A Cordings of Piccadilly Tweed Suit: True British Style for a Post-Covid World

Founded in 1839, Cordings of Piccadilly is one of the last bastions of true British menswear style. On entering its brass-clad portals in Piccadilly in London you realise that real heritage lies behind the glories that lie downstairs in the menswear section (the women's department is on the ground floor). Here tweed jostles with corduroy and Tattersall check shirts vie with the best Scottish knitwear. It's all the real thing and from here you can emerge dressed as a real gentleman.

Cordings of Piccadilly Skipton tweed three piece suit

We Brits have become far too retiring about our role in forming the shapes and styles that now sit on the backs of men worldwide. Brands like Ralph Lauren have seized British style and made it their own. The Italians have adapted it to suit their climate and we forget that the gorgeously soft tailoring coming from Naples, Venice, Milan etc actually started out in Savile Row. English gentleman's style has been adopted all over the globe, from the USA to Japan and adapted to local tastes, cloths and climates.

Cordings of Piccadilly is one of the last places that you can buy true British style off the peg and without stretching to the costs of Savile Row bespoke. I've tried a few of their clothes over the last few years and was sent one of their Skipton tweed suits to try out a few weeks ago. Woven in Yorkshire in a robust 21oz tweed, this is a classic English country suit. It fits beautifully across the shoulders with some padding but, in a nod to less structured Italian styles, not too much. The trousers are fairly high waisted - as required for comfort - and are cut with the perfect degree of fullness - not slim but not too full around the ankle. This gives a perfect shape at a time when trouser styles move gradually away from skinny and slim fits to more comfortable pleated and higher waists. 

This is a classic design, so much so that it's almost fashionable. The Skipton tweed is on the heavy side of medium, but is comfortable and with wear, like all good tweeds, seems to mould to the body; I loved wearing it both for smart and, as you can see below, with wellies on the hillside. Cordings offer slightly lighter weight tweeds from 16, 17 and 19oz up to 21oz so there is a weight for everyone.

The adaptability of a classic tweed suit from Cordings of Piccadilly

The Skipton is a striking design and for those who prefer their tweed a little less extrovert, Cordings offer quieter checks and a Donegal tweed. Suits are also available in moleskin, cord and summer weights. For those who indulge in country sports or the annual Tweed Run cycle ride, some of the suits have shooting breeks as an option. And it's this country heritage behind Cordings' products that make them so British. 

Two piece suits cost under £700 (jackets, waiscoats and trousers are available as separates) and an excellent value tweed three-piece suit can be bought for around £850 or so depending on cloth and style. If you're a lover of the Ralph Lauren school of British tweediness you can buy the real thing at affordable prices at Cordings. No wonder Eric Clapton decided to invest in the business a few years ago; as a fan of British clothing he recognised Cordings as an institution to be preserved.

In the post-covid world what better to invest in than a tweed suit? Worn as separates, tweed is adaptable, robust and comfortable and worn together you have a stylish two or three piece suit for smart casual, Zoom calls or even going into the office. At a time when men are tiring of casual lockdown stay-at-home clothing, such a suit is the perfect antidote.

See Cordings of Piccadilly for more information and to buy online.

The Skipton suit was given to me for review.

The Suit: Will it Survive Covid?

For a while now suits have been falling out of favour. Indeed, over the last year or two, in common with most men, I've found myself reaching less often for a suit. The acceptance of casual looks at work, dress-down Fridays, fewer ties, the rising popularity for comfortable 'athleisure' clothes and now covid lockdowns, are causes and symptoms of this change. 

I would say at this point that this is a revision of a feature I posted in February 2020 just before the covid lockdown added to the suit's woes. Working from home, furloughed workers and the closure of offices meant that most suits have remained unworn for months, adding to doubts over its future. 

But my view now is the same one I expressed a year ago: the suit isn't yet dead. For the right sort of suit there is a future post-covid.

Suits informal or casual and formal (image on right The Sartorialist)

The decline of the suit

Well before covid many menswear brands offered high-priced trainers and 'athletic' leisure wear - such as cashmere track suits - to an audience that no longer sees the suit as a symbol of competence and power. Fashion is no longer just about marketing high status clothes, but transposing the humble to high end. Trainers, sportswear and jeans, with the right label, judicious marketing and a high price tag, become objects of status and desire.

In my former life as a lawyer I wouldn't have dreamed of seeing a client without wearing a suit. But the expectations of clients and customers changed and the uniform of the professional and tech giant boss alike has become more casual: jeans and roll neck will do. 

As ever consumers are heavily influenced by what others wear, particularly public figures. The former US President was hardly an encouragement to suit wearing and few celebrities are seen in them. When they do wear a suit, it's generally been styled by a professional stylist, giving a contrived and awkward look. 

As consumers have turned from suits they've lost the art of feeling comfortable in tailored and structured clothing. Our grandfathers looked comfortable in suits and hats because they wore them every day. Nowadays men seem cowed by the formality and have forgotten how to relax in tailored clothing - and the events of the last year have only accelerated this change.

"A man looks best in a suit when he feels relaxed wearing it" - see below

Personal stylist, Sarah Gilfillan of SartoriaLab advises men on their wardrobes, styling and clothing choices. She tells me that:

"The suit is becoming something men choose to wear instead of having to. They may not need to wear one for work any more but enjoy choosing one for other occasions, like a wedding. I’m often shopping with clients where we take a side step from a business suit, and try out something just a little different in terms of the cloth, colour and accessories."

Eric Musgrave, author of Sharp Suits (below), a book that should be in every sartorialist's library, says:

"Sales of suits have been declining since the late 1950s and will continue to do so. For most men today, the suit is unknown, an irrelevance to their lifestyle. Conversely, to a much smaller group, the suit is a very important choice and a carefully considered purchase, hence the rise in interest in made-to-measure options and, for those who can afford it, bespoke. Suit wearers are becoming almost like a secret society or a private club. And they are ready to try new (or, more accurately, revived) options of this reliable style option".

Last year Chris Modoo, founder of Kit Blake which sells its tailored trousers and coats through The Rake, told me,

"The suit, and by that I mean the matching lounge suit, has become formal wear with only limited use. We will see more mixing up of styles with casual elements blended into tailored looks. I would like to see a return to proper clothing: proper trousers, real shoes and quality shirts & knitwear - real clothing for grown-ups".

Despite these views I believe that, as a classic menswear staple, the suit will survive - as it has done for several centuries. Popularity will wax and wane and the challenge for those whose job it is to sell suits is to find how to weather the present storm. 

Sharp Suits by Eric Musgrave

Can the suit be saved by the 'casual suit'?

I believe that the answer for those selling suits lies in the problem. As Eric Musgrave suggests above, men are ready for a new form of the suit. I suggest that, if men are looking for more relaxed garments, the 'casual suit', as I call it, provides an answer. Men will become tired of covid casual and many are already looking forward to slipping into sharp tailoring again. Already men are appearing on Instagram wearing their dusted-off suits to show that there is life after Zoom call informal.

Tailoring the suit in an unstructured way gives a looser feel and outline and will make it very comfortable to wear - as much so as jeans and knitwear. Suits don't have to be constructed from crisp highly formal cloths like flannel and mohair. A man looks best in a suit when he feels relaxed wearing it.

"James Bond is happy saving the world in a corduroy suit, rather than a track suit, and this should be an example to us all"

The very structured English suit, with its padded shoulders and chest, exaggerates the formal and less relaxed nature of the suit. Many of us are turning to a more Italian, softer and less structured garment. Suits can be made to feel less restricting and lighter to wear. 

James Bond is happy saving the world in a corduroy suit, rather than a track suit, and this should be an example to us all. Bond's softly tailored, unlined, sand-coloured Massimo Alba suit in the long, long awaited No Time To Die is a fine example of the new casual suit.

Daniel Craig in an unstructured narrow wale corduroy suit from Massimo Alba in No Time To Die

Corduroy, cotton, linen and tweeds are cloths which don't take a sharply ironed crease, but which relax around the wearer so that s/he doesn't have to worry about the suit losing shape and structure. You may have read about my Cordings of Piccadilly corduroy suit (see here). Its soft and unstructured shape allows me to wear it while lying on the sofa to read a book without my worrying I'm ruining its look.

If consumers can be persuaded that suits aren't just for formal wear and that they can be garments to be worn casually, a new market opens up for them. This style will be attractive to men looking for smarter yet comfortable looks as an antidote to covid lockdown sloppiness

I'd say that the demise of the suit is exaggerated. Sales have dropped and indeed disappeared over the last year, but the move to the the informal or casual suit will save the day. I'm confident that soon we will be beating on tailor's doors again. Encouraged by the move to high quality, sustainable clothing, men will seek out the longevity of skilfully made tailoring to the more ephemeral quality of off-the-peg affordability.

Please join the discussion by emailing me or by messaging me through Instagram.

Note: This is a revision of a feature I first posted in February 2020. I've altered it to mention the impact of twelve months of lockdown but the essence of the original piece is unaltered.

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: British-Made Shirts & Trousers

I'm always delighted to hear from brands previously unknown to me, especially when they manufacture here in the UK. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing was established in 2009 by Paul Brown and they now make shirts, coats, underwear, jackets and trousers in their factory in Suffolk.

You can create your own trousers through their website and I tried the service by ordering a pair of corduroys. The process involves the customer selecting one of four colours, choosing waist size, body shape ('Build') and leg length. The trousers are then made to order and arrive shortly after. 

Wearing Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 'Create Your Own' corduroy trousers

The sizing is true so, unlike with many other brands, don't assume that a 32" waist will fit you if you're a true 34". The cord cloth is soft and comfortable (containing a small amount of elastane) and sourced (as with their moleskin and twill cloths) from Brisbane Moss. The choice of build, 'slim', 'medium' or 'classic' allows you to select the fit - mine are medium; a good stylish fit. 

The final product is somehow very British; immediately feeling lived-in, well-fitting and comfortable. The corduroy and moleskin trousers cost £110. They also make jeans from 12oz selvedge denim (£120) and cotton chinos (£99). To find out more click on Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.

The trousers were gifted for review.