Jermyn Street is the counterpart to that glorious English institution Savile Row.  Traditionally the stylish man had his suits made in Savile Row and his shirts made in one of the shirtmakers of Jermyn Street.  Over 300 years of shirtmaking history have made it the place to go for bespoke and latterly, ready-to-wear shirts.  In that time it has also become the place to buy fine English footwear and other accessories.  So, suits in Savile Row and shirts and accessories in Jermyn Street, a simple rule to follow. 

I always enjoy Jermyn Street for its understated elegance and good taste.   I had some free time earlier this week and decided to have a look at what was on offer in the traditional January sale. 

So here are some impressions and tips on the sale. I did not manage to cover all of the shops in Jermyn Street so my apologies to the excellent brands/shops who I have not written about.  I hope to catch up on them in a later article.  

For the sake of readability this article is in two parts, part two following shortly.

The shops I visited included:

Turnbull and Asser

When I first started working in Banking in the City I met lots of Englishmen who swore by Turnbull and Asser shirts.  Turnbull and Asser do indeed make a great shirt, with a carefully tailored structure and very fine finishing (stitching).  For ready-to-wear I think Only Charvet in Paris can compete with them for the quality of their manufacture.  Turnbull and Asser shirts may just have the edge on Charvet in terms of modern patterns and exciting colour combinations.   

Browsing the sale I noticed that there are lots of shirts in the bigger collar sizes (English sizes 18,19) for the larger man.  Lots of fine stripe patterns and fine checks reflecting the current passion for striped shirts and slightly subdued patterns.  Lots of blue/white combiations for matching up to business suits, all at bargain prices. 

City legends 

I had heard it said in the City that if one has a Huntsman suit from Savile Row that one should wear a Turnbull and Asser shirt to set it off.  When I mentioned this to one of Turnbull’s staff his response was that the ultimate rig-out was a Huntsman suit, a Turnbull shirt and a Hermes tie.  I was impressed by this because a lesser store would promote their own ties without regard to the integrity of the discussion.  But the gentlemen at Turnbull have that quiet confidence that comes from selling some of the finest English menswear.

 It goes without saying that the service here is immaculate.  These gentlemen could give Jeeves the butler lessons in discreet and helpful service.

Below is a picture of a wool topcoat in Turnbull’s window that caught my eye.  It is modern and colourful yet quintessentially English.  I think it defines Turnbull and Asser. 

Their sale is on until the end of January 2008.

Turnbull and Asser, 71 & 72 Jermyn Street, St James’s, London SW1 6PF England

Tel: 44 (0)207 808 3000  

http://store.turnbullandasser.co.uk/Home

Edward Green

An ultra-cool modern storefront hides the fact that this is one of England’s oldest and finest shoemakers, founded in 1890.  Green are in the first division of English shoemakers and like their peers Crockett and Jones, have adapted very successfully to the modern world of ready-to-wear shoes whilst remaining a byword for quality. 

They have done this by producing a wide range of ready-to-wear shoes while retaining classic English styling.  They still make shoes of superb leather but have made a few useful concessions to the modern age.  For example it is possible to have synthetic or leather soles on many of their classic styles.

 Monks and Colonials 

Green make some finely styled shoes, like their “Monks” (Monkstrap shoes, which have a single or double strap across the bridge of the shoe, in lieu of laces) which are particularly handsome.  They also sell colonials, linen and leather wingtip brogues designed to be worn with summer suits or trousers.  Colonials manage to look both English and Italian simultaneously and add a worldly, wealthy touch to a summer outfit.    

I saw some very handsome wide-grain tan shoes in a variety of styles, which had a finish unlike anything else in Jermyn Street.  The sale is on until the end of January but it is clear that stocks will not last.  If you want them go buy them now.

While the manager and I were talking he gave me a small booklet about Edward Green shoes.  I did not look at it until I returned home.  It opens out into an A2 poster with a grid of small photos of all of their shoe styles.  It is a small work of art and I intend to frame mine.  The photographs, printed on good paper, are superb, as are the summary written guidelines to the shoes.  This is a small thing but important.  It absolutely pinpoints the excellence of this company, they get every small thing right.     

For more information Green also have a beautifully designed website, see the URL below.     

Edward Green,   75 Jermyn Street, St James’s, London SW1P 6NP, England  

 Tel: 44 (0)207 839 0202

www.edwardgreen.com/

Emmett

Emmett are a favourite of mine.  They are a new company of shirtmakers who make both bespoke and ready to wear shirts.  They mainly compete in the same ready-to-wear space as Thomas Pink, who are the largest of the retail English shirtmakers.  Being much smaller than Pink they strive to be distinctive by making bolder, more distinctive shirts.  I also like the fact that their staff are often passionate about their shirts which makes for a more engaging buying experience than some other shops. 

 Currently Emmett have some striking dress shirts in unusual colours and patterns.  They fit really well with the current trend for wearing a suit for leisure activities.  Emmett shirts really bring a suit to life, making them look less formal and more colourful.  Personally I am a sucker for their ties, (also in the sale) which are often bold designs and striking colours and very distinctive.    

The sale is on until the end of January 2008

Emmett, 112 Jermyn Street, St James’s London SW1Y 6LS, England

Tel:   44 (0)207 925 1299

www.emmettlondon.com/

Hilditch and Key 

Another iconic British brand, whose superb cotton shirts are on sale.  They are selling classic dress shirts with full and cutaway collars.  When I was there they still had some solid colour shirts in the sale in the most beautiful pinpoint oxford cotton.  There is nothing more flattering on an older man than a good oxford cotton shirt.  

Hilditch and key have lots of other products in the sale including their much prized ladies pyjamas.  If your favourite girl has that classic style, then these are just the present for her.  They are sexy in the own right (think Grace Kelly in a Hitchcock film).  If you cannot do sizes, do not fear, the staff here can help.

The sale is on until the end of January 2008

Hilditch and Key,  73, Jermyn Street, St James’s London, SW1Y 6NP, England

Tel:  44 (0)207 930 5336 

www.hilditchandkey.co.uk/

Herbie Frogg

An iconic brand from the swinging sixties, when Herbie Frogg dressed pop stars and photographers in velvet suits in primary colours.  Unfortunately the brand now looks very tired and relies on selling luxury brands such as Boss.   That said, there are some excellent suit bargains in this sale.

The sale is on until the end of January 2008

Herbie Frogg, 21 Jermyn Street, St James’s, London, Sw1Y 6HP

Tel: 44 (0)207 734 2992 

http://www.herbie-frogg.co.uk/

Alfred Dunhill 

Alfred Dunhill have put a lot of work into their brand after it fell into the doldrums in the early 90s.  Never having been in the “new” store in Jermyn Street I was not sure what to expect.   

My first impression was of a beautifully designed store.  It feels manly and is really easy to shop in.  The store look is reminiscent of Ralp Lauren but brighter and lighter and in my opinion much better.  The look is less cluttered and emphasises the clothes more.  The staff are friendly, knowledgable and efficient.  

This store personifies a complete Dunhill “look”.  If you want know what it feels like to be a wealthy man of the world, try strolling around this store for a few minutes.  I defy any man to walk around here without feeling prosperous and powerful.

I liked their belts and men’s jewellery, particularly the cufflinks.  The belt buckles were strikingly original, stylish and beautifully crafted.  Dunhill have a belt customisation service which can give you an even more original belt, though I did not have time to find out what this entails.  Hopefully I will find out how this works on another occassion.

The cufflinks are very classy, with some beautiful work in carved glass and semi-precious stone.  Many cufflinks look unremarkable and designs can be very similar between brands.  The Dunhill cufflinks are striking and radiate style.

Dunhill suits

To my mind the greatest improvement has been in Dunhill’s clothes.  My memory of their clothes were that they were old-fashioned.  Their current collection is adventurous without being too young, with lots of fine cloths and expensive-looking knitwear.  The suits are particularly good.  They have a range of single-breasted peaked-lapel suits in pale bold colours and luxury lightweight wools.  Also I really like their take on the three-piece suit.  Dunhill have used a combination of high quality silky wools, dark colours with a warm sheen and sharp italian-style tailoring.  Many three-piece suits look heavy and bulky but the Dunhill design looks slim, sleek and sharp.  It is a very flattering look. 

Go and browse and if you buy nothing else buy a copy of Dunhill’s “Real Man” diary.  By buying this you are supporting Dunhill’s preferred charity, the “Prostate Cancer Charity”.   I applaud their support for a charity that helps men deal with a serious health problem, one that strikes more than one in five men in England.

This visit to Dunhill opened my eyes to their uniqueness as a brand.  I cannot really classify them as being English, Italian or American, just “Dunhill”, an international brand in the best sense of the world.  Unclassifiable brands are rare and worth having.  I will return to Dunhill in the future.

 The sale is on until the last weekend in January 2008.

Alfred Dunhill, 48 Jermyn Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 6LX

Tel: 44 (0) 845 4580779

http://www.dunhill.com/en

This concludes Part 1 of our visit to Jermyn Street.  If you have comments or questions please leave a comment after this post. 

The Jermyn Street Association promotes its brands and stores and offers an email newsletter of information and events.  It can be found here. 

Part Two will look at some more Jermyn Street brands and one or two less well-known but interesting (and stylish) English shirtmakers.