David Parkin goes from peacock to slut drop

THE suit is dead.

It was inevitable that sooner or later, the “experts” would predict that one of the many consequences of the pandemic would be the demise of that centuries old staple of a gentleman’s wardrobe.

To be honest, they didn’t need a crystal ball to make this prediction given the rise of working from home and a more relaxed dress code in the workplace.

And then came what seemed like the final nail in the coffin for the suit - the Office for National Statistics announced it had decided to take men’s suiting out of the “virtual basket” of goods it uses to calculate inflation.

But when it comes to evidence I want to listen to the real experts - those who work in the clothing industry and have made a career out of it.

What do they say.

Well, according to Simon Berwin who runs a menswear advisory firm and is the former managing director of historic men’s tailoring business Berwin & Berwin, the suit’s demise is greatly exaggerated.

And that opinion has been backed up by another tailoring titan of my acquaintance, tailor James Michelsberg.

After I mentioned bumping into Simon in London, I read a recent article he wrote for clothing industry publication Drapers.

When it comes to menswear, Simon has been there done it and bought the cashmere sleeveless cardigan.

He said that when he joined the industry 49 years ago the Yorkshire Post and other press were writing about the death of the suit.

So little has changed, but Simon says those making the prediction today have failed to do one thing - speak to the people in the menswear industry.

He has spoken to the bosses of Moss Bros, Slater Menswear, Next and M&S recently and all of them have reported suit sales up between 10% and 25% against 2019.

This has been driven, Simon says, by the demand for “occasionwear” for weddings and other celebrations or events like the races, rather than people buying suits to wear to the office.

And it seems like men are starting to discover their inner peacock, according to Simon.

“I have recently been at Birmingham and Paddington stations on my way to meetings, where I witnessed a huge array of styles and colours of suits. Men are in fact braver and more colourful in their occasion attire than in the past. Cheltenham Festival was another example, showing that the suit has changed, not died.”

And while the big retailers are benefiting from this renaissance, Simon points out that we are also seeing a rebirth of made-to-measure tailoring.

“The local independent knows his customers, knows what suits individuals best and influences the correct look.

“Let's also remember that autumn/winter 19 was the last time many customers treated themselves to a new suit, many have changed body shape in the unprecedented period since.”

And a quick check in at Michelsberg Towers in the Victoria Quarter in Leeds confirms the Berwin view.

James Michelsberg told me: “As a bespoke tailor with more than fifteen years plying my trade, I have never had such a busy start to a year.

“The air is reeking with positivity and the pent-up demand for fun and frolics is off the scale,” said James, who speaks with the elan, aplomb and panache that he brings to his tailoring.

“According to The Wedding Report, this will be the biggest year for weddings since 1984 and I have customers commissioning pieces for the races, trips overseas and even a ‘Wolf of Wall Street themed 40th birthday party.”

And as Simon wrote in his article for Drapers: “The public, helped by the new generation of young buyers, want colourful design and statements.

“Media is still a big influence, and whether on Netflix, Sky Sports or Peaky Blinders, tailoring is there to be seen. Designers have shown tailoring on their catwalks, in womenswear as well as men's.

“Wedding suits can be found in Biella fabrics [the Italian village has a reputation for fine fabrics] or tweed three-pieces in colourful herringbones or bright checks. Guys will spend to be individual and look the part. They will treat themselves to a branded product or a made-to-measure,” Simon adds.

James concurs, pointing to the latest spring and summer cloth collections from his favourite Italian cloth mills Loro Piana and Ariston which include pink and bottle green cloth in a relaxed open weave in wool and silk which he says makes a tempting option for summer jackets.

His latest blog is a wonderful read with some lovely turns of phrase. You can read it here?https://michelsberg.co.uk/2022/03/21/la-bella-figura-is-back/

Both Simon and James see check cloth on the rise, relaxed fabrics, double breasted styles are more popular for jackets while trousers are higher waisted with pleats.

But never a man to stand still, James recognises a rising demand for knitwear and so has launched his own range of made-to-measure polo shirts, roll necks, crew necks, cardigans and zip-up sweaters, partnering with a family-run atelier in Italy.

Given the last piece of knitwear that featured in this blog was a recent photo of shabby sitcom landlord Rigsby wearing his stained, moth eaten cardigan, I’m not expecting an invite to be measured up down at Michelsberg Towers anytime soon.

I’ve always been happy to celebrate and be a standard bearer for fine menswear, but it sounds like I’m not alone according to the opinion of tailoring talents Berwin and Michelsberg.

Simon concludes: “The suit is not dead. Long live the suit.”

And James adds: “Now we are truly back on track, it’s time to shun your Dominic Cummings fleece and bid farewell to lonesome days working from home, dressed like an unlicensed cab driver.

“I implore the men of Yorkshire to turn their back on drab austerity and adorn themselves in flighty new finery and find that Florentine peacock within.”

Having delivered that line I could imagine him flamboyantly removing his fedora and bowing deeply.

Well, I told you he had panache.

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I READ this week that a York company that has developed technology to send human hologram messages has completed a ￡500,000 funding round.

2mee has created patented technology that allows users to send human hologram messages directly to customers, clients and recipients.

Unfortunately it didn’t reveal where the funding came from and which firms advised on the deal.

I think it is called virtual reality.

:::

YAY!?

It was only a matter of time.

Steph’s Packed Lunch, the jewel in Channel 4’s daytime programming crown, has been nominated for a BAFTA award.

The chat and “lifestyle” show is broadcast live every weekday from a studio at Leeds Dock.

To be honest, I think anyone who sits and watches the entire show should get an award.

The programme, fronted by former BBC business presenter Steph McGovern, parades an assortment of waifs and strays who all have one thing in common - the ability to talk about nothing at great length.

Launched during lockdown in Steph McGovern’s kitchen in Harrogate, the programme had a rocky start, at one point registering no viewers.

Apparently Steph’s neighbours in the spa town didn’t take kindly to the disruption of having a live TV show filmed on their doorstep and even took to ringing her doorbell and running off while she was broadcasting live.

If it couldn’t gain viewers during lockdown, then things were always going to get sticky when the world returned to some kind of normality.

But let’s be fair, it is still going and, given the fanfare in the studio with which Steph greeted the BAFTA nomination this week, she’s very proud of that achievement.

And so she should be.

The daytime TV schedule is packed with brilliant shows which provide huge competition.

Like Loose Women, Dickinson’s Real Deal and Flog It.

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AFTER hosting an event at Leeds Arena last night (more on that next week) I called into Banyan, the bar on City Square where PR and marketing company Source was holding its 21st anniversary party.

The ‘do’ was also to celebrate the retirement of co-founder Peter Downey, or ‘P Diddy’ as he is known by no one except his colleague Martha Phillips.

I remember Peter and co-founder Steve Clark telling me about the launch of their new firm 21 years ago when I was at the Yorkshire Post.

We’ve been friends ever since and Peter has bags of personality, positivity and humour, which you would expect to be essential qualities for a PR person, but I’ve met plenty who lack them.

I arrived late so I missed the speeches but did catch the end of the karaoke and was then dragged onto the dance floor after a lady I’ve never met before put me in a half nelson.

A couple of my signature slut drops later and she realised she’d bitten off more than she could chew and left me to it.

I’d like to think it was a coincidence that the DJ stopped the music at that point.

Happy retirement Peter.

And have a great weekend.