At a party in Chelsea, a young man – dressed in a style which my innate courtesy obliges me to term ‘informal’ – approached me without introduction. I have yet to accustom myself to this aspect of modern manners, but I will readily confess that, thus far, it has produced no unpleasantness within the bounds of my limited social intercourse. Indeed, as on this occasion, the ensuing conversations have been generally enjoyable. My new acquaintance seemed a most affable fellow, but he suddenly put to me a question which shook my normally robust composure. Looking my suit up and down, he asked, “Which designer do you use?” I blinked. “Designer?” I stuttered. “Good heavens. I do not use a designer. I go to Savile Row.” I must tell you, gentle reader, that I was, indeed, wearing a suit from that important street – made by one of the world’s great tailoring firms, Davies & Son.

Davies & Son was founded in 1803, and has therefore seen a good many developments in manners sartorial. Although I am resolutely opposed to needless innovation, one of the more recent changes in the code of dress for gentlemen certainly meets with my approval. It is now acceptable to wear a country suit in town – at least until the evening and for less formal occasions (for example, lunch with a friend). This pleases me greatly, for the country suit can be such a handsome beast that it seems a pity to confine it to the hunting box and the hall in the shires. Personally, I stray into the fields but seldom. I therefore regard this modest slackening of the town/country rule as an opportunity to widen my wardrobe. And where better to do so than at number 38 Savile Row, the home of Davies & Son?

There I met the excellent owner, Mr Alan Bennett – whom you may observe in the pictures, attending to me at the first fitting. Davies & Son now incorporates several of the most famous Savile Row tailors – including Fallan & Harvey, Johns & Pegg and Wells – so Mr Bennett is a gentleman of considerable importance in the maintenance of the best of British tailoring. He is, it hardly needs to be said, an expert in his business. He is also a man who likes to get things right from the outset, and this is a well-known characteristic of Davies & Son. With my new suit, for example, only two fittings were needed to achieve perfection – although I should say that, of course, my pattern was already in the firm’s archive.

Given that much of my use of the suit would be in the street rather than in the lane, I wanted a material which, while being properly robust, would not be too heavy. It needed to be equally at home in Rutland and in The Ritz. I therefore chose a cloth of lambs’ wool with a weight of 11/12 ounces. Made by Holland & Sherry, it was a blue herringbone, with a brown and gold ‘window pane’ over-check. The jacket would be single-breasted, but with peaked lapels. It would have one button to fasten, thus allowing a view of the single-breasted waistcoat, which would also have peaked lapels. The waistcoat would have a hole for the chain of my pocket watch. The trousers would have turn-ups, a button fly, straight side pockets and no rear hip pocket. (For this last feature I have had no enthusiasm since, as a little boy, I saw a pickpocket relieve my Father of some bank notes from that very pocket.)