FOLLOWING OUR VISIT TO ITALY, WHERE I SPENT TIME VISITING BOTH CURRENT AND POTENTIAL NEW SUPPLIERS, AND ATTENDING PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO, THE WORLD’S PREMIER EXHIBITION OF INTERNATIONAL AND ITALIAN MEN’S CLOTHING IN FLORENCE, I AM NOW BACK, IN WHAT IS CURRENTLY A COLD AND DAMP SYDNEY, AND WORKING HARD.

After just three and a half weeks in the mid-summer Italian sunshine this has been a bit of a shock to the system!

I felt that the trip was extremely worthwhile, as well as being very enjoyable. I made a number of very useful contacts that will I’m sure prove to be extremely beneficial to my clients in the coming months. As many of them will know, for some time I have been keen to expand the range of bespoke clothing items that J. H. Cutler was able to offer. As a result of my trip, in the coming weeks, I will be making a number of exciting new additions to our range, including cotton and wool socks, boxer shorts and beautiful hand made Italian leather belts.

I AM OFTEN ASKED FOR MY ADVICE ON THE CLOTHING THAT I CONSIDER SHOULD FORM THE BASIS OF A GENTLEMAN’S CORPORATE WARDROBE.

From experience gained over more than 40 years in bespoke tailoring I am very aware that to an extent this will depend on the personality of the person in question, but for someone with a reasonably conservative disposition I recommend the following:

o Five or six business suits in a variety of colours including plain navy blue, blue stripe, plain charcoal or charcoal herringbone, mid grey or grey stripe and grey flannel. Weights and styles will depend on personal preference and pattern of international travel.
o Dinner suit
o Blazer in either blue or black
o Two sports coats
o Four pairs of casual trousers suitable for wearing with blazer/sports coats
o Twelve business shirts, and one formal shirt
o Overcoat

I would be interested to know whether your opinion differs markedly from mine.