LimoLiner

Personally, I think it’s the only way to travel, between New York & Boston & that’s why I’ll be taking it again on the last leg of my USA trip.

Luxurious reclining leather seats, free hi-speed wireless Internet, a meal with beverages & they throw in an up to date movie as well. Great value from $89 one way, especially if you take in to account the price of a taxi to La Guardia & Logan airports.

I board in New York at the Hilton, located at 53rd & 7th Ave. (get there 10 mins before departing & no slapping through security at airports) & the journey ends at The Hilton Back Bay in Boston. They’ve also started a service to Hartford from NY & Boston, so worth checking it out. http://www.limoliner.com/

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Back In The USA

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Well, Here I am again on one of my quarterly trips to the States, with fittings aplenty & new customers to see, hoping that I’m not going to see the credit crunch.

Wall St. Up again today & a strong dollar, things not looking too bad. (Mustn’t grumble, I could but it wouldn’t do me any good, as my old dad use to say).

Anyway, whilst having my usual glass of California’s best & a Drake Burger at the Coq d’Or plus trying to stay up, till at least 11 o’clock, (my cure for jet lag) I remembered the story of a cutter, who joined one of the bigger tailoring establishments in Savile Row & was asked if he would do the travelling to the States.

The chairman enthused that he should not be inconvenienced by his time away (about 3 weeks) & that he should treat it, like home from home & not miss out on all the pleasures he enjoyed back here.

Upon his return, he presented the chairman with his expense bill, which was quite substantial. The chairman raged at the amount & demanded an explanation. "Well said the chap, you told me to treat my time away like I would at home & at home I enjoy a descent bottle of wine a first class meal & the company of a good women" (Or words to that effect). Needless to say his time was short lived there.
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Golden Shears Award 2009

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Rising Star, Andrea Michelle Nixon of Steed Bespoke Tailors has come 3rd in the highly prestigious Golden Shears Award 2009, while also scooping the Rising Star award.

1st, Rory Duffy of Henry Poole's

2nd, Paulo Nicodemi of Anderson & Sheppard

3rd, Andrea Nixon of Steed

Finalist judges included: James Sherwood, Patrick Grant, Marek Reichman, David Furninsh and Caryn Franklin

Andrea who is just 22, graduated from the University of Cumbria with first class honours in her Contemperary Arts Degree back in November.

The Golden Shears Award is a national competition & is open to trainees in the tailoring industry and students who were on dedicated tailoring courses. The competition received around 60 entries from which 26 made the finals. This was held on Monday 16th March, at the Merchant Taylor's Hall on Threadneedle Street, London.

The entrants were asked to design and make a fully tailored garment to specific measurements.

The 1st stage of judging was back in January in which the entries gained marks on the Design, Cut, Tailoring and Style.

The final stages were judged based on the fashion style of the garments, whilst being worn by professional models on the catwalk.

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Andrea created a jacket and skirt for the competition. She began by hand dyeing yarns, which she then wove into cloth herself. She had to do this using a hand weaving loom. The cloth design was based on natural patterns such as animal prints and rippling sand textures. The colours dervived from peacock feathers. She also hand dyed silk, which she used for the lining of the jacket. Once she had made the garments she then hand embellished them with beadweaving and crystals. To complement the outfit she made a belt to accentuate the waistline, aswell as matching handbags.


Andrea was so pleased with the result as the standard of all the entries was so high. As well as the prestige Andrea also won £1000 and a trophy to remember the wonderful evening.

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Andrea pictured alongside David Furnish & the Model wearing her creation.

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Good enough for Coco, Posh enough for Spice

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The world famous Linton Tweeds, is just a 5 minute walk from Steed's Shop in Carlisle & has been gracing the catwalks once again.

Linton Tweeds fabrics are of the highest quality, all of them being designed and woven at the mill here in Carlisle. They are textured, novelty woven fabrics made with virtually all yarn types and weaving techniques. Unique fancy yarns sourced from all over the world are combined to produce sumptuous, elegant fancy tweeds suitable for ladies jackets, skirts and coats.

Linton Tweeds have been designers and manufacturers of these innovative, high-quality fabrics for the womens-wear fashion industry since 1912 and are renowned as the original fabric makers for Chanel.

The History ofLinton Tweeds Limited.... 1912 – 2008

In 1912 Scotsman William Linton started Linton Mill in the Caldewgate area of Carlisle, a small city situated close to the Scottish border and near the famous Lake District.

Initially Linton employed two salesmen with ponies and traps who travelled the Lake District buying wool and selling woollen suit lengths. William Linton's great friend, Captain Molyneux, was a Parisian couturier who in the 1920's introduced him to a dynamic young lady called Coco Chanel. This began an association which has flourished over the years resulting in the house of Chanel, being Linton's biggest and most prestigious customer.

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As the years rolled on, the name of Linton became synonymous with good quality, their exquisitely designed cloths were shown often on the Paris catwalks. This led to massive business with America - the Americans being keen to reproduce the outfits shown in the Paris couture houses and in the authentic Linton fabrics.

From Coco in the 20's to Posh in the present day Linton's has stood the test of time in the world of fashion.

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham unveiled her latest collection in New York this week and chose Linton Tweeds to be part of her collection.

The company received an order from Mrs Beckham last year, but had no idea whether the material would make the final collection.

And although representatives for the star declined to say which of the 23 looks in the collection the fabric had been used in, they did confirm that material from the Shaddongate mill had graced the catwalk.

The fashion icon showcased the autumn/winter 2009 garments – only the second collection she has designed – before the New York Fashion Week press in a suite at New York’s Waldorf Towers.

And, as with her first collection, it has been met with widespread critical acclaim.

In her latest designs the former Posh Spice has again shown a number of dresses, both short and full-length, but also a range of cape-style coats.

It is thought that the Linton fabric, black tweed with a rubber yarn through it, may have been used to create one of these.

The Shaddongate mill is no stranger to the catwalk – it has been producing fabric for the collections since 1912, including the material used for the very first Chanel suit.
Anyone wanting to dress themselves in Victoria Beckham’s designs, the latest collection is expected to retail from £850 up to a high of £4,600 and £4,900 for the full-length, elaborate gowns she has created.

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First Things First!

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The most important job to do in the morning and for the rest of the day to go smoothly is get the coffee on!

We don't just use any old coffee here at Steed we only use Carlisle's finest. The Venetian Blend from John Watt & Son.

John Watt & Son is a local Victorian Coffee shop established in 1865 here in Carlisle, Cumbria.

They also happen to be the only Tea Blenders & Coffee Roasters in Cumbria.

Here's a brief history of this lovely firm...

John Watt & Son was founded in 1865 by John & William Watt in Glovers Row near the existing Town Hall in Carlisle.

In 1897 Glovers Row was demolished and Watts moved to their present premises at 11 Bank Street. In 1916 John Watt died and the business was carried on by his son Henry Watt, until his death in 1943. Henry's widow then took a partner, Mr Fred Hodgson, who was a well-known Grocer and City Councillor.

Mr Hodgson died in the early 1960's and his widow, Mrs Doris Hodgson, sold the business to Mr Ashley Kendall Snr. His son, also called Ashley ran the business for the next 41 years. Mr Kendall Snr died in early 1979.

The last twenty years have seen the biggest changes in Watts. The coming of the self-service supermarkets and out of town shopping has changed watts from a traditional grocers to a Tea and Coffee specialist, providing light meals and a huge range of Teas and Coffees.

Raw Coffee is still roasted and blended on the premises. Many of the Teas and blends are unobtainable elsewhere in the county.

The shop still carries many specialist grocery items in line with its long tradition.

Ashley Kendall Jnr developed the business with a keen sense of tradition and was able to retain much of the original ambiance of the premises.

In 2003 Bob & Chris Roberts took over the business from Ashley Kendall Jnr and they are determined to preserve the character of John Watt & Son and to ensure the smell of fresh roasted coffee continues to drift through the streets of Carlisle.





The John Watt & Son Shop front


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March 2009 USA Itinerary

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I shall be visiting Chicago, New York & Boston in March 2009 & look forward to meeting customers, old & new alike.

It's one of four trips per year, that I make to the States, offering both my Semi-Bespoke & Bespoke service.

I will have a wide selection of cloths, including a new range of exciting tweed's, cashmere & Harris Tweed.

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Chicago

Monday 23rd March

The Drake Hotel

140 East Walton Pl

312 787 2200



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New York

Wednesday 25th March till Saturday 28th March.

The Kimberly Hotel

145 East 50th St.

212 755 0400

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Boston

Monday 30th March & Tuesday 31st March, till noon.

Elliot Hotel

370 Commonwealth Ave

617-267- 1607


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If you’d like to make an appointment, I would appreciate it if you could contact me prior to the trip, so that I can organise my day to accommodate everyone.

Best regards,

Edwin DeBoise

www.steed.co.uk
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edwin@steed.co.uk
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Steed's House Style

Steed is known for their elegant, comfortable yet stylish clothes and are world renowned for this look.

Using, soft draped tailoring with little padding in the shoulders, small high armholes and a shaped waist which makes for a very comfortable yet stylish silhouette.

The House Style derives from Anderson & Sheppard, where Edwin spent 7 years before founding Steed with Thomas Mahon (englishcut), In January 1995 along with incorporating certain style elements from his time with Edward Sexton.

Below are a few photos of some of our work showcasing the House Style mentioned.

Three of the suits made up are Limited Edition London Lounge Cloths designed by Michael Alden.

They are beautiful cloths and always make up very well as you can see.

.If you wish to purchase any future commissions, contact Michael Alden via The London Lounge

London Lounge Limited Edition Cloth.

London Lounge Grey Brisa

London Lounge Best of Both limited Edition Cloth. (Modelled by Matthew DeBoise)

London Lounge Gun Club Check

Semi-Bespoke

Our semi-bespoke suits are cut and constructed to your specific measurements and requirements allowing you to select the style, fabric and personal details.

These suits are tailored using many of the traditional Savile Row methods usually associated with bespoke suits and take about 6 to 7 weeks to make.

The cut is crucial in creating an elegant suit that will leave an impression and our cut has been developed to create a flattering appearance, whilst still adhering to the general principles of Savile Row and to reflect our soft, draped bespoke suits as mentioned in the House Style.

As well as suits we make Tail, Morning & Overcoats. prices start from £775 for a two-piece suit.