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].
Myth busting – The truth about the ‘Super’ number
The ‘Super’ rating on cloth refers to the width of the fibre in microns. It is therefore an indicator (but by no means a measure) of quality and performance. The finer the wool is spun the thinner it is in microns and the higher the Super number – indicating that it will feel very soft. However, the high number also indicates that the cloth will be more delicate and therefore require more care be taken when wearing.
Style Tips & Advice
Icon of the Month – Idris Elba
Idris Elba deserves Icon status on the strength of this photograph alone. At 6ft, 3” he pulls off this double-breasted suit perfectly, reaffirming what we’ve said many times before in The Stitch – that if you’re tall and well built a double-breasted suit is definitely worth considering.
Celebrity Style
Take a tour of our latest showrooms
The wonders of modern technology! Thanks to the clever folks at Google you can now take a full tour of our Liverpool Street and Amersham showrooms from the comfort of your computer! So if you haven’t been to our latest two stores recently, or if you live too far away to visit them, now’s your chance to take a sneaky peak. Unfortunately you can’t feel the fabrics, or hear the tailors beavering away – but it’s the closest to the real experience you’ll get without leaving the house… Tour the Liverpool Street showroom. Tour the Amersham showroom.
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King & Allen celebrates – The Henley Regatta
King & Allen have always kept a close eye on the development of mens summer style – in particular through the sporting social calendar – and it’s been great to watch how the gentleman guests have embraced the dress code with increased relish over the years. This year’s Henley Regatta, in particular, was an opportunity for the gents to show a bit of daring in the way they dress. Across the length and breadth of the river you’ll see a flourish of pocket squares, an array of colourful bow ties, fabulous socks, boaters, braces and of course the wonderfully coloured rowing blazers. Henley attire is not overtly stylish, but it is fun and sometimes having fun is what it’s all about.
Style Tips & Advice
Icon of the Month – Edward VIII: The Prince Charming
It’s interesting to note that the ‘best dressed Englishman of all time’ was also one of the most decadent and controversial. Coincidence? Unlikely… From the playboy antics to the nazi sympathy and bisexuality rumours, the Duke of Windsor was never far from the headlines. Like him or loath him, no one can deny that he was a snappy dresser. Indeed his wardrobe is the stuff of legend. Rumours include:
Celebrity Style
King & Allen ‘Icon’ Special – The Suits of Salvador Dali
One of our favourite smaller stories of this month was about a man called Tomeu L’Amo who spent 25 years proving that an artwork he bought in an antiques store for €150 was a Salvadore Dali original. Dali’s dressing style was almost as original, flamboyant and creative as his art. As well as his trademark chalk stripe double breasted suits (complete with pocket square), he was a huge fan of bright colours and rich, extravagant cloths such as velvet, silk and tweed.
Celebrity Style
Cloth, Construction and Colour – The 3 C’s that will keep you cool this summer.
You don’t need us to point out that May had some scorchingly hot days. If you’re a commuter, or you got married, you could probably recount each and every one of them – for polar opposite reasons! It’s not too late to prepare for the summer heat, and below is the King & Allen guide to the 3 C’s that will stop you sizzling this summer: Cloth, Construction and Colour.
Style Tips & Advice
Suit Up Ladies….
This week’s guest blogger is Mary-Cait Bristow, who works as a tailoring consultant in our Wilmslow store. She is going to share some insights into a subject close to her heart – ladies suits…
Style Tips & Advice
A review of the suits on SUITS
This week we have a guest blogger – Tulani Tubi – who is a K&A consultant based at our Liverpool Street showroom. Watching the TV show Suits these past few months has become an obsession of mine. Not only is the show extremely funny and intriguing, but also it’s the styling of the characters that keeps me engrossed. It is true to say that the hierarchy of the characters on the show is actually displayed through the suits they wear: from a well tailored classic style (displaying power) to a modern more tailored style (showing the character’s youthfulness).
Celebrity Style
We are Social!
At K&A we have always taken great pleasure from sharing on social media. It gives us an opportunity to engage with the menswear community and hopefully impart some wisdom along the way! However, we are aware that people can be put off by the amount of pointless noise and sales patter on the internet, and we’d like to assure you that our policy regarding content is very much focused on quality rather than quantity.
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Style advice for 2014 – Accessories
This year we are seeing a return to classic British style, with gentlemen dressing like gentlemen. The conservative formality of the recession is dwindling and men’s style is starting to show a little flare once again. We explored this topic earlier in the year with regard to the suits when we looked at the rise in popularity of flannel, classic checks and double breasted… today we’re looking at the finishing touches that turn a great looking suit into a magnificent looking outfit.
Style Tips & AdviceKing & Allen Icon of the Month – Sam Lambert
Sam Lambert is an individual who’s style is always on point; he never looks out of place but always creates a statement. He spent years studying tailoring (he is now the co-founder of the creative movement Art Comes First) – which is evident in his own personal look.
Celebrity Style
K&A Suit Style Predictions for 2014 – Part II: Cloth & Colour
Continuing from last week’s article on Cut and Style, below are the King & Allen 2014 style predictions for Cloth & Colour:
Style Tips & AdviceDavid Gandy – Top Ten Three Piece Suits
January in the menswear world means London Collections: Men – a three-day extravaganza where the eyes of the world’s fashionistas are upon us. Except that most of those eyes are fixed on one man – the UK ambassador for the event, and possibly the most handsome man on the planet: David Gandy.
Celebrity StyleKing & Allen style predictions 2014
Every year the King & Allen style predictions go from strength to strength, and this year we’ve pulled out all the stops to bring you what we believe to be the definitive guidelines for looking good and staying stylish in the next 12 months.
Style Tips & Advice
The King & Allen style predictions for 2014 – Part 1: Cut and Style
The King & Allen style predictions for 2014 – Part 1: Cut and Style
Style Tips & Advice
The K&A Guide to: Pocket Squares
Every look needs to be finished in the right way. It’s astounding how a 20cm² piece of fabric can give your suit a whole new direction. Wearing an accessory as simple as a pocket square adds something special to your suit collection. It is also an ideal way to effortlessly bring colour to your look. Today’s guest writer, K&A Tailoring Consultant and renowned pocket square aficionado, Tolani Tubi shares his top tips on how to perfect the finishing touches:
Style Tips & Advice
British Menswear is Seeing an Unprecedented Rise in Popularity
According to retailing figures by DataMonitor, the 9.7bn menswear market is set to grow by £1.8bn by 2016 and will reach a staggering £13.7bn by 2021 – increasing at twice the rate of womenswear! As a predominantly menswear tailor we are delighted men are taking more of an interest in dressing well and looking good. But what has caused this surge in the popularity? We explore 5 of the top reasons:
King & Allen News