The Musgrave Manifesto
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My linen suit from Magee 1866
Sunday, March 6th, 2016
After the great success of my tweed three-piece suit from Magee 1866, my lovely friends in Donegal Town followed it up with a made-to-measure linen version, again using their own excellent cloth.
This time I went for a small and neat multicoloured check centred around green (very Irish!) and blue. 
The lightweight cloth is just under 10oz (280 grms) and features a few slubs that give it some surface interest. I am here in a John Smedley polo, my Harris Tweed cap from Fred Neiddu at Timothy Everest, suede boots from Swift & Co, a vintage silk hank and Silhouette sunglasses.
Given the relatively fancy pattern, we kept the style of the MTM suit very clean and simple, but, of course, a made-to-measure suit deserves a waistcoat (or vest, in tailoring parlance). I dressed it down here with a grey cotton shirt from Woolrich and a vintage silk cravat.
Despite the poor weather since I received the suit in November, I have given it a few run-outs and have had lots of compliments for it, including from a woman on the London Underground who wordlessly indicated the suit with a wave of her finger and gave me a thumb’s-up. The retail price of a linen three-piece made-to-measure suit from Magee 1866 is around £900. I am going to enjoy wearing this often when/if it ever stops raining.
My tweed suit from Magee 1866
Wednesday, February 24th, 2016
This year the Irish weaver and clothing company Magee celebrates its 150th anniversary. Based in Donegal Town, County Donegal on the west coast of Ireland, the business – now styling itself Magee 1866 – has been controlled by the Temple family for more than 100 years.
One of my favourite suits is the three-piece made-to-measure tweed suit that Patrick Temple (a fourth-generation cloth enthusiast) organised for me, ably assisted by Jennifer McClay in the Personal Tailoring office in Donegal.
Remarkably enough, we did all the measurements and ordering via email. Jennifer sent me a nice selection of cloths and linings and I went – predictably enough – for the boldest in each category. 
The joy of made-to-measure is getting a basic pattern slightly tweaked to fit one’s measurements. I love the pattern, colour and texture of the Magee-woven tweed, which weighs in at a cosy 500gms (17.6 ounces). It’s what I call a proper cloth and one best suited to a decidedly cool day.
The multicoloured windowpane check and the grey ground allows lots of play with pattern and textures. In these pictures I am wearing a Drake’s cotton shirt and a Drake’s cashmere tie. The retail price for the suit is around £840. Highly recommended.
Harris Tweed coats for one man and his dog
Monday, February 1st, 2016
In search of a new winter coat, I decided it was time for something in Harris Tweed. As it turned out, my dog Jimmy the lurcher got a new coat to match mine too, courtesy of bespoke tailor Timothy Everest and the talented team at his atelier in Elder Street, Spitalfields. 
Tim and I have long been mates and I was pleased he wrote the foreword to the second edition of Sharp Suits. Handling the design and cutting for my bespoke jacket was Fred Neiddu, who had created my grey flannel suit when working at Meyer & Mortimer on Sackville Street.
For this project we devised a hybrid of a jacket and coat, taking elements from a trad country field coat and the bellows pockets from a 1960 combat jacket of mine. One of the joys of bespoke tailoring is creating something unique.
We were using a bottle green Harris Tweed from the Harris Tweed Hebrides mill as the main cloth, augmented by a lichen-coloured version that would be used for highlights, such as the under collar and the underflaps and vents of the bellows pockets. I had visited the mill in 2012, so I was particularly pleased get some of the excellent cloth at long last, courtesy of creative director Mark Hogarth.
It is hard to exaggerate just how much work goes on in a bespoke jacket that is not seen in the finished item, but a lot of it was on show at the first fitting stage.
Tim popped in to check on progress. I was very pleased with how this garment developed. Comfortable, practical, really warm and unique. With the yellowy Harris Tweed left over Fred made me a cap. With the rest he was going to make me a vest, but I decided instead that Jimmy the lurcher should have a matching coat. Like mine, Jimmy’s was made by Annika Caswell, expert coat maker at Timothy Everest, who put an amazing amount of love and attention to this unusual order – just look at the quilted lining.
In town or in country, Jimmy and I make a smart couple, even if I say so myself.
Tartan trews for eveningwear
Tuesday, January 26th, 2016
These tartan trews are my current favourite option for eveningwear. 
Made-to-measure for me by my pal Grant Mitchell at Cooper & Mackenzie in Dundee, they are cut in what’s known as Formal Argyll Styling. We did all the measurements over email. (Other options from this excellent menswear independent include Standard Waist for more relaxed occasions, Fishtail and Military styles, not to mention tartan breeks for retro-golfers).
The tartan is a Mitchell Old Colour pattern, in an 11.5oz 100% pure new wool supplied by Strathmore in Forfar. (The cloth merchant has about 400 tartan patterns on offer if you don’t like this one, which is also very close to both the Russell and Galbraith tartans).
Advised by the knowledgeable and dapper Mr Mitchell, I went for one of his leather belts and an appropriately Caledonian buckle. The made-to-measure trews cost £199, the belt and buckle £25 each.
I have given the trews several runouts at black-tie events, wearing them with my DB jacket from Gieves & Hawkes. I am pleased to be inspiring the younger generation in the ways of the plaid trousers, as seen here on my former Drapers colleague Luke Todd.
Sean O’Flynn bespoke dress shirt
Sunday, January 17th, 2016
One garment that caused me problems over recent years is the dress shirt.
I attend a lot of black-tie events – here I am with Matalan founder John Hargreaves at the Drapers Awards in November 2015 when he received his Lifetime Achievement Award – and I want to look good and feel comfortable. The problem I found was that having a big neck (17.5ins) but having a body that is not so big, I’d end up with a hugely baggy shirt, often with arms that were too long.
To sort out the issue, I went to see my friend Sean O’Flynn, one of the best-known bespoke shirtmakers in the West End. It was a good decision. We decided on a classic white cotton style with marcella front, collar and cuffs, to be closed with three shirts studs and buttons, and to be worn with cufflinks.
Sean took the required measurements, including chest, waist, neck, shoulder and arms (length and circumference). It took only a few minutes.
I have been very pleased with the result. The plain cotton and the finely textured marcella, both from the Albini mills in Italy, are very comfortable to wear. The fit, which is snug but not restrictive, is excellent. The only alteration needed was the addition of an extra button near the waistline to accommodate my middle-aged spread.
Sean O’Flynn charges about £330 for a dress shirt like this, which is a serious investment, but one that makes sense to get exactly what you want. And that is the idea of bespoke making.
Begg of Scotland colourful cashmere scarf
Saturday, January 16th, 2016
The cold snap has given me plenty of opportunity to wear my latest cashmere Wispy scarf from Begg of Scotland.
The piece includes 10 colours which means the scarf can be worn with a lot of different outfits.
Here I wear it with a lambswool sweater from Drake’s. The scarf costs around £230.
David Bowie 1947-2016
Tuesday, January 12th, 2016
Lucky are those that got to see the mammoth David Bowie retrospective at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2013. It was an extraordinary walk-through the man’s life and career and a delight for those of us who had long admired his personal style.
The Ziggy Stardust / Kansai Yamamoto era clothes were not the sort I’d rush to wear, but the one-time jazz saxophonist from Beckenham never lost his love of smart suits, many of which were included in the show. 
When in 2008-09 I was writing Sharp Suits, my history of men’s tailoring, I was struggling to find a modern hero of the suit until the penny dropped and I realised that Bowie was the perfect man. From the early 1970s until the end, he wore them well and I included an impressive quintet of his distinctive looks in the book.
It is odd to think that David Bowie has left us, just three days after his 69th birthday. What a legacy. What a back catalogue. What memories he has given us. And in this last photo, I can reveal that this is the nearest I ever got to the great man – miles away from the stage at the Milton Keynes Bowl for the Serious Moonlight tour in early July 1983. Thanks for everything, David.
Marc Bolland bows to the inevitable
Friday, January 8th, 2016
Marks & Spencer CEO Marc Bolland hung on for two years longer than I predicted. Interviewed by Jeff Randall on Sky News in July 2013, I asserted that the Dutchman would exit M&S by spring 2014.
By then he had overseen eight consecutive seasons of decline in fashion sales. Since then there have been another seven quarters of decline and only one that showed a tiny increase. 
His successor Steve Rowe, an M&S lifer of 25 years, has his work cut out. Good luck to him.
(PS Apologies for the poor quality of the clip).
Made-in-UK shoes by Swift and Co
Thursday, January 7th, 2016
Richard Swift is a man on a mission to bring footwear manufacturing back to Burnley in east Lancashire. His Swift & Co brand is using new technology to produce shoes that combine classic looks with the high level of comfort usually associated with trainers. The video on his site tells the story very well.
I met Richard – a third-generation shoe man – at the annual awards ceremony for the trade charity Footwear Friends, at which he picked up two prizes, one for innovation and one for export potential.
The main difference in the construction is the sole and footbed, which combines a EVA sole with a natural rubber footbed. There is no inner sole in the classic sense. The result is a lightweight, supportive and very comfortable base. The production methods are novel, with no nasty glues involved.
Due to the almost constant rain since Richard Swift sent me this trial pair of “Lancaster” boots just before Christmas, I have worn them only once. The lightness of the boots and the softness underfoot takes some getting used to, but I like the effect. The suede boots retail for about £165; the leather options will be slightly more expensive.
With pleasing branding and its commitment to new technology, Swift & Co is a very interesting addition to the list of Made-in-UK producers. I wish Richard and his colleagues well.
The Westbury oxford from Foster and Son
Wednesday, January 6th, 2016
I do like classic English formal shoes, so I was pleased to add to my collection a pair of Westbury oxfords from Foster & Son at 83 Jermyn Street.
Made in Northamptonshire, this classic punch cap oxford is an updated version of a style that Foster has been selling since the 1960s.
I went for an 81/2 in a F fitting but next time I will try a slightly wider last as I find this just a tad tight after a long day’s wearing. Rest assured I don’t wear the black antique calf with a brown suit, as my photos may suggest. I just happened to be wearing it when I picked up the shoes, which cost £475.
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