Cordings of piccadilly

Originally Posted by Ich_Dien

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Sigh.

Indeed...

ralphwho - using your logic I suppose you think most of the other shops on, or near Piccadilly must also be full of tourists?

e.g. Hilditch and Key, Turnbull and Asser, Crockett and Jones on Jermyn St, Kiton on Clifford St, Swaine Adeney on St James St

Most tourists are not interested in these shops, or in Cordings - they will only flock to LV, Prada, Boss and the like, the ones that have the massive billboard ads and double page spreads in Vogue

Originally Posted by jnm23q

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Most tourists are not interested in these shops, or in Cordings - they will only flock to LV, Prada, Boss and the like, the ones that have the massive billboard ads and double page spreads in Vogue
And if past experience in other Continental cities are anything to go by, they will mostly be Chinese tourists.

Originally Posted by jnm23q

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ralphwho - using your logic I suppose you think most of the other shops on, or near Piccadilly must also be full of tourists?

e.g. Hilditch and Key, Turnbull and Asser, Crockett and Jones on Jermyn St, Kiton on Clifford St, Swaine Adeney on St James St

Most tourists are not interested in these shops, or in Cordings - they will only flock to LV, Prada, Boss and the like, the ones that have the massive billboard ads and double page spreads in Vogue

Last saturday the C&J shop in Jermyn st was so full that they had it locked for some periods of time to allow for people to get out and avoid a riot. I found it amazing, since the other C&J shop about 200 m away was empty. True it was not full of chinese but clearly not people who know their way around london.

By the way I am not happy with my new C&J Wigmores. They seem too flimsy and as someone said -i think- in the end the 360 last is not flatering for someone on 10.5 like me. too slim

I have a pair of Cleverley badged handgrade C&J Weymouths courtesy of Ede&Ros clearing as they dropped cleverley to go for C&J when some venture between them did not go through recently- despite the fact that they are all C&Js anyway- which i have not yet tried. They seem to be the true article. But from this experience I venture saying non-handgrade C&J << good old basic churchs

On the issue of H&K etc I think the pyjamas on the windows scare the chinese away- smells of communism- they sure as hell scare me since I am not 60 yet

It seems H&K, H&H make most of their money from pyjamas since they occupy most of the window space

H&K, T&A fetishists should admit that quality aside the most common shirts there look totally out of this time. Also T&A prices are probably driven by the need to pay 10 people to do nothing 85% of the time (almost empty shop), and annoy the hell out of you on the remaining 15%

By the way if you want a nice bespoke shirt for a reasonable price drop by italy-spain-port find a nice tailor and u will be doing great. In Italy most discerning (love the word) people have their own local tailor. In UK the situation is like that of coffee. Want an espresso go to Starbucks or Costa etc. In some countries you go to the local coffee shop and get what u really want


Ps-I am pleased to accept any prizes, idiot of the year, etc from SF members. I will cherish them for what they are worth -no more, no less

"It seems H&K, H&H make most of their money from pyjamas since they occupy most of the window space" OK, you've won. How old are you, 14? Oh to be 14 and to know it all again...

ralphwho = Butter Jr.

Originally Posted by BlackShoes

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Goodness, I normally require actually holding an item of clothing, and usually wearing it, in order to judge the quality a firm's offerings. You sir, have a gift.

Also, I did not know it was owned by the Clap, this changes my attitude towards shopping there.

In a positive or negative way?

Clapton can be a bit of a t...t sometimes...

I do not think Eric Clapton owns the shop.
He helped finance a buy-out by management and/or staff when the previous owners were trying to sell and there was a risk that the buyers would change Cordings into something else or close it down altogether. I should guess he is acting as a silent partner, perhaps with a bit of gentle guidance or encouragement to maintain the traditional quality and spirit.
There is a recent video of EC on the site : http://www.cordings.co.uk/eric-clapton.html .
Frog in Suit

Originally Posted by Frog in Suit

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I do not think Eric Clapton owns the shop.
He helped finance a buy-out by management and/or staff when the previous owners were trying to sell and there was a risk that the buyers would change Cordings into something else or close it down altogether. I should guess he is acting as a silent partner, perhaps with a bit of gentle guidance or encouragement to maintain the traditional quality and spirit.
There is a recent video of EC on the site : http://www.cordings.co.uk/eric-clapton.html .
Frog in Suit

Silent partner?

It's better for them but I don't think they have any ethnics as customers anyway...

Cordings is definitely on my list of shops to visit when I'm in London next week.

Bought a pair of Cordings in bottle green and a pair of Viyella Cords in a very similar colour - both well made. Cordings quality v.good and on balance have the edge, customer service was satisfactory, layout of the shop has room for improvement.

Originally Posted by jnm23q

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ralphwho - using your logic I suppose you think most of the other shops on, or near Piccadilly must also be full of tourists? e.g. Hilditch and Key, Turnbull and Asser, Crockett and Jones on Jermyn St, Kiton on Clifford St, Swaine Adeney on St James St Most tourists are not interested in these shops, or in Cordings
This is one of the things I find oddest about London. In parts of the West End, there are thousands of tourists/acre. You would imagine that every street would be infested by dozens of them just by osmotic pressure. So you are struggling through this heaving crowd and contemplating such cultural wonders as EAT. But just before you decide to kill yourself, you step into a side street and find yourself in another world with not a tourist to be seen. Even more amazing, these streets often have much more interesting shops and restaurants. It's not necessarily obscure streets, either. Savile Row is often like this as is Jermyn Street. Pall Mall is always like this though I can see why this might be less interesting from a mass tourism perspective.

Originally Posted by Bounder

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This is one of the things I find oddest about London. In parts of the West End, there are thousands of tourists/acre. You would imagine that every street would be infested by dozens of them just by osmotic pressure.

So you are struggling through this heaving crowd and contemplating such cultural wonders as EAT. But just before you decide to kill yourself, you step into a side street and find yourself in another world with not a tourist to be seen. Even more amazing, these streets often have much more interesting shops and restaurants. It's not necessarily obscure streets, either. Savile Row is often like this as is Jermyn Street. Pall Mall is always like this though I can see why this might be less interesting from a mass tourism perspective.

Very true ...

Burlington arcade, Burlington gardens and Savile Row used to be great before Abercrombie opened a shop there...

Now it's full of Justin Biber's fan club members...

Originally Posted by lasbar

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Very true ...

Burlington arcade, Burlington gardens and Savile Row used to be great before Abercrombie opened a shop there...

Now it's full of Justin Biber's fan club members...

Don't get me started. Bad enough that Oswald Boateng has the old A and S shop. But I was in Piccadilly on Saturday. Lunch with the SO. She pops into Fortnums for some early Christmas shopping, I drop by Fosters to have some shoes re-soled. We stroll up the Arcade. At the bottom of the Row, she looks around and says "what on earth's that building?". I explain that it is A and F, and it it therefore attracts a 30-yard queue of marsupialed 17-year olds waiting to spend 80 quid on a t-shirt.

While Peter Capstick (who used to buy bloody elephant rifles there in NY in the 50s when it was a proper shop) is turning in his grave.

Originally Posted by Geezer

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Don't get me started. Bad enough that Oswald Boateng has the old A and S shop. But I was in Piccadilly on Saturday. Lunch with the SO. She pops into Fortnums for some early Christmas shopping, I drop by Fosters to have some shoes re-soled. We stroll up the Arcade. At the bottom of the Row, she looks around and says "what on earth's that building?". I explain that it is A and F, and it it therefore attracts a 30-yard queue of marsupialed 17-year olds waiting to spend 80 quid on a t-shirt.

While Peter Capstick (who used to buy bloody elephant rifles there in NY in the 50s when it was a proper shop) is turning in his grave.

I went in with my 17 year old niece and I was forced to stay there for a hour...

The place is dark and everything stinks their house perfumes...

The same inside..Queues for the dressing-room ,the tills and hundreds of parents being miserable as hell waiting for the little brats to spend 300 quids on two tee-shirts and a track suit bottom.