Tweed for a Texan
Our last time meeting with our friend, musician Jarrod Dickenson, we were in early stages of designing what is now a fantastic three-piece suit.
For those who don’t know, Jarrod is a Texas-born singer-songwriter currently living in New York.
Hailing from Waco, now based in Brooklyn, Jarrod spends most of his time on the road bringing his own particular brand of soulful americana to a wide variety of music loving audiences around the globe.
After breakout performances at Glastonbury Festival and Larmer Tree this summer, and highly successful tours supporting the legendary Don McLean in Ireland and Europe, and a 21 date tour of the UK supporting The Waterboys, Jarrod is headed back into the studio to record his next album, slated for a 2016 release.
Jarrod recently made his way across the Atlantic for the second time in a year to tour, with his very talented supporting act, Cariad Harmon. So naturally we had to have him looking his best. He is a man of unique taste and a true fan of the sartorial style, so naturally we clicked almost instantly. A hugely interesting one for me as I had a client that was looking for an amazing 3 piece suit not just for going out but on stage as well!
We first met in Saville Row in London and headed straight into Scabal to feast our eyes on some of the very best cloths in the world. A service I can offer to clients that would like the have the Saville Row experience and really get immersed in whole experience of handmade tailoring, fantastic cloths and most of all fantastic fun! The vibe was to look at combinations in different tweeds to bring together something that really suits his colouring and his shape. Again the main objective for me was to make sure that any of the 3 pieces of the suit could work singularly as well as together. What I was looking for for him was a well cut jacket for jeans and trousers, a waistcoat that could be worn with a tee-shirt and jeans for a very casual look and tweed trousers that looks great with knitwear and of course an amazing 3 piece suit.
Making the waistcoat a different tweed again for me was a must, this lets Jarrod going forward use different waistcoats with the jacket of suit to make the vibe different every time. This could be a navy blue in wool and cashmere, a timeless brown moleskin in suede, a bright beige check, not to mention that there is an array of colours of woollen waistcoats and cardigans that would all work as well. The waistcoat had a lapel as well so when his jacket is off he has a dressier feel which I love doing.
The jacket tweed was a 390 gram woollen cashmere in rust, a rich cloth with great rigidity but yet very soft and the waistcoat was a 320 gram woollen cashmere with rust, navy and autumnal colours which really suits Jarrod’s look. Both cloths were sourced from Scabal, the luxury fabric house from Belgium.
The cut for me was everything, he is slim and tall and wants to show off this Texas curves and lines. His shoulder line was narrower across his half back and his sleeve heads were shorter to give him more room and action when he is playing the guitar on stage. Again an altogether slimmer block and silhouette would give him more shape and length as well as the trousers being the same way.
The tailoring itself had to be a softer make still with a half canvas chest piece for rigidity and shape but with a softer collar, shoulder and overall feel which would be comfortable on stage for him.
On his trousers the rise of the waistband was higher, we put in a rubberised waistband to keep his shirt in when he is playing with his hands higher and of course the vibe suited old fashioned leather ended braces with brace buttons on the inside of the waistband as well. A plain fronted look worked better to show off his shape and big thick turps on his trousers finished the look off.
His personality brought more a considered feel with flashes of contrasting colour. Navy paisley lining, flash working cuffs, navy button holes, long lining bag with navy paisley in his breast pocket and a more casual patch pocket feel. We also made navy button holes for his waistcoat with a vertical button hole for a pocket watch.
Needless to say I have not just designed for a client, I have found a good American friend and had a great experience to boot.
I often say to my clients that I have the best job in the world! I get to meet some amazing people, design fantastic outfits, use some of the best cloth in the world and most of all have fun and build relationships and memory for the future!
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