Going, Going, Gone.. The End of Summer.

It has been too long that I have put the metaphorical pen to paper and I cannot tell you what an enormous thrill it is at being able to steal away a couple of hours to sit and write.. and possibly smoke a cigar whilst I am at it.

And it is not for want nor desire that I have not taken the time to write, it is simply that there has not been the time between appointments; at the height of summer I counted that our typical 2 – 4 commissions a week had become 7 or more! We have also been on the road; at one point I counted that we were away 8 weeks on the trot.. possibly too much for any family, or at least any parents of young children; the children, however, were seemingly unscathed, although Rubin Sonny was more than a little fed up at being wrestled into his car seat by the end of the summer.

So what of our adventures; well, as I said, it was the busiest wedding season on record for me personally, which is obviously a wonderful thing, if not a little exhausting. More than likely this had a lot to do with the lack·a·dai·si·cal organisation of our grooms at ordering their wedding attire – some leaving it as late as 4wks before the event! But I am pleased to report that not a single groom was left standing at the altar in his altogether and, as yet, we’ve received nothing but praise and thanks for our work and long may it continue. In fact, at time of going to press we have already received several commissions for wedding suits for nuptials being tied this side of Christmas. Isn’t love a wonderful thing.

Possibly ill-timed was our sojourn to the splendid Casa Rosa in Mallorca at the end of August, this being one of the busiest months on the wedding calendar and just a couple of weeks before the Goodwood Revival for which Brown in Town were responsible for the suits worn by the Bonhams auctioneers. But it was good to ascend the stairs of our subterranean studio and soak up some serotonin and add a little colour to one’s cheeks – not those cheeks, I have Speedos white lines for heaven’s sake! In fact, for my sins, it was poolside that I scribed our last blog about, among other things, the virtues of this year’s jacket of the summer which was made from Holland & Sherry’s super seersucker cloth and is adorned with carry-all patch pockets and is also completely unlined so as to reduce weight and insulation, making it cool to wear but very functional. And as one can do only when you are sunkissed, I indulged in a little Lacoste, investing in a crisp white polo shirt to wear with my tailored blue linen shorts, naturally!

Since our return, we have furnished the last of our grooms with their summer wedding suits and started work on launching our new Custom Collection, which has been a long time in the making and which I will write about in more detail very soon. But in essence we have created a capsule wardrobe for the modern gentleman, who requires more that just a suit in his arsenal to get him through the working week and into the weekend. We have been working on this collection for some time and it was only our inability to launch it that has hindered us from sharing it with the world, but we are elated to have enlisted the services of Daniel Edmund from men’s style blog Milk for Tea to help us to do so – those that follow us on Instagram will have noticed the launch of @brownintownatelier and which Daniel is doing a splendid job of showcasing our atelier. Thank you Sir!

Our other sojourns along the M4 corridor have included the Goodwood Revival where we were surrounded by the finest motor cars in the world and several thousand sartorially clad men and women for the highlight of the Brown in Town calendar, where the great and the good divulge to see motor racing as it used to be – and in my humble opinion at it’s best – to raise a few glasses of bubbly and be in with the opportunity to drive away in a piece of automotive history courtesy of our hosts, Bonhams auctioneers. This was followed by the wedding of the year for the family and for which Brown in Town were honored to have been commissioned to make the suit for the groom – those who follow my Instagram @bristolslocaltailor will be familiar with the unfolding photostory of  ‘The Indestructible Suit’, a three piece thornproof tweed suit which we made for Sam, Rebbie’s groom.

And as if to mark the end of a barmy summer, no sooner had we returned home from the South Downs, but we had to return from whence we came to lay Saffron Darby’s grandfather, Poppa Bru to rest. RIP Poppy, you will be sorely missed.

The end of wedding high season this year was marked by the wedding of Edward and Ellie Busby, whose respective families and friends have kept us busy throughout the summer with no fewer than five suits on the cutting table at any one time. Brown in Town would like to thank the Busby’s for their patronage and moreover their friendship and vitality which always brought good cheer to our studio on Colston St. and also our residency at The Hoxton Hotel in London.

Whilst I was hoping for things to be a little less manic here at Brown in Town HQ, the opposite has been true as we entre the final furlong of 2016 – this blog has been 4 weeks, if not more, in the putting off. As wedding season returns to a gentle flow from the torrent we have navigated, we have simultaneously received a healthy number of commissions for evening attire as we fast approach the silly season.

And as if by magic, Brown in Town has celebrated it’s official anniversary in the past week – like the Queen, we have two; one when the company was inaugurated and the other when we opened the doors of our first shop in Hotel du Vin’s cigar humidor on 1st January 2014. To say that we are thrilled with the reception that Brown in Town has received would be an understatement and it is to our patrons, friends and families that we owe an enormous debt of gratitude for their continued patronage and support these past two wonderful years. Long may they continue.

With the evenings drawing in and my tweeds once again coming into their own as I sit outside our new home at Bangshanky smoking a cigar and putting the finshing touches on this illusive blog, I bid you adieu until next time; which hopefully will not be another 8 weeks as I am itching to introduce the new Brown in Town Custom Collection!