We Wish You a Merry Christmas..!

“And now, the end is near, and so I face, the final curtain..”

Well, not quite the final curtain, but the blinds will be coming down on Friday 19th, as Brown in Town closes for Christmas.

And what a year it has been for Brown in Town. We opened our doors on January 1st and received our first customer that same day before we’d even had a chance to move into the old cigar humidor at Hotel du Vin, in fact, they helped us with the set-up; thank you Steve Coe!

We have continued to offer advice on style and dress, providing the sort of traditionally inspired, classically tailored garments for the discerning man about town and country, for which Brown in Town has become known. That said, albeit we had resisted the temptation to undertake any commissions from our female patrons, this Autumn we bowed to demand and tailored our first tweed jacket for the ladies –  and what a jacket it was; green tweed of a herringbone weave with pink lining and trim, naturally!

Occasionally passing comment via our preferred social media channels; Instagram (thanks to The Ethicurean for their encouraging of this luddite to adopt this visual method of communication), Linked In and Twitter, as we endeavour to keep our friends abreast of our exploits and various works of art with our sartorially inspired #mohairmonday #tweedtuesday #worstedwednesday #thornproofthursday and #flannelfriday – occasionally bidding a #sartorialsaturday when on tailoring duty at such events as The Goodwood Revival and The Bristol Vintage Wedding Faire. Not forgetting of course our weekly posts in our sartorial column, The Advisory featuring imagery from official Brown in Town photographer Remco Merbis and friend of Brown in Town Nick Veez.

But let us not forget what heralded the launch of Brown in Town way back when and that is the oft underappreciated medium which is print. Our initial poster campaign was a great success by all accounts, generating interest in an, at the time, unknown tailoring house which had yet to open it’s doors, and gleaned no small amount of interested in our services. With thanks to Hello Blue for printing our beautiful museum grade archival quality posters that have adorned the walls of Small St. Espresso, the Star and Dove, Bangshanky, Averys, The Ethicurean, Hotel du Vin, Harts Bakery, Full Court Press, Friska and St. Nicholas Market Cobblers to name but a few – thank you to you all for offering to mount our poster on the walls of your establishments – and, occasionally, in the gents! The second poster campaign is being installed in various venues around town just now, including The Grace, Gloucester Rd, so do keep your eyes peeled.

This year we have also welcomed gents taking a vested interest in their non-business wardrobes, more than usual I’m pleased to report, ordering traditional blazers and summer jackets more than ever before, our mainstay continues to be professionals who understand that first impressions last and the value of having their clothes tailor made, whether suits or separates, shirts and ties or even overcoats. Not forgetting our grooms, of course, who represent both schools of thought; those wanting something traditional out of respect to our sartorial past and the occasion of their nuptials, but without wanting to appear too formal, cliched, twee or stuffy. It is these individuals, who have brought to Brown in Town their sartorial ideas, their hopes, their aspirations and their desire to wear something on that most auspicious of occasions which is uniquely them and, for whom, like us, there is no never before brown in town.

Talking of town, whilst Brown in Town is staunchly Bristolian – we even accept payment for our tailoring services in Bristol poundsthese days – given one’s roots, we have welcomed the opportunity to take up residence each month at the Hoxton Hotel in London’s Shoreditch as a way of keeping in touch with patrons past and present, but also as a means of mixing a little business with pleasure and seeing old friends who reside in the big smoke. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Hox’ for it’s unequalled hospitality, there is nothing quite like your warm reception and thank you for being so accommodating.

And while there have been many highs in our inaugural year, sadly, Brown in Town has had to relinquish it’s most cherished address of ‘The Cigar Humidor’, but it will be business as usual in 2015; you’ll still be able to find us in the bar at Hotel du Vin at a time convenient for you.

But while the humidor may no longer be our sartorial home, there are still opportunities aplenty to enjoy a cigar in the courtyard, so without further ado, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued patronage, support and friendship and we look forward to more of the same in 2015.

May we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Brown in Town will be back bright eyed and bushy tailed on January 5th.

Bristol’s local tailor.