Piccadilly Arcade has an atmosphere that is all its own.  It has retained more of its Victorian elegance than Princes Arcade and the light here is softer, the shops have an older style, having retained many of their traditional architectural features,  It is also fair to say that Piccadilly Arcade has more of the flavour of Jermyn Street, hosting traditional upscale English brands like New and Lingwood, the tailor and shoemaker and Budd, the shirtmaker to the Prince of Wales.

 

New and Lingwood

We start with the Bowring Arundel sign.  Bowring Arundel still make made-to-measure shirts (now as part of New and Lingwood).  Classic English cotton shirts cost from £150.00 for a minimum order of two.  They also sell the most wonderful coloured enamel and precious metal cufflinks.  These are marvels of sophistication and miniaturist beauty.

New and Lingwood hold both corners of the Jermyn Street end of the arcade and sell every type of classic British menswear a man might need.  For me the top pick, has to be their slim and beautifully crafted men’s shoes. But the picture below shows that they also know how to colour up an English summer.

Finally I had to put in a picture of this extravagant silk dressing gown, which has pride of place in the New and Lingwood window.  Right now N&L get the prize for most colourful window on the Arcade.

New and Lingwood

53 Jermyn Street

London, SW1Y 6LX

+44 (0) 7493 9621

http://www.newandlingwood.com

 

Favourbrook

Favourbrook sell men’s suits, shirts and wedding attire.  But where they really score is with their dressy, dandyish waistcoats.  No-one does it better or with better fabrics. And if that is not enough for you then their made-to-measure service should do the trick.  Go in and browse their beautiful waistcoats.  If you need help, I can recommend the friendly and extremely knowledgeable Hannah Hooper who runs things there.  Great shop, lots of fun.

Favourbrook

19-21 Piccadilly Arcade

London, SW1Y 6NH

+44 (0) 20 74991921

www.favourbrook.com

 

Jeffery West

At the risk of getting another influx of mail from Jeffery West’s rabid fan-base (ok, that includes me too), here is their Piccadilly Arcade shop.  Cult shoemakers and re-inventors of classic British styles, their shoes give you a licence to swagger rather than walk.  Full of brio and sixties spirit, these shoes are for the man who can make a suit look cool.  I think the Victorian statuary in the window is a camel……..  Sometimes I think the jeffery West folks are completely insane……

Jeffery West,

16 Piccadilly Arcade

London, SW1Y 6NH

+44 (0)20 7499 3360

http://www.jeffery-west.co.uk

 

Neal and Palmer

Neal and Palmer is a classic English tailor, who sell both ready-to-wear and made-to-measure gentlemen’s suits.   However their real strength lies in their much respected bespoke tailoring.  Also, like Favourbrook, they sell some very handsome and eye-catching waistcoats. Every time I have been in here I find these guys to be both friendly and efficient.

Neal and Palmer

11 Piccadilly Arcade

London, SW1Y 6NH

44 (0) 20 7495 4094

www.nealandpalmer.com

 

 

Benson and Clegg

Marvellous old-school British tailor who make superb English-cut suits in traditional styles (and in the traditional way).  Here is a picture of one of Benson and Clegg’s beautifully cut English covert coats.  No one does it better.

Benson and Clegg are also shirt makers.  They have a Royal Warrant for their shirts (HRH the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles).
Given that Prince Charles regularly places in the top five of well-dressed men lists, Benson and Clegg clearly do something right.

Benson and Clegg

9 Piccadilly Arcade

London, SW1Y 6NH

+44 (0)20 7409 2053

http://www.bensonandclegg.com

 

Budd

English shirtmaker with a proud history. Given their almost legendary status as a shirtmaker, Budd clearly do something right.  I like Budd for a lot of reasons.  Firstly they still make and sell a older styles of shirt, including the English “long-point collar” which can look very handsome on shorter men.  They also sell the most magnificent dressing gowns.  Also, for mad menswear collectors, they sell the ties of the famous but long-defunct City of London tailor, Webster Brothers.

Budd

1a and 3 Piccadilly Arcade

SW1Y 6NH

+44 (0)20 7493 0139

 

Kent and Curwen

Holding down the north corner of the Piccadilly end of the arcade, Kent and Curwen are modern menswear brand and are always interesting.  They sell ready-to-wear suits and casualwear.  Theyalso sell their clothes in Japan.  In fact they are bigger in Japan (if you will forgive the phrase) than in England.  This makes for some interesting twists.  Their casual wear always seems to use richer colour palette than many of their rivals.  Certainly the finishing on their suits is extremely good, with an attention to fine detail that some of their competitors simply cannot match.

Kent and Curwen

2 Piccadilly Arcade

London, SW1Y 6NH

+44 (0) 20 7036 9320

http://www.kentandcurwen.co.uk

 

Santa Maria Novella

This old-style Spanish perfumier/pharmacy (there is no real English word that fits) graces the Piccadilly end of the arcade on the South side and is simply beautiful.  No other shop on the arcade has such class.  They sell organic cosmetic products are for both men and women.  They are reputed to sell the most effective and fragrant moth-repellent papers in Europe and many people swear by them (our article about keeping moths from knitwear is here).  For me the thing to buy here are their unique and charming shaving razors, handmade in exotic woods, natural resins and other natural substances.  These make a truly individual gift.

Santa Maria Novella

1 Piccadilly Arcade

London, W1J 9EN

44 (0) 20 7493 1975

http://www.santamarianovella.co.uk

 

This is the end of our arcade story for now.  In a future article we will tackle the daddy of all London’s Victorian arcades, Burlington Arcade.   But for now let me leave you with a recommendation to visit both Jermyn Street Arcades. Think of it as a small dip into classic elegance.

 

Our first article on the arcades, about Princes Arcade, is here.