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.

The Giving of Gifts

There is a certain currency that appears at Christmas, the circulatory gift. We all know the ones, stashed in the present cupboard; received from one aunt and wrapped with a little gilt for another.

Now is the time to break this cycle before you’re found out or haunted by the ghost of Christmas present.

Yes, the ideal gift for your aunts, uncles, cousins and family can be found here at Dashing Tweeds. We have something for everyone, from reflective tweed greyhound collars to wool tablet cases.

You can be rest assured about the sustainability of our products. Wool is one of the most sustainable fibres and all our fabrics are woven in Great Britain. They will last for many many years but when they are finally no longer needed, wool biodegrades, leaving nothing but good memories.

Jumpers are a staple on the Christmas list but the novelty ones are often made from acrylic and not that great for the environment. Our pure wool Donegal jumpers are beautifully soft and textured giving a lift to any outfit.

Holly has used her design skills from Check Me Out to weave a beautiful range of lambswool scarves. They feature exciting large scale checks that will bring colour to everyones lives. The scarves are woven as part of a long tasselled blanket and we have saved some before they are cut into scarves should you wish for a lovely rug over six by four feet in size.

Tweed caps are one of our best sellers at this time of year. Ours are all hand made in Yorkshire by traditional milliners.  The flat caps, in our modern tweed designs and available in a range of classic and modern shapes.

As well as tweed things we are also helping out friends who have interesting brands, stocking their products in store. Shaun Gordon’s ties are exquisitely made and his range of colours is superlative.

Involute Industries is a new niche company specialising in high tolerance engineered cufflinks, you may wonder why cuff links need precision engineering but these ones made from jet fighter alloys can be made to rotate at over twenty thousand revs per minute, something to take your mind off any dull meeting.

Billy Tannery is a charming company set up by Jack at his family goat farm and specialising in goat leather bags and accessories.

Should you fancy cards then my sister in law Ellie Good has a range of finely printed designs that are stocked here in Dorset street.

So save yourself the trouble of trawling the high street and head to us for a Dashing Christmas.All the very best,

The Dashing Team

P.S – *SAVE THE DATE* 

Join us for more Christmas Festivities as part of the Chiltern Street Christmas Event. 
On Thursday 28th November between 5pm-8pm there will be workshops, live performances, food, drinks & shopping.

Tailors Uncovered: Joe Mathews at Davies & Son

Joe Mathews career is a particular london story, one where Savile Row mets The Arsenal. Having just turned 17 and looking for a summer job, Joe was chatting to his dad’s mate Graham at a Gunners match. Graham, then manager of Dege and Skinner suggested he help in the shop at 10 Savile Row, an offer Joe jumped at. 

Meeting customers and helping with deliveries around town had it’s perks and trips to the Dorchester were always an excitement. The summer job ended up lasting more than 2 years by which time Joe knew Savile Row was the place for him.

For Joe, tailoring runs through his blood. His father has been working as a military coat maker since the mid sixties and suggested that Joe train to become a cutter, an idea that much appealed. Again back at The Emirates Stadium watching a ‘Man U’ game Joe was lucky enough to bump into Alan Bennett owner of Davies and Sonand for my money one of the best cutters on the row.

Joe was delighted to be offered an apprenticeship as a cutter by Alan and started right away. The art of transforming a flat piece of cloth to the finest of fitting suits is a skill that Savile Row has been passing down for generations. Alan learned his direct measurement method from one of the Skinner family.

Joe started by watching Alan draft patterns and would then strike them out from the cloth. Fittings with customers are a vital part of the bespoke process and taught Joe how to make the necessary adjustments to all aspects of a tailored suit. After six years Joe felt confident enough to cut on his own and now that retirement is in the air for Alan, the firm that is Davies and Son will be sure to continue with Joe and others in the house.

Joe and Alan used our most iconic designs, the Gallant Check and Blue Overdrive to make these bespoke designs. To see more of his work, pop into Davies and Son at 38 Savile Row, Mayfair.

P.S. 
We have just sold out of our beautiful Gallant Check design, but do check out the rest of our cloth collection 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.

 

 

 

The Panache of a Panama

dashing tweeds, pachacuti, Panama hat, luxury, made to measure, tailoring, tailors, Marylebone tailoring

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

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.

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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

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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.

 

 

 

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.
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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!

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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.

Celebrating Craft in London 8th – 12th May

Not so long ago craft was a word to be avoided. People and companies did not wish to be associated with some sort of pre industrialised cottage activity, conjuring images of peasants spinning something fluffy by the fireside. Modern life should be clean, efficient, functional with high design.

How times have changed. Many a lifestyle blog now promotes the simple country life, homemade faire, no phones in sight and a plethora of handicrafts from macrame to felting. Modern life now tries to straddle these two extremes and interestingly technology and connectivity has enabled old crafts to thrive in our modern world and more importantly be sought after and sell.

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London Craft Week was set up four years ago to showcase artisans at the highest level and enable customers to commission hand made pieces. Craftsmen demonstrate everything from watchmaking to weaving and glassblowing to calligraphy at various events across the capital.

This year the events take place all over town from 8th – 12th May. Do check out the programme here and I guarantee there will be something to interest you. I like the idea of weaving waste at Battersea Power Station and organ making at the Royal Festival Hall.

Being busy in our new shop we are not on the programme this year but we do always have a loom in the shop and Holly is happy to illuminate you about the woven arts anytime, so do stop by and say hello at 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone.

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Turning heads with Twisk!

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Weddings at Dashing!

It’s going to be a glorious summer for weddings so the forecasters say, so now is the time to make sure you are prepared.

You’d be surprised at the number of men who walk into our shop saying they are getting married next week and need something special to wear. Due to the culture of immediate deliveries and ready to wear some people forget that tailoring at its best takes time. Our made to measure takes 6 weeks so it’s best to think two months ahead at least, although we do offer an emergency 2 week express service at a premium for those reading this with a sudden sense of alarm.

Whilst the bride is the traditional focus of a wedding appearing just in time to sashay down the aisle, on many occasions the groom takes centre stage. Designer Henry Holland is a great fan of Dashing and we collaborated in the early days, weaving a flamboyant check for his catwalk collection modelled by Agyness Deyn. It was an honour that his husband, designer David Hodgson, sported Dashing for the wedding and as you can see they both look like the cat that’s got the cream.

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(Photograph by Joanna Nicole)

As a man, one of the joys of dressing for a wedding be it groom, guest or the honourable position of father of the bride is that convention is now not so important. The days of donning a classic morning coat before a jaunt to the church and a wedding breakfast have been surpassed by all sorts of personal fantasies, and so it should be. Individuality is to be encouraged in these homogeneous times; without flights of fancy we would still be grounded in bear skins. For his idyllic country wedding Philip choose our Whitbread Roxy cloth and accessorised it beautifully with an orange flower to match his bride’s head dress, photographed by the wonderful, Joanna Nicole. Defying convention with a relaxed open necked shirt Philip looks at ease and joyful, starting married life as he means to carry on.

With over a hundred cloth designs to choose from there should be somethingDashing for everyone. We use light weight Merino wool for the summer and heavier British wools in our winter fabrics. Using our  made to measure service could not be easier, after selecting cloth, linings and buttons we guide you through all the possible styling options and then 5-6 weeks later your tailored suit is ready. Minor alterations such as turning up trousers and nipping in the waist take no more than a couple of days after the final fitting. Then as Stanley Holloway sings; Spruced up and looking’ in me prime, girls come and kiss me, show how you’ll miss me. But get me to the Church on time!

(Photograph by Joanna Nicole)

EVENT: Return of the Jocks

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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/

Shining at The Golden Shears

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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.

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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.

 

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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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unlined Jackets for Spring!

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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.

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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!

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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.

 

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

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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.

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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’.

 


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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

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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.tweed, menswear, fashion, marylebone, mens fashion, tailoring, textile, hypebeast, sneakerhead

 

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.
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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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‘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.

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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

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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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.

dashing tweeds, weddings, gareth southgate, world cup, made to measure, bespoke, tailoring, british tailors, 47 dorset street, marylebone, tweed, tweeds, cloth, designAt 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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

dashing tweeds, tweed, tweeds, menswear, luxury, suits, tailoring, British tailors, British tailoring, 47 Dorset street, Marylebone, nike, nike labTo 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.

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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

Dashing Man: Robin Wight

Robin Wight is a man of ideas, action and a great deal of charm.

Working as a copy writer, Robin was lucky enough to have hit the hay day of London’s advertising scene, describing himself as an English version of the American ‘Mad Men’. Robin is currently the Co-Founder of advertising agency WRCS and president of The Engine Group.

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With a fine tall figure ideal for tailoring, Robin is without a doubt one of Dashing’s most colourful customers, a great admirer of quality British fabrics and a huge fan of the colour purple.

Interestingly Robin was not always such a flamboyant dresser and ironical it was the work place after leaving Cambridge that encouraged his exhibitionism. In the world of advertising during the 70’s and 80’s a personal identity was important especially amongst creatives, a way to be remembered and establish a personal brand. Initially Robin sported bowties and hand painted waistcoats as his ‘brand signalling device’, becoming known in the industry as the bow tie wearing Ad Man.

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Gaining sartorial confidence and enjoying the positivity that surrounds a dashing dresser, Robin dropped the bow ties on the advice of his third wife and moved on to wearing Versace’s exciting designs. Then, for a while the flamboyant colours of Ozwald Boateng’s collections took his fancy. Around this time Robin found himself gravitating towards the colour purple, not due to regal aspirations or knowledge of the historical expense of the colour but just because he liked it, and it suited him.

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Purple soon became Robin’s thing and friends would question “Where’s your purple Robin?” feeling miffed if he turned up in anything else. Always on the look out for beautiful cloth Robin found his way to Dashing Tweeds. His eyes lit up upon entering our shop and such was his enthusiasm that we offered to weave special purple fabrics just for him after he had exhausted our current stock. We recommended the tailors Graham Browne and Chittleborough and Morgan to Robin as ones that would enjoy his company and respond well to his taste and as you can see the result is splendid. When questioned as to his sartorial commitment and joie de vivre it came as no surprise to hear, “I always want to perform and purple is the stage on which I stand”.

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Swing by our store on 47 Dorset Street, Marylebone, London, W1U 7ND or if you would like to book a Made to Measure appointment, please drop us an email at: holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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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.dashing tweeds, tweed, tweeds, menswear, luxury, British tailoring, British tailors, made to measure, Savile row, sackville street, cloth, wide leg trousersStylist 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.DASHING TWEEDS, tweeds, tweed, British tailoring, British tailors, made to measure, menswear, luxury, Savile row, sackville streetWe 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

 

Tie the knot in Dashing

The wedding season is approaching and if you are the groom, best men or just a friend of the bride then now is the time to start thinking about your outfit. I wrote a while ago about the changing trends towards less formal attire,  grey morning tails are moving aside as colourful clothes, sometimes  with a theme, are becoming increasingly popular for weddings. Luckily however, a tailored look is still the aspiration and as men throughout generations have discovered a well fitting suit makes you more look masculine, more elegant and more desirable should you be intending to hitch with a bridesmaid.
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We have found that country weddings with a tweed take have been popular, but if you are a guest for such an occasion then your old shooting suit simply won’t cut the mustard, even the game old birds will not be impressed. Tweed fulfils many functions from camouflage through to urban cycling but one of the main characteristics of the fabric is a sense of enjoyment. We have some takes on classic Glen Urquhart and Glen Coigach inspired designs such as our Chattanooga and Charleston Checks as well as our Dashing Explorer range that transcend this country wedding brief.
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The other trend we have observed is young grooms coming to us for their first made to measure suit. They are looking for an investment piece that they will enjoy for many of their married years. Tailored garments are often sparse in their wardrobe and so ideally the jacket can be worn after the wedding with other trousers or jeans for a smart dress down look. For this brief we have a whole range of creative yet subtle fabrics mainly in our fine Merino worsted quality. Our navy Seti design has proved very popular so we have rewoven this. The subtle hints of colour in the dip dyed Japanese cotton stripe provide both the sophisticated originality required for a wedding as well as the freshness for a night out in town. We also have a whole range of lighter weight Merinos in stripes and checks that when tailored well will elevate you from possibly dreary to dashingly dreamy.
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You may well be reading this with the anticipation of welcoming a new son or daughter in law to the family, the father of the bride or groom plays a pivotal role and whilst you do not wish to steal lime light from the central players, it is desirable to show the youth how to dress with a nonchalant aplomb that befits a man of wisdom.
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We have a new cloth in a navy and black peak design which looks artfully interesting without seeking attention and fits the brief well. Of course, if you are renowned as a colourful bon viveur, and your audience would feel cheated if you did not excel yourself with a creation so joyous and exuberant that earth worms sing open harmonies at your arrival we would also be delighted to help make the special day superlative.
If you have any questions regarding cloth for your wedding or would like to book a Made to Measure appointment, please drop us an email on holly@dashingtweeds.co.uk

Heritage of Harris Tweed

We live in a time of mass global manufacturing where your Yorkshire puddings could be made in Gdansk and your bowler in Beijing. For many this may be fine but there is a growing desire to source products from their original geographical home. This is true luxury that the French do so well with their Appellation d’origine contrôlée.  We too have such laws and interestingly control over the origin of Harris Tweed was one of earliest.

The Isles of Harris is part of the romantic Hebridean archipelago in the north west of Scotland where the islanders manage to live in a largely self-sustained way. The land is divided into crofts, areas that are large enough to sustain each family through a great deal of hard work. Food is grown, fish are caught, sheep are reared and clothes are hand woven on small pedal powered looms.

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The spreading industrial revolution never quite reached these remote Isles. In sheds at the bottom of Crofts the skill of hand weaving was passed down through generations. Local lichens known as crottle, along with sea weeds and vegetables were used to dye the yarns so that the very landscape gave rise to the colour of tweeds.

Being woven with such care the woolen fabrics became highly prized for their original designs and hardwearing quality. In the 1840’s Lady Catherine Herbert took responsibility for the Harris estate and promoted the local fabric production, she clad herself and her ghillies in a Murray tartan woven by the islanders.  It was not long before all her friends wanted some of this fashionable fabric for hunting and all manner of country pursuits. Queen Victoria’s love affair with Scotland helped and before long merchants from Edinburgh to London were clamouring for the cloth.

Where there is demand there are dastardly deceivers, and it was not long before imposters started trying to pass off inferior mass-produced tweeds as Harris ones. They tried all the tricks, hanging the masquerading weaves over smoky fires to give the original peaty smell of the Crofters and literately taking the piss when they urinated on them to give a hint of urine that was used as the original mordant dye fixer. Enough was enough and in 1909 one of the earlier trademark was granted to the Harris Tweed Association. Only tweed woven on the island and stamped with the distinctive Orb trademark could be called Harris Tweed and all impersonators could be prosecuted.

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Present times are no less exciting for the combined isle of Harris in the southern half and Lewis in the north. The desire for Harris Tweed has not diminished, in 2004 Nike called the renowned crofter and weaver Donald John MacKay to order a huge 950-meter length of hand woven tweed, he was bowled over. When the phone rang again he was momentary relieved to hear they had made a mistake. However, his sigh of relief became an ever-larger gasp of surprise when the order was upped to 9,500 meters, a job that kept almost all the crofters peddling their looms for months.

Following the renaissance for the tweeds, textile magnet Brian Haggas thought he would help the islanders by stream lining their production. He invested heavily in the Mackenzie mill with the aim to close all other mills and concentrate on weaving just four designs in greater quantity. As you can imagine this kind of help caused uproar and galvanised apathetic crofters to grab their shuttles and protest.

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Tweed production is now at a healthy state and the quality of the fabric is as good as ever. We have a strong link to the Hebrides as Kirsty, our Fabric Design Director, was born in Stornaway on Lewis and her first breaths of windswept wildness must have sparked her love of weaving. We work with the Carloway Mill that send us their yarns for designing before we commission then to weave authentic Harris Tweed to our specifications. In stock at the moment we have two very wearable designs, the Iona in a blue barleycorn structure and the Staffa in a subtle herringbone structure in colour-flecked browns, and we can create other designs to order. When you buy the cloth we supply a label of authenticity enabling you to track the production to the beautiful remote isles where globalisation is just a whisper in the wind.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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: Sloan Hickman

 

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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.

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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.

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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 21st 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.

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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.

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Dashing Tweed’s aim is to give men and women a greater choice of fabrics by designing their own unique range of woven cloth all woven in the UK.
All the fabrics are available to buy by the metre, and Dashing Tweeds can tailor jackets, trousers, suits and coats for both men and women using any of their unique fabrics for any occasion.

47 Dorset Street, London, W1U 7ND
+44 (0) 207 486 6882
Guy@DashingTweeds.co.uk

Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm
Saturday 11am – 5pm
Sunday closed
Appointments can be booked when the store is closed

 

 

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