David Gale's (ex-Dunhill shirtmaker) whereabouts

[mayday]

Hello,

Mr Gale has made a few shirts in the past. I had no need to get any shirts made in 2008, but I decided to give him a call yesterday. Just to sort something out for next year.

The number I have for him is the Dunhill store on Jermyn Street, and I was informed that he had left the company.

Would anyone know how I can reach him? Feel free to PM me.

Many thanks in advance,
mayday

 

[LeonM]

Originally Posted by mayday

The number I have for him is the Dunhill store on Jermyn Street, and I was informed that he had left the company.


I don't know where he is, sorry, but Dunhill themselves have quit Jermyn St, for Davies St. Of course, they would/ could have kept their phone number.

Leon

 

[mayday]

Thanks for the response, Leon, and compliments of the season to you too. Goes to show I have been unable to visit the West End in quite some time.

All the best.

mayday.

 

[Benjamin Chee HH]

Hello,

I believe Gale has been transferred to the Sloane St branch. Apparently, the company requisitioned his client black book one day when he was away, and willy nilly passed on his responsibilities to someone else. In effect, he was quite forcibly replaced. This I heard from a girl I'm going out with who used to work there. In any case he might have left Dunhill by now.

First post by the way, so good to meet you chaps!

B

 

[sartorialexecutive]

I spoke to Dunhill a few months ago, they told me they were looking for a new (contract) shirtmaker as Mr. gale was retiring.

 

[mayday]

Originally Posted by sartorialexecutive

I spoke to Dunhill a few months ago, they told me they were looking for a new (contract) shirtmaker as Mr. gale was retiring.

Mr Gale has not retired. He now works for Turnbull & Asser. He is the head cutter there, and he is based at the Jermyn Street branch.

Unfortunately, if you want him to carry on making your shirts, you will have to stump up for the T&A initial minimum order of 6 shirts.

So, I am in a conundrum. Do I go to T&A, in spite of the horror stories I have heard about their factory process, or do I try out Frank Foster. Seeing as both have a minimum order of 6 shirts. While I am still deliberating that decision, I have placed an order with Rayner and Sturges (via Alexander Boyd in Spitalfields, London) for 3 shirts

Hey, ~B~, that's quite an interesting story. The reputation of the Dunhill bespoke shirts was built around Mr Gale's skill and reputation. I am no shirt maven, but the shirts he has made me are easily the best shirts I have. I think the Dunhill bespoke shirt operation has suffered a big loss in letting Mr Gale leave.

All the best,
mayday

 

[R.O. Thornhill]

Mayday - if I were you, and could get David Gale to use the same pattern that he developed for you at Dunhill I might be tempted to continue using him at T&A, as the pain to get that right can in my experience be significant. As a former T&A customer, however, I would still have a few reservations:
- Consistency: Even after T&A had my pattern relatively spot-on, they would quite frequently deliver shirts that had something wrong with them (1/2" wrong in collar size, the wrong sleeve length and so on). Whilst they were always happy to try to fix these shirts, it is ultimately what led me to leave them
- Finishing: Equally, the finishing if shirts was hit-and-miss, with loose threads aplenty and the odd seam that hadn't been stitched properly / cuffs not attached well. Not bad enough to make it an issue in its own right (for me at least), but it was an added irritant
Service and price: T&A's customer service is appalling, with long lead-times, frequent delays and no communication. And for this you pay top-$. With the recent price increases I just didn't find this a compelling proposition

I have recently decided to give Sean O'Flynn a try - and met him the other week. He is now making an initial shirt for me, which should be ready in a week or two. Would be happy to let you know how that goes. Sean is a very nice guy, personally measures you and cuts your shirts, has a great selection of fabrics and fair pricing. Let's see how the shirt turns out, though.

That said, it is encouraging to hear that T&A is beginning to sort out their bespoke department. I still have a soft spot for the institution, but would no longer have my shirts made there

Thornhill

 

[joshman]

Hi, first post but a long time time lurker. I'm a T&A customer and quite happy with the shirts they made for me. I've also used David Gale from Dunhill in the past. The fit was great but the finishing shirts weren't as nice as T&A's. Mr Gale's moving to T&A is good news to my ear. I always think fitted by Mr Gale and made by the T&A people would be ideal.

By the way, anyone know what happened to Mr Steven Quin at T&A then?

 

[mayday]

Thanks for your responses Mr. Thornhill (love that film) and joshman.

Unfortunately, Mr Gale told me that he would have to redraw the pattern again. Which isn't that big a deal. It's the factory process that is worrying me.

Well, I went to see Cliff at Alexander Boyd a couple of days ago. Just to try on my sample shirt (which I get free with the actual order). Really pleased with how it's coming on.

 

[theyare]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289992/

 

[Concordia]

Just re-thinking my own exposure to shirtmakers, based on a few service issues. Just last week, I was able to get things started with Sean O'Flynn and Lucy Adams' new enterprise (Rayner & Sturges-sourced).

Lucy is mostly tweaking an almost-successful pattern that Tom Mahon did for me, and I think that we're likely to get something that works before long. I couldn't say how much experience she has cutting shirts, but the team at R&S seem to be very good at backing her up. And she herself is eager to do right by her clients.

Sean is very hands-on, and is likely to send something worth wearing, based on a preliminary trial.

Also for grins, I had a demi-mesure shirt ordered at Charvet in Paris. Their stock sizes seem to be pretty close to what I need (allowing for a little mix'n'match, and an adjustment to the girth). And the collars are things of beauty. We'll see. The cost is about twice that of London, especially given developments in the Atlantic Peso. But it could be a good change of pace.

I didn't try Foster or Udeshi not because I'd heard anything bad, but because they do pretty much no US travelling.

 

[cheessus]

This has been the most civilized thread ever.

 

[sartorialexecutive]

Originally Posted by mayday

Mr Gale has not retired. He now works for Turnbull & Asser. He is the head cutter there, and he is based at the Jermyn Street branch.

All the best,
mayday

Thanks for the clarification; when I spoke to Dunhill I got the impression he was retiring - it may have been me mis-hearing.

 

[sartorialexecutive]

This may be of interest...

Turnbull & Asser has hired David Gale as master shirt maker to develop a training academy at the tailoring brand. http://www.drapersonline.com/news/me...000570.article

 

[R.O. Thornhill]

I promised to report back when Sean O'Flynn had finished my first trial shirt, and I have now had it for a short while, washing and wearing it twice. A few observations:

Service: A significant improvement to T&A. The shirt was ready earlier than Sean had promised (more like 3 weeks rather than 4), and he sent me an SMS to let me know (which some of you might frown at, but with my traveling is frankly the best and most efficient way to let me know). Not having to chase my shirt was a big improvement. The packaging / carrier bags don't match the opulance of the T&A black bespoke bags, but I prefer to pay for what goes into the shirt anyway

Fit: Not perfect, but miles better than the first shirt I had made by T&A (and at least as good as what they have arrived at after 18 shirts). The collar is a little big big, the shoulder measure a fraction too small, and I would probably prefer the armhole a little bit higher (the sleeve is noticeably fuller cut than on my old shirts). These are all minor adjustments, however, which I will talk through with Sean when I see him next week. Fully confident that the next shirt will be what I am looking for

Construction: Generally very, very good - with very fine (machine) sewing, no loose threads or missed seams. Buttonholes are very tidy. As someone who doesn't really get the hand-sewing fetish, this is pretty much perfect. The shirt is plain, so no read on pattern-matching. One small gripe, though, is the collar. The shape is much better, but the construction feels flimsy. Not sure what (if any) interlining Sean uses, but I will have to ask for something more substantial as I like quite a solid collar

Materials: Actually a bit underwhelmed with the fabric I picked (a skyblue Alumo weave). It just looked better as a sample than as a shirt. A little bit too light in colour, and a little bit too flimsy in weight. Clearly that is my fault though - and I will just have to pick better in future. It isn't as if there aren't some lovely fabrics to pick from. Buttons are very pleasant MOPs (average thickness, I did not ask for, nor do I want, anything thicker)

So, all in all, I am very pleased. A couple of small things to change, but my experience with Sean so far leaves me confident that this will be a long and fruitful partnership