A.S likes three things: adventure, dogs, and unique vests.
The last time A.S visited our atelier he picked up a rusty orange silk-and-wool vest to add some colour to his wardrobe. This time, we’ve done a more subdued piece crafted in black silk with warm brown leather accents.
Upon reorganizing the cloth room one day, one of our in-house artists found a bolt of black silk with embroidered hunting dogs and decided that it would be perfect for A.S. Dogs are a large part of his life as he runs K9 Expeditions, a unique dog-walking service that provides high-energy dogs and working breeds appropriate exercise and stimulation by taking them on hiking excursions. He also provides training and behaviour consultations. If any of our patrons would love a dog-themed vest, it would be him.
As unexpected as it might seem, dogs have quite the history with bespoke tailoring. As a pastime of the upper-class, hunting became a natural place to extend the art of tailoring and bespoke fashion and this is where many classics have been born. Riding jackets, the hunt jacket with matching waistcoat, close-fitted breeches and the deerstalker hat are pieces many would wear while on their hunting excursions. Like bespoke tailoring, dog breeds have also been “tailored” and developed over the centuries for use in hunting. Both period pieces and modern media depictions of upper-class European hunters are always bound to feature both bespoke riding outfits and a well-bred pointer or foxhound. It’s an image that is fixed in art history.
Today, it isn’t common to see fashionable hunters on horseback with their foxhounds baying and running ahead but with patrons such as A.S, we know that fashion and sporting with dogs can still be found close together.
