Mark
Powell
What’s the difference between you and Savile Row?
MP- With regards to Savile Row they have their in-house looks, which is very limited and when you try and get them to do things outside of the box you realise how hard it is. So I think that is one of my key strengths; interpretation of influential styles of different periods.
The other one of course, is the guy that comes in for the wedding and just gives me complete creative freedom to give them what they want. Of course it is a head to toe thing, and now of course we’ve got the guys down stairs doing the shoes which works very nicely. The customers are always very happy.
You mentioned vintage but rarely wear it your self?
MP- Well I think the whole thing with vintage which was a style that you and I were doing since the seventies so it became our style - the point was that we made it our style. It was us. So therefore it never looked like costume. My problem with a lot of the Vintage styling now when you go to a lot of Vintage Fairs which I know you do, I find it a little bit comical. They almost look like they’ve walked off a set of Dad’s Army or something. It looks like they’ve walked off a film set. Because of the Internet, I think it’s drawing on stereotypical influences, rather than an individual taste that we might have picked up from looking at an old book or at an old movie. We would take a part of a look, and then would make it our look so it was our style.
I think women can carry it off if they do it exactly. I mean I have never chided a lady who dresses like Ava Gardner or Katherine Hepburn in their hey day.
MP- On women the vintage look more often than not works, and looks very glamorous, but on men it can easily look like costume, and a bit silly really. That’s why I think it’s important when I do my work that I try and create period style influences that still look very contemporary.
What’s your favourite style era of the 20th century?
MP-If I had to pick my perfect era in style, I think for the ultimate tailoring, I would have to look at the Edwardian Era. For me, I love the 1930’s Hollywood tailoring, but you can enter into the 50’s and it’s brilliant in it’s own way too. A lot of great style has been lost in the 21st century really. In the last 20 years it’s hard to see any great style icons doing it right.
Any words of warning to would be style mongers?
MP- Dressing in a more stylish, casual way, you have to be very careful. I think tailoring within reason. You see guys now, doing period influenced style but with a tight modern suit and wearing a cap and all of a sudden it’s peaky blinders. But it’s not! It’s naff. It might be a nod to the style but it’s just a naff, modern, over-tight, over-tailored suit. There’s nothing worse than an over-tailored, tight fitting suit, they look absolutely ridiculous. That kind of generic style is plastered everywhere nowadays; things like The Only Way is Essex is full of it. Things like high turn ups on tight trousers and no socks. It’s ridiculous. Buying an over-tailored suit is far too easy; it doesn’t have to fit. You can go into Topshop and just pick it straight off the rail; it’s like a second skin! Good tailoring is supposed to roll over your body.
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