Suits Plus To Expand

Value menswear retailers Suits Plus has refreshed its store concept to coincide with a second period of growth.

The 13-store company opened three shops last year and after a period of 18 months consolidation, there are plans to open another three this year.

Suits Plus chief executive Alan Blumenthal said the company had earmarked several opportunities for stores in towns well served by motorways. The retailer handles its own stock deliveries.

The company bases its sales on two deals: two GBP67 suits for GBP100 suits for GBP150. Blumenthal said the company as in talks with suppliers to broaden its range this year.

15 January 2004

Business As Usual: Power Dressing The International Male

Believe it or not, the suit has returned to its rightful place as the work uniform of choice. Following the sentiment that in trying economic times people return to traditional dress, and when business gets tougher, so does the look.

What worked for Pierre Cardin in the 70s, and Armani in the late eighties, the endurance of the formal work uniform - suit with a dress shirt and tie - is a testament to its effectiveness. It isn't by chance that City bankers chose bold pinstripes - the bigger and wider the pinstripe, the more aggressive the statement looks. And, when the look is right, it could well open any door in the city. Get it wrong, and you might as well go home.

With the internationalisation of business and the increase in international travel pertinent power dressing issues are being raised. Will something that's appropriate for London's square mile get you laughed out off Wall Street in New York? American bankers, for example, are more conservative than their |English counterparts and rarely stray from dark navy or grey.

A few years ago dressing casually in the workplace portrayed confidence and courage. Today, people are more circumspect in how they dress for work, and the Michael Douglas character from Wall Street has inspired a whole new generation of sartorial muscle-flexing in London's City.

As the bespoke touch becomes increasingly important it is a far more subtle way of communicating status than flashing a bold designer label. However, if you're still determined to make a power statement a watch, especially an antique Cartier or Rolex, should make the right impression.

For true bespokeness head to Savile Row, London.

11 September 2003

Tailoring Market Measures Up

The UK tailoring market has never fully recovered from the end of the 1990s. The rise of sportswear and transatlantic dress-down phenomenon delivered a significant blow to suit sales. According to Mintel figures, the retail sales of suits in the UK fell from GBP 691m in 1997 to GBP 600m in 2002. But don't be discouraged, the menswear tailoring market is clawing its way back into the limelight, according to analysts.

The City's dress-down mantra has subsided, and a new style of dressing has emerged, a third wardrobe of sharp casualwear bridging the gap between the office and the bar. At designer level, the likes of Dior and Raf Simons have reinvented the suit for a leaner silhouette. Now the suit is sexy once more and the revival of tailoring as a fashion item has fuelled growth across men's designerwear. 'There's definitely a rising demand for very high quality fabrics,' says Keith Horseley UK agent for Canali.

Meanwhile, young fashion multiples and middle market brands have been cashing in on the trend of combining casualwear with formalwear. The look on the street is matching tailored jackets with jeans, t-shirts and trainers. The trend looks set to proliferate yet further with Topman, George at Asda and River Island extolling its virtues at affordable prices.

Without doubt there is renewed consumer interest in tailoring which has even turned heads among the tricky 18-25 age group. Encouragingly both streetwear and designer brands have embraced tailoring and introduced fresh permutations which the highstreet has noted faster than ever before. A cocktail of global sourcing, good prices, and a more fashion-focused male consumer, has served to retain the spotlight on tailoring in the UK.

20 May 2003