BBC3 Young Tailor of the Year 2012 2 of 2

....continuing on from my previous post.


I also wanted to thank everyone involved in the filming of Young Tailor of the Year.  It was such a great experience.   For the final show we were all put into a hotel up in beautiful Suffolk for two days while it was filmed at a former United States Air Force base.  


It was a crazy, long, and stressful two days but everyone was so lovely,  all the production team and crew, and the other contestants and there friends and family, we all had such a good time.


One frustrating thing about getting knocked out first was that nobody got to see the jacket that I made.  In the last challenge Emma and Katie had to finish a jacket they had started prior by fitting the sleeves and top collar.  Of course not knowing which one of us was going to get through we all had to make a jacket to the same level.


About a week before the filming in suffolk we each went in turn to Richard Anderson's on Savile Row and was given an allotted time to measure up our models.  After taking a full set of measurements and being given a £200 budget for cloth we then had a week to design and make a jacket up to the point of setting the leaves and putting on the top collar.


I little side note that I want to bring up...in the finishing task on the show I was critised because I did a little bit of everything instead of following the correct process.  When for these jackets we had to do all the finishings and fastening before we put the sleeves in which is not the correct procedure.  So I thought that to be a little hypocritical.


Anyway during my fitting I discussed with Chris (my model)  the best look for him as I wanted to treat him like a customer.  This is one on the best parts of the job and one that I am probably best at, again shame you didn't get to see if.

Our brief was as follows:

'Your male model is due to attend a red carpet event, he wants a show stopping garment that will impress those in the style industry and the media. He is young and fashion conscious with an eye for the finer things in life. He usually appears in the ‘best dressed’ columns and is praised for having a real eye for detail.'

Mood/colour and client brief board

After talking with Chris about the syle and cut of clothing he wears I decided on a very slim fitting modern look with slender sleeves, nipped in at the waist and an almost cropped short style length.  Style wise I had been doing a project about the Tuxedo and how it was often made in Midnight blue because black can look dark green under artificial light.  So what did I do?  I asked myself whats wrong with it looking green?  I like green.  So a middle finger up to to midnight blue I shall make a green tuxedo.



I found some beautiful 9oz British racing green wool from the lovely people at Holland and Sherry on Savile Row. Together with black silk moire facings to give it a vintage traditional feel and matched with some skinny creased shinny black tonic trousers to bring it up to date. 

After getting the fabric and the design was done I now had one week to get to the necessary stage with only one fitting in-between.  One week, one fitting,  this was no easy task and I had not worked within this sort of time scale before and was a mean feet for anybody, but I wasn't about to give up.  I got into a quiet comfortable rythem at home and worked my socks off (metaphorically of course as I wear sock suspenders).  After drafting a pattern from Chris's measurements I cut and made up a first baste which I took back to Richard Andersons to do a first fitting.  I was glad when the jacket was almost perfect,  there was of course some minor changes that need to be made but that is the nature of the business.

Even though the fitting went well I still had a few days to get it ready.  I had to start by ripping down the first baste making it up to a straight finish with lining, pockets, detailing, fastings and finishings.

It was hard work but I did it.

So you can see my disappointment in that after all that I did not get through to the final two and this meant my jacket would not be on the show and considering the time scale it was made in, it is some of my best work, technically and design wise.

There is always a silver lining though (or in this case a purple with pearl white piped lining)

As not getting to finish the jacket while i was there, I was not going to go home empty handed so i decide to alter to jacket to fit myself.  Not a quick job but I wasn't going to let this beautiful jacket go to waste.

You can see I lined it with a amazing shot black and purple satin and lined the sleeves, pocket jets and piped the edge in pearl white.  I also used a wonderful ornate British East India Trading Company crest button and prick stitched the front edge in a lilac.

I used a purple and green cashmere to make a lower inside phone patch pocket.  Plus I used vintage check wools to line the inside facings of all the pockets.

As you can see I went all out on the jacket, I even made a bow-tie and pocket handkerchief to match the lining.  So here is the finished product.  

BBC3 Young Tailor of the Year 2012 1 of 2

At the start of summer summer after I had just finished my second year at London College of Fashion in bespoke Tailoring,  I came across the opportunity to apply to be on a BBC show called Young Tailor of the Year.  So I did,  I wasn't that confident as I hadn't much experience but I thought, 'hey why not' even if I got through the first stage it would look good on my CV.


After the initial application I was invited in for an on camera interview and a small test to see how much people new about the craft.  I saw some familiar faces, mainly apprentices on Savile Row and former students which just confirmed to me that I didn't have the experience to get any further.  So I went in with an air of confidence, the sort you have when you are doing something in which you have nothing to lose.  I thought 'hey, nice day out, get to meet some more people from the trade'.


Maybe I was a little hard on my self as I new all the answers to the questions and have an extensive knowledge of tailoring.  Which is why I was happy when I received an email say that I had got through to the penultimate 20 down from 200 applicants and I was invited up to manchester for a filmed practical challenge.

Again I went along not expecting too much, if anything I thought this would be a great way to meet girls.  The task was  to pad stitch an under collar, which was a doddle as I am good at shaping under collars and they always come out awesome.  I was also asked to take something I had made,  so I took my grey Prince of Whales Check jacket with purple lapels and under sleeves,  which was some really good work that I was proud of.  It was a Tommy Nutter inspired jacket and I think the judges, Mark Powell and Richard Anderson liked it.

The Jacket I took to the interview which I had made

When my name was called out at the end of the day to say that I had made it though to the final four, I was shocked....but not surprised.  After all the stages I felt like I had done well and deserved to be there.


Unfortunately that is where my luck ran out (not that it was luck but where my skill and confidence reached it's limit).  The nonchalance of not thinking I was going to get through probably gave me the confidence to pass each challenge.  But now I was in the final four and through to the studio filming all the nerves hit me at once.  Knowing that I was up against three Savile Row tailors all of which have day-to-day professional training were I was still a student.

Up against it I was.  On the first day after hair and make up first thing we were put straight into the studio with no warning or preparation of what the challenges would be and the presenter George Lamb blow the whistle and we were off....One hour to complete the finishing hand stitching to a waistcoat.  Just my rotten luck, finishings are possibly my biggest weakness and not surprising as before two years prier I had not even picked up a needle and thread before.  But I did my best,  I appreciate the judges comments and it is something I need to work on.  But it wasn't bad, but I knew then I was on the bottom of the pile at that stage.

Feeling I little disheartened after the first challenge I tried to pick myself up and not let it knock my confidence for the next challenge.  Now this was hard as after 'action!' was called for the next challenge and being told we had to draft, cut and make a first baste pair of trouser in two and a half hours.  My heart sank,  at first I thought ok it is a tough time scale but at least this challenge is more suited to what I am good at.  That was until I was told I had to draft from memory......'I'm sorry what?! a trouser baste in two and half hours from memory! I think you must be getting 'Young Tailor of the Year' confused with 'Tailor of the Year'.  Thats when the pressure got the better of me.  It's hard enough working when someone is watching you but when there is about ten cameras on you, two owners of Savile Row Houses, a famous presenter and all the friends, family, and crew it all gets a little to much.

For the life of me I couldn't remember what Oxford bags where, which I felt pretty silly about after.  There was no way I could remember how to draft without my notes and time was ticking way.  After about an hour trying to draft I gave up and just cut a pair of trousers by eye, trying to meet the key measurements.


After all that the trouser I cut were pretty good (not good enough as a first baste) but it was a good test of my rock of eye and I thought they were a nice shape.  I just wish I had done that from the start then I would have had an extra hour to finish off the rest.  So after that it was no surprise that I would be first out,  I think I deserved to go out first as based on my performance and at that that point I did not do as well as the others, I was also a little reviled it was over.  Well until I saw the next two challenges, as they were much more suited to my abilities, but hindsight is a beautiful thing.

OK I think I accepted defeat pretty well but here is my issue with the whole thing...


I found the whole thing a bit ridiculous.  First of all you had jacket makers doing cutting, cutters doing finishings, Makers doing cutting.  Thats the equivalent of getting a brick layer to rewire your house because they are both in the building trade.  Tailors specialise in different areas because it takes many years to get good and any one part of making a suit.  Ok I hear you say, everybody should have an over view of the craft and thats right I'm not disputing that, but then they should have given us some warning to prepare ourselves.  What is telling us the day before what the challenges are going to be going to hurt? it just made everyone struggle.  Either that or give us a realistic time frame to archive the necessary product.  I mean the reason I got into tailoring in the first place was because it was a craft that requires patience, love, care and attention.  A suit can take up to eight weeks to make and getting us to rush and cut corners completely defeats the object of what we do, and is more of a shame because I meet so many young talented people all the time in this trade and I just think the show could have done better to showcase that.  Not to mention the sponge tables,  next time you meet a cutter ask him if works on a sponge table, I think he would laugh in your face.


Other than that it was a really good experience,  and by no way let those teething problems with the show detract from what a dissevering winner and a lovely lady Emma Martin is from Dege and Skinner.  Not to forget second and third place runners up, Katy Bowles from Pogson and Davis and 

Ethan Sweet from Maurice Sedwell.  What a great bunch and I had a awesome couple of days, thanks guys.

You can watch it here http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01bpd5m/

Next time I will share some photos of what you didn't get to see......

New Products

Finally some QUIRKESSENTIAL products.  Here we have a range of beautifully hand made, vintage liberty print, 100% cotton ties.  Perfect for those spring/summer garden parties.

At £14.99 email me at davidadamstailoring@gmail.com to order.

Autumnal

Blossom

Forget Me Windsor Knot

I Lilac

Primrose

Black Forest

Peachy

Hot off the Row

I've just got in some new cloth from the kind people at Holland & Sherry of Savile Row.  Here you can see some beautiful dark green cotton velvet, a blue and black 100% wool Herringbone, a grey and red Donegal tweed and a 100% worsted wool purple and white Herringbone.

This is all for a very exciting project that I am working on.  More details on that will be coming soon.

Tuxedo 'the aftermath'

Following on from a previous post regarding a project I did with London College of Fashion and the Savile Row tailors Henry Poole in which I reinvented the tuxedo for the 21st Century.  The project has now taken on a life of its own and has started to snow ball.  After an initial photo shoot in Paris and the launch party at Quintessentially (the London concierge service) the tuxedo that I made along with others and showcase heritage pieces from renowned Tuxedo wearers Frank Sinatra and Truman Capote went to a pop-up exhibition in the Burlington Arcade and Harrods.


Other VIP stars who have been shot in their favourite tuxedos, with an accompanying vignette outlining what makes this distinctive item of clothing so iconic, include supermodel Marie Helvin, musician Mr Hudson, Gordon Richardson (Topman) and jeweller Robert Tateossian.


In September 2011 the tuxedo was flown out to New York where it went on exhibition in the Tuxedo Park Historical Society and I was lucky enough to be flown out with it to attend the Tuxedo Park Autumn Ball  which was sponsored by Giorgio Armani. But more on this later.


There is now talk of the exhibition going on to Brazil, Hong Kong and China.


So I like to take this opportunity to thank a everybody who was involved in the project;


My tutors Christopher Stevens,Steven Dell and Alan Cannon-Jones.  Roma Vaccaro and Ben Whyman for managing and curating.  Everyone at London College of Fashion.  The Gentleman from Henry Poole, Angus and Simon Cundey, Alex cooke and Craig featherstone.  Frederic Dormeuil and Patrick Bunting from Dormeuil for there kind fabric sponsorship.  Deborah Harmon and everyone at Tuxedo Park.  The kind people at the V&A for letting us into there archives. Finally just everyone who had input to this project without who all of this would not be possible.


I now look forward to getting my tuxedo back so I can wear it

Me, David Adams & model Olivia Inge 

Gordon Richardson

Harold Tillman, CBE

Marie Helvin

Mr Hudson

Robert Tateossian

Tuxedo

Happy Anniversary

Last year was the 150th anniversary of the little black jacket.  A resident of Tuxedo Park New York, James Brown Potter vacation in England and were introduce to the then Price of Wales who later became King Edward VII,  After asking advice on Formal dress Mr Potter went to Henry Poole & Co of Savile Row wear he was fitted a short black black jacket with no tails.  Once taken back to the United States and worn for the first time at formal events it was to be forever know as the 'tuxedo'.

To celebrate this iconic garment I teamed up with Henry Poole in a project to reinvent to tuxedo for the modern gentleman.  The inspirations for my tuxedo have came from looking at pre and post its invention. After doing my initial research on the Tuxedo and it origins, the fact that it derived from the tail coat and how it has evolved into the modern dinner jacket we all know today, I started to play around with period looks but with modern cuts.  I have taken inspiration from all eras from 17^th century brocade and 19^th century British Regency to Dickinson and the modern catwalk.  I wanted to take the best parts of these eras as well as a mix of dinner jacket, frock coat, tail coat, dressing gown, smoking jacket and create something new with a traditional beauty.  Together with Dormeuil fabric I used brocade silks, jacquards, satins to craft an outfit that is splendiferous, I want it to be lavish and decadent, and I want the wearer to feel like a king.

If the dress coat could be described as the most elegant of nineteenth century male attire, then the frock coat must be the most dignified. Combined with the top hat, the general effect was very impressive.

From a technical point of view, the frock coat follows a similar development to the dress coat. The standard pattern has a panel at the front (double-breasted), a waist seam (I 820s) and - by 1840 — it  included the sidebody panel. Waist lines were raised or lowered and sleeve styles changed according to prevailing fashion. There were also variations in the coat length.

Apart from changes in the style of collar and lapel, the most notable difference in the frock coat from one period to another was in the style of the skirt. This ranged from being very full and flared in the earlier period to hanging straight with very little fullness from 1880 to 1900.

Towards the end of the century the frock coat was mainly replaced by the morning coat.

My Jacket at a photo shoot in Paris

and at the launch party at Quintessentially, London.

A Winning Suit

My Timothy Everest Inspired Suit


In the Autumn term of my second year on the BA Hons Bespoke tailoring course at London College of Fashion we had to undertake a project that involved collabroating with the tailoring house Timothy Everest.  In this project I had to design and make a suit that compliments his casual collection.

Design Rationale:

My design inspiration has been the 1980’s popular culture and art work.  After looking at what people are wear in the age demographic of early 20’s to early 30’s, from high end fashion to streetwear I have notice a 1980’s trend emerging.  I took my main inspiration from the artists Andy Warhol and Patrick Nagel, with their use of bright block colours.  I have taken the best of the traditional tailoring and combine it with the eccentric colours of that era.  The client I choose to embody my design is the musician and producer Mark Ronson, he is at the heart of the young music scene and dresses with the much needed sense of style.  With this in mind I used my connections with a friend of mine to tailor make this suit to the lead singer and guitarist of The Strangerhood, Dean Austin.  This mixed with the dandyism of detail that the tailor Timothy Everest puts into his work; I have fused these ideas with the vintage county look and the slim fitting contemporary style into a bespoke suit that is fit for any gentleman who also likes to go raving.