A Visit with John Hitchcock
Michael Alden of The London Lounge has posted a video of his recent visit with John Hitchcock, the managing director of Anderson & Sheppard, one of the great names in bespoke men’s tailoring. In addition to describing the A&S style and methods of making elegant men’s clothes, Hitchcock verified something that I’ve suspected for some time. Hitchcock said that A&S sales were up 25% over last year, even in this economic environment.
I believe there are two issues at work. One is that men, particularly younger men, are becoming more interested in classic style. A recent New York Times piece says the same thing.
“The older generation, say 45-plus, look upon success as being able to dress down,” said Marshal Cohen, the chief analyst at NPD Group, which tracks retail sales. “They think being able to wear jeans is the epitome of achievement.
“But the younger generation is looking at getting dressed up and making their mark,” Mr. Cohen continued. “It’s a real generation gap here. I teach at three different colleges, and I am amazed how dressed up some of the students are. Girls still come in their hoodies and pajamas, but boys come in their suits.”
I’m a little annoyed with Cohen’s use of “45-plus” as the beginning of “the older generation,” but even a hard truth is still truth, and in this case I am gratified to see it.
The second issue is something that has always been true, that there are men who will pay for excellence, who will sacrifice for something better, something above the ordinary and average experience. As the younger generations assert themselves more completely, I hope for great things.
With that, please enjoy Mr. Alden’s video and Happy Holidays to you.
Men’s style: A visit with John Hitchcock from Michael Alden on Vimeo.
You can see the spots that identify it as either carpincho or peccary very well in this photo.
Worth noting that I’d been sporting the ‘Don Draper’ for a month before this piece ran. 
I’ve not noticed this showing up on the 
This handsome fellow is a carpincho, also known as a capybara. They have two great distinctions, one is that they are the world’s largest rodent. The second, and the reason he graces our page today, is that carpincho leather makes a fine pair of gloves because it only stretches in one direction.
This pair of gloves is carpincho, and is very similar to the pair I have on order from Chester Jefferies, at least in color if not style. The untrained eye (mine, for example) would be hard pressed to tell it from the significantly more expensive peccary. The distinguishing visual feature is obviously the odd pattern of spots on the leather.
Jay Kos is a very high-end men’s clothing store in New York, and an eBay merchant had a number of pairs of chamois gloves (made for Kos by Jefferies) for a fraction of the $250 retail price, so I snagged a pair, shown at right. I’m thinking about snagging a few more. Will is right, they feel great on the hands. One problem Will identified is that the chamois gets dirty fairly quickly. I figured a way around that problem, however. Cashmere.
The same vendor had these for sale, yellow cashmere (left). They’re actually not quite as nuclear yellow as they appear in this photo, but they’re pretty darned yellow. They also say they’re made in England, but there’s no Jefferies tag inside and I really can’t determine who makes them. Still they’re very fine gloves and I imagine that they’ll work well in the same scenario Will imagines wearing the chamois, and I could probably have the cashmere cleaned when it gets dirty.
Another pair I bought a while back for wear with my Chesterfield, and an option that Will speaks highly of, are these grey suede. These are one of the very traditional choices for gentlemen’s day or evening wear, and they look quite smart with my nearly black Chesterfield overcoat.
I’ve been stingy with my dwindling supply of the brilliant and inexplicably discontinued Aramis Havana cologne for months, but now I can apply with abandon again because Aramis have reissued Havana in its Gentlemen’s Collection.