Journal
King & Allen bring you all the very best style advice, news and ‘tailored’ articles. If you have a question that you’d like to see answered on our blog, send us an email to [email protected].
Celebrating Pride 2022
2022 is a very special year for Pride, as it marks 50 years since the first ever march in 1972. While there were only 700 bravely marching then, this year it is expected there will be over 2 million attendees! Of course, many historical milestones have been achieved since 1972.
Style Tips & Advice Style History
The Platinum Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II recently celebrated 70 years on the throne and it is her official birthday on the second Saturday in June. The Queen has created quite the signature fashion lookbook that deserves its own jubilee. Her style has, quite literally, stood the test of time. Through nine decades, with her vibrant pant-suits and matching hats, stunning heirloom brooches - not to mention the symbolism behind every ensemble - it’s no wonder the Queen is our style icon.
Style History
Women's Tailoring
You might be surprised to learn that not all tailors make suits for women. The tailoring industry has traditionally been very male-centric. The plurality of women's body shapes and the differences in construction methods have been cited as a reason for tailors not wanting to make female suits, with the added complexity being off-putting for a lot of businesses. At King & Allen, we've been making suits for women for over a decade and have honed and developed our offering. We asked our female staff what they loved most about working for a bespoke tailors and what their favourite piece of tailoring is.
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Dress Code Decoder
Casual, formal, semi-formal, business-casual...The list is seemingly endless, with ongoing speculation as to what each stage of formality entails. Here at King & Allen, we thought we'd simplify it and show you what is meant at each point on the formality scale...
Style Tips & Advice Style History
What is Slow Fashion?
Recent years have brought with them an enhanced cultural understanding of our impact on the environment, with more and more people looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, change their consumption habits and look after the world around them.
Style Tips & Advice Style History Vegan
The Top Three Check Patterns For Autumn
The check suit is as varied and as unique as the people wearing it. At King & Allen, we are strong proponents of a beautifully-made check suit and, have found, in the last few years there has been a definite resurgence in the popularity of these garments.
Style Tips & Advice Style History
The Surprising History of Pockets
Small. Utilitarian. Inconspicuous. The pocket doesn’t exactly engender a lot of attention from designers, stylists and the fashion world as a whole. And yet, the history of the pocket goes back thousands of years...
Style History
Standout Moments in the History of Women’s Power Suits
The women’s suit has a long and storied history that is innovative, exciting and, at times, turbulent. When we think of the “power suit” we often think of it as being a modern invention, sported by caricatures like Gordon Gecko. But we believe that the power suit, itself a bold proclamation of strength at the intersection of fashion and politics, has a longer history when it comes to the story of women’s suiting. So here are some of our standout moments in the history of the woman’s power suit.
Style Tips & Advice Celebrity Style Style History
Amazing Aquarret
Creating the perfect suit starts with a high-quality fabric. That’s why we work closely with renowned luxury cloth merchant, Holland & Sherry, to make sure we have the world’s best possible cloths available for our clients. While we place great value on traditional methods – for example some of Holland & Sherry’s pattern weaving hasn’t changed in 200 years – we also believe in keeping one eye firmly on the very latest bespoke tailoring technologies.
Style History King & Allen News
Hype For Pinstripe
The term ‘pinstripe’ refers to the very thin, parallel lines that run through a cloth, contrasting with the main colour. Taken at face value, it would seem to be a fairly bland description of a simple fabric pattern. But the history of the pinstripe suit is anything from bland and, indeed, the suit itself has a host of connotations attached to it.
Style Tips & Advice Style History
Peaky Blinders: why we love Aunt Polly’s suit style
The new Peaky Blinders series is back with a bang and we’re not just talking about the storylines. As ever, Tommy and his crew look as sharp as the razor blades the real-life Peaky Blinder gang were rumoured to stitch into the peak of their flat caps.
Style Tips & Advice Celebrity Style Style History
The Bespoke Overcoat
Nothing pulls an outfit together more than the addition of an overcoat. It's been a staple in the fashion landscape for years and has recently had something of a resurgence in the public imagination...
Style Tips & Advice Celebrity Style Style History
Peaky Blinders: your guide to the iconic flat cap
The Peaky Blinders return to our screens on the 25th August 2019, guaranteeing two things: a whole lot of drama and a whole heap of sartorial style. But while each Peaky Blinder has their own individual suit style, they all share a love of one particular statement piece – the flat cap.
Style Tips & Advice Celebrity Style Style History
Dior vs Chanel: one of fashion’s great rivalries
The fashion industry loves a good bust up – think Yves Saint Laurent vs Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani vs Donatella Versace, Tyra vs Naomi. But no one did rivalry, or put downs, quite like Coco Chanel.
Style Tips & Advice Celebrity Style Style History
From Bowie to Lennox: The Suits That Rocked
Music and fashion have always been inextricably linked, with many catwalk collections drawing inspiration from rock and pop stars over the years. Here, we take a look at four of our favourite music legends, each with their own signature style, but all of whom really knew how to rock a suit.
Style Tips & Advice Celebrity Style Style History
LGBTQ+ Icons
June is Pride month. A chance to reflect on the strides made towards achieving equality and to acknowledge that there is still a way to go, as well as a time to celebrate the breadth and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
Style Tips & Advice Celebrity Style Style History
Ditch The Dress
On the 29th March 2014, the UK saw its first same-sex marriages take place. It was a landmark moment in the history of LGBTQ+ rights and the weddings themselves were a testament to love in all its forms. Five years on from this historical milestone, we look at how the wedding industry has changed and how we, at King & Allen have seen our business grow in exciting and unexpected ways, particularly in our provision of bridal suits for women.
Style Tips & Advice Weddings Style History
Karl and Daniel: Celebrating Ten Years of Tailoring in Wilmslow
As King & Allen’s Cheshire branch celebrates its 10th anniversary, we talk to two members of staff who have been there since the very beginning: store manager Karl, a firm customer favourite, and tailor Daniel, for whom suit-making is in the blood.
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