But this year we wanted to focus on comfort which of course means soft, drapey tailoring. We were influenced by a
combination of the Hollywood drape worn by actors in the ‘50s, masterminded by Frederick Scholte, also the innovator
of the British drape, and Neapolitan tailoring. For our first jackets we have removed the stiff, restrictive padding
and layers of horsehair found in traditional tailoring that impedes freedom of movement. Our sleeveheads evince the
beautifully rippled effect of the Neapolitan spalla camicia, a technique for fitting a larger upper sleeve
into a smaller armhole. But these sleeves narrow to a cleaner and more shaped cuff typical of French tailoring. It’s
important to understand we haven’t simply added excessive volume to the chest, back and sleevehead, which can result
in a bulky silhouette. Instead we’ve tastefully and strategically applied added cloth only in specific areas mostly
in the front of the jacket, which allows us to retain a shaped form while creating unrivalled ease of wear. That’s
right we’ve cut the front of our coats a touch more generously, so you can comfortably keep them buttoned even
during a long meal, and ensure they retain a beautiful shape through the side seam.
All of our first jackets are 6 x 1- a style favored by the likes of Gianni Agnelli, Fred Astaire and the Duke of
Windsor. But we’ve carefully moved the button point a touch higher to create a more balanced look and a longer
skirt. We’ve also reinforced the bottom button which allows you to wear our jackets with the jigger button
unfastened for a more nonchalant vibe without over stressing this button. Our jackets are cut to fit the full
variety of body shapes. And if you want an even trimmer fit our jackets are extremely easy to nip in at the side
seam. At the same time our trousers, which we are very proud of are both comfortable but trim fitting. That’s
because we’ve added a touch more depth to the reverse double-pleats and a bit more room through the thigh, but then
slimmed them down through the ankle. The result is a clean, slim fit that is also comfortable and extremely easy to
move in.
A big part about creating the softest most comfortable clothing is the cloth we use. Thanks to Vitale Barberis
Canonico we are able to use cloth that we have used before in our personal tailored clothing and love from
experience. This includes the grey flannel in a 340g weight that used to be worn by style immortal Gianni Agnelli
for our grey flannel double-breasted suit; the perfect dark blue worsted pinstripe in a 280g weight for our navy
pinstripe double-breasted suit, inspired by Luca di Montezemolo; a resplendent Midnight Blue mohair and wool blend
in 280g weight which used for our tuxedo, inspired by Edward VIII; a sublime cream flannel in 340g weight for our
cream flannel double-breasted suit, worn by Bryan Ferry and a 4-ply and high twist wool which features super human
crease recovery for our navy double-breasted blue blazer, which was inspired by Prince Michael of Kent. On a side
note this blazer features skull livery buttons from Benson & Clegg that normally cost £100 but we’ve basically
donated them to the jacket because they look epic. From Fox Brothers we used a ravishing Prince of Wales worsted, in
a 480g weight featuring what we feel is the single most handsome check pattern around for our POW double-breasted
sports jacket, which was influenced by the way Miles Davis used don his selection in the check. We would like to
thank Francesco of Vitale Barberis Canonico and Douglas Cordeaux of Fox Brothers for the collaboration in this
project. We love you guys.
As you have probably guessed from the evocative nicknames we’ve given each of our garments, every look is inspired by
one of the most iconic men in the cannon of classic elegance and their signature styles. The “Gianni” is inspired by
Gianni Agnelli’s grey flannel suit, the “Luca” by Luca di Montezemolo’s pinstripe suit, the “Edward” by the Duke of
Windsor's double-breasted peak lapel evening suit, the Bryan by an incredible cream suit worn by Bryan Ferry, the
“Michael” by the blazer worn with aplomb by Prince Michael of Kent and the “Miles” jacket worn by the immortal Miles
Davis. What you might not know is that in the months leading up to the creation of these garments we polled our
readers and followers on social media to find out who you thought the most stylish men of all time were and what
garments you associated with them. So this collection is also tailored to your tastes and opinions. We’ve listed to
you.
Finally, we feel comfortable, soft clothing is best represented by real people living real lives. That’s why the
images of our look book feature two great friends of the Rake, Richard Biedul and Richard Ampaw. But over the next
weeks you’ll see that our favorite thing is to see our clothes on real men (and women). We love that four of our
favorite photographers Jamie Ferguson, Milad Abedi, K. E. Guerre and Robert Spangle are each wearing The Rake
Tailored Garments in their own signature way. Jamie who was an actor before becoming a highly regarded photographer,
recently launched his book This Guy and brings a sense of incredible spontaneity and charm to his images shot in his
studio in Northern Ireland. Guerre who is one of the key figures in the New York style scene, a photographer,
writer, presenter and director is the unrivalled master of Casual Fly, and shoots his laid-back but ultra-cool looks
in the streets of his hometown Manhattan. Milad who wore the cream flannel double-breasted suit has become one of
the hottest photographers in menswear, shooting for likes of Ralph Lauren, demonstrates his smoldering louche style
resplendent in our garments shot in Italy. Finally Robert Spangle a man with one of the most epic resumes, a Recon
Marine who served in Afghanistan before becoming a trained bespoke tailor on Savile Row and is now one of the most
in demand photographers in the world and who shot our cover with director Paul Feig this year while wearing a gas
mask amid the pandemic, demonstrates his red hot unique style which merges combat gear with our tailored garments.
We loved the ideas of the photographers who are always moving, always in action as the real individuals to represent
how our clothes can be worn in such different ways, from dressed up to totally casual fly to combat chic.
Because the Rake Tailored Garments was created to democratize classic style we also wanted to show the clothes worn
by a wide variety of individuals including our team in London and even by our nunchaku wielding founder in
Singapore. Apparently he thought this would be an apt demonstration of the unrestricted mobility afforded by our
clothing. He’s a little crazy. We know. The point is the clothes were made for everyone and are hopefully affordable
by everyone. And so we want to encourage you to wear them, assert your personal style through RTG and send us the
images so we can feature them. Because to us the most valuable ambassador for The Rake Tailored Garments is
you.
