Gentlemen,
In the last few days, cyclists from across the pond have literally been on top of the world thanks to the first British victory in the history of the Tour de France. What’s more, two sons of the Perfidious Albion stepped on the podium for this race.
This is a somewhat brutal reminder that our English friends are bona fide cyclophiles, and that the market for bicycles and other cycling suits is extremely fruitful.
We have already written about the work of Guy Hills (very talented photographer and founder of Dashing Tweeds), with a particularly creative cycling suit.
Two years ago, the very prolific Timothy Everest designed an impressive cycling suit for a partnership with London based cycling-wear brand Rapha. This technical piece of sartorial art was cut in a smart wool, that is waterproof and stain repellent. It featured many innovations: a smart gusset back, a special collar to protect against the elements and foldable panels that won’t hinder any movement.
This very popular jacket is now available in ready-to-wear (ready-to-ride ?) with Rapha (see below).
Needless to say, the more aesthetically inclined velocipede enthusiasts can have it bespoken with an infinite number of alteration at Timothy Everest. Below is a recent example created by Timothy featuring elbow patches, a half belt and unusual slanted back pockets that sit on the flaps.
Today, Timothy is putting the finishing touches to two classic bespoke suits for a professional British cyclist, himself finishing up his training for London 2012. As you can imagine, this client has a built matching his sport: extremely thin with a particularly small waist and elongated muscles. How does one dress such a frame?
The answer is below with pictures of the two pieces in question, in the middle of being assembled (with basting stitch and without lapels.)
The first piece is an electric blue wool (Smith’s Golden Bale range: nothing is too good) suit with a much cinched single breasted suit and a single pleat trouser. The lines are beautiful and looks very promising.
Same cut for the second suit, but in gray gabardine.
Another British victory.
Cheers, HUGO
