Square Mile
Issue 40 – 20th June 2009
A Cut Above
Along with liberal swearing and drug-taking, a stratospherically high body count and on of either Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, the wearing of decent suits is a key component of any gangster movie worth it’s salt.
So it’s apt that all of the suits for forthcoming British gangster flick 44 Inch Chest, staring iconic hardnut Ray Winstone, will be made by Stowers Bespoke, the Savile Row tailors formed by three industry veterans, Ray Stowers, Brian Jeffery and Brian Pusey.
It’s not just celluloid gangsters that are queuing-up to wear Stowers’ creations, however, with luminaries such as Russell Brand, Jack Black and Josh Hartnett and the aforementioned Mr. Winstone all aficionados. Stowers is also in the process of making all the suits for Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole’s wedding.
While, as a rule, we would generally direct you away from following in the sartorial footsteps of overpaid footballers and former heroine-using nymphomaniac comedians, in this case you can safely throw such caution to the wind. Stowers makes it its business to inject each bespoke suit with its owner’s personality and style. That it does this without compromising its founders’ Savile Row heritage is impressive; that it only uses British cloths and makes all its suits in England even more so, especially given the trend for established names to look to the Far East for fabric and labour.
Previously operating a bespoke service from within the bowels of Liberty department store, Stowers Bespoke relocated to its spiritual home on Savile Row last year, where it took on the premises of retiring James Levett. In keeping with its thoroughly modern approach, however, customers need not visit the store for consultations and fittings – appointments can take place in the comfort of your home or office.
Stowers’ founders have 120 years experience between them, and the trio have dressed a broad spectrum of society’s rogues, rakes and royals, including Windsors, the Sultan of Brunei, Michael Jackson, Colonel Gaddafi and General Pinochet. As Oscar Wilde said: “Good taste is the excuse I’ve always given for leading such a bad life.” Quite.