunes and oneness with the world. Weaving wools with technical fabrics is one outcome of this cross-pollination and another is the intricate artwork of Noj Barker. Time and space shrink the more you study them and the closer you look. Just thinking about their creation makes you giddy. There is no quick fix for these intricate art pieces, through endless hours of work, Noj elasticates time listening to Bach and reminiscing on the ecstatic days towards the end of our last millennium, ever decreasing brush points giving his paintings an additional raised dimension.

We will also be showcasing Guy Field shirts, a London based Italian made shirt maker, created by Christopher Field. With a strong focus on craftsmanship, Guy Field clearly understands the importance of quality fabrics and how a shirt should fall on one’s body. With an original grasp of contemporary tailoring and style, Guy Field shirts are great Christmas presents for your husband, brother and any loved ones.

Scented candles have become a way of adding atmosphere to a room or event just by lighting and retiring. Smell works deeply on the most primitive areas of our brain arousing emotion without even thinking about it and of course the ancient roots of winter festivals all evolve around lighting lamps and fires. Gold Hart candles transport you to the wild romantic habitats of Scotland not far from mills who weave our tweed. The brand is based on the myth of the Scottish white hart stag and a mystical vision who saved King David from a goring. Relax by a glowing candle flame and the heathery vapours will transport you to the lands of legend and adventure, make sure you are fully prepared by wearing a tweed suit.

Pocket squares are a safe bet when it comes to presents for uncles, works of art that are also useful. Madeleine Faust has been painting for most of her life and over the past few years she has been refining the process of turning her art works into attractive, elegant and decorative adornments. With a great choice of colours, you can find one to add harmony to any outfit or indeed just add a splash of colour for the sheer joy of it.

Leather goods make excellent Christmas presents; there is always a need for a new bag especially nowadays when we should never have to use anything from non-renewable resources. Goats are a great source of food and leather and have provided the inspiration and raw materials for Jack Millington’s brand, Billy Tannery. He set up his own goatskin tannery in the midlands and started making truly beautiful bags, wallets and aprons from the super soft hides. Yet to have his own London store, our recent event at Dashing in collaboration with Billy Tannery was a great opportunity to see his kid creations and of course buy them for the family.

Deborah Colman started designing and selling printed fabrics in her teens, however a career as a filmmaker intervened before Debs could return to her first love. Now back with a printing studio in London’s East End, Debs’ imagination has been ignited by nature. Crystalline fissures, skeletonised leaves and moulting plumage, exquisite telluric and evolutionary creations give form both directly and through interpretation to gloriously printed fabrics. In a process of material awareness, Debs hand prints her images onto contextually correct textiles and then goes one stage further and fashions them into usable works of art. Lamp shades, cushions and scarves form the backbone of her collection but you can also commission new creations for yourself or others and with empathetic use of colour there will always be something to please.

We will be selling great Christmas presents at our in store event, from Dashing hats and gloves to bags and ready to wear. To celebrate Christmas the Dashing way, kindly RSVP to Holly@DashingTweeds.co.uk and drop by the shop on 6th December between 3pm to 9pm!

All the very best,

Dashing

A Conscious Christmas on Chiltern Street!

Christmas is a time of reflection and sometimes action. Scrooge just managed to save himself at the eleventh hour, making amends for his lack of concern and general stinginess, but can we? Planet earth has been plundered for generations, vast areas recklessly destroyed by greed, is it too late to save not just ourselves but the lives of others? These questions should be on everyones minds this season, hiding under the bedcovers is no longer an option. We are all witness now to the ghosts of habitats past.

The Portman Estate are taking action by hosting a ‘Conscious Christmas’ event on the 29th November on Chiltern Street. This will celebrate sustainability and careful use of resources, especially as the conversation around waste amplifies during the time when we shop for Christmas gifts. Throughout the event, many shops along the street will be hosting interactive events to celebrate the concepts of sustainable manufacturing, use and reuse.

During the evening of 29th November, Dashing will be hosting craft workshops in store giving live weaving demonstrations on a hand loom, showing visitors how important it is to use sustainable wools, as well as presenting our high quality tweeds and clothes that last for years and years.

Dashing will also be having a pop up stand on Chiltern Street, selling smaller products from our range such as hats, ties and jumpers; Christmas gifts which will be cherished for generations.

Sustainability is at the core of Dashing, the company exclusively works with wool woven in the UK, and a large part of the production is with British wool, resulting in a very low carbon footprint in relation to transport and production costs.

Dashing is passionate about supporting the British textile industry which traditionally is one of the most sustainable of all British industries. Wool comes from the indigenous sheep population which feeds on renewable grass, the dyes used at Dashing are all regulated to meet environmental standards.

At Dashing, environmental issues are highly important for the brand. The future plans of Dashing involve sourcing more sustainable British wools, and as the climate ameliorates, the fineness of indigenous yarns increases making them more comparable to imported Merino wools. The brand will continue to implement sustainable policies in production so that you can rest assured not to be haunted by guilt or even ghosts of unsustainable Christmas’ past.

Do stop by on the 29th November on Chiltern Street for some festive shopping and drinks celebrating a ‘Conscious Christmas’ before a peaceful holiday and hopefully not an unconscious new year.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

billy tannery, dashing tweeds, tweed, tweeds, menswear, tailoring, British tailors, British tailoring, luxury, 47 Dorset street, Dorset street, Marylebone

EVENT: Billy Tannery

First up in the series of ‘Dashing Events’, sustainable goat leather company, Billy Tannery will be showcasing their pieces at the Dashing flagship shop and giving a talk about being the first leather brand of its kind in Britain, with a vertically integrated supply chain from hide to final product.

Founded by Jack Millington and Rory Parker from the Midlands, Billy Tannery source, tan and make all of their leather goods in Britain. Producing around 100 skins in their new micro tannery, the environmentally friendly tanning techniques use century-old bark tanning alongside modern leather technology.

Dashing will be celebrating the brand in store on the 15th November, featuring the handcrafted products which include card holders, briefcases, a tote bag and a backpack which have all been made by a small family workshop in Somerset.

Excitingly, Dashing are the first stockists for Billy Tannery and will be hosting the event at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, W1U 7ND from 6.30pm-9pm. If you would like to come along for the evening to enjoy the talk and mingle with a cold beer, please click here.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

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Gresham Blake – Dashing Tweeds Never Fail to Impress!

Dashing’s latest press coverage from Gresham Blake, a Brighton based tailor, discussing their love for Dashing’s latest AW18 collection!

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Wool Week October 8-21st

Since the formation of Campaign for Wool by The Prince of Wales in 2010, the company has promoted globally the multifarious benefits of wool, ranging from its versatility in clothing, use in thermal house insulation and its inherent sustainability. As a result the public is slowly becoming more aware of the role wool plays in everyday life from luxury tailoring, carpeting and saddle cloths.

Today, the global endeavour that is Campaign for Wool is growing faster than ever. Wider awareness and international visibility has lead to a host of events, talks and pop-ups across the UK ranging from a Wool and the Gang workshop in Covent Garden to a West Yorkshire Spinners trunk show in Wakefield.

Weaving is one of the most rudimentary industries of Britain yet the varieties of woven cloth designs have dwindled over the years. At Dashing, luxury menswear is restored through vibrant colour palettes and complex yarns amalgamated with wool. With a weave design studio in North East London headed up by the Fabric Design Director, Kirsty McDougall, Dashing also works with the best mills in the country to produce cloth. Wool has always been at the core of Dashing’s brand since the beginning, as it is ideal for suiting and a brilliant fibre to dye and weave and the heritage cloth indigenous to the UK.

As the climate in the UK ameliorates so wool yarns from native flocks become finer, some British wools are now almost compariable to Merino wools which have become so popular due to their long fine fibres creating such desirable fabrics. Through the Campaign for Wool, the interest in these exclusive British sheep is increasing and Dashing is planning on bringing you ‘single estate’ collections coming soon.

Due to the richness of events, Campaign for Wool have had to organise a 16 day week as there are so many participants this year. Marking its ninth year running, Wool Week is on until October 21st, so to get the chance to visit any workshops or events do check out the schedule here.

If you would like to book a Made to Measure appointment to add a dash of British wool to your wardrobe, please visit us on 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND or drop us an email at holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

A Dashing Design Festival

With London Design Festival running from the 15-23rd September this year, Dashing takes a look at the must see pieces during the annual event. It is interesting to see where designers take their inspiration from and how key areas of design actively promote British heritage and craftsmanship. London rightly continues being recognised as a global centre of design.

Dashing is looking forward to seeing key installations such as ‘MultiPly’ by Waugh Thistleton Architects in The Sackler Courtyard at the V&A. Featuring modular plywood designs with an almost three dimensional weave like formation that builds a sense of similarity between fashion and design.

Sustainability is a prime theme in the piece as it ‘brings together a readily available carbon-negative materials such as American tulipwood to create modular designs’. Dashing closely connects to this through more sustainable materials such as wool which is a renewable, biodegradable resource.

‘Dazzle’ by design studio Pentagram at the V&A is an experimental piece on display this Design Festival which Dashing have their eyes on. Connected with the concept of camouflage in a similar way to traditional hunting tweeds, artists during the First World War pioneered disruptive geometric patterns for obscuring battleships. Pentagram have re-interpreted the illusions using typographic explorations from poems creating an immersive Dazzle room which Dashing is looking forward to visiting.

If like Dashing, the richness and history of textiles gets you excited then don’t miss the fabulous opportunity to view the V&A’s incredible historic collection at Blyth House. This is an old postal office that now stores all of the finest textiles in the V&A’s collection. The site is rarely open to the public and glimpsing through the archives fills Dashing with inspiration and wonder.

In line In line with this year’s London Design Festival, Dashing connects with London through their own Islington based weave design studio. This is Dashing’s hub of creativity, run by Kirsty, the studio hand weaves all new developments of the biannual collections before full scale production is woven in the best British mills.

If you would like to explore the events on during London Design Festival, click here and do stop by the Dashing flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street as Marylebone Design District is offering workshops and events during this year’s festival as well.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

Dashing Introduces Womenswear!

We are happy to announce that Dashing now offers womenswear made to measure. We wanted to be able to cater to the needs of any women who walk through our doors and enjoy our vast selection of cloth. Our brand is all about fusing heritage with modern technology, which is evident in our wide variety of cloth, enabling both men and women to create their unique piece of clothing using our designs.

Our womenswear Made to Measure is a contemporary synthesis of luxury and elegance, aiming to reflect our brand vision and concept as wardrobe staples. Following a made to measure service which covers the fitting and design process, where we finalise each detail to create your individual Dashing look.

Whether you are looking for a jacket for work, a wedding or just for everyday wear, our vast range of designs and stylistic choices can suit any occasion.

To ensure the perfect fit, we tailor our womenswear using a range of in house blocks sizes. We then take all your measurements against these to ensure we achieve the look and fit you require, covering every aspect from the positioning of darts, height of waist, width of lapel and length of jacket.

If you would like to create your own made to measure jacket in any of our designs, please drop us an email here or stop by our shop to get measured up at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

Our Autumn/Winter 2018 Collection

When preparing your wardrobe for the new season, remember a few worthwhilepossessions are better than many. Our AW18 fabrics are of the highest quality, woven in the Scottish Borders, featuring a range of tonal colours to suit any ensemble.

Each cloth design from our AW18 collection fuses the concept of traditional tailoring through an upbeat and fresh perspective, using aesthetically pleasing tonal hints, such as denim and charcoal greys, as seen in the ‘Queen‘ cloth below.

The ‘Bowie’ cloth is slightly extroverted in it’s acidic colour palette, but remains classic by nature, woven using a soft Lambswool yarn in the Scottish Borders.

Unlined and with a soft shoulder, the ‘Bolan’ has a more relaxed feel, this tailored cloth is ideal for casual events and everyday wear. The immersion of blue hues gives the cloth an energetic feel, balancing out the smoky grey base.

Named after 70’s Scottish pop band, Bay City Rollers dressed to the nines in their tartan and flair, the ‘Rollers‘ cloth brings colour and texture back to tailoring, updating the traditional British look.

Our ‘Bay City’ design is a great choice for the winter season as one can easily layer underneath. The cloth features our new yarn quality for this season, using lambswool, making it suitable for soft, lightweight winter jackets at 12 ounces.

Using our made to measure service, this enables our customers to design their own suits and jackets from the lapel width to the jacket length. The ‘Rollers‘ jacket below features a wider peak lapel and a well structured shoulder on the jacket.

If you would like to create your own made to measure suit or jacket using our AW18 cloth, please drop us an email at holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk or stop by our shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

Dashing’s AW18 Cloth Collection

For the upcoming Autumn/Winter 2018 season, Dashing’s focus was all about bringing character and charm to the collection. The original sounds of sixties bands such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen and The Kinks infused all corners of the world, leading the way for evermore experimental psychedelic acts. Dashing’s latest collection is highly influenced by these stars, appropriating the names for their newly designed fabrics.

Dashing’s staple combination of British heritage and modern technology is most evident in the ‘Bolan’ cloth, with various hues of sea tones, giving the look a flamboyant edge.

The AW18 ‘Kiss‘ design features a combination of plum, forest green, denim and black in the cloth as shown below. The design takes tweed into a new dimension, made up of traditional British wool and following a modern weave structure, making it highly unique.

Lambswool gives these cloth designs a lustrous soft touch. Bauhaus inspired block shapes with a rich red overcheck bestows the ‘Bay City‘ cloth with a design reminiscent of tweed classics shown below.

The ‘Hoople’ cloth features complex interlacing square structures in pure Merino wool. The design is a lighter weight cloth from our AW18 collection, resembling a small basket weave turned through 45 degrees. The small 5mm scale of the repeat detail enables a soft drape of the cloth to fall beautifully, making it ideal for casual everyday suits as well as dinner jackets.

Woven in Scotland and made up of 100% British wool, the ‘Queen‘ design features a stepped structure with black, green, charcoal and denim tones. Rich dark tones in broken stripes gives this design a subtle yet impressive impact for the wearer.

Eminently wearable, the ‘Bowie’ design is both adventurous yet classic. The shades of acid moss green, charcoal and grey amalgamate to create a fabulous fusion woven using a soft Lambswool yarn.

The ‘Sweet‘ cloth features pink reflective yarn running through the design, in order to give it a fresh and contemporary feel.

The ‘Mott‘ design is woven in the Scottish Borders, using 100% Merino wool with an end-and-end warp of navy and purple pavement colour way combined with the weft which uses a plum and London grey tonal base, giving the cloth a mottled colour effect.

The ‘Wizzard‘ features a soft blue reflective yarn woven through, making it suitable for relaxed evening wear especially when it’s paired with a simple shirt, bringing out the blue vibrance.

At Dashing, there is a selection of the AW18 designs made up into overcoats, individual jackets as well as 3 piece suits, so do stop by the flagship shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone to try on the pieces. Alternatively, if you would like to create your own made to measure jacket or suit in any of the new cloth designs you can drop an email to: holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

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Tailors Uncovered: Edward Sexton

For sheer rock n’ roll sex appeal combined with a timeless elegance and impeccable tailoring there is only one man to visit, Edward Sexton.

His sculptural forms have been worn by iconic stars of the twentieth century from the Beatles to Twiggy. Mick and Bianca Jagger were married in matching white trouser suits cut by Edward, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss regularly partied in his suits and now-a-days Harry Styles is often seen in a hallmark Sexton suit in bright fuchsia.

Edward made his name whilst working for Tommy Nutter. At the time in the early 1970’s bespoke tailoring and high fashion still went very much hand in hand and the team at Nutters of Savile Row created an architectural style with a strong rope shoulder, wide peaked lapels, high arm holes and a long waisted one button jacket that when combined with the panache of the customers set the era alight.

Not only men flocked to have suits cut by Edward, Twiggy with her gamine beauty, started a whole new trend for ladies tailoring and the body fit required to accentuate a feminine form through mens tailoring methods meant that Edward had to develop patterns and a fit that hugged the body like no other.

Refining his skills and with a list of eager customers Edward decided to move closer to where they lived, setting up his atelier in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge. Now with the help of his two right hand men Dominic and Peter as well as his grandson Henry the house is still thriving with a busy workshop and keen apprentices eager to learn skills that only Edward can teach.

Dominic Sebag-Montefiore joined over ten years ago after working with Maurice Sedwell as a trouser cutter and now as well as cutting many of the suits he helps manage their offshore ‘bespoke’, a chance to snap up a Sexton suit for a deal less then the in house ones. Interestingly chatting with Dominic, he sees a whole new desire for tailoring by the younger generation.

The creative and tech industries have turned things on their head, as “athleisure” has replaced the suit at work so tailoring has become the choice for nights out and weekends. Without the constraints of dull greys and navy the choice of colour and cloth is more important. Time to pay Edward a visit and add an iconic Dashing x Sexton suit to the wardrobe.

Ways to Wear Waistcoats this Summer

Footballers and fashion often go hand in hand, highlighting all sorts of dubious looks but this season a classic has proved to be the winner. Anyone watching England during the World Cup could not have failed to notice Gareth Southgate supporting his team from the side lines with a sangfroid. Only a confident well respected leader can muster.

Composure is as much a state of mind as a state of dress and throughout history the English have lead the way. With his crisp shirt, tie and the all important waistcoat Gareth has at least bought some style home. Waistcoat sales at M&S have risen by 100% and a ‘Waistcoat Wednesday’ trend has been spurned on through social media.

In a way the waistcoat is the an item of clothing of the people. First seen in it’s modern form as part of a simple wool suit worn by King Charles II. Following the previous decapitated king, Charles II showed his humble side to the people through simplicity of dress. The waistcoat is not only elegant but very practical, a place to traditionally keep a watch, safe keep a wedding ring and cover up crumpled shirts and bulging waistbands.

There are only a few rules when it come to wearing a waistcoat, they can be worn in matching or complementary fabrics, they can be made with or without lapels, and can be double or single breasted. The one thing that is a must is for the waistcoat to cover the trouser waistband, nothing looks worse than a piece of shirt poking out like an errant finger puppet.

At Dashing we offer made to measure waistcoats in any style using our unique fabrics. From the quiet simplicity of navy night vibe to the raver designs in our Lumatwill reflective tweed. In fact many customers have ordered waistcoats with cloth backs in this fabric as elegant, safety cycle wear.

Drop an email to: Holly@Dashingtweeds.co.uk to book an appointment or visit us at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

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Draper’s Magazine – Dashing Tweeds opens on Dorset Street

Dashing’s new shop featured on Draper’s Magazine, read the full story here

Dashing’s New Home

We want to welcome our customers into a complete Dashing world. The concept of the brand is to enrich your life through creative textiles, giving you more colour and character. We chose to move into a larger, more relaxed environment in the convivial area of Marylebone.

The sitting room of an art collector was the inspiration behind our shop fit, a place where sculpture, art and clothing sit comfortably side by side. To achieve our idiosyncratic look, we worked alongside close members of the family who share the vision of creativity and modern luxury. Alexander Hills is embarking on his new architectural practice, his design skills and attention to detail were exactly what we needed. Alex’s CNC’d cabinet of curiosities has our weave patterns etched through technology and he specified all of the mirrors and metal works meticulously.

We worked alongside Retrouvius, set up by Guy’s other brother, Adam to cover vintage Danish sofa sets using our peak design. Especially woven for the new shop, the mustard peak complements the teal velvet curtains and British wool carpet.

The shop is filled with artworks both old and new. The contemporary light feature in our new shop, a key focal point, is from gallerist Marion Friedmann and created by a young Mexican artist, Pedro Cerisola.

We look forward to welcoming you soon to the shop where you can relax and learn more about our new collections and made to measure whilst having a drink. Visit us at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

All the best,

The Dashing Team

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Dashing’s Bespoke Nike Sneakers

Since our collaboration with Converse a few years back we have the honour of being one of the few British cloth brands to be officially endorsed by Nike and regular collaborate on bespoke creations. The Dashing team recently stopped by the Nike Lab in Shoreditch, East London to customise a pair of bespoke Nike Lab Air Force 1 sneakers from scratch. Using our latest AW18 cloth arrival, ‘Sweet‘ which features coloured reflective yarn woven using merino wool throughout the cloth. We decided to incorporate the newest design in the high top sneaker to give it a sophisticated yet casual look, making it wearable in any outfit.

We met with Nike Lab Design Consultants, Sam and Jess at the appointment to discuss and review the complete range of unique material options to help build the ideal Dashing high top sneakers, from the laces and tongue label to the stitching and hardware.

Through the personal design experience, Dashing were able to choose from a range of three iconic silhouettes, including the Air Max, Air Force 1 Low’s and Air Force 1 High’s.

Dashing chose to keep the brand identity at the core, using our logo colours of deep pink and tonal greys to balance the design, along with a rich red to structure the shoe and highlight our latest Autumn/Winter 2018 ‘Sweet’cloth design which will be launching in August. The complete design process takes between 6-8 weeks, but it is definitely worth the wait if you are looking for a pair of sneakers that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

To customise your own pair of Nike Lab sneakers, drop by 477-478 Bateman’s Row Road, Shoreditch, London to book an appointment, and if you would like to customise your crepes using our cloth, email us at: holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk and we can arrange it for you.

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Be Global Fashion Network – Dashing Tweeds new flagship store in Marylebone

Dashing’s latest feature on Be Global Fashion Network, discussing our exciting new shop, now open at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

Dashing Interviews: David Evans

We recently photographed British menswear blogger, David Evans in a few of our Dashing summer looks whilst strolling through the streets of Soho looking charming in The Dabbler, Whitbread Ritzy and Between the Lines cloth. David then elaborated on his entrance into the world of blogging, tailoring scene and love for Dashing!

Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?

I’ve been blogging for six and a half years, describing an older man’s search for style. I came to blogging with no background or interest in clothes and style and chose the subject as something I could explore with a little humour – in the event I found the topic fascinating as I explored it. I was previously a lawyer and a teacher, but now my time is largely filled by the blog, which is more of a hobby than a career.

How would you describe your style?

Pretty classic really. I love to see how far I can push the envelope at times to see where my comfort levels are, but essentially I’m not a real extrovert. I mix tailoring with casual and I’m happy wearing jeans, suede oxfords, an open-neck shirt shirt and a linen or tweed jacket.

Do you have any style icons? If so, why are they your icons?

I’m always asked this and have to reply no, I don’t look to anyone specific. I love the natural historical style of Steve McQueen and Cary Grant simply because they looked good in whatever they wore, rather than what they wore. I think it’s best to take elements from many influences rather than aping one. This allows you to adjust and suit to your own personality.

What are the biggest changes you have seen in fashion over the last 10 years?

I don’t think the last ten years have seen any great changes. I hope I’m creating a greater interest by brands for the older market – which after all, is the most affluent demographic, but that is gradual. Otherwise skinny cuts and too slim jeans seem to have been preserved on the high street longer than I would have expected. I think we may be seeing a return to more relaxed cuts but sadly sportswear and “athleisure” (what a ghastly word) seems to be selling well despite. It seems that ugly, shapeless styles are wrongly associated with comfort. Overall, however, I feel there is the start of a genuine return of interest in the development of personal style rather than simply copying fashions.

What do you enjoy most about fashion and style today?

The creativity and variety of what’s available enables everyone to find a style that reflects their personalities. Classic styles are hanging on and this is an advantage for the older man who isn’t forced into sportswear and tight artificially distressed skinny jeans.

What is it that you like about Dashing Tweeds?

The lovely people who work there of course. The British design and manufacture of the cloths. The fact that it offers wearable alternatives that are really original and like nothing elsewhere. The cutting edge styles and designs.

Any final comments?

The fact that Dashing Tweeds offers such a variety means that anyone wanting to find a style for themselves will be able to do so because the brand is all about originality and individuality.

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To find out more about David Evans, do check out his website and if you have any questions about the Dashing products used in this post or would like to book a made to measure appointment please drop us an email.

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Tailors Uncovered: Kathryn Sargent

Having a suit tailored by Kathryn Sargent is the most creative and collaborative process. She is fascinated by the psychology of tailoring, how a suit can become an extension of your personality or a projection of your chosen image. Through discussions and observation on the way you move and walk Kathryn is able to make you anything you could possibly desire, from Edwardian styled frock coats and riding habits to unstructured travel jackets. There is no doubt that she has the skills and training to tailor for men and women at the highest possible Savile Row level.

This comes as no surprise when you learn that before Kathryn ventured out on her own she was the first ever female head cutter in the 200 year history of Savile Row, and not with any small outfit but with the iconic tailors at No1 Savile Row; Gieves and Hawkes.

Without realising it the road to the row was her destiny. Growing up in Leeds, the centre of Britain’s textile industry, cloth merchants and tailors were an everyday sight and bespoke suits were more of the norm. Kathryn was fascinated at how her father transformed for work by donning tailored suits, she felt an urge to create with textiles.

Being a ‘bit of a mod’ helped as the sharp lines and slick look of role models led to a desire for technical knowledge. Enrolling at Epsom Fashion College with the idea of becoming a fashion designer involved work experience at Denham and Goddardjust off Savile Row, the idea appealed not least because of Alexander McQueen’s success following training at Anderson and Sheppard. Arriving on the row Kathryn soon realised that just passing through was not enough; here was a place she never wanted to leave.

Eager, intelligent and interested Kathryn jumped at the chance when an opening as a trimmer at G&H under Peter O’Neill became available. At the time fifth generation Robert Gieves was still in the house and Kathryn marvelled at the way he related to customers, finding out exactly what they were looking for. The step up from trimming to striking out cloth, enabled Kathryn to start her journey through the ranks and to cut the story short by 2011 she was the head cutter of Gieves and Hawkes.

Always keen on learning more and relishing tailoring for even the most challanging body shapes Kathryn made the brave move to venture out on her own, taking a spare table at the classic tailoring house of Meyer and Mortimerin Sackville street. Here some of the most skilled of them all reside including the famously skilled Malcom Plews who was always happy to dispense his words of wisdom should pattern conundrums arise.

Coming from Leeds, Kathryn is always keen to champion British cloth, often steering her clients away from super soft expensive fabrics which are design with softness rather than longevity in mind. She is a great fan of our cloths, loving the “intelligent designs, innovative use of yarns and Britishness”. When I was last round several Dashing pieces were going through her workshop, one in our reflective raver for a lady who loves to cycle in town as well as dance the night away.

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Drapers Magazine – Sophie Hulme and Dashing Tweeds opens at The Portman Estate

Dashing’s latest feature on Drapers Magazine, discussing our new shop opening on 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

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A Dashing Craft Week

Starting Wednesday 9th May London Craft Week opens the doors on London’s creatives, allowing you a rare chance to see how the most skilled craftsmen in town hone objects of extreme beauty from the humble origins of clay, wood, wool and metal.

During the past few years, with thanks to this event and others people have started to question where the numerous objects that surround them come from. Mass production has devalued everything from clothing to cutlery but now the true cost of ludicrously cheap stuff has come to light via sweat shop exposés and plastic pollution. We have to question what we actually need and then if lucky enough, own a few things which are exquisitely made. Fortunately the skills to make individually crafted objects are flourishing and you can have the opportunity to find over 200 events during London Craft Week 2018.

The wonderfully original cloths of Dashing Tweeds started life in our North London weave design studio before production in the finest British mills. Our fabrics are used not only by tailors the world over, but also by upholsterers and soft furnishing makers. On request, we can design and finish fabrics suitable for any interior projects from small homes to large commercial enterprises.

On Friday the 11th May I will open the doors to my home for a discussion with Maria Speake of Retrouvius and surface designer Daniel Heath. We will talk about the nearly completed house project and our shared love of natural materials which are of such high quality that they can live on through numerous reincarnations.

If you would like to choose from our extensive library of cloths to add that finishing touch to your home, please stop by our shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND.

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Dashing’s SS18 Cloth Collection

As an island nation, holidays by the seaside are high up on the list. Lazing around on beaches or taking a walk along coastal paths is what we like to do best, with an occasional high adrenaline activity such as surfing or sailing thrown in. The leisure dress of Edwardian gentlemen could well be divided into just two groups; tweeds worn in country fields and seaside wear consisting of flannels, linens and light weight wools.

We were thinking of such holidays whilst designing our collection for this summer. We chose light weight fine Merino yarns and wove them using open hop sack structures to create fine cloths that drape beautifully, keep cool and wear effortlessly. In a further alliance with coastal areas we commandeered names from the daily shipping forecast.

Malin, Viking, Hebrides and Bailey are our simplest open weaves in plain warp and weft colours. The Hebrides with a navy weft and sand warp and the Malin with a rust red warp are lovely cloths for summer events, smart and just a little unusual. For the bolder seaside look stripes are always in fashion.

Cromarty and Humber are similar elegant stripes in sandy shades of brown with a light red vertical, the later design is a more open twill structure and makes a very jolly day time suit or fashionable bag trousers.

To finish off the collection we squared the stripes to create two check patterns, Lundy and Rockall, very similar designs with a slight change of twill structure. Checks are always the most casual and entertaining designs so choose these for a lively jacket that will put a spring in your step.

To find out more about our latest cloth collection or if you have any questions about a certain cloth, please visit our shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND or drop us an email to: holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

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A Walk on the Wide Side

The wide legged trouser trend is flourishing, you may have noticed your more fashionable friends already sporting the flowing look. The antithesis of uptight, clinging trousers that have dominated for far too long, Oxford Bags or simply Bags as they were called in a previous incarnation are not only flattering but also impart an effortless sangfroid to any look. Couple a pair of bags with a polo shirt and old school loafers to channel your inner Gene Kelly or jump a couple of decades, let your hair down, and with a simple white shirt and extra wide bags the cool of Bowie is yours.

At Dashing we are constantly pioneering new wool weave structures and designs, the light weight Merinos we use for summer are exactly right for wide legged bags, they have enough body to drape in a way that is not really possible with cotton and yet are fine enough to keep you cool.

New young fashion designers such as Charles Jeffrey are welcoming the wide legged look into their collections, taking inspiration from previous decades but through the use of modern materials making them unique to the early twenty first century.Stylist to the stars, Tom Stubbs has become a great fan of our wide legged trousers, bringing singer David Gray in as well as featuring them in his regular How to Spend it column. Our customers are also enjoying the new cut and the fact that a single pair of trousers when worn high on the natural waist can give a whole new fresh aspect to your look.We have a whole range of colours available in small elegant weaves as well as stripes and checks. If you would like us to design a pair of Oxford Bags for you, please do drop by the shop or 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND or send us an email.

Dashing Interviews: Daniele Savaré

Raised in a small town 25km from Milan, Daniele Savaré is the 53 year old creative mind behind the label, Connection Knitwear and Clothing which is handcrafted by skilled artisans in Italy. Immersed in the Mod scooter scene and a lover of vintage cars, Daniele graduated with an Economics degree in 1989 post military service, later working for over 20 years in the Assets Management and Investment Funds Industry as a Portfolio Manager.

We talked to Daniele about fashion, style and the birth of his brand with his partner Camila, which began with knits and later extended into outerwear and tailor-made clothing, combining heritage allure with modern durability, and his love of Dashing Tweeds.

The mod subculture plays a huge impact on your life, what first attracted you to the scooter scene?

I have always had an instinctive attraction for 60’s and early 70’s sporty cars, since a child. Many of the cars I liked weren’t ‘vintage’ yet, of course. Scooters came a bit later, as a natural consequence. Being involved in the Mod scene in my teens and after some visits to the UK, where the scooter culture was much more developed than in Italy, enhanced this passion. I bought my first scooter, which I still own, as soon as I found a job in 1990.

What scooters and cars do you own?

At the moment I have five Lambrettas, of which one is a sidecar outfit, and a classic car. All of the Lambrettas (a 1957 TV1, a 1960 TV2, a 1963 LI, a 1965 TV200 and a 1966 SX225 with Watsonian Bambini sidecar) are customised. My car is a 1970 Lancia Flavia Coupè 2000, I don’t own modern cars. Before this I owned a 1971 Lancia Fulvia Coupe 1.3S and an Innocenti Mini 1001, which was a bit tuned up.

What events have you taken part in?

We tend to take part in local rallies for both classic cars and scooters and every now and then there are some track days. Under the mod/ scooter point of view, the event we prefer is the Brighton Mod weekend during the August Bank Holiday. We’d like to attend an event in Japan or the Far East sooner or later such as Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia. We have some friends there who are very dedicated to the scooter scene, making it vibrant and full of life. Who knows, maybe one day.

Is there a particular type of music you listen to?

Mainly jazz, from Bebop to Free.

How would you describe your style and do you have any style icons?

My style during the years (we can say ‘decades’ by now) moved from a ‘purist’, or at least that’ss how I liked to define it, to being more open to other influencers like the 1910s and 1920s dandies or the vintage military and sportswear. I think that the new inputs didn’t water down the mod ‘core’ but on the contrary, it added more of an individual touch.

My first style icons were the jazz musicians portrayed in their dark suits, button down shirts and thin silk or knitted ties on the Blue Note covers. Many Italian and French actors of the 1950s/ 60s cinema were a big influence. It was a period in which good taste was so widespread that you almost couldn’t go wrong, picking this or that.

How do you achieve your style? Which tailors do you work with and do you also buy vintage?

I like to buy vintage, especially accessories and military pieces, which are also an interesting source of inspiration. As for my own more ‘formal’ attire, I have used a few different tailors along the years. Now I especially like the Neapolitan tailoring style which is based on natural shoulders, soft-structured jackets, lean silhouettes and many small details that, in my opinion, can make the difference. The ‘Sartoria’ we work with for our tailoring collection is based in Naples, and we’re very happy with their job with all of the hand cutting and stitching.

What is it you like about Dashing Tweeds?

I like the idea behind Dashing Tweeds, the concept of taking traditional British sportswear and fabric from the countryside to a more urban scenario, adding new life and opportunities to one of my favourite materials ever. I like the way Dashing have implemented it, in terms of quality, texture, vibrant colours. It’s the perfect cloth for a modern urban gentleman who is forward minded but with solid roots in tradition.

To find out more about Connection Knitwear, do check out their website and if you have any questions about our collections that Daniele has used, please visit our shop at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND or check out our website DashingTweeds.co.uk.

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Dashing around this Spring

As a way of showing you how Dashing can be worn around town we teamed up with three other brands to shoot our Spring/Summer collection. We shot our collection alongside London-based artisanal leather and luxury goods brand Pickett, bespoke shoe brand Gaziano & Girling, and British born eyewear brand Finlay & Co.

Dashing’s ethos is to create tailored menswear that sidesteps you to a world of original British heritage. The use of our unique cloth designs in an English cut imparts an insouciant modern look that others struggle to match.

Our spring collection uses lightweight Merino wool in cool open weave hopsack structures, tailored using our made to measure service. We styled a two button double breasted with informal patch pockets giving an easy to wear suit for meetings and travel. Our Seti cloth in a navy pinstripes with ombré cotton is suitable as both day and evening wear, and has proved very popular for weddings.

Wearing a suit in a dressed down way with trainers is perhaps the easiest and most flexible style, looking a cut above anyone else in separates trousers or jeans. Just throw it on with a t-shirt and attitude. Our Cromarty striped fabric fits the bill and wears well without creasing.

For the more outwardly going and fashionable individuals, our special collaboration with Royal College of Art final graduate Joe Whitbread is definitely a romantic style that is completely original and desirable.

As a way of showing you how Dashing can be worn around town we teamed up with three other brands for this shoot. Finlay and Co is a eyewear brand that shares the same ethos as Dashing in terms of hand making the sunglasses, which are infused with a rebellious spirit, celebrating the individuality of the wearer.

The only way to describe shoes from Gaziano and Girling is exquisite. Hand made in Kettering within the famous Northamptonshire area of English shoe making, they fuse traditional techniques with a style best described by the Italian term sprezzatura.

Trevour Pickett’s Mayfair store selling fine crafted leather goods and accessories is a Mayfair institution. For nearly 30 years Pickett has been selling a fabulous range of artisanal luxury products that are so useful they are probably best described as gentleman’s necessities.

If you’ve liked this post, do keep updated with the brands below, and to see more of our shoot follow us on Instagram!

Finlay & Co
Gaziano & Girling
Pickett

All the best,

The Dashing Team

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Time to Big Up British Wool

“We built this city on Work and Wool”. No not Jonathan Ross on a karaoke night out, but the true history of Norwich and many other English cities. It’s hard to believe nowadays just what an important resource British wool used to be. Norwich in the Middle Ages was second only to London due to wealth created from wool exports, and to this day politicians have a constant reminder of this when the Lord Speaker rises from the Woolsack, a stuffed bale placed in the House of Lords by Edward III in the mid 14th century.

Britain has over 60 native breeds of sheep, more than any other country and the wool from these most useful beasts was highly sought after especially in Flanders where the best weavers worked. A large focus of the Hundred Year War with France was to protect this trade and when conditions became intolerable many Flemish wool workers decided to come here and set up their looms around Norfolk, Suffolk and the Yorkshire Dales.

The weaving industry started to flourish with help from the government who passed laws including one in the 1570’s which insisted all Englishmen had to wear a woollen cap to church on Sundays. A law which should again be enforced for people going to yoga classes I feel. The influential Campaign for Wool started towards this with their Woolly Hat Day event and more importantly the patron Prince Charles gathered leading members of the industry a couple of years ago to Dumfries House for the signing of a declaration to help the wool beleaguered industry. The annual Wool Week event is also growing awareness since its inception in 2015 when flocks grazed on the freshly turfed Savile Row.

The good news is that British wool is now starting to become more sought after. Only a few years ago wool from our native sheep had so little value that a whole fleece fetched under one pound at auction, less than the cost of shearing and transport, encouraging farmers just to burn it. The floccinaucinihilipilification of wool has been due in no small part to the creation of synthetic fabrics made from plastics and crude oils. Now at last we are learning that the environmental costs of these cheap clothes is huge, new research shows that even microfibres from synthetics washed at home are entering the food chain, impacting on the welfare of the whole planet.

Wool is a natural renewable resource and the original cloth of the British Isles but our sheep do tend to have thicker fibres compared with fine Merino yarns coming from Australia. This has led to it’s use in carpets, rugs and even loft insulation. However, with cross breeding and ameliorating climate breeds such as the Bluefaced Leicester and Wensleydale are producing exquisite lustre yarns for suitings and tweeds. A while back we wove a lovely collection with Romney Marsh Wools and soon we will be exploring the use of rare breed sheep for exquisite modern tweed collections. Hopefully soon customers after picking up their morning single estate Guatemalan lattes and Venezuelan Criollo chocolate bars will come in asking for a Jacob Wool jacket and a Clun Forest cap.

If you have any questions or would like to book a Made to Measure appointment to add a dash of British wool to your wardrobe, please visit us on 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND or drop us an email on: holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

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Preparing your Summer Wardrobe

One morning soon you will be awoken by warm shafts of light and bird songs, with a spring you will leap from bed and rifle through the wardrobe looking for those favourite pieces from last year, the ones that remind you of the sea and orange blossom. Only then will you discover that either the moths have got there first, or you’ve forgotten about that night in the bushes when not only you were shredded. Fear not gentlemen, we can rebuild it, we have the technology, we have the capability to create new made-to-measure trousers and jackets for you, for way under 6 million dollars, if you are old enough to log these misused quotes.

Our new spring cloths are open fine Merinos, evoking the British seaside. We have stripes and checks as well as plains in rusty navy and a salmon. In addition, our Merino designs from last year proved such a success that we have rewoven the top choices of Seti, as seen above, and Talla.

Summer is about being prepared for spontaneity, like a good boy scout you should be ready for any eventuality. There’s nothing worse than forgetting your woggle when others whip out there neckerchiefs. So be prepared and accessorise accordingly. Silk squares add a splash of colour to your summer look as well as having many other good uses, sunglasses when worn in the right occasions are of course great fun to hide behind.

Ties or other forms of neck wear, with or without woggles are important additions to formalise any look. I always think a boutonnière, as the French call flowers in the buttonhole, add a finishing touch and some nature to your suit. Don’t go in for some elaborate floral arrangement, just pick a small bud or even a fresh leaf or sprig of herb from the neighbours garden as you walk pass, a lightness of touch is key. Devil-may-care nonchalance is so much more attractive than studied vanity.

Our made to measure process could not be easier, and very affordable at £800 for a tailored jacket and £450 for trousers. Drop by the shop, try on the block sizes and then decide what changes you would like. For the trousers we have adjusted the block to create fashionable Oxford Bags by widening the thigh and leg as well as increasing the rise, allowing the trousers to be comfortably worn up on your natural waist, although of course you can decide on any of tailoring styles and features for your better, stronger, faster new wardrobe.

If you have any questions or would like to book a Made to Measure appointment to add more summer weights into your wardrobe, please visit us on 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7NDt or drop us an email on: holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

All the very best,

The Dashing Team

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The History of Colour

For men, wearing colour is much more than just a mood thing. You may be feeling blue or having the luck of a purple patch but the colour of your attire is much more important than mere whim.

We have lost the subtle associations of the value of colours over the years, the fact that to obtain enough purple dye for Marcus Aurelius’ toga, over 100,000 Murex snails had to be ‘milked’ of their prized mucous secretions puts this into perspective. Equally, cochineal red dye used for the red coats of British soldiers up until the mid 19th century relied on a small army of Mexican farmers. Eighty thousand insects, each about a half a centimetre long had to be prized off spiky cactus plants and ground up just for a kilo of dye. A worthwhile investment for army generals who choose red uniforms primarily to disguise blood stains of the wounded. The shocking sight of a bleeding friend could dampen the fervour of your assault.

Colours, now without monetary associations are still charged with social implications. I find it hard to look at bright orange with out thinking of Guantanamo Bay prisoners and softer shades of saffron cause an inverse Pavlovian response as my ears prick up for the passing bells of Hare Krishna’s. Yes, colour is fraught with so much social coding that it is understandable why many benighted folk retreat under the cover of black. To wear colour well you need a greater deal of sophistication than our average goth or chromatic objector, but the rewards are manifold and both your own life and those around you will be enriched.

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As with so many art forms learning a few simple rules makes it easier to get started on your polychromic journey. Music provides a good analogy, jumping into dissonant, twelve tone compositions is unlikely to win over your friends, even Boulez and Stockhausen started with simple scales. Leave a clash or even a riot of colour till your have mastered harmony. Start with a simple tone you like, all skins have different hues, it is easier to wear brighter colours if your skin is darker but perhaps start with your eyes and choose a darker shade of blue, green or brown. I have noticed that brighter blues have been becoming more popular over the last few years. The colour I call Pitti blue (after its popularity at the menswear shows in Florence) looks good on most people, it is more vibrant than navy and anything you with wear with it tends to pop out in a pleasing way. Our Seti cloth is slight brighter than navy and the colours of the Japanese yarn stripes are a great start for colour harmonies if you experiment with combinations of shirts, socks and neck wear.

Ties are a traditional way to apply colour as well as providing coded signals of your interests, clubs and education to the informed. Whilst I’m not advocating a change to traditional formality in the workplace, quite the opposite, I wish I saw more classic gents wearing three piece pinstripes, bowlers and red carnations when I visit the square mile, I do think that your off duty attire should become a time for you to enjoy playing with tonal compositions.

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The trend for brighter menswear is a last gathering pace again, not some much as in the love children of hippies but in the more sophisticated intercourse of tech sports wear and tailoring. Some have named this trend ‘Athleisure’ a bastardisation whose rightful heir is of course Dashing Tweeds.

If you have any questions or would like to book a Made to Measure appointment, please visit us on 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND or drop us an email on holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

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Tailors Uncovered: Chittleborough & Morgan

“One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” Taking advice from Oscar Wilde is easier said then done, being a work of art can be rather tiresome as I’m sure Tilda Swinton discovered snoozing in her glass box at the Serpentine Gallery back in ’95. Wearing a work of art should be the ultimate pleasure, enriching the lives of over others around you as well yourself. However, it is no less easy to achieve with style and elegance. Obviously one could don a Chapman brothers mask, but looking like an ethnographic anthropologist on his way back from an Amazonian burger joint may cause some mirth in the boardroom. The answer to the dilemma is to visit Chittleborough & Morgan in Savile Row and order a suit. No matter what cloth you choose the resulting creation will without doubt be an exquisite wearable work of art that will not only turn heads in the right direction but give you unbridled joy in both the bespeaking and the wearing. The reason your suit will be a work of art is quite simply because it will be hand cut and stitched by the most skilled and artistic of tailors, Joe Morgan and his protégé Francis Paley. As with any art, provenance is all-important and the suits cut by Joe Morgan have rested on the shoulders of iconic giants.

He started tailoring at Wilkinson’s helping to measure up Harold Macmillan on his first day and then as his tailoring talents emerged he moved on as a cutter with Tommy Nutter. Here Joe cut suits in the definitively sharp house style for everyone who was anyone, from the Beatles strolling across Abbey Road to partying lords. All the time perfecting the cut and details, working on seams to smooth away any unnecessary drape from a garment and figuring out how to angle the pitch of armholes forward to avoid a single wrinkle on the chest.

In the early eighties Joe moved on and started his own tailoring house with Roy Chittleborough another talent from Nutters. Their aim was to carry on developing the most stylised cuts possible and to take traditional tailoring techniques to the absolute limit of menswear couture. In common with all masterpieces no compromise is made at any stage, the finest linen canvassing and horsehair interfacings are sourced and I was amazed by the attention to detail.

To perfect the dramatic shoulders and high arm holes extra layers of strengthening are added in tiny hand stitched layers that I have never seen in any other Savile Row tailor, and the fabric around the chest and armhole is cajoled with steam to sculptural perfection. Then, to confirm that every possible stage is truly a work of art I spotted the internal stitches of a basting. Here for a colourful customer the functional threads are most beautifully sewn into a cat and pineapple, the fact that no one will ever see them and only the client will know is testament to a level of detail beyond meticulous. The passion for perfection in the workroom is palpable and all the young apprentices delight in this level workmanship. I was proudly shown photos of Dashing creations from a few weeks before where our checks are aligned in way I did not think was possible on a curved sleeve.

For many tailors innovation is not on the agenda but when I asked Joe if he had developed new ideas recently he instantly showed me trousers with a lap seam that I immediately lusted after. The high waisted wide legged trousers had an immaculate overlapping seam running the entire length of the leg including the pocket and were examples of the most outstanding craftsmanship.

Standing elegantly tall Joe conducts proceedings in the house with energy and charisma sharing his knowledge and good humour. He is a great fan of our fabrics mainly due to freshness of our designs and the characters that bring them in for tailoring.

In the present climate where large brands dominate and people are swayed into buying ersatz luxury, walking into Chittleborough & Morgan and seeing a totally British style at the most refined and modern is like discovering treasure of legend. I strongly advise you to pay them a visit and you will leave feeling a million dollars.

To find out more about Chittleborough & Morgan do pop in and visit them at 12 Savile Row, Mayfair, London W1S 3PQ check out their website for more details

Dashing Man: Oliver Gerrish

I first met Oliver singing at a young Georgian society ball, elegantly dressed for the evening in silk breeches, a frock coat and cravat combining all of his many talents with panache and polish.

A highly trained and talented countertenor, Oli has been singing practically since the cradle starting professional lessons at 10 and becoming a choral scholar at Lichfield Cathedral not long after. Whilst singing in the medieval cathedral he would gaze up from the choir and admire the exquisite architecture, as well I’m sure as meditating on the wise and foolish virgins standing erect on the chapel pillars. Such early immersion in the glories of decorated gothic with the sun setting during Evensong can have profound effects on a young man and would lay the foundations for later study.

In so swift a time, nature robs the angelic choirboy of his timbre and the rough and tumble of life advances. The playing fields of Harrow lay awaiting, although they were not heavily trampled by Oliver, who managed with great acclaim to carry on his musical studies. Following sixth form, Oliver was in a quandary as to the direction his life should take, the lure of music won and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama conservatoire was honoured to have him as a pupil. New talent is the greatest desire for teachers and Oliver was fought over, winning out to a teacher of classical opera.

However, the deep interest in architecture was not diminished by years of vocal training and following the Guidhall, Oliver wished to take up a masters course in building history in Britain at Wolfson College Cambridge. Initially the college was skeptical with regards to Oliver’s conservatoire education but upon learning that he had not only set up a whole under 35’s arm to the Georgian Group, but was also one of the youngest feature writers of Country Life Magazine. They were left in no doubt as to his intellectual caliber.

Several years on, Oliver is now extremely busy and sort after in numerous directions. He set up the first Great British Tour which gives unbridled access to the finest Country houses of Britain as part of educational architectural tours. The sorties are taken by Oliver and his charming wife Zuleika during the summer months and receive magnificent praise from participants. When not touring houses, Oliver is busy working as a consultant with Lady Caroline Percy with their joint business of Historic Decoration. Through talks at her ancestral home of Syon House, they educate already erudite designers on the finer points of period décor, enabling the finest of finishing touches.

As if this were not enough, Oliver still finds time to programme and perform for the New Georgian Opera company which he set up with soprano Alexandra Kennedy in 2008. Like all perfectly brought up children, Oliver is a helpful son and when time allows he uses his highly tuned eyes to help his mother purchase jewels and diamond rings for her business, The Antique Jewellery Company. There is always a thrill in buying fine quality antique jewels and even more of one when young sweet hearts buy them to plight their troth.

I caught up with Oliver recently at a recital he was giving in Burgh House, accompanied by lute and piano. He was sporting his favourite Dashing suit in our New Plum Peak design and pleased his wife by wearing the witty present of a shirt printed with common architectural vernaculars. He loves the heritage and originality of Dashing as well as the unique Britishness of the fabric woven in Scotland. The fact that he is unlikely to bump into too many people wearing the same is always comforting and “it just makes me feel very cool”.

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Dashing Man: Sloan Hickman

Sloan has a knack of being at the right place at the right time in the right kit. Growing up in Chelsea after an early childhood in San Francisco, Sloan was definitely where it’s at. Hanging out with fellow Etonians and the odd Harrovian down the Kings Road when it had originality to offer. Sloan would saunter down to Granny Takes a Trip and then groove along to Kensington Market in search of the perfect shaped loons (those fabulously shaped trousers with a kick from the knee) to wear for the evening ahead. Being a huge fan of live music, he would head his pack of like-minded cats east towards the legendary Marquee or 100 club for night of raucous rock and escapades.

Following school, Sloan picked up his camera and started to earn money as a photographer taking artistic family portraits and realising that a career in photography and film was what really interested him. He enrolled into a whole new type of course in North East London specialising in Communications Design, just as the world was readying itself for a hay day of advertising. The course led to a job working for a Graphic Designer in Soho, assisting on large corporate accounts at the time advertising agents were moving into the buzzing area.

A move into video production came when Sloan was offered a job at Dingwalls in Camden. The venue running along the banks of the Regents Canal had just installed one of the very first video setups and Sloan was in charge of the cameras, for mediocre bands he could sit in the DJ booth and operate them remotely but on days when Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders were on stage he would jump in front with his camera and shoot close up angles. It was on such a day that Chrissie suggested Sloan would love New York…and he did. “It was before The Bonfire of the Vanities, so English people were still regarded quite well” says Sloan as he regaled me with stories of directing music videos an managing five camera setups on live TV. He experienced the Punk wave for the second time as it travelled across the pond and coerced camera men to brave the mosh pits of live gigs for fabulous footage as he had done previously.

Returning from time in the States, Sloan moved into production for the Moving Picture Company, working on memorable adverts for brands such as Scotch Tape with that talking skeleton. Sloan worked with Bernard Lodge renown for this work on Doctor Who, Aliens and Blade Runner. They would often film at Bray Studios, the famous Hammer horror owned estate where model sets for Ridley Scott’s Aliens were created in one studio whilst vampires haunted the others!

Sloan’s life in graphics and film has honed his eye for originality and quality so it comes as no surprise that he is a huge fan of Dashing. Our concept of heritage and technology piqued his interest and Sloan’s first Dashing suit was tailored for him in our Dashing Explorer cloth, a modern British wool check suitable for town and country. The fine reflective thread in the design adds a subtle delight should a beam of light strike at the right angle. Sloan has his Dashing suits tailored by Russell at Graham Browne, and the tailor is now his first point of call when wanting an addition to his wardrobe. His latest suit in our Red Tappet cloth has become a firm favourite, the cleverly broken up check look both sophisticated and relaxed, making it suitable for business meetings when Sloan is sharing his knowledge through consultancy and when he is off out to more nights of live music.

Conductor of Light

Conductor of Light is a brand formed by Jørgen Håland and Håvard Legreid, creating limited edition accessories for luminous ladies & gentleman. Their first products were Reflective Tweed Buttons using Dashing’s cloth.

It all started with Jørgen, who is otherwise known as the idea guy, after he had a trip to London and saw a cool cycling jacket with a distinctive reflective fabric. This stuck in his mind and back in Bergen, Norway, he started searching for this garment online and came across Dashing Tweeds. He had a beer with Håvard, who luckily has experience making fabric buttons. Håvard got really excited and the next day Jørgen bought some samples. From here, they both began to test the fabric.

Both Jørgen and Håvard work within the graphic design field and started a brand identity process. They were entranced by the way the reflective thread bounces light back when woven with wool. Through some book digging, Jørgen came across a great quote from the Sherlock Holmes’ Hound of the Baskervilles. In a reply to Watson, Holmes declares:

“It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.”

Sherlock is the archetypical tweed-dressed gentleman, and they think the quote fits their brand message and first product very nicely.

In their second year of production, Conductor of Light have introduced three new colours that they have called ‘Blueberry Blue’, ‘Striking Red’ and ‘Forest Green’. They currently already have the colours ‘Vibrant Yellow’, ‘Gentle Grey’ and ‘Perfect Plum’ which are in two different sizes.

The tweed fabric blends well with other fabrics, especially Dashings dark winter cloak, adding a simple & elegant accessory with a smart function to one’s outfit.

Keep up to date with Conductor of Light here!

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Dashing Tweeds x Nike Lab

We’ve witnessed a huge rise in the number of sneakerheads in today’s culture, but something that is new is the level of customisation that’s offered. Luckily, creative initiatives such as Nike Lab have now allowed individuals to personalise their sneakers from start to finish.

Our first collaboration with Converse showed the potential of our cloths for sneakers and since then the hype has boomed. We have since teamed up with Nike Lab in Shoreditch, and supplied them with three different types of cloth’s from Dashing, including our Threadbare cloth which proved popular amongst sneakerhead, Kal Seth who produced a unique pair of Nike Air Force 1’s at the lab which featured Dashing elements in his creation. We talked with Kal to find out more on his obsession with sneakers and how he came about designing his distinct pair of Nike’s using Dashing Tweeds.

Kal was born and raised in New York and still lives there. During the day he is a Director of Information Security for a large retail company but he’s also a photographer and sneaker junkie in his personal time. Kal has been a trainer collector for 20+ years. He loves many silhouettes but the Nike Air Force 1 is his personal favourite, which is why the fit of the Nike Lab in London and Dashing’s cloth came hand in hand on this creative basis. Especially being a native New Yorker, the shoe is extra special as Kal grew up with it and it represents all of the NY urban boroughs.

The Nike Bespoke Labs which are only in NY & London allow you to design your own Bespoke Air Force 1’s with the finest, premium materials. Kal has designed quite a few since the inception of the program. Due to his line of work, Kal travels frequently to Europe. He tries to stop in to the London lab whenever the opportunity is there. Typically Kal likes to theme his designs in London to reflect something English. That’s part of the reason he wanted Dashing’s tweed, as a result of it’s British heritage and tradition in the culture, which is evident in his Robinson Crusoe and Daniel Defoe customised sneakers using our cloth.

Kal chose our woven threadbare cotton jacquard, which was inspired by the clothing worn similarly by Robinson Crusoe in English writer, Daniel Defoe’s infamous novel.

Kal mentioned ‘It was love at first sight. I decided to make the bespoke themed around the Robinson Crusoe material, the story & the Island. In effect, the “Crusoe” Bespoke. The entire upper is comprised of this threadbare jacquard, I really wanted it to be the main concept of the shoe to highlight the Robinson Crusoe inspiration. I wanted something comfortable to sit in so went with navy nubuck sockliner; coupled with red nubuck on the insoles. I had “Defoe” lasered on the right insole for the respective author’s name and “1719” on the left insole for when he wrote Robinson Crusoe. The jacquard is such an amazing material, pictures do not fully translate’.

More of his designs and love for the British themed bespoke sneakers with Nike London can be found here:

http://www.nicekicks.com/black-cab-bespoke-nike-air-force-one-high/

http://www.nicekicks.com/nike-air-force-1-bespoke-royal-air-force-kal-seth/

For all of the sneakerheads out there, stop by Nike Lab in Shoreditch at 477-478 Bateman’s Row Rd, London EC2A 3HH and get a one-on-one appointment with dedicated Nike design consultants to completely customise your sneakers from the sole to the laces, choosing your own Dashing cloth!

Dashing Man: Graeme Thomas King

Dashing discusses the theatre, style inspirations and future endeavours with British actor and model, Graeme Thomas King giving you a better insight into the life of one of our Dashing men.

Can you give us a little background on your life?

I was born and raised in Portsmouth and still call it home. After finishing my schooling, I travelled around a bit and spent some time in Australia before deciding it was probably a good idea to go to university if I ever wanted to get a job. I attended the university of Liverpool, a wonderful city full of wonderful people. I have many fond memories of my time there. I guess I caught the academic bug because upon graduating I decided to take on a masters at Kings College London, which brought me to the capital. “You can never be overdressed or overeducated”. I take Oscar Wilde very seriously. After Kings I spent a short time working in finance before making the switch to acting. I travelled to New York City to study at the William Esper Studio where I completed my formal acting training.

When did you decide acting was for you? What was your first break/appearance?

Acting was something I always wanted to do but I never knew how to do it. Acting encompasses everything I’ve always wanted out of a career and life ultimately. The engagement with people, creating something together and working towards something that is bigger than me as an individual that will hopefully have a positive impact on others. That’s why I wanted to act. Film, TV and theatre have always been so inspiring to me and I’m hopeful I can give some of that inspiration back now. The arts in general are so important to society as a cathartic experience that we can all experience together. They help us get through the bad times and help us celebrate the good times. I do owe my entrance into acting to a chance encounter on a London bus where I was asked to be in a short film. That did spur me to consider taking acting seriously as a potential option. I haven’t looked back since.

What are your other hobbies and interests?

I am an avid sports fan, a life long Portsmouth Football Club supporter and a huge cricket fan. This is still my sport of choice. I do love to learn, which I suppose is why I studied so much. It is something I could see myself going back to later in life. If I weren’t acting, I would most likely be doing a PHD in something. I love reading, which I suppose combines with the education. I’m always reading at least three different books on the go. Another passion of mine has always been fashion. Especially in acting, it’s amazing how a person can change once you put a costume or specific outfit on them. I do purchase too many clothes though.

Describe your personal style, do you have style icons?

I certainly do have style icons and they are where I get my inspiration from. I’ve always believed in simplicity when it comes to style and it’s something I try to always adhere to. James Dean has always been a huge inspiration to me, his clothes never seemed to fit him properly but he wore them so well. Paul Newman is another man who had pure class and just looked good in everything. Again, his outfits were made up of very simple, classic pieces. He and James Dean never seemed to try too hard. Eddie Redmayne always looks fantastic and I love his clothing choices, he mixes casual and smart so well. I have never seen David Gandy dress badly and he probably ha the wardrobe I envy most of all. Overall, my personal style maxim’s are just to keep it simple, making sure my clothes fit me relatively well (using tailoring if necessary), and stocking up on classic, quality items.

What is it you like about Dashing?

First of all, I love tweed. It’s quintessentially British and Dashing always reminds me of that. I absolutely love the mix of classic items like many of the overcoats we shot with, and more unique items that has Guy’s personality all over them. Dashing for me is so unique in the sense it has taken something that was considered very stated such as tweed and tweed patterns, and has thrust it into the 21^st century. The clothes are so fun and out there, but it’s still grounded with such superb quality and craftsmanship that makes the pieces wonderful to wear. It’s great to see a brand that enables people to show off a side of their personalities that they might not be able otherwise to express. I personally cannot think of tweed now without associating it with Dashing Tweeds.

What is your dream acting job?

Such a tough question. Sir Mark Rylance has always been a huge inspiration to me and in many ways I credit him with helping me to get into acting. It would be an absolute honour and privilege to share a stage or screen with him. I would learn so much and have an absolute ball at the same time. I personally love period dramas, and there are so many I would love to be a part of one day. I know Journey’s End has just been revived in film format and to do that in the West End would be a dream. Shakespeare is the ultimate challenge for me and to do it on a professional stage is a goal. I think it’s the barometer actors set their own standards against. A specific role I would love to play one day would be James Dean, I could see myself doing that. Ultimately, I just want to make meaningful work that moves people and makes them think differently. I love telling people’s stories, it’s an honour.

Do you travel often?

I love travelling and have been fortunate to see a lot of the world. I recently spent time in New York but still believe London is the best city in the world.

Any final comments?

Check out the Dashing Tweed shop and meet the team, especially George the dog! I guarantee you’ll find something that will make you fall in love and something that will inspire you.

dashing tweeds, tweed, british tailors, tailoring, savile row, sackville street, menswear, british tweeds

Dashing’s 12 days of Christmas

For Dashing’s #12daysofChristmas we take a look at the highlights of 2017! Here are some of our Dashing characters that managed to truly embody the brand this year, including Simon Grant, Joel Culpepper, Leo Bieber and Nicholas Campbell.

Another highlight of the year was our London Fashion Week Men’s pop up photoshoot where all the buyers and bloggers tried on Dashing straight after the shows!

Also in 2017, psychedelic colours were a run of the mill in our tweeds!

In 2017, we witnessed lots of love with couples tying the knot in Dashing Tweeds!

As the new year begins, we look back at some of the greatest wedding moments with several grooms wearing our cloth on their special day.

During the summer months of 2017, we produced fine weight merino wools to keep you cool!

A great success for the year was developing our made to measure cycle blazer with action shoulders and reflective tweed

In 2017, it was a pleasure to meet with art consultant, Nicholas Campbell and discuss all things Dashing.

Showcasing #DashingTweeds at the Milan Unica Tradeshow, proving a great way to meet new clients and Dashing fans.

Our AW17 fashion film showcased at London Fashion Week Men’s was also a major highlight

Shining the spotlight on Joel Culpepper in Dashing! A man with music in his soul and rhythm at his feet looking Dashing.

With the new year beginning shortly, we also look back at some of the brilliant mills we worked with in 2017

Happy New Year from the team at Dashing!

Tailors Uncovered : Anderson and Sheppard

When it comes to the discreet, elegant service that you would expect of Savile Row Tailors then none are as exquisite as Anderson and Sheppard. With no need to brag and ‘under the radar’ as the usual command to the pilot, A&S customers are a discerning and elusive crowd. Heads of state, industrialists, designers and movie stars all frequent the establishment tucked around the corner from the main drag of tailors.

Like all good tailoring houses A&S have ` Per Anderson, apprentice to the great Frederick Scholte perfected the idea of tailoring based on the natural drape of fabric rather than the highly structured construction of the other Savile Row tailors with military backgrounds. The result is a incredibly comfortable suit that hangs neatly from the shoulders and gives the wearer the feeling that they are in charge rather than being coerced into proportion by tailoring.

The soft shoulder line of my evening suit.

The secret is achieving a fine balance of savoir-faire drape without looking limp, as I amusingly find the Italian retranslation of the look. This is all to do with the cut of the arm holes. The expertise of A&S is in the way they can create small armholes high-up in the body. This enables a great range of movement without the collar lifting at all from the neck when raising your arms. Through the combination of their soft canvassing, meticulous hand sewing and understated shoulder pads you feel as light as a waltz, which was probably why Fred Astaire was a regular customer.

All the sleeves are hand sewn to achieve the famously comfortable shoulder. The workshops below the shop floor are the as organised and tidy as the rest of the house.

Trousers are never as simple as they seem, some pairs find you tugging at the waistband like an ingénue at her first ball and others are just perfect. My A&S trousers all fall into the latter category. Again the secret is in a cut developed by Sidney Sheppard, a trouser cutter par excellence and a fitting associate for Per. Analogous to the comfortable arm holes, trousers are designed to sit high on your natural waist and the house is rightly keen on promoting the use of braces which not only enable them to cut their famous fish tail backs but also keep the line of the leg furrow free.

Danny Hall striking out on a linen cloth.

My A&S suits where all cut by the long serving master tailor Mr Hitchcock who has now handed the shears and expertise to Danny Hall on the coat making side of things whilst John Malone is still busy cutting the most refined trousers. Bearing in mind the expertise of A&S when it comes to evening wear I choose to have my black tie tailored by them. The term refers more to a style than fabric. I used our fine Merino with purple dots on a ground of dark navy, a balance of formal and amusing which brightens most dinners. Needless to say the lightness of the three piece suit with silk facings has encouraged much dancing and as you can see still looks fresh after 10 years of wear.

Exquisite finishing and button holes on my waistcoat.

Shears in the skilled hands of John Malone

The whole of Anderson and Sheppard is beautifully overseen by wonderful Anda Rowland. Her highly educated eye, knowledge of luxury and business ensures the smooth running of the house. Her forward looking programme of training apprentices at all levels means that standards are always kept up for now and into the future.

Classic high waisted trousers with a fish tail for braces. I chose to have the brace buttons sewn inside.

Pressing is a surprisingly skilled job which takes years to get right, too much pressure can ruin a suit.

If an easy elegance in tailoring at the highest level is what you are after then A&S is for you. This quote from Fred Astaire seems appropriate for the fabulously run tailor. “If it doesn’t look easy it is that we have not tried hard enough yet”

Colin, always a friendly face at the front of house, do go in and chat to him.

Dashing Tweeds, British Tailor, Made to Measure, London Tailor, British Tailoring, Menswear

Joyous Dressing for Christmas

Tis the season to be jolly. All that fa la la la-ing and wassailing is to be looked forward to even with an inevitable starry head and drum tight tummy once the mull is over.

No one wants a scrooge at their party, but you may well say humbug when being coerced into a gaudy Christmas jumper. Even with my dedicated to Yule tide merry making, I draw the line at bauble elves and rutting stags invading my wardrobe. It is of course perfectly possible to walk a tight rope stretching between festive and fashionable, needless to say we can support you in the balancing act.

Firstly, something tackle the snow, which could well lay deep, crisp and even. Forget about the dull waxed jacket or dark evening coat, you need to arrive with the generous spirit of Wenceslas in a cherry tweed coat, such as our Ben Lawers Raglan, or Herringbone along with a Check Me Out merino scarf to keep you warm.

We have just commissioned a selection of jumpers to be knitted for us in Scotland using the colourful flecked Donegal wools of our winter wave, these are festive yet elegant and light enough to wear under one of our jackets.

Ties and pocket squares are of course a classic way to add colour to your festive look. We have worked with an English tie maker to add a more fashionable element to our lighter weight Merino wools into neck wear and several feature our Lumatwill threads which will add a degree of luminosity to your look should the camera flash come out. Our pocket squares by Madeline are original, colourful mini works of art that will bring cheer to any breast pocket and can be whipped out to perform magic should you be blessed with a gift. I favour silk scarves as a great way to bridge the gap of formality whilst keeping decorum and our pieces designed by Arlette are both witty and with it.

Trousers are often a let down when it comes to dressing up. There seems to be two camps, those who try to wear amusingly coloured corduroy and those who don’t. However, there are other choices and we have a few playful pairs including our trews. You may think that trews are just Scottish trousers but they are in fact a distinctive cut developed many years ago by the military. Interestingly, trews feature no outside seam on the leg enabling checked patterns to be perfectly matched around the thighs, right down to the ankles. Looking so smart they have become part of the mess dress for Scottish regiments and our pairs cut for us by Davies and Son of Savile Row in a jolly yellow and black urban check will have you passing parade. They are well worth trying on when paying us a visit.

Lastly, as a topping so to speak don’t forget a hat. Our flat caps made by a family business in Yorkshire will coordinate with your joyous look, brighten up the evening and keep your nut warm. When it comes to colour I imagine Good King Wenceslas was a jolly dresser in silk robes and ermin. His song should be a missive to us all “Mark my footsteps, my good page, tread thou in them boldly. Thou shalt find the winter’s rage freeze thy blood less coldly’.

Dashing Tweeds, Menswear, British Tailoring, Sackville Street, Dashing Man

Dashing around for Christmas gifts?

There’s no hiding, sooner rather than later you are going to have to do some Christmas shopping.

Your loved ones would definitely like something beautifully British and not ubiquitous. We have the answer, all sorts of handcrafted desirable creations made from our original modern tweed designs.

We have pioneered Lumatwill reflective tweed fabric and had to make it into a range of classic flat caps in Yorkshire as well as working with Hiro and Wolf to craft a collection of dog collars and leads. For a more generous present we can tailor a one-off cycle blazer for men or an elegant ladies cape, which looks good on or off bike.

For simple gifts, we offer wool duffle bags, over the shoulder musette bags and gloves in a barley corn structured Harris tweed. Our Donegal wool overcoats have been a great success and we have used the same wools in a small range of knitwear that has just arrived in from Scotland.

We have been working with a Swiss graphic artist, Arlette Ess, and used her witty designs of Allen Keys and Bike Chains to screen print silk dress scarves which brighten up any Christmas suit and are a great replacement for ties on relaxing evenings. We also offer a range of lambswool scarves from Holly’s brand Check Me Out.

I’m sure we can help tick at least a couple of Dashing folks off our list and leave you time for pondering other conundrums like how to fit four drinks parties into one night.

We are always here to offer advice on gifts and sizing, just email me anytime at Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk

If you are having trouble deciding what to buy then you can purchase a Gift Voucher from us. The golden vouchers can be bought to any value and will enable the holder to exchange them for their value of cloths, garments, accessories or tailoring.

These vouchers can be purchased online or in store at 26 Sackville Street