Jermyn Street Comes To Washington, D.C. Over Whiskey

Back in January I had the pleasure of getting fitted for a made to measure tweed sports coat by Benson & Clegg while they were at the Sterling & Burke’s shop in historic Georgetown Washington, D.C.

Much to my delight I was informed that Benson & Clegg would not only be returning (once every 12 weeks per their regular schedule), but also coming with two other vendors.

The three visiting vendors are all located on Jermyn Street in the heart of London:

• Benson & Clegg – suits and accessories
• Budd Shirt Makers – dress shirts and sleepwear
• Foster & Son – shoes and slippers

One could really get dressed from head to toe with these three!

The Hosts – Sterling & Burke

I arrived at Sterling & Burke early to get fitted for some custom braces by Benson & Clegg, and also to see what was on offer from the “new guys”.

That evening The Balvenie was on hand to serve whiskey, during the networking event.

The event drew a very eclectic and interesting crowd with a common theme of being very well dressed. I had traveled down from Philadelphia with Bob Raymond (see below) that day, and we both greatly enjoyed the company and what was on offer.

Three Cornerstones Of Jermyn Street

Getting there early allowed both Bob and I to go around the Sterling and Burke shop (which is brilliant by the way…), and also talk to the three London vendors in more detail.

Benson & Clegg

As I am familiar with what Benson & Clegg has to offer it was Bob’s turn to get the full treatment. In a nutshell, they offer what I believe to be the best bespoke suit service anywhere in the world, as one gets to work directly with head cutter Tony Martin in person, making the perfect fitting suit. If true bespoke is a bit too much initially, they also offer a made to measure range, not to mention a full line of accessories.

Website: http://bensonandclegg.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/bensonandclegg

Fitting For Benson & Clegg Sport Coat

Bob decided to get a made to measure lightweight sports coat for the upcoming warm weather. Never being shy of a pattern, he chose this amazing Holland & Sherry pink wool fabric with a grey windowpane design. Further, one of the great joys of going custom is having the ability to choose all options, like this silk lining skull and crossbones design.

With the made to measure range, Tony Martin (Benson & Clegg’s head cutter) uses pre-made jackets in the form of their “house” cut, to size and measure the jacket. This allows for a relatively quick, but highly accurate process to get the final product in the Benson & Clegg house style with little to no alteration at the second fitting. For my first jacket, only a small alteration was needed to the chest piece. [Note: the true bespoke process, takes about a year to complete!]

Budd Shirtmakers

Budd are know for their shirts, but I was also taken aback by their stunning sleep wear options.  Both of the gentlemen (Darren Tiernan & James MacAuslan) from Budd were extremely helpful, and I greatly enjoyed hearing about the history of the brand and also some more modern things like their Vanity Fair covers.

I look forward to seeing the shop in person during my next visit to London in a few weeks.

Website: http://www.buddshirts.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/buddshirtmakers

Foster & Son

Being a self-confessed shoe nut, I was eagerly anticipating meeting Andy Murphy, a long time Instagram acquaintance, yet never having met in person. His passion and knowledge of shoes was quite extraordinary and we could have spoken for quite some time… We settled on me visiting him during my upcoming London travels to get some custom slippers made.

Website: http://foster.co.uk/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/foster_and_son/

Scheduling An Appointment

If you’re interested in dressing well, and live in the north eastern corridor of the USA, these three vendors conduct regular trips (every 3-6 months) to Washington D.C., New York, and Boston. Further, they take the trunk shows globally in some cases, so definitely reach out to them for their travel schedule, and / or go meet them directly in London. Either way you won’t be disappointed!