Journal

The Best Dressed: Ocean's Eleven

The Best Dressed: Ocean's Eleven

I'm not sure that Saul's off-duty look was intentionally trendy but in the last 19 years (yes this film was made nearly 20 years ago!!) bucket hats have returned, as have loud cuban shirts. 
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How to: Work From Home

How to: Work From Home

If you are lucky enough to have a designated office then shut the door and go be somewhere else. If you are working on your kitchen table then do an exercise video, meditate, lie on your back in the dark for 10 minutes, phone a friend. Just something that means the work portion of the day is clearly ended.
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Tailor's note: February 2020 - Finding the right Tuxedo

Tailor's note: February 2020 - Finding the right Tuxedo

Designing your custom suit can be a tricky thing. Suddenly something you’ve only ever thought of as a whole item needs to be broken down into the sum of its...
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James & Mirin

James & Mirin

Brief: An overcoat fit for Town & Country Cloth: Donegal Tweed - Dashing Tweeds 100% Wool Lining - Kipper & Chalk Photograph of Mirin by Bryce Knox.  Viscose.   Bespoke Notes:...
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How to: Buy your wedding suit

How to: Buy your wedding suit

You've popped the question and set a date. The next thing you need to do is find the suit. But where do you begin??  To help you out we have...
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Fairy Tailors

Fairy Tailors

5 fictional tailors ranked from best to worst 1. The Tailor of Gloucester It should be fairly obvious why this heart-warming tale comes in at number one. Workers’ rights abuses...
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Matt - A Winter Wedding

Matt - A Winter Wedding

One of the advantages of coming to Kipper & Chalk for his suit, is that we can print any of your photos onto you lining for a truly one-of-a-kind garment.

I played around with a couple of placement options. Given that Whisky is a sausage dog, I initially pictured him running down the length of the sleeve but the problem with that would be that no one would see him. So the groom settled on the second option, poking up into the armhole. 

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Sustainability at LFWM

Sustainability at LFWM

For their latest collection, which Patrick Grant was keen to point out doesn’t “change so much from season to season that you will feel you need to buy something new”, E Tautz collaborated with textile recycler Astco. Ransacking their stash for bed linen, white cotton shirts, and denim, A/W’20 is a glorious mash up of Zoot suits, Kevin & Perry and Maria Von Trapp. And I mean that as the highest compliment.
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How has Menswear changed over the last decade?

How has Menswear changed over the last decade?

And that leads me onto arguably the men’s brand of the decade. Gucci. Oh how far it has come. The 2010 show is everything I had come to expect from the Italian brands of old. White skinny jeans, tan leather jackets and loafers with no socks. But then in 2015, Alessandro Michele was appointed Creative Director and there was an explosion. 
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Freddie - Linen that doesn't wrinkle

Freddie - Linen that doesn't wrinkle

    Brief: Linen, which looks smart 3 Piece, Single-Breasted.  Cloth: Linen/Wool/Cotton Blend - Bateman Ogden 50% Wool, 25% Linen, 25% Cotton Lining - House Lining Navy Viscose.   Made to Measure...
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Upcycling: Your Granny did it better

Upcycling: Your Granny did it better

Many luxury fabrics and materials had been used during the war effort, which thrifty seamstresses would use afterwards to create masterpieces on a budget. Parachute silk, in particular, was much sought after. The huge panels of parachutes made them easy to recut and the high quality, lightweight silk was often transformed into stunning wedding dresses.
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Kippers: The Female Tailors of Savile Row

Kippers: The Female Tailors of Savile Row

I often get asked about our name: Kipper & Chalk. The chalk bit is easy, it’s a tailor’s best friend. But what do fish have to do with tailoring? According...
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