Bespoke Shooting Suit- recommendations

Has anyone had recent experience of buying a bespoke /MtM shooting suit in London (not saville Row).

grateful for any views/comments.
Thanks



NorfolkMan said:

Has anyone had recent experience of buying a bespoke /MtM shooting suit in London (not saville Row).

grateful for any views/comments.
Thanks

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I haven't but I have visited Holland & Holland and find their quality and service to be excellent.

Does any serious shooting man in the UK wear shooting suits anymore? I rather thought they were things of the past.

Shooting suit? Ask your valet.

A shooting suit? Talk about old school class...No, I know no one who has bought a bespoke shooting suit, but certainly hope someone has and has got some pictures to show of it



JLibourel said:

Does any serious shooting man in the UK wear shooting suits anymore? I rather thought they were things of the past.

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If you do intend to wear a suit whilst shooting, how do you expect to lift your arm to shoot without bi-swing pleats that are typically found on the Norfolk? That said, most are probably contented with a Barbour Beaufort though I won't be surprised that people still do wear shooting suits on their country estates.



bboysdontcryy said:

If you do intend to wear a suit whilst shooting, how do you expect to lift your arm to shoot without bi-swing pleats that are typically found on the Norfolk? That say, most are probably contented with a Barbour Beaufort though I won't be surprised that people still do wear shooting suits on their country estates.

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and equally that many of said suits will be 40/50 years old and handed down.

You're quite right that it's usually the older men who are to be found wearing shooting suits. Reminds me of something an older gentlemen told me -- he said he had invited a bunch of his associates from work for a retreat (to go shooting) in the country and he was sufficiently amused when many of them turned up in tweed suits, and had difficulty aiming the rifle. I think functionality trumps style when the need arises though shooting suits are alive and well, just that they're, for good reasons, less common than business suits and odd jackets, and not economical to make as OTR clothing.

I understand a whole suit in the estate tweed is typically worn by the game keeper.

The guns would wear traditional and functional clothes. Breaches, shooting jacket, Barbour, etc.

Went into GB today- without my valet who was polishing my shoes- and am pleased to report that the shooting suit is alive and well.
Hardest bit is choosing which tweed to go for- will post some photos when the suit is finished.

Cheers boys



bboysdontcryy said:

If you do intend to wear a suit whilst shooting, how do you expect to lift your arm to shoot without bi-swing pleats that are typically found on the Norfolk? That said, most are probably contented with a Barbour Beaufort though I won't be surprised that people still do wear shooting suits on their country estates.

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If you look at photos of the shoots during the golden age of wingshooting in Britain, roughly from 1870 to the outbreak of the Great War, nary a pleated bi-swing back will you see, yet they managed to bag an enormous number of birds. I think this feature only began to come into vogue in the interwar years.



JLibourel said:

Does any serious shooting man in the UK wear shooting suits anymore? I rather thought they were things of the past.

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Yes they do. Tweed Waistcoats with leather pads on the right hand shoulder are not just a Hilfiger design but practical outdoor clothing for lodging a shotgun. My tailor has numerous clients active on the shoots with various degrees of traditional outdoor dress. I don't shoot but love game.

To answer the question the guy isn't Savile Row, but that's where shooting suits are likely to come from so I can't help. My advice is buy off the peg and reconstruct to a shooting suit because the weight of tweed (heavy) makes it easy to work with. Bespoke excels for very light weight wools IMO

Not in London, but how about Bookster (www.tweed-jacket.com)? They make MTM shooting jackets and complete suits at reasonable cost. Nice people to deal with who really stand behind their products 100%.

^ +1

I'd say either go with Bookster, as suggested above, or Barrington Ayre for this sort of clothing.