The name on everybody’s lips is gonna be…

Not bloody Roxie, that’s for sure. Spencer Hart is the only moniker you need etch onto your brain now that the cutting edge tailor has opened its flagship store opposite Claridge’s. Created by fashion industry stalwart Nick Hart nearly 10 years ago, the idea behind the brand was to bring a more minimalistic, louche, somewhat rebellious touch to tailoring without compromising on the unparalleled quality for which Savile Row has earned its deserved reputation.

What the brand has done within this prime slab of Mayfair real estate, a former bank, is shoehorned a reflection of “a modern utopia influenced by the likes of Neutra, Sinatra, Warhol and Kerouac, into a fresh and modern retail world for men”. Set artfully over two floors, the space also serves as a showcase for products aside from just the tailoring, including a more relaxed collection called ‘Palm Springs’, plus various collaborations with the likes of Floris, Edward Green shoes and Oliver Goldsmith eyewear. I mimbled along to the celebrity launch party (featured in the Independent and the Evening Standard dontchaknow!) to see exactly what they had achieved. And to inhale a few litres of Champagne…

I was first struck by the searing heat of the place. A slight hiccup with the air-conditioning had rendered the inside hotter than hades. This however is forgivable as in the two days before, I had seen photos of the interior from the design company (Shed) and they did a spot on job to get ready in time – the interior was very elegant, dramatic, a touch Palm Springs from the 60’s, a little Art Deco, swathes of white, cream beige, suede, even a hanging shirt table – a superb focal point of the main floor area. Guests including Brett Anderson, Alfie Allen, the Arctic Monkeys, the Kooks and Lawrence Dellaglio (not ideal for a slim cut suit?) plus many dapper dressers were pouring in to enjoy Billecart-Salmon Champagne, Belvedere cocktails (big tick for both of those!) and some pretty ruddy fascinating people watching. I was fortunate to sneak off for a private tour of the underground lair before things got too rammed. Accessed by a supremely cool, Bond villain-esque, electric door in the wall, the basement is a shrine to the bespoke. Here there is seemingly nothing that you cannot customise. Sunglasses even come with a choice of bridge fitting so they sit perfectly on your nose. This whole  hideout is known as ‘Black Seersucker’  and was the vault during the store’s previous incarnation as a bank. An intimate, decadent space that fills you with mischievous thoughts, this is also where cufflinks and antique watches chosen by Nick Hart himself are housed. I dashed back upstairs to make friends with the servers of bubbles before my mind was filled with the thoughts of a megalomaniac and my wardrobe with the suits of a Rat Pack cad.

Perusing the rest of the store, you notice just how much thought has gone into the building, as well as the clothes. There are suede banquettes and window linings that have delicately placed piles of Penguin classic books; Jack Kerouac features heavily, so does Hunter S Thompson. The art work is all aimed solely at a Spencer Hart man living the roguish lifestyle I imagine they are thought to lead. Above all what strikes me is attention to detail. The decoration and display was considered and effective, nothing felt out of place or silly and that translates into the clothes. Which is good because they are by no means disposable fashion. Spencer Hart creates pieces that are to be invested in for the long term. Something I shall be doing very shortly, finances be dammed.

Spencer Hart

62-64 Brook Street

Mayfair W1

www.spencerhart.com

Photography: Ed Reeve