MilliOnAir Magazine July/August | Page 117

What era are you looking at now as being influential?

MP – The 1980’s if done right can look very good- although it’s a very minuscule thing. The 1990s can be okay as well. Things like the jacket line being a bit longer. But, it’s got to be very stylish. The long jacket was usurped by boy bands like E17 who looked like shits so destroyed that for a while but now is worth another look. The 70s have always got something to offer.

Trouser width?

MP - Tight trousers have never been right. Oxford bags are great, and a peg trouser always good. I was doing a lot of oxford bags in the early naughties. Though, just like being too tight, too wide can sometimes look ridiculous. A shape that would work well, I’ve always thought, is an oxford bag with a kick on it.

What advice would you give to a young aspirant?

MP- They whole key to my success is totally believing what I’m doing and what I’m all about, and not following the rules. Just doing it totally on my own terms. I suppose that is why I get a lot of young and inspiring tailors and fashion students that are studying tailoring, coming to see me. Because I suppose they see me as more of an individual and more of a maverick with my approach to doing it. I think that’s the key to success really.

''If you believe in what your doing and love doing it, you should do it on your own terms and I think that’s what I enjoy about my own personal success.''

Far too many people follow the party line nowadays. I’ve always been interested in great British tailoring. Tailoring to me is all about combining traditional style and cut with post war street style that could be influenced by American, Mod or Ivy League styles. People come to me because I utilise a very purist ethic but use those parameters to create a very individual look by mixing eras and cuts. Being self-taught, I didn’t know the rules and so broke them. Before tailoring was done solely as a craft, I do think now many kids are doing it with the philosophy that I always had; which was more as using it as a point of design and style. As a way of preserving yourself through style and design tailoring, as opposed to just the craft of tailoring. Most tailors, they’re not always the most stylish of people nowadays.

Is there one person you’d have liked to create a suit for?

MP- If I could have made a suit for anyone, I would have loved to dress one of the great Hollywood icons. Frank Sinatra being one of them. Although Frank was very conservative, I do think he had very nice style. Very subtle. I also always admired Dean Martin’s dress sense.

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