Steven Hitchcock - the final jacket

Steven Hitchcock - the final jacket - Permanent Style

I picked up my final jacket and trousers from Steven Hitchcock last week. The result is a beautiful tweed jacket - light and comfortable but still with definite shape - and a wonderfully fitting pair of moleskins.

Steven describes his offering as “soft tailoring for comfort and style” and this is gives the customer a good idea of the end result.



Readers will probably be familiar with the soft, drape cut that is most strongly identified with Anderson & Sheppard (where Steven trained). A soft shoulder and full chest is pulled into a close waist, given shape to the upper body.



If anything, Steven’s cut is more comfortable than A&S, with a particular focus on achieving a clean line up the side of the body, through the waist and up the side of the armhole. The soft, lightweight tweed here accentuates that effect.

The trousers are usually cut high, with side adjustors on the seam. As you can see in the picture, the fit is particularly nice in the small of my back – something other tailors struggle with as the curve of my back is quite exaggerated. The close-up of the back also demonstrates how the cut has dealt with the idiosyncrasies of my body, with Steven achieving a clean back despite my prominent shoulder blades. As I mentioned in my previous post, hand-sewing the back seam helped in this regard, giving it greater stretch.

Finally, I was pleased with how the gauntlets on the sleeves turned out. When ordering I was unsure whether they would have looked nicer running all the way around, rather than just on the outside half, but I think that would have made the cuff too heavy.

Steven is in New York soon, and his dates can be found below. Ask him about his carp-fishing prowess!



If you want some more examples of Steven’s style, check out his blog here. I’m a particular fan of this shot.



The Benjamin Hotel,
 125 East 50th Street

Sunday 20th May through Wednesday 23rd May 2012

Contact: steven@stevenhitchcock

US cell phone: +1 646 241 9039

Photography: Luke Carby