Udeshi London-James Bond Cocktail Cuff Shirt

[Gus]

About two years ago, here on SF, I asked about the kind of cuffs that James Bond wore in the movie Dr. No. The name of the cuff, I found out, is a Cocktail Cuff or also referred to as a turnback and was originally offered by Turnbull & Asser of London. However, T&A no longer offers them. gdl203 suggested that I check out a Mayfair tailor named Oscar Udeshi. I was in London recently so I decided to stop by his shop on 8 Davies Street. It is quit small but immaculate and efficient. He offers some ready to wear shirts but most of his work is MTM or bespoke shirts and tailored clothing. He has a shop in Milan and workrooms in Italy to fabricate his apparel. Oscar Udeshi has a very interesting background and I enjoyed talking with him in his shop. Here is a little bit of his background:

Udeshi is an active member of the British menswear industry and was elected youngest chairman of the British Menswear Guild in 2008. He became a board member of the UK Textile and Fashion Association in 2009. He also writes regular columns for the two industry magazines Drapers and Menswear Buyer.

Udeshi originally wanted to study architecture at university, but his father preferred a law degree. He compromised on economics at the London School of Economics. After completing his degree, Udeshi embarked on a career as a banker in the City and in Frankfurt. However, after a car crash, Udeshi decided to re-evaluate his path and decided to complete a masters degree in philosophy.
While working in the city, he was looking for clothes that would make up his ideal wardrobe. Unable to find them, he had all his clothes made to his designs and specification. Still unhappy with the results, Udeshi left the finance industry, choosing to study Design and Fashion at Central Saint Martin's and Parsons School of Design, where he trained under one of the last remaining bespoke shirtmakers of Jermyn Street.

Here is also an interview with him http://www.muddyclay.com/2010/08/20/...-oscar-udeshi/


So, back to me....I went for a Cocktail cuff shirt and tried on the RTW. He suggested that for about 25 pounds more he could do MTM with any combination of fabric, cuffs and collar. He has very strong opinions about these and their fit but if you have a preference he will adjust. So, exactly a month later my shirt arrived today via FedEx. Total price including shipping 177 Pounds.

I'm looking forward to wearing it for holiday cocktail parties.

 

[robin]

I have a few things from him, all great stuff. He has an account here too, though doesn't post very often.

 

[geoffmartin17]

Really like the Udeshi collar...

 

[Axelman 17]

Udeshi also has a great collection of double sided cufflinks, worth checking out.

 

[Omega Man]

I wore his shirt yesterday. The cuff takes a bit of getting used to, but it feels and fits great!

 

[Shirtmaven]

Oscar is my favorite person in the industry.
always willing to share information.
works with good tailors. turns out a great product.

Carl

 

[Gus]

I would definitely try some of his tailored clothing next time, however I don't think I would go for the house style slanted jacket pockets on everything. I believe he would offer a horizontal pocket option if a customer insisted upon it. Does anyone know for sure? We never discussed suits or jacket details with Oscar.

 

[Matt S]

The shirt is very nice, though these cocktail cuffs aren't exactly like Bond's cuffs. If you compare these cuffs to a point collar, Bond's cuffs were more like a spread collar. From my point of view, saying that all cocktail cuffs are the same is like saying all turn-down collars are the same. Spread collars and point collar work on a similar principle, both can be very nice, but there is a difference. On the Dick Van Dyke Show, Dick Van Dyke wore cocktail cuffs just like these.
Though I would never wear it, I do really like the collar design.

 

[Kentishman]

What are the price points for suiting/jackets? Really liking the look of some of these.

 

[brokentelephone]

Originally Posted by Kentishman

What are the price points for suiting/jackets? Really liking the look of some of these.

I recall the RTW shirts being around £150, and the suits in the £750 and above range.

Personally, I wasn't a big fan of much of his merchandise when I checked out the shop a few weeks ago -- it was all a bit too sleek and RLBL-esque for my tastes. They tend to do things 'differently' than most tailoring shops (i.e., only offering one type of cuff, slanted pockets, etc) and are certainly trying to form a house look, but it just seemed to lack style.

I mean, the price points are completely different, but stroll down to Rubinacci down the road on Mount and you'll see rich fabrics, beautiful colours and wonderful textures in the clothes and the shop -- Udeshi seemed a bit cold in comparison.

 

[brokentelephone]

no way! cheap s-u-n-g-l-a-s-s-e-s!!!!

 

[Gus]

Originally Posted by Matt S

The shirt is very nice, though these cocktail cuffs aren't exactly like Bond's cuffs.

Oscar Udeshi is a huge fan of James Bond and has a book shelf in his shop with many Bond books. He actually pulled some down while we spoke and pointed to various still photos from the movies. He explained that the Cocktail cuffs made for the movies were T&A so he adjusted the design so that he wasn't doing a literal copy of another London maker.

 

[jnm23q]

Have T & A phased out the turnback very recently? Got some stock specials (different size body to collar) from them about 4 months back and they were all turnback. They had the choice of single (triple button), french and turnback (double button). I'd be amazed if they phased out their signature cuff

 

[Merlino]

I like the look of this cuff very much and own a couple of shirts with. However, the edge of the cuff tends to get caught behind the edge of the jacket sleeve. Because of this, I switched back to single cuffs and only wear the cocktail cuffs when also wearing a sweater.

 

[whnay.]

If you wear this shirt you become James Bond.




I swear.