Recently we have had an increasing number of our female customers asking if we stock suits, interested in the possibility of renting one to an evening event. On any normal evening in London, it is not unusual to spot a few in the room, in a variety of styles and colours. Usually worn with a simple silk/lace cami top underneath the jacket and a pair of high heels.
I have to admit, I have never owned a trouser suit. Blazers yes – paired with jeans and flats, but never a matching suit. For a suit to be a success, the cut has to be perfect, the trouser length spot on, the tailoring, fabric quality... the style matched to an individual body shape and personality. When it works, the results are incredible. When a woman arrives at a party in the perfect suit, all eyes turn. Amongst a sea of floral midi dresses, that is powerful.
Perhaps my delayed enthusiasm for buying a suit is partly blamed on my job. And partly down to concern. Like buying jeans - the idea of trying on hundreds of options from every brand was always overwhelming.
Do you remember, back in 2016, the first woman in the history of the Royal Enclosure to break down barriers at Royal Ascot by wearing a morning suit and top hat? That was Daisy Knatchbull. Following the brave trait that crops up among strong women in her family. Her great-grandmother, Edwina Mountbatten (the last Vicereine of India) was decades ahead of her time in her behaviour, her beliefs and the way she dressed.
Daisy couldn’t have had a more positive response after that day at Ascot, and decided to launch a new tailoring brand, The Deck – spotting the unfulfilled demand for women's suiting.
Her experience working for The Huntsman on Savile Row led her to realise the gap for tailored suits that didn’t have a Savile Row price tag. The Deck sits in the middle ground between contemporary and designer, tailoring house and fashion brand.
Four distinct silhouettes — inspired by each of the four suits in a deck of cards: the single-breasted, the double-breasted, the boyfriend and the safari. Clients can then interchange and personalise, adding a choice of either straight-leg, wide-leg, flared or cigarette trousers. Shuffle the cards and see.
Daisy’s eclectic and androgynous style aided her curation of the four silhouettes. The suits are alluring, timeless yet contemporary. Inspired by the pioneers of androgyny: Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Lauren Hutton, Bianca Jagger, Julia Roberts’ Armani Oscars suit. - and men such as David Bowie and the iconic Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking.
The Deck’s atelier is situated on the lower ground floor of 336 Kings Road. The made-to-order offering allows for a custom design process. The client's choice of cloth, lining, button, thread and monogramming, supported by The Deck’s team that works with Savile Row merchants, ensure an unparalleled quality.
I can’t wait to book an appointment and find my long overdue match. Something classic but not boring. Not black or grey? Maybe red? A style that I could wear for the next twenty years, with trainers or heels, to the office, or at night. A suit that stops me from putting on a dress.
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June 2019
By Anna Bance