Greetings!

Hope you’ve had a cracking festive break and have made a good start to 2016!

Winter is upon us, and whilst the radiators of Michelsberg HQ do battle with the joys of a cruel Leeds wind, our thoughts lie ahead to sunnier climes.

Crazy as it sounds, it is now, as we scrape Jack Frost from our windscreens, the perfect time to start thinking about our Spring / Summer wardrobes.

This week, we’ve had two of the biggest cloth companies giving us pre-launch showcases of their wares for next season.

Introducing Robert Oakes, agent for Scabal.

Robert Oakes

He’s been a part of my life since the very day I started my business. Our first meeting was over a coffee in the bar of the Malmaison Hotel, and his passion for the trade is matched only by his enthusiasm for their fabrics.

A font of knowledge, he has generously provided me with a continuous stream of contacts and advice over the last decade. A genuine pleasure to deal with, he’s a true gentleman, bon viveur and salesman of the highest order.

Only Robert could get me to pick out a jacketing for Wimbledon, as I shivered in my showroom on a bitter Monday morning in January!

Next up the stairway to Sartorial Heaven was Liz Knox.

Liz Knox

Agent for Holland & Sherry, her energy is off the scale.

Bright, cheery, elegant, she’s a tornado of bunches and bonhomie. When it comes to selling, she’s no slouch and rattles off price lists and USP’s like a well-oiled Bren gun.

A classy lady, she strikes me as the perfect head-mistress for a Swiss finishing school, with vowels as polished as the silverware in the Michelsberg Tailoring trophy cabinet 🙂

As far as their new collections go, we’ve got some wonderful wool, linen and silk blends, summer-kid mohair and incredibly light weight wools, in classic and daring new designs.

We’ve kept a close eye on the international menswear show Pitti Uomo in Florence this month, which has once again underlined the trend seen at the recent London Collections towards a more informal approach to tailoring.

Separates are key, with blazers worn with cotton trousers and jeans. Perhaps more shocking (take a deep breath / slug of scotch traditionalists) is that the double-monk and polished brogue now has a rival in the form of a pair of trainers.

Pitti 1

 

Pitti 2

A more chilled-out style of dress, combined with rising temperatures, means our new Italian style made-to-measure line, is going to be at the forefront of our offering to customers this coming season.

It’s softer, more relaxed feel, incorporating an unstructured shoulder, and the option of no lining, is perfect for what is certainly a more contemporary look.

To compliment this style further, we also have a new limited edition Spring / Summer collection, representing Italian mills like Loro Piana, Delfino and Ariston.

There are fabulous jacketings with more open, knitted weaves, in wool, cotton, linen and silk. Designs feature classic herringbones and birds-eyes (with some punchy blues and greens), and glen-checks and hopsacks providing added texture and interest.

Team Michelsberg is ready and waiting to kit you out for the good times ahead, whether that’s a large weekend in Ibiza, or, Champagne and strawberries at Wimbledon.

Anyone for tennis?