Do You Know Scavini?

Massimilano Mocchia di Coggiola and Julien Scavini, Paris, Sept 2013

On our last visit to Paris - for the I am Dandy book launch - Massimiliano invited Kelly and I to meet his tailor...and irresistible prospect!

We walked up the exceptionally wide open, and very-quiet-for-the-middle-of-the-day Boulevard La Tour-Maubourg around the corner from Les Invalides.   From the clear view on the boulevard we could spot Massimiliano several streets away walking quickly towards us with his happy gait.  He joined us and we went in to meet Julien Scavini, proprietor of Scavini Tailleur.  I don’t think any of you would blame me if I expected to see an old Italian man hunched over a work table, would you?  Who we met was a gracious, fresh-faced young French man who has set up a fastidious and charming menswear atelier.  His specialty is made-to-measure, which he has made by a small family workshop in, get this, northern Italy!


I ask him what he thinks of the word “dandy”:  “The true dandy is a myth, a fictional character. It is an idea, an essence. The dandy embodies the perfection of nothingness, emptiness. It is an art. And like any perfection, it is not of this world, but the world of ideas and concepts.  I prefer the term gentleman for men dressed elegantly. That said, for Massimiliano or Mickael Loir, the term gentleman is wrong, while dandy is best ... funny!”


Scavini’s passion for tailoring developed after he came to Paris (from his home town of Biarritz) to study architecture.  As a lover of classical architecture, towards the end of his studies he grew weary of the over emphasis on removing “old thinking”, and using technology to innovate.  He always loved menswear, so he decided to do his thesis about a Hackett shop.  “It was very funny,” He says.  After his graduation he started an apprenticeship with master tailor, André Guillerme-Guilson.  He spent a year with Guilson at the l'Association de Formation Tailleur learning the art of tailoring, and, although he is not a cutter, he can make a jacket “from A-Z” by hand.


Scavini brings this keen understanding of tailoring, and a very discerning eye for detail not only to his shop, but to his blog Stiff Collar, which he started in 2009 while studying with Guilson.  Stiff Collar is a wealth of information and inspiration, and what you will immediately notice - even if you don’t read French - are his charming illustrations.  Scavini tells me started drawing during his architecture studies, ironically using his ArchiCad software to express the universe that inspired him - 1930s England, Hercule Poirot, classic tailoring, etc.  With their thick black outlines, one can see his artwork has been inspired by classic comics like Tintin, Blake and Mortimer, and illustrator Jean-Claude Floch.  Small framed prints of a selection of his artwork are on the walls of his shop, and it adds to the ambience - classic, understated, and a little modern in that practical way I like.

Scavini Tailleur
50 Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg

75007 Paris

Apart from visiting Stiff Collar, you can see Scavini’s illustrations in Figaro Magazine, and in a soon to be released fully illustrated book on classic wardrobe (title and link to come!).  He also will star as a tailoring specialist in an upcoming French TV show called Cousu Main (Hand Sewn), an adaptation of the English reality/game show The Great British Sewing Bee.  It premieres Aug 30, 2014 on M6 in France.  It appears we will be seeing and hearing a lot from Julien Scavini!

Rory Duffy - Bespoke in Brooklyn

Rory Duffy, bespoke tailor, Brooklyn, March 2013

Just around the corner from me, and a few flights up, is a gem of a Savile Row trained tailor, Rory Duffy, who has recently established himself in New York City.  Andrew Yamato introduced me to the young Irishman, and I had a good time chatting with him about his work and the suit he made that won the prestigious Golden Shears award, all the while drinking a good bit of prosecco.

Rory shows us the suit he made that won the Golden Shears 2009, the UK's highest prize for tailoring.  Oh, just an amazingly crafted frock coat with kilt (!) and waistcoat done in a blue window pane (that Dr. Andre Churchwell might find familiar).  Please, someone create an occasion just so this suit can be worn, and I can attend!



Behind the unassuming brick facade there is a real craftsman at work, and Brooklyn should be glad to have him!

Steven Hitchcock: A Bit of Savile Row in NYC

The dapper gent here high above Lexington Avenue is Savile Row master tailor Steven Hitchcock on his last visit to NYC in October 2011.  He makes several visits each year to meet clients and do fittings, and to do his part to bring a bit of the Row to the city.  Bruce Boyer thought I would enjoy his personal  flair, as well as his unique story of, essentially, growing up on Savile Row, and learning his craft from the legends at Anderson & Sheppard.  Check out his story here.

Here are a few glimpses of Steven's amazing duds, and his temporary atelier in the Benjamin Hotel.  Behind the scene was Steven's lovely girlfriend, Celia.  They welcomed me warmly and good laughs were in abundance.



Doing a bit of alterations for a last minute fitting.  Steven is the son of John Hitchcock, head cutter at Anderson & Sheppard, and he began as an apprentice coat maker there when he was 16.  At the time Steven thought he might work as a mechanic, but after getting a taste of the sometimes star-studded world of A&S, he thought otherwise.  After years learning his craft at A&S he set out on his own in 1999.