heritage

Take your time: the bespoke shirt



Turnbull and Asser bespoke shirt for women

The French may have Charvet, but we have Turnbull & Asser. In matters of sartorial excellence, a bespoke shirt has to be one of life’s great not-so-little luxuries. So in the name of research, I took up the offer of trying out the service.

Shirts factor big in my book, The New Garconne: How to be a Modern Gentlewoman and they’re also enjoying a major fashion spotlight moment, especially those of gargantuan, deconstructed proportions. And yet here’s a fascinating fact: only about 1% of Turnbull & Asser bespoke shirts are made for women. (more…)



Things to do: House Style at Chatsworth House



Chatsworth House House Style exhibition

The most eye-popping style exhibition has just opened at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. ‘House Style’ is Chatsworth’s biggest exhibition yet and I went along a couple of weeks ago with about 100 press and other guests to get an early glimpse.

Chatsworth is the residence of the current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and has seen several generations of stylish predecessors. (more…)



Can Gap’s 90s redux make it relevant to a new generation?



Gap I Am Gap 90s redux

So even though I liked the Gap normcore campaign, it turns out the public didn’t. But that hasn’t stopped Gap trying to channel its normcore heritage one more time to engage a younger generation of customer.

This time it’s youthful 90s normcore which makes much more sense. (more…)



Retail report: Come on over to Coach House, London



Coach House London flagship store

If you’ve strolled through Oxford Circus Station lately, you’ll know there’s a new Coach store in town. The giant billboard and video ads along the tunnel walkways and up the escalator are a good giveaway. If not, the neon dinosaurs lighting up its Regent Street windows may well lure you in. (more…)