The Father of the Bride Wears British 🇬🇧

My daughter's wedding this summer saw me embark on a project to not only dress stylishly as father of the bride, but also to wear all British-made. I'd like to say how much I appreciate the kindness and generosity of the brands who've helped with this. I've been recounting the progress of the #FatheroftheBride project on Instagram and Twitter. 

Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor in Father of the Bride (1950)

The main elements of the outfit are now identified or being made. In addition to the items here I have a waistcoat from Sir Plus which I will review in a separate piece. I still have cufflinks, tie, socks and underwear to find, but have a good idea where I'll go for most of these. It's time to give an update here:

Morning coat and trousers from Cad & The Dandy

Cad & The Dandy have been offering competitively priced tailoring on Savile Row for a few years now and I've been meaning to catch up with them since early in this blog's existence. I was delighted when one of the founders, James Sleater, offered to help. 

After some thought, I've decided on a black morning coat and a fine Prince of Wales check for the trousers. I appreciate that stripes are the common choice, but looking through photographs of twentieth century wedding attire, I noticed that men were often a little more creative and adventurous in selecting cloths for their trousers. Every hire morning coat comes with striped trousers, and I wanted to be different. The inspiration for a check cloth came from the wonderful Morning Dress Guide to which I'm very grateful (see image below). The trousers will have buttons for braces (suspenders US).

I'm grateful to The Morning Dress Guide for the inspiration for trouser choice. Stripes are not essential

James measured me up and discussed cloths and fit with me, also telling me about his mission to provide bespoke tailoring at a competitive price, using computer technology to help the fitting process to ensure that precisely the correct amount of fabric is cut, minimising expensive waste. He also offers different levels of hand-finish to allow a client to match the result to his or her budget.

Working with Cad & The Dandy's Head Cutter, David, has been education and a delight. He took me through the process of the creation of a morning coat and trousers and patiently showed me how all the elements of a tailored coat come together.

Head Cutter David shows me how a sleeve is cut, stitched and pressed

Basted fitting of the coat

As you can see from the photos, we've reached the basted fitting stage of the coat and I'll shortly be going to a trouser fitting. The coat, even at this early stage, fits beautifully and I can see the advantages of a bespoke piece over off-the-peg, particularly for such an important day. All is on course and I'll update you at a future stage. See Cad & The Dandy.

Shirts from Turnbull & Asser

I visited the Turnbull & Asser shirt factory in Gloucester in 2015 (see here) and have longed for a bespoke English-made shirt ever since. Turnbull & Asser kindly invited me to their Jermyn Street shop to be measured for two shirts by Steven Quin, who holds the Royal Warrant to supply shirts to Prince Charles. Steven's knowledge about shirt construction is rivalled only by the bewildering array of cloths available South Sea Island cottons to linens and silk. 

It's quite a privilege be fitted for a shirt by the man who makes shirts for that sartorial giant and supporter of British manufacture, Prince Charles.

Steven Quin takes me through some of the choice of cloths and measures me up for a bespoke shirt

Steven measured me up and I selected a fine pink-striped shirt with a white Winchester collar for a start. We'll see how this fits before going on to make a second shirt. One of the theme colours of the wedding is a soft pink and the narrow stripes of the cloth I've selected give just this shade, but leave me, I now realise, with the problem of deciding what colour tie to wear. That's for another day.

I'll report back when I'm called back to T&A for a fitting of the first shirt. See Turnbull & Asser.

Shoes from Barker Shoes of Northampton

The selection of shoes for formal morning attire at a wedding is easy. In general a plain pair of black Oxfords is called for. A foot injury means I can rarely fit into Oxfords (where the lacing closes at the foot of the tongue) so I wear Derbys (where the lacing is open at the foot of the tongue). 

Barker Gretna derbys

I was lucky to be offered a pair of Barker Gretna Derbys (I hope there's no irony in the name Gretna). Part of the Barkerflex range, they are comfortable and stylish. I've liked them so much I've found it hard to save them for the special day.

I like the area of graining behind the toe; while neither the style nor such a finish are strictly correct on a shoe for such formal use, it adds some interest while remaining subtle. See Barker for details of their British-made shoe range.

I'll be updating this project from time to time here on the blog. To follow this journey on social media, please follow my Instagram and Twitter accounts #FatheroftheBride.

NOTE: This post is unsponsored but some of the products have been offered free of charge or for a reduced charge. I'm receiving no payment from the brands featured.

The Father of the Bride: a totally made-in-UK wedding outfit

With a couple of days to go before my daughter's marriage, the #FatheroftheBride collection was complete. The aim was to put together a totally British-made wedding outfit around a traditional morning coat suitable for any wedding guest, groom, father of the bride, best man or usher. Here is the result:

I'll be posting more information and images of the outfit in action in due course. Meanwhile, I'd like to thank all the brands who have helped with this project. The following generously gave me the British-manufactured items featured for review here on the blog:

Barker Shoes Gretna derby
Turnbull & Asser bespoke shirt
Sirplus linen double-breastedwaistcoat
The British Belt Co. braces
British Boxers boxer shorts
Pantherella socks

Cad & The Dandy made the morning coat and Prince of Wales check trousers from British-made cloth. They kindly gave me a discount on these. The service I received from James, David and Mikhael was second to none. Their enthusiasm and knowledge made the bespoke process, during which we went through several fittings, informative and fun. Cad & The Dandy is a good choice for anyone who would like to try Savile Row bespoke at reasonable prices. 

There's been much discussion about my choice of Prince of Wales check trousers (nobody has disapproved so far). Stripes are, of course, commonest, followed by houndstooth check, but I saw the image below of The Duke of Kent at a fifties society event and I decided to revive the older tradition of checks with a black morning coat. It's a little different, but not unprecedented.

The only product I purchased at retail was the tie (made in London) from Drake's.

As I have no modern British-made wristwatch, I will wear a vintage Smiths, made in Cheltenham, England during the 1950s.

For more coverage here on the blog on this project and some of the products featured, click here. Please follow the project on Twitter and Instagram #FatheroftheBride.

Disclosure: I received no financial compensation for this post. My arrangement with the brands involved is explained above.

A Summer Wedding and the all-British Father of the Bride

My daughter is getting married this summer. She has a beautiful dress (not that I've been allowed to see it) and Mrs Grey Fox is also going to look stunning. Not to be outdone, I'm determined to wear British-made from top to toe in my role as Father of the Bride. It will be a traditional wedding, so it will be morning attire for the gentlemen.

Spencer Tracey and Elizabeth Taylor in Father of the Bride (1950)

I write much about British-made products on this blog so it's only natural that I should want to wear British-manufactured menswear. It's a very special event, so I've decided to have the morning coat and trousers made for me. I've selected a tailor and will follow the tailoring process in future features.

Wearing an Oliver Brown hire outfit last year. For my daughter's wedding I'm after a perfect bespoke fit

I'll also be looking for UK-made shirt, shoes, tie, waistcoat to socks and underwear. It should be no problem putting together a British outfit. Follow my Father of the Bride adventures in future posts on the blog. If you supply British-made menswear and can help, do get in touch.

#FatheroftheBride

Father of the Bride: A Wedding and a British-Made Outfit

Many of you have been following the story of my search for an entirely British-made outfit for my role as father of the bride at my daughter's wedding in July. As any parent who's experienced a child's wedding will know, the event is a mix of joy, pride, nervousness and celebration. The nerves kicked in before I walked my beautiful daughter up the aisle and remained until I'd given my speech later that afternoon. It was a weekend to remember and I'll never forget the happiness on the faces of all present. 

Photography Samantha Jane (link below)

Details of the outfit can be found on previous features here on the blog. I'd like to repeat my thank to all the brands who generously gave items for free or at a reduced cost. The items were a testament to British quality, manufacture and craftsmanship. See information below.

Bespoke morning coat and Prince of Wales check trousers (British cloth): Cad and The Dandy

Bespoke shirt: Turnbull & Asser

Waistcoat: Sirplus

Shoes: Barker

Socks: Pantherella

Underwear: British Boxers

Braces: British Belt Co

Cufflinks: Abi Insoll (I will be featuring Abi's work at a future date on the blog)

Tie (bought at retail cost): Drake's

To complete the British-made theme I wore a vintage Smiths watch - made in Cheltenham, England in the fifties.

My daughter's vintage lace dress was from Gillian Million.
Photography Samantha Jane.

Wedding waistcoat from Sir Plus: Father of the Bride

Continuing the Father of the Bride series, in which I assemble an entirely made-in-Britain wedding outfit, I've acquired a double-breasted waistcoat courtesy from Sir Plus. Made from dove grey linen, it's beautifully tailored and will complement my Cad & The Dandy morning coat and trousers very well.

A brand I've featured before, Sir Plus manufacture here in London, making their products from 'cabbage', unused lengths of cloth left over by clothes and other manufacturers. Rather than throwing any excess away, it gets used by Sir Plus to make superb waistcoats, dressing gowns, jackets and other garments for men and women of style. See Sir Plus. 

I'm grateful to Sir Plus for donating the waistcoat for British-made the Father of the Bride Project. More information and images will appear in due course as I assemble the outfit.

Blue Eyes Bow Ties: An Interview with Helen King

I wear bow ties for formal black tie events but have to confess that, until I heard from Helen, who founded Blue Eyes Bow Ties, I'd never worn a bow tie for day wear. She kindly sent me a black tie and a silk Paisley tie to try. 

I rather enjoyed the experience of wearing the Paisley tie. With the decline in popularity of the neck tie I feel that men have left themselves with a gap between shirt collar and neck that cries out to be filled. I still wear neckties, but for those who don't, the feeling that something is missing when we wear an open neck shirt in anything other than casual attire does present a problem. That gap can be filled with a cravat, bandana, silk scarf or, now for me having tried one, a bow tie. If you are keen to learn how to tie a bow, my next post here on the blog will be an instructional video I made with Chester Barrie some years ago - see below.

I spoke to Helen King of Blue Eyes Bow Ties (link below) to seek her take on the bow tie:

GF: Please introduce yourself and your brand.

HK: My name is Helen and I’m the founder and owner of Blue Eyes Bow Ties, a limited edition bow tie company that specialises in handmade, unique and funky men’s accessories.

GF: How did you come to be making bow ties?

HK: I founded Blue Eyes Bow Ties in 2016 during a particularly difficult period of my life. Returning to sewing, a hobby I’d had since childhood, offered a fantastic escape, and became my passion very quickly. My husband inspired the move into bow ties and men’s accessories. I’d made him a waistcoat, as a thank you for the beautiful engagement ring he’d just given me. He suggested I make a matching bow tie, so I did, and it snowballed from there! I’ve never looked back, and Blue Eyes Bow Ties has gone from strength to strength.

GF: How popular are bow ties at the moment?

HK: Bow ties are more popular than ever right now. With Covid restricting everyone’s movements and putting a stop to social events for pretty much two years, it’s as though everyone wants a bow tie to go out and celebrate in! Now that people are partying and attending events, they want a smart or funky bow tie to wear. Wedding bow ties are also on the increase with more and more grooms choosing to wear one on their special day. I get a lot of requests for bespoke tailored designs for grooms and their groomsmen as well as the father of the bride and page boys (and canine ring-bearers!).

GF: Which are your most popular types/designs?

HK: People come to Blue Eyes Bow Ties for one of two things. They either want a beautiful traditional bow tie or they want something funky, colourful and unique. One of my most popular designs is a traditional Black Silk Dupion self-tie bow tie. It’s a timeless classic and a staple of any gentleman's wardrobe. On the opposite end of the spectrum, my all-time best seller is a pre-tied black velvet bow tie encrusted with glittering crystals; it certainly makes a bold statement. What I’ve learnt over the last 6 years is that there’s no such thing as ‘too bold’ and people’s tastes are incredibly eclectic. What might be over the top for one person is perfect for another. That’s why I’ve worked particularly hard to develop a range of over 250 designs which includes something for everyone.

GF: Please tell us about the ties, their designs and the materials you use.

HK: All of my bow ties are made using natural fibres, including 100% cotton, silk or velvet. I don’t use man-made materials as I want my products to be as luxurious as possible and I don’t really think anyone should be caught wearing a polyester bow tie! I particularly love to use Liberty of London cotton prints as their designs are so bold and unusual. Pure Dupion silk is also a delight to work with and makes beautifully shaped bow ties. I make both self-tie and pre-tied bow ties, so there’s something to suit both confident bow tie wearers and beginners. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including the standard butterfly, diamond point or a narrow ‘bat’, to name but three. If you can think it, I can probably make it.

GF: You've had some great support in building your business - where do you see it going over the next few years?

HK: Very early on in my bow tie business I was lucky enough to win the Theo  Paphitis #SmallBusinessSunday award. I also had one of my bow ties worn by the 13th Doctor Who in 2020. Both were fantastic opportunities for making connections, gaining attention and giving credibility to my brand.

As of December 2021 Blue Eyes Bow Ties went from my side hustle to my full time business and I envisage great things to come now that I can plough my full time and attention into developing my products and my brand. Getting out in the public consciousness is something I’m working hard on, and I can only see things getting bigger and better over the next few years.

GF: Many thanks Helen and very best wishes for the future of your business.

Link to Blue Eyes Bow Ties.

How To Tie a Bow Tie - A Video by Grey Fox Blog

The next post here on the blog is a video I made with the late-lamented Chester Barrie on How To Tie A Bow Tie. Scroll up to see this.