By: Bairbre Power, December 18, 2021
THE IRISH INDEPENDENT
Why a made-to-measure suit is the gift that keeps on giving. From sharp suits to cashmere kids’ bomber jackets and matching family PJs, our fashion editor rounds up gorgeously stylish gifts for every budget
Twas the week before Christmas and thinking caps were on. Again! Somehow the gift shopping doesn’t always go to plan because the inspiration can dry up. In situations like this, rather than race out to buy the first thing you, and your wallet, land on, why not adopt a fashionable ‘long game’ and present a gift of a bespoke item that will be specially created for your loved one in 2022.
Top of my list would be a suit, such as one from Banshee of Savile Row. While their operational HQ is in the heart of London’s famed tailoring district, the brand has set up a bespoke service here for its growing number of Irish clients.
The company is the brainchild of Dubliner Ruby Slevin and her Wicklow-born husband, Rocco Tullio. Creative director Ruby previously worked for Cad & The Dandy and Rocco worked as a visual artist before the couple came together to set up Banshee, and their order book for male and female clients is filling up very nicely.
The ‘Social Butterfly’ suit (above) is made in England from a scarlet corduroy cloth and, for extra impact, it can be lined in a silk print created from a charcoal tree portrait by Rocco’s mother, Susan Morley.
Explaining the elements of the bespoke suit, Ruby says: “The jacket has patch pockets and natural horn buttons. The trousers are a wide, relaxed shape, with turn-ups and silk-lined pockets.
“The suit is completely bespoke and stitched by hand using a full floating canvas, which is hundreds of intricate pad stitches that we use to sculpt the shape of the jacket and adds to its sustainability and longevity.”
The suits costs €2,100, with an additional charge of €300 for the Susan Morley lining. They also offer silk satin linings that aren’t art prints for an additional €150.
In a recent development, the company is hosting weekly consultations and fittings in the United Arts Club in Dublin.
Prices start at €180 for a Banshee blouse in cotton, and some of the other popular commissions have been silk blouses, waistcoats and, of course, the splendid drama-filled tweed coats.
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