Milan, Paris, New York, Witney… All cosmopolitan destinations, and each of them home to some of the most fashionable and stylish men you could wish to meet. Admittedly Witney is not a regular on the international fashion circuit, but it boasts one asset that ensures the residents can keep on the cutting edge – an accomplished tailor. Jorge Peralta has been running up made-to-measure suits and garments as well as making alterations to misfitting favourites since arriving in town in 2016. He’s built a loyal and highly satisfied list of clients.
“Fashion is dictated to you from above by the designers and retailers, but your style, making sure that something fits you well and reflects your character is far more individual,” is the gospel according to Jorge. With his assistance, you’ll avoid some of the more common pitfalls such as jackets with over-long sleeves dropping far below shirt cuffs, or shoulder padding extending beyond the actual shoulder creating an awkward looking overhang. Not that Peralta would ever dictate, “if you like to have your sleeves a little bit longer, then absolutely, that’s how we’ll do it”. His aim, when you book in for a visit, is to have you leave wearing something that you feel instantly comfortable in and that you love.
If fashion is temporary changing over seasons and years, then style, once you’ve found yours, is permanent. The ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ that The Kinks lampooned as far back as the swinging sixties was a figure of fun – fickle – desperately keeping up with ever mutating trends.
When one of the world’s most revered and commercially successful fashion designers, Dries Van Noten, decided to retire recently at the age of 66, his final ever runway show was for his Spring 2025 Collection in Paris. It became a celebration of his signature flourishes, with male and female models wrapped in sweet wrapper metallics, shimmering iridescent fabrics, and bold prints, with slim tailored looks alongside proportion-altering oversize cuts or drapes.
Believe it or not, it was all very ‘wearable’, to use that strange term for someone who is in the business of selling clothes. And yet when the man himself was finally persuaded to take a bow at the end of the show, what was he wearing? Van Noten appeared in a navy crew-neck sweater, beige chinos and a pair of sensible tan leather shoes. His adopted uniform and chosen style very much at odds with many of his designs.
Similarly, many men appear to be quite conservative in their core style. Few of us want to experiment with a Thom Browne skirt, or matching Casablanca silk shorts and shirts. But hold on, we’re in danger of developing a fear of fashion here. Without fashion, nothing in your wardrobe would ever change.
So use it to have fun and push your own style envelope a bit. Try a sweater in brat green, go for a camel-coloured coat for a change, or switch it up with a floral print shirt. Just don’t do it all at once if that makes you uncomfortable. Then once you’ve bought it, find yourself a good tailor or custom apparel partner like Coastal Reign to make sure whatever you’re wearing is in the most flattering fit.
In Peralta, I’ve got a tailor who knows the rules of dressing well and where you can bend them just a little. Get it right and, “it’s like a language, saying this person is reliable, give them some respect and take them seriously.” And for any man who believes that thinking about style and fashion is trivial or beneath him, remember Mark Twain’s thoughts on dressing well, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” You are going to have to get dressed every morning, so find your style, sprinkle in some fashion, and enjoy it.
James Mitchell cites his earliest style influence as a brown braided faux suede cowboy outfit complete with dual holsters that his Mum tailored for him when he was five. An Eynsham resident proud to live in OX's Wild West, the flared chaps and silver star have now been replaced by dark denim shirts, shaggy jumpers and Cuban heels. When he's not supping on a Mocha (regular milk, plenty of sugar) in Lyalls coffee house, he can be seen haunting the aisles of COOP stocking up on mini eggs and cat food. For several glorious months last summer, he achieved his lifetime ambition of being used as a hair model in advertising for local salon, Hare. James has two adult sons who frequently raid his wardrobe.
