By Aleks Cvetkovic.

In bespoke tailoring phrases, Tom Arena (above) has pulled off a intelligent trick. From his stylish St James’s studio, he’s created a model that’s quietly enigmatic, wanted by all method of high-powered creatives together with Iwan Wirth, Hamish Bowles and Stephen Graham amongst others.

Whenever you go to Tom, it’s straightforward to see why. His house is a discreet, lower-ground-floor workroom on St James’s Place (simply across the nook from Duke’s and The Stafford), with hessian carpets, good white partitions and rails bursting with intriguing and weird designs – together with pigskin blazers and raglan coats.

A montage of outdated photographs, publish playing cards and sketches is organized on the wall above his reducing desk, showcasing fashion luminaries together with Serge Gainsbourg and Charlotte Rampling. You may sense it is a house inhabited by a tailor with a specific sense of fashion.

“From the very begin, I needed to do one thing a bit of totally different,” Tom explains. “The temper board is generally references from the late ‘60s to the late ‘70s – style-wise, that was the period I admired rising up. Artists, actors – it’s only a combine of people that encourage me.”

How does this come throughout in Tom’s garments? Effectively, there are just a few particulars that subtly reference these many years. His lapels are broad (four-inches-wide is his go to, although he’ll go narrower or wider) with an angular high quality and sloping gorge that feels fairly ‘70s. 

His jackets are additionally fairly lengthy and waisted, components that come from his coaching. Area left faculty at 18 and noticed a newspaper advert for apprenticeships at Huntsman. He utilized and secured a job as a trainee cutter, studying below the late, nice Brian Corridor.

It was there that Area realized to chop the Thornton System, a reducing methodology developed on the flip of the twentieth century that takes its cues from equestrian tailoring. Jackets are lower with small, excessive armholes, a better waist run and distinctive darts that run by way of the entrance pockets and skirt, to maintain the coat sitting near the physique. The result’s a clean-looking jacket with a good-looking silhouette. 

This methodology isn’t unusual on Savile Row and components of his lower remind me of each Huntsman and Richard Anderson, however Area’s take feels extra expressive than Huntsman’s home fashion (to my eye, at the very least) and a bit of extra balanced than Anderson’s, the traces of which may be fairly straight. Tom’s silhouette is barely extra fluid, and appears very properly balanced.

His personal home fashion is a one-button, single-breasted coat with jetted pockets and chunky turn-back cuffs (as per my swimsuit, above). It’s subversive in its personal manner, changing pocket flaps with cuffs – making a garment that feels distinctive however not shouty. 

Tom additionally makes use of a comparatively light-weight canvas and beautiful, breathable linings. Unusually for a London tailor, even his absolutely lined clothes really feel comfy in heat climate (extra on this, under).

Following 5 years at Huntsman, Tom turned the pinnacle cutter at Paul Smith bespoke and was there for 18 years earlier than he established Atelier Area in 2021. Establishing his personal studio gave him the liberty to experiment with totally different designs and to introduce bespoke suede and casualwear – one thing he’d at all times needed to do.

Right now, Tom provides bespoke goat’s suede blousons, pigskin blazers, suede or sheepskin coats and lately launched a bespoke Jungle Jacket. The latter can be found in a variety of cloths, however Area’s go-to is Solbiati’s Artwork du Lin (which, by the way, is the material we selected for my swimsuit), which has the drape to do the jacket justice. 

“I’ve at all times liked the M65, however needed to do a luxurious model. These look nice with a pair of neat, gray fresco trousers or with darkish denim,” he says.

Every of those informal designs replicate Tom’s fashion philosophy in several methods. The sheepskin coat feels fairly Mod in flavour (Paul Weller is a fan), whereas the pigskin blazers have a ‘70s or perhaps a louche ‘80s edge with Tom’s assured lapels in proof, plus patch pockets and a barely shorter, boxier silhouette. You would possibly go as far as to say they really feel a bit Brian Ferry.

I’ve labored with Tom twice, first on a single-breasted sports activities coat for summer season, lower in his home fashion from deadstock Loro Piana wool/silk/linen that he had in his archive. The swimsuit you may see right here, in midnight Artwork du Lin, adopted the sports activities coat a few yr later. 

The one change we made between the 2 commissions was to make the lapels 1 / 4 of an inch wider. The swimsuit’s trousers are additionally in Tom’s home fashion, with a mid-high rise, flat entrance and parallel legs, which fall useless straight from the knees for the subtlest trace of flare while you transfer.

Each instances I’ve labored with Tom, I’ve loved how easy the method is. I might suggest him to readers who’re wanting a for easy, casual expertise, and the sort of clothes that blend Savile Row pedigree with artistic and clever design touches.

I’ve but to strive his bespoke casualwear, however I’ve tried on items just like the pigskin blazers and new jungle jackets, and each are good-looking designs. (Under is a sheepskin design made for Paul Weller.)

With ‘traditional’ tailoring, Tom’s becoming fashion is easy, and I’ve been stunned by how rapidly my clothes have come collectively. He’s labored by way of basted fittings with a minimal of fuss after which proceeded to ‘fin-bar-fin’ fittings, the place we’ve solely needed to tweak sleeve size or make just a few minor changes, earlier than continuing to ending. No straightforward feat. 

The one niggle I can report is that having tried facet adjusters on my swimsuit trousers, I’d select belt loops subsequent time – just because my hips by no means appear to work with facet adjusters. However, let’s face it, that is my very own hold up greater than the rest.

I’ve additionally been genuinely stunned by how each the items Tom has made me have worn. I ‘run scorching’ in the summertime, and the taupe wool/silk/linen may be very cool to put on. It’d even be the good structured jacket I personal. 

A part of that is due to Tom’s canvases – which aren’t in any respect thick or heavy by London requirements – but additionally due to his most popular linings. He makes use of a Venezia cellulose lining that feels nearly like silk taffeta. It’s breathable with a delightful, gauze-like end. I discover these significantly comfy on scorching days.

The Artwork du Lin swimsuit is a barely totally different proposition, due to the material’s weight, however I like the drape and physique of it. I discover the swimsuit copes nicely on all however the warmest days in London, and it’s develop into a helpful transitional piece for spring and autumn. It comes out in April and is worn frequently by way of to October.

The midnight color is an actual winner too – it’s as straightforward as a traditional navy to put on, however smarter and, I feel, extra subtle.

Tom, in his personal phrases, has labored onerous over the past 4 years to create “a relaxed, comfy expertise, the place somebody doesn’t really feel like they must be on finest behaviour and understands what I’m attempting to do for them”. If this concept appeals, Atelier Area is nicely value a go to. It’s additionally value noting that Tom makes common journeys to New York and LA, and might be there in September.

Two-piece fits begin at £5,000 (together with VAT); pigskin blazers from £3,000; suede blousons from £2,000, atelierarena.com