Tailor Made London x Ian Wright
Dressing Ian for the Women's Fifa World Cup & Women's Wimbledon Final
For us, the most prominent advocate has been Arsenal and England legend Ian Wright. He has been at the forefront of efforts to raise the profile of women's football and consistently backed grassroots initiatives aimed at nurturing talent and fostering the growth of women's football. His unwavering commitment to empower young women to take up the beautiful game and pursue their dreams in our eyes is one of the greatest achievements of any British sportsmen.
Ian will be out in Australia and New Zealand commentating, presenting and covering the Lionesses. We recently had the privilege of welcoming him into our London showroom to work with him on two outfits. It was a real joy to see how much thought and attention he puts into his wardrobe and i think we can all agree whether he is pitch side or attending an event, Wrighty’s choice of attire always reflects his sophisticated taste, unique style and playful personality.
When we first started to discuss what he might be looking for it soon became apparent this is someone who truly understands their own style. Something he has honed over many, many years. His ability to effortlessly combine traditional style tailoring with modern silhouettes and streetwear is what we really loved about his approach. To keep things simple, the first outfit was of course a classic single breasted suit, Wrighty straight away mentioned he has a bit of an affinity for linen so we began exploring options and flicking through bunches from our extensive collection of British, Italian and French linens. Straight away we found a gorgeous tobacco brown Irish linen from Dugdale’s new Heirloom bunch with lovely weight and fantastic drape, he was also really adamant and happy to be supporting the British weaving and textile industry (What a guy).
With no messing about, we began to style the garment to his exact requirements. The aim for him, he admits, is to always strike a balance between contemporary fashion but with classic elements so it is elegant and timeless. So we opted for a notch lapel in our classic width of 3.5 inches at the gorge, shoulder accentuating but not too wide. Then jetted pockets on the hip for a slightly more sporty look which gives more versatility as he sometimes opts for a formal shirt and tie look but can often be seen rocking a more laid back approach with a classic tee. The trousers feature a single reverse pleat to allow more room when sitting in the studio, side adjusters and turn ups on the hem.
The second look will actually be worn for Wrighty’s attendance at this year's Women's Wimbledon final. He is a lover of the double breasted look, so this was our starting point. One characteristic that stands out in Wrighty’s fashion choices is his fearless approach to colour, so we all agreed, to pay homage to the iconic grass court championships a white jacket would look elegant and stand out for all the right reasons. As the weather is likely to be quite hot, we advised a wool, silk and linen blend to ensure maximum breathability without compromising on drape and structure. After carefully considering our options we found a wonderful fabric from Italian merchant Ariston, styling the jacket with brown horn buttons to complement the brown suede Jacques Soloviere Belgian style loafers he intends to wear. Next was finding the trousers to pair and keeping in line with his love for linen we opted for a very special cloth from Solbiaiti’s Art Du Lin bunch which is linen woven with an up twisted yarn giving it a springy suede like handle.
The fitting was just as enjoyable for us, he knew exactly what kind of aesthetic he likes but was encouraging to allow us to implement our ideas of fit. This for us, is the exact way someone should approach commissioning a custom piece of tailoring and we are truly thankful to Ian for his trust and belief. The results as you can see are fantastic, wonderfully cut garments with a perfect balance of classic elegant tailoring and a contemporary feel paired with Wrighty’s personal style and flair for colour.
We wish him all the best and will be joining him in rooting for our mighty Lionesses this summer!
