Any mention of Harry Fenton makes me feel slightly queasy. I blew around £70-odd quid on a suit because an ex-Mod (from the 60s, Motown fan) assured me it would help me in my quest to have sexual congress with lovely young women. I should have emulated Groucho Marx and gone to a hooker.
I remember two blokes working in the Bronx shop, a few years older than me. Are they still around and into Ivy clothes?
@Robbie, couldn't comment on Sid as never really met him, Ian used to speak about him. But Ian himself is still a smart dresser, I wouldn't say full on purist Ivy, but there's Ivy elements, Loafers, Sanders Playboy Chukkas, OCBD's, Smedley's you know where I'm going. He picked up a few of JS's traits like if you would walk in the shop first thing, he'd stand there check you out and then say something like "morning Graham nice details on the shirt".
It's interesting, ( for me anyway), to see how all these shops we have fond memories of were connected in some way through ownership and their links back to the IS Richmond, JS & Jeff Kwinter, I remember the Cassidy shop in the KR in the early 70's, recall buying a pale grey suit there, but before the shop I clearly remember particularly shirts in the Squires, VG with a Cassidy label in them, I had loads,
5/6 years ago I went into 'T.Burrows' in James St, I'd been to Chiltern St and the Scottish guy who ran it noticed the JS bag, he said he worked for JS/JK in the 70's,( I think he said he worked in admin/buying ( back office), rather than on the shop floor, he pointed me to a picture frame hanging up that had a collection of clothing labels including a Cassidy label,
There's a lovely photo on the net somewhere of 3-4 guys working in the Squire shop wearing shetlands,hairy flairy shirts & trousers, (probably ) loafers standing by the shop display, this would certainly been around '70/71 the ' transition' time,
Does anyone recall Peter - ? He died young, I think. His name cropped up during a discussion of 'The French Look' on here about fourteen years or so ago. I also recall a photograph of him (possibly not on this forum, though). That 'Bob Ferris' look is something I remember well, though my old Mod hairdresser mate went in for a slightly 'Jason King' style circa 1972. He always wore a three-piece suit, white shirt, tie and loafers whilst working. He would have looked with horror on the new breed with their piercings and tattooings.
I do wonder about that Italian-made shirt labelled 'Cassidy' on Ebay. Wouldn't the shirts of circa 1970 have been knocked up closer to home?
https://www.stchristophersplace.com/discover/t-burrows-have-closed-after-37-years/
Staxfan - Another shop consigned to the memory banks. I spotted this in relation to T Burrows, don’t know how old the article is, I only ever went in there a couple of times. I remember having a good look around and asking a couple of questions, then when I left without buying anything I felt that the guy who ran it came across as a bit sarcastic. Maybe I took him the wrong way but I just didn’t like the cut of his jib, so I never bothered again.
AFS - I do wonder about that Italian-made shirt labelled 'Cassidy' on Ebay. Wouldn't the shirts of circa 1970 have been knocked up closer to home?
Ghastly.
Woof is right, it's a rather nasty shirt. But I seem to remember a good deal worse than that being worn circa 1973 (and before), often by youngish men with Rod Stewart or David Essex haircuts. They were worn with multi-coloured 'tank tops' and flares, I think. The 'French Look' was more for your chap who'd done his early courting at the Locarno, boned her behind the bus shelter, and was now on the council waiting list.
There's a nice photo on the JS FB page this morning of the Village Gate Old Compton St which according to the quote opened in 1971, look closely at the photo and you'll see the jackets displayed in the window are ' French Look', I doubt they'd been a bd in sight in that shop in 1971, probably just shetlands & loafers that crossed over, some nice comments as well,
There’s a thread on John Simons FB page about their old shops, plenty of mentions of the Village Gate stores in Oxford and Regent Streets and Cassidy’s. One chap posted a picture of his wedding suit, bought in the Regent Street VG in 1972, nipped in waist, big shoulders, massive lapels, shirt and tie to match i.e. about as non-Ivy as it gets.
There is also a photo of the VG shop in Old Compton Street with similar style jackets in the window.
'Hairy flarey'. A comment from JS that never ceases to make me (and Mrs.ASF) smile, grin and chuckle.
I remember, many years ago, when in touch with Staceyboy, he said gazing upon The French Look at breakfast had made him spit out his coffee.
And yet... how fair it appears compared to the dreck worn my most chaps now...
I shopped at the Oxford Street Village Gate around 71-75. I like to kid myself that I was still dressing mostly Ivy but I also bought the non Ivy suits etc. We didn't take lots of photos back then ( thank the Lord) but wedding photos and the odd office photo gives the game away. I kept to the BD shirts in general because a couple of mates went full hippy and gave me all their BD shirts. At the VG I mostly bought roll neck jumpers in bright colours and loafer shoes but I'm guilty of buying at least one dodgy 'continental' suit for the office.
A woman tends to like a well-dressed man.
My wife adores the young(ish) Sean Connery dressed in - Brioni? TRS would know.
My Harry Fenton suit made no impact whatever on the opposite sex.
It must have been that tie with the fat knot that did it.
Never take the advice of an old Mod.