Latest news with #Anderson&Sheppard
Evening Standard
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Graydon Carter's guide to London: Maison François, Anderson & Sheppard and collecting canoes
Sign up for the best picks from our travel, fashion and lifestyle writers. Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice. Graydon Carter, whose new book is out now, has never owned a flat in London; these are his favourite spots when he visits from New York. Home is … Greenwich Village. I've lived in New York for almost half a century. Our current apartment is about 200 feet from my first apartment. I know, a distinct lack of imagination. Where do you stay in London? We used to love the Draycott, just off Sloane Square. No spa or proper dining room. And the bathroom showers were tortuous. But it was charming, filled with books, and the rooms had gas fireplaces. Nina Campbell had done the interiors. It was sold recently and went through a renovation that stripped it of all its charm. Where was your first flat in the city? I've never owned a London flat — my loss. I was fired from the Evening Standard by fax by the editor Paul Dacre. I couldn't really blame him Graydon Carter What was your first job in London? I did a column for this paper once. It was about the goings on in New York. I was fired by fax by the editor Paul Dacre. I couldn't really blame him. The column wasn't particularly good. Where would you recommend for a first date? A walk along the Embankment. It's peaceful and you get a sense of the vast history of the city as well as the bustling newness of it. Which shops would you visit to buy presents? I do believe that the Anderson & Sheppard haberdashery shop is about as perfect as perfect gets. I also love Anya Hindmarch's little village of shops in Chelsea. My wife and I love to split a pasta starter and then a branzino The best London meal you've had? At the River Café, with my wife, our youngest son Spike and his wife Pip, and two dear friends, Lucy and Mark Cornell. My wife and I love to split a pasta starter and then a branzino. The River Cafe in Hammersmith Courtesy What would you do if you were Mayor for the day? Allow smoking in restaurants. Outlaw any car worth more than £100,000. Switch driving lanes to the right side. Force the owners of the Draycott to restore the hotel to its former self. Who is the most iconic Londoner? Gussie Fink-Nottle from the Jeeves novels. Or Admiral Nelson. Maybe Tony Hancock. Richard Garnett as Augustus 'Gussie' Fink-Nottle and Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster in the 1990 'Jeeves and Wooster' TV adaptation Rex Features Where do you have fun? I happen to love restaurants. So somewhere to eat. And drink. Where do you exercise in London? I don't. I know, shameful. Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer? No, thankfully. Where do you let your hair down? Not really enough hair to let down anymore. Also, you must think that I'm a much younger person than I am. What's your biggest extravagance? It used to be Anderson & Sheppard suits. Now it's brightly coloured Hermès handkerchiefs. I've downsized. What's your London secret? The roast chicken at Maison François. Dishes at Maison Francois Steven Joyce What's your favourite work of art in London? What are you up to at the moment for work? I have a memoir called When the Going Was Good to promote. And organising and editing the next issues of our weekly news, features and arts dispatch, Air Mail. What do you collect? I have five canoes of varying size. All of them made by the Old Town Canoe Company in Maine. One of them is a hundred-year-old war canoe that can hold 12. Which podcast are you currently obsessed with? The Rest is History and The Rest is Entertainment. Your favourite grooming spot? If I ever do decide to experience a professional shave, I'd probably go to Taylor on Jermyn Street. What apps do you depend on? Nothing too exotic. Uber and Google Maps. I'm hopeless with directions. Who is your hero? Si Newhouse, my old boss at Condé Nast. No man who held so much sway over the minds and tastes of the upper reaches of civilisation ever wore his influence more lightly. He was like a second father to me. And I adored him.
Telegraph
05-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘Crazy' luxury tax is disaster for Britain, warns the King's tailor
'The impact on our US business is significant.' So says Anda Rowland, proprietor of the King's tailor, Anderson & Sheppard, on the subject of Donald Trump's tariffs. In particular, the president's new taxes have knocked the company's hitherto thriving ready-to-wear online sales to America. But the US tariffs are not the number one problem affecting the business. That accolade goes to the decision by Britain's previous Tory government in 2021 to axe the longstanding VAT exemptions on purchases by international buyers, which continues to hurt London's luxury goods sector. The policy, dubbed the 'luxury tax' or the 'tourist tax', has been blamed for driving wealthy foreign shoppers away from London and to rival hubs such as Paris and Milan. 'It's an absolute disaster,' says Rowland, whose business works with 60 suppliers from across the UK's textiles industry. 'VAT is the killer. It was crazy, because it's a discretionary spend and people can find something similar somewhere else.' Fortunately, as she is quick to point out, what her business does isn't easily replicated elsewhere. Founded in 1906, Anderson & Sheppard is renowned for its 'English drape' tailoring and counts Cary Grant, Rudolph Valentino, Lawrence Olivier and Fred Astaire among its notable historical clients. (It also made that fuchsia tuxedo worn by James Bond star Daniel Craig at the premiere of No Time To Die in 2021.) But the shop's most famous client today is undoubtedly the King. His Majesty has been a customer since the early 1990s and granted the business a royal warrant in 2011. 'The King is amazing,' enthuses Rowland, describing the thrill of seeing him wearing one of their suits. 'His Majesty is a great ambassador and also, on another level, he's helping us to improve our business practices,' noting that applying for a royal warrant requires applicants to meet a swathe of business and environmental standards. Praising the Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales for their role in helping to fly the flag for companies such as hers, Rowland confirms that when it comes to the King '80pc of what we do is repairs and alterations'. Anderson & Sheppard's rich history and reputation, and the support of the Royal family, have helped to attract customers despite the luxury tax. Fortunately, its core bespoke business is less affected by the US tariffs because much of it takes place in person in London. Affluent Americans fly in for fittings, negating the need for sending suits cross-border without their owners. 'Touch wood, we are extremely lucky,' says Rowland. Rowland, 55, took over the family-owned Anderson & Sheppard 20 years ago in 2005, after a career at luxury cosmetics at names including Dior. Her father, Tiny Rowland, the buccaneering Lonrho tycoon and one-time owner of The Observer who died in 1998, was an Anderson & Sheppard customer and acquired a controlling 80pc share in the business in the 1970s after being approached by cutters seeking a buyout partner. When Anda took charge, her first task was to manage the company's move from its historical home on Savile Row – the lease was up and the building's owner was redeveloping the property – to new premises around the corner on Old Burlington Street. Successfully managing the transplantation after 99 years on the Row could not have been easy. 'The moment it really changed was when the first long-standing customer came into the new shop and said, 'Oh, wow, this is nice,'' she recalls. 'And then from that moment on, confidence was well established.' Looking back, she says that being 'an outsider' to the Row was useful, and I suspect it informed her next move too. In 2012, she launched the company's first ready-to-wear range and opened a dedicated shop around the corner on Clifford Street – Anderson & Sheppard Haberdashery. Here you can buy socks for £30 or off-the-peg trousers, suits or coats priced at anything up to the low thousands of pounds. The garments are predominantly from the UK, the intention being to complement the bespoke tailoring business by supplying items for the rest of a customer's wardrobe but also to provide a lower price of entry to the brand (after all, a bespoke suit costs upwards of £6,000). Rowland brings a business acumen doubtlessly informed by close observation of her late father at work as well as her own business experience and time spent studying for an MBA at Insead in Paris. Asked to list her main achievements over 20 years at the helm, her first is apprenticeships. 'When I arrived we really didn't have many apprentices. We didn't have succession.' This was dangerous when it takes four to five years to train a suit maker or a fabric cutter. Now the business has seven apprentices in its 32-strong workforce. 'That, I think, is one of the biggest achievements.' Her second biggest achievement has been broadening the customer base: 'When I joined we were reliant on 40-50 people ordering quite a bit. Now we have more customers ordering less.' New bespoke clients These days the company recruits around three new bespoke clients a week – either through the ready-to-wear shop or via the extensive trunk tours of the US and Far East. Sales were up 8pc on the year. Americans account for 42pc of bespoke sales, compared to 35pc from the UK, 18pc in Europe and 5pc in the rest of the world. This year, before Trump announced his tariffs, Anderson & Sheppard was forecasting £7m turnover, with the aim of reaching £10m by around 2027. Crucially, growth must be accomplished while staying true to the firm's heritage. 'The biggest achievement is not having changed the spirit of Anderson & Sheppard – that our long-standing customers still feel that it's the same, the same ethos, the same love and attention to detail,' Rowland says. This has helped by staff retention, says Rowland, for which they're 'probably the best in Savile Row'. For all this, Rowland acknowledges much of what they do doesn't quite make sense. 'Who would set up manufacturing in one of the world's most expensive retail areas?' she laughs. 'I mean, you'd have to be mad with the business rates, the rents.' But this again was also part of the rationale for the ready-to-wear shop and her strategy for the future. 'This side of the business can expand,' she explains of the haberdashery. 'But it's also about the long term, to make sure that we can continue doing what we do that we consider to be the best in the world, to stabilise the hand-making.' Looking ahead, Rowland wants to grow online ready-to-wear sales, which account for around 10pc of turnover. 'The smartest thing we can do now is to improve our online offering,' she says. After that she hopes to open a second haberdashery shop in New York, subject to an anticipated improvement in US-UK trade terms. At the heart of Rowland's approach is the need for the business to remain profitable in order retain and motivate staff. 'It's got to be a success, and it should be,' says Rowland. 'What we make is really, really good.' The secret, she believes, is to move at a gentle pace. 'You don't want to stress a business like this – there's no need. We're not looking to sell out to some private equity firm and to get minimum numbers and [to] take it on and trash it.' On the contrary, she says, it's a case of 'slowly, slowly, with everybody on board.' As to Rowland's requests of the Government, aside from restoring tax-free shopping, she says textiles companies are struggling with a shortage of skilled workers – a consequence of the Brexit travel restrictions. The recent rise in employers' National Insurance contributions is another headwind the industry didn't need. Despite all this, the proprietor of Anderson and Sheppard is optimistic for the future of her business and Savile Row, too. 'It's world class, Savile Row,' says Rowland. 'What we're doing is a small, tiny industry, but we're first in it.'
Telegraph
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Hatinators and the new rules of Ascot dressing
How to dress for the famous horse racing meet in June has always been a fascinating blend of tradition with a dash of modernity. As Ascot racecourse releases its official lookbook overseen by creative director of the festival, British designer Daniel Fletcher, we assess the changing style and social mores in the enclosures. The Gentlemen by Stephen Doig When King Charles casts his eye over the crowds at Ascot 2025, set to take place from 17-21 June, he may well alight on some looks that are something of a departure at the rigidly decorous occasion. A flash of mannish bare leg, for example – hitherto an absolute 'no no' at Ascot, but granted within the Windsor enclosure. Actually, there's no dress code for the Windsor enclosure, but 'smart daywear' is the order of the day. Dare you bare in shorts? You certainly have permission, because they feature in the official lookbook that has debuted today, curated by British designer Daniel Fletcher, who balances his work with Chinese brand Mithidrate alongside acting as creative director to Ascot. The guide lends some suggestions for ensembles to wear within the various enclosures, as well as some general stylistic themes, from 'Best of British' to 'Prints & Patterns'. While you might not agree that revealing some acreage of calf isn't quite the done thing at Ascot, there are plenty of outfits that will happily stand up to anything the King – a regular attendee – might wear, according to the dress codes of the various enclosures. Let's start with the most lofty and prestigious; the Royal Enclosure. There are handsome morning suits, with Pall Mall formalwear outfitter Favourbrook acting as the official outfitter RP. There are subtle sartorial mores associated with morning suits and the fine details of how to wear them – more on that to come later – but patrician eyebrows were raised in 2021 when navy was granted as a colour for morning attire. That was deemed controversial as it's a shade associated with citified, corporate attire; the old guard presumably deeming it a tad arriviste. King Charles, as it happens, tends to wear a grey Anderson & Sheppard morning suit with lilac and pink accessories, if you're looking for a point of reference. There are also suggestions for the less formal set-ups within Ascot; colourful suiting features by way of a handsome sage-green suit, and elsewhere suits are worn with sweaters and a little foulard, if you're feeling rather outré. There's also a nod to sensual Seventies style in silk shirting, as well as the more classic varieties of single-breasted suits worn with pinstriped shirts and club ties, for a hint of Gordon Gekko. Perhaps a more soft-focus and English take on suiting is the cream chalk-striped suit worn with pastel shirting, bi-coloured loafers and a jaunty straw panama hat. It's just the thing to see you through the 'season' – as it was ceremoniously called during the Edwardian era – from Henley to Glyndebourne and various garden parties, and has just a touch of Sebastian Flyte about it. Which is no bad thing. The Ladies by Jessica Burrell Ever since men were required to wear top hats in the Royal Enclosure in the late 18th century, headpieces have been a focal point of the Royal Ascot dress code. For women, regulations require a minimum base diameter of four inches, along with a dress or skirt falling 'just above the knee' – or, as of 2017, a jumpsuit. But this year, fashion-forward racegoers might trade their traditional hats for 'hatinators', which are mentioned in the official dress code. As the name implies, these combine the features of a hat and a fascinator, with a larger structure worn on a headband or hair clip rather than directly on the head. They are also a frequent feature in this year's Royal Ascot lookbook, which was launched today. Introduced last year as an inspirational guide for attendees, the lookbook is styled by British designer Daniel Fletcher, whose namesake brand is popular with young tastemakers including Alexa Chung and Robert Pattinson. Among this year's suggested looks for women are a striped and floral Vivienne Westwood suit styled with a large blush-pink hatinator by Merve Bayindir, which resembles a rose. It's an elegant look from a 'Best of British' section in the lookbook, which also stars pretty pink pastels including a top and skirt by Suzannah London paired with a bow-adorned hat by Lock & Co. Another hatinator highlight comes courtesy of Filipa Cardoso's sheer pastel-blue face-framer, which looks fresh paired with a shirt and skirt from Rotate Birger Christensen. Clearly, separates are going to be the order of the day in the Royal Enclosure this year. Classic hat styles stray towards the rather more outré, including a towering oversized yellow pillbox style and something resembling a lampshade from Harvy Santos, as well as a fully feathered peach basket style from Rachel Trevor Morgan. The latter is worn with a vintage Prada dress sourced from Sign of the Times, a luxury resale store in London and online, so perhaps Fletcher is appealing to younger racegoers. In any case, one must commend his suggestion of bringing pre-loved fashion into your occasionwear wardrobe. For those looking to play things a little safer, on-trend polka dots look set to be a winner. This classic look dominates the 'Prints & Patterns' section of Fletcher's look book and recalls Julia Roberts' race day look in Pretty Woman, which was also channelled by the Princess of Wales in black and white Alessandra Rich polka dots for Ascot in 2022.
