Suits you sir

Savile row is a name synonymous with fashion and suits. It's world famous, renowned amongst those who see the suit as 'making the man' as the final word in sartorial elegance. But...there's always a but...all is not well on the row.

For, the old guard, who have been there for many years, are not happy with 'interlopers' who they accuse of selling suits under the 'Savile Row' brand, without offering the same level of service or quality. On the back of this they are going as far as setting up an Association which will bestow a 'kitemark' upon those who are regarded as genuine Savile Row tailors, to let discerning suit shoppers tell who will offer them, the genuine experience.

This is the trouble though isn't it - a world where costs are high, margins are tight, and pennies need to be watched will undoubtedly lead to people wanting high-quality products for the cheapest possible price, and if there are companies willing to offer this, there will always be customers to buy. Still, if the new association does its job, at least everyone can be clear who is offering what and after that it's down to the consumer as to where there heads, hearts and wallets lead them.

Uniforms on stamps

The Royal Navy is to have its history of uniforms documented on a new set of six stamps that will feature all manner of uniforms, beginning with the gold-crested frock coat of an Admiral from 1795, through to the high visibility uniform of a 2009 Flight Deck Officer, reports the Daily Telegraph.

They also feature an 1805 Royal Marine, an Able Seaman from 1880, a 1918 Women's Royal Navy Service Officer and a Second World War Captain.

Julietta Edgar, head of special stamps at Royal Mail, said: 'Some of our most significant commemorative issues have highlighted the bravery and sacrifice of the UK's servicemen and women, and they continue to play a key role in the stamps that we issue.'

Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey added: ''These stamps reflect the great history of the senior service and uniquely represent changes in the Royal Navy, from the development of the fleet air arm to the introduction of women at sea. The importance of mail to the morale of our personnel deployed around the world cannot be overstated, and Royal Mail continues to provide us with a terrific service.'

A decision on swimsuits

We've covered swim suits before here, here, here, and even here and now a decision has finally been made by the sports' governing body in the States. Watch a video about it on the BBC site here.

Um Bro, should we stop fighting?

In a little piece of clothing history you may not be aware of Puma and Adidas, two of the biggest sports brands in the world, were formed in spite by two brothers in Germany after a feud between them meant they refused to work together. They set up factories on either side of a river and refused to make up ever since.

The reason for the feud has its origins in the World War II and the moment that triggered the split was an offhand remark that was interpreted badly by the other. It's all faintly comical actually.

Thankfully though sixty years on and the two companies have at last made peace and will be celebrating this event with a football match. Only trouble is though, what if one of the teams win and starts to claim it's because of its superior clothing and football boots, what then? Another rift could be on the cards.

Pictured: Adi Dasler (Adi Das = adidas) in his factory.

Tall tales

The BBC's top story today, ironically enough, is about the world's tallest man visiting London. A massive 2m 47 he is, or 8ft 1". Tall. Top shelf items, not a problem. Lightbulbs? Changed. Stars on Christmas trees? Placed.

Of course, for the chap himself, many things we all take for granted are suddenly made a lot harder. Clothing for instance. He has to have a lot of things specially made, such as his suit and even his bed is designed for him, and comes in at a massive three meters long. Talk about bespoke tailoring!

With his new found world record status though, perhaps the offers of specialist clothing will come flooding in, leaving him with a full wardrobe of clothing to choose from.

Return to the past

A fascinating article on the BBC Website today concerns a fashion designer in India who is calling on Indians to return to clothing made from traditional home spun khadi, rather than indulging in western style clothing.

His reasons, listed in the article, are that, aside from the beauty of the fabric, whose history in India goes back well over 5,000 years, he says he finds it odd that Indian designers tend to steer clear of local hand-woven fabrics and that khadi is refined, sophisticated, eco-friendly and comfortable, and has too long been regarded as the poor man's fabric.

The cyclical nature of fashion means many fashions from the past are being reappreciated so it will be interesting to see what further ideas, from abroad and here in the UK, become part of both the high-street and corporate industry.

Scotland the brave

You can't have failed to notice the recent furor over events in Scotland concerning the Lockerbie bombing and the subsequent fallout. Part of this including people calling on others to boycott Scotland and products associated with them.

Harris Tweed, the famous clothing brand, was reportedly going to tone down its Scottishness, in order to avoid any adverse business arising from this boycott. However, Betty Davies, the Edinburgh-based designer and fashion consultant, said that any strategy downplaying the origins of the fabric would be a “serious mistake” and maintained that the claims could instead be motivated by an attempt to harm the Scottish government, said an article by The Times.

It's an interesting point. Any company or brand that uses its country of origin as a selling point does risk the (admittedly rare) chance the brand could become devalued in the eyes of the population. The Boycott Scotland movement doesn't seem like it will go far, and it would be harsh to subject hard-working people to a boycott over a decision they had no involvement in, but it's been enough of an issue that the company has become involved in the news in this way.

200 not out

Hello! We're very excited here today, *hic*, for you see - oh, slice of cake, don't mind if I do - this is our 200th blog post! Hooray!

A year after we first started and we've covered all manner of topics, gone through a global recession, hosted a star-studded awards, and had a website relaunch. Busy busy!

And blog 201 will be along later today...

Stone Age Clothing

Since human's made clothes, they liked fashion. Who doesn't like looking good? From the ice age to the dole age (thanks Morrissey) we humans have been fickle folks when it comes to colours, shades and lines, and now we have the proof to prove it. Sort of.

Archaeologists have uncovered a haul of pink, turquoise and black fibres that were used to make thread more than 34,000 years ago in caves the hills of the Republic of Georgia. Pink and turquoise? Hmm, suspect cavemen fashion. Then again, I guess if they saw some of the things we wear, they'd be a little shocked.

Let me introduce to you...

The Beatles! Marvellous band. So says, well, everyone. In fact, in honour of the launch of these remastered albums and The Beatles: Rockband, we thought it would be fun to look at some of the fantastic outfits worn by the fab four.

There were the suits from the pop period - a look that has been copied many times over by earnest boybands.

The awesome military style suits from the Sgt Peppers period.

The dark and brooding look - arty.

The Abbey Road ensemble; complete with undertaker's suit.

What do you think? Any Beatles memories or clothing thoughts? Share the love...