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‘Texture is usually a more sophisticated twist than pattern or colour. A failure to understand that has led to men buying shirts with coloured buttonholes, flowery inner collars and cuffs with coloured binding. There is a much more mature way to express yourself.’

~ Simon Crompton

‘I’m 59 years old. I’m a tailor. I run my own business, Camps de Luca. My father Mario de Luca created this House with an associate, Joseph Camps. They were both famous tailors in Paris and their work was very appreciated. Most of their clients were French (artists, VIP). Then they developed the business in the Middle East. I, naturally, continued the business because I had the know-­how and because I had always worked there. I went further abroad to search for new clients in Russia and Asia. And 2 of my sons work with me: 1 in Paris & 1 in Asia. It gives me confidence for the future. I’m very proud and happy to see this family business continue. I practised martial arts (karate) for a long time when I was younger. I won international competitions, but it has always remained a hobby. My other interest is my family. I have 4 children (my youngest son is 7) and a granddaughter who was born last month. I enjoy to see them grow.

Mr Marc de Luca (right) with sons Julien de Luca (left) and Charles de Luca (middle)

When I was young it was clear that my father hoped that I would join the business. We spent much time together in the workshop and he showed me all the aspects of the work. My father was very happy to see me continue the business he created, and to see his grandsons interested in tailoring, too. When I was a child, my father’s workshop was at home. It has always been part of my everyday life. Continuing in the family business has always been natural to me. After my father had another workshop, I went there as soon as I came from school and I spent most of my time there, watching my father and all the people working. I began to work at the age of 16 and I’ve never stopped since.

My father was a tailor so I was interested in clothing since I was a kid. But it was not just any classic style; it was masterful craftsmanship, not ready-to-­wear. Today my style is classic because of the way my suits are made. I also follow the influence of fashion and streetwear. I principally gathered my knowledge of clothing in the workshop. But I also read books and magazines. And there are many blogs about men’s fashion on the web. Iwear bespoke clothes when I work or whenever I want to be elegant. All my suits, jackets, trousers, coats, shirts, ties or even hats are Camps de Luca’s. But I wear RTW for casual or sportswear. For the rest — shoes, bags, glasses — I like to work with other master craftsmen who work with beautiful materials, such as leather or horn.

There aren’t thousands of tailors around the world. There aren’t more than 5 or 6 tailors who work like us in Paris. And in the rest of Europe (England and Italy), I would say no more than 15 other tailors. This makes no more than 20 high-­quality tailors in Europe. Outside Europe, I don’t know; anyway, I know we are very few who have this level of quality. Parisian tailors are less famous than Italians or English ones. But thanks to journalists and bloggers, people talk more and more about us. If you want to know why my clients choose me, you have to ask them. I suppose they look for someone who pays attention to them, a tailor whose know-how and craftsmanship will make them feel good in their suit. The relationship between the tailor and his client is very peculiar, intimate. But I would never talk about my clients, for instance; I never quote them.

The «Camps de Luca» silhouette has a high armhole, a forward shoulder and high vents. These give an athletic figure to the suit. The fishmouth lapel and the teardrop pocket inside the jacket are our signatures. People can recognize a Camps de Luca suit at first sight. Of course, we adapt the shape of the suit to the client’s morphology and wishes. Attention is paid to every detail and our finishes are of high-quality (handmade stitchings and buttonholes in silk thread).

Signature fishmouth lapel

I think style is personal and shouldn’t be ordered by a few so-­called references of the last century: American actors of the 50’s. Style is the result of personal research. It builds slowly and everyone can have his own reflection about style. For young people, it’s easier to learn about style now than before the Internet. There are many websites and blogs about men’s elegance and bespoke tailors. Creativity has no limits and can bring new ideas that mix with formalwear. Clients are now younger and come from all over the world. They are well-informed about tailors and they know exactly what they want. For me it’s interesting to discuss with them, it enriches my experience. But above all, I think elegance is not only a way to wear something. It’s a way to live, to behave with people. Elegance is also attention, respect, discretion.’

Signature teardrop cigar pocket

http://www.campsdeluca.com/english/index.htm

Pictures: © Camps de Luca

Evidently beards on the chins of younger men are living a sort of renaissance at the moment. BeardsFTW! is a mostly silly site dedicated to all things hirsute, though Keikari’s reader may find inspiration from its legion of examples. Nothing signals pride in personal hygiene like a well-kept arrangement of hair, as its upkeep requires time and patience. Bushy, burly brawling beards are another thing entirely.

http://beardsftw.tumblr.com/

‘I am 41 years old and the owner and manager of Tweed Country Sports, a retail shop based in Stockholm, Sweden. We are still small but have the grand ambition to spread genuinely tweedy British style to Scandinavia and beyond. I have a master’s in business and administration from Stockholm School of Economics, with some minor science studies before that. At home we are a family of five: me, my wife and our three kids. Starting up a company in the clothing business is no picnic, but my family has been very supportive and have put up with living on a small budget. My kids still ask if they can go to Stockholm with me on Saturdays to spend a day in the store. My lovely wife does appreciate my take on British style, but sometimes grows tired of my moustache. I honour her by having a clean shave every spring. They all love using the more casual garments from our assortment, tweed caps, heavy jumpers, Tricker’s shoes. Our Labrador Retriever definitely appreciates my tweed breeks, she knows it is time for shooting when I put them on.

All my life I have had affection for nice fabrics and tweeds in particular. My grandfather always wore a tweed jacket for leisure, even when gardening, so perhaps it is in the genes. Also, being a habitual fly-fisher and shooter, I grew somewhat tired of synthetic high tech fabrics that never hold their promises. Instead I looked back and found a rich heritage of functional and great looking garments from the British Isles. Interestingly enough, most of the classic wardrobe of today stems from the sporting garments of the 19th century. For me this brings an important message: you can be well-dressed without looking too formal. Regarding fashion trends, I do acknowledge that the classics of today have once been part of a fashion trend. But only a fraction of the fashion trends make it into the wardrobe of permanent style, and this is, of course, for a reason. Classic style is, however, and should be, I think, constantly interpreted in reflect to how the society develops and to the fashion trends surrounding us. Thus, classic style does not stand still, it moves slowly, bringing the sartorial knowledge of the past into the present.

Whereas knowledge of dress was once handed down from generation to generation, today this knowledge is everywhere – books, blogs, forums, websites and of course in the trade itself. Thus it is far more distributed and less dependent of location, class and upbringing. However, it is easy to get overwhelmed, and a sound sense of style takes time, devotion and often many personal mistakes to develop. One of the best parts of running a clothing store is that you have no dress code to follow, basically you can dress anyway you like as long as you fit into the image of your shop. We obviously work with the classics of the British sporting wardrobe, but I feel no need to adhere to the strict British rules of engagement in the daily style battle. I sometimes dress conservatively and sometimes eclecticly, sometimes more formally and sometimes very casually and I am not afraid to stand out in a crowd. I don’t have a large wardrobe, and some days my style can be pretty accidental out of necessity, so to speak.

I prefer a more structured tailoring and would rather have a Huntsman suit than an Anderson and Sheppard. For RTW brands, Hackett, Ralph Lauren and also Morris make a good job working with the classics of menswear. But I really like to work directely with the makers rather than going through a brand name. If you deal with someone who actually owns a factory it is much easier to have it the way we like it. For some reason there were no specialist in the English country style around in Scandinavia, and in 2007 I finally decided to start my own business. I had a pretty good idea of what to work with and enrolled a couple of genuinely British brands producing high quality in their own factories, yet sometimes unknown outside their home market. We started out as a mainly Internet-based business also representing our brands, selling them to other stores in Scandinavia. In November 2010 we opened up a shop at Rörstrandsgatan 17 in Stockholm, doubling as a showroom for retail customers.

We were looking for a location that would feel relaxed enough for all visitors yet posh enough to match our level of quality. Our street is well known in Stockholm and easy to get to. We had a feeling that the locals would appreciate our classic take on British style, and we have not been disappointed. Not everyone feel the need for a 3-piece tweed suit, but they do appreciate a nice sports jacket, shirt or lambswool jumper. But of course, mostly we serve all kinds of tweed enthusiasts and Brit lovers – young fogeys, bearded hipsters, serious breadwinners and white-haired gentlemen. And ladies of all ages, too. It is a bit of a challenge to get the fit right as some like it relaxed and some like it slim. We offer different fits in most of our categories, however, always striving for a classic well-tailored look.

We have pushed some of our suppliers hard to offer a slightly updated take on the country look, and, in truth, to go back to their roots of well-tailored sportswear. Now we stock, for instance, Tricker’s footwear, Bladen tailoring, Rayner&Sturges shirts, William Lockie knitwear, Peregrine wax jackets, Corgi socks, Dents gloves and Chapman bags. We also offer Bladen made-to-measure tailoring in a distinctly British Savile Row silhouette, and made-to-order shoes and boots from Tricker’s. Menswear takes up the largest part of our small shop, but we have a small carefully selected assortment for the ladies. During the autumns we sell lots of tweed jackets, corduroys and lambswool and in the spring we are known for our linen suits and light casual jackets. We sell sturdy brogues, quality shirts, daring waistcoats, hard-wearing shooting attire and hand-crafted canvas bags all year round.

Right now we are looking for ways to expand. First thing will be a new web-shop, improving the presentation of the garments and making it easier to shop. This will be released early this autumn. We also need larger physical premises to be able to enhance our assortment and stock holding capabilities further. Our plan is to move into a 100 square meter shop just next door that will be available autumn 2014, but perhaps we will find another good location sooner. Our presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are very important already, and we will continue along this route. Shooting, fishing and some occasional horse-riding is still what I do on my spare time.

Although I have done my homework on the topic of classic clothing and know the trade reasonably well, I am certainly no style guru. Of course, you should always dress proper for the occasion and for the company you expect, but today there is often no need to be overly careful. Colours are often easier to match than you would expect, patterns should be handled with greater care. Textures are very important and if not matched wisely it can easily ruin an ensemble. I try to find a nice level of contrast between the garments I wear, in terms of colour, patterns and textures, but sometimes also in the level of formality. You always need to work some interesting contrast into your outfit if you want to dress classic with style.

One important advice with regards to tailored clothing is to look for a silhouette that flatters your build, and not so much for what might be in fashion or is all the rage on the Internet forums. You might want to start easy on colours and patterns but make sure you work yourself up or you will miss half the fun. Finding a quality gentleman’s outfitter where you can try on garments IRL and get some sound advice is, of course, invaluable.’

http://www.countrysports.se/

Pictures: © Tweed Country Sports