Monday 2 July 2007

Suits you, sir

What have Gordon Brown and David Cameron got in common?

The answer, apparently, is their tailor. Both get their suits from Timothy Everest, tailor to Hollywood stars and the England football team, among others.

Timothy Everest works out of a beautiful old (built 1724) three-storey house in Spitalfields, east London. He also has a shop in Mayfair and more than a dozen stores in Japan.

The Welsh angle? I knew you'd ask. He spent his teenage years in Wales, and worked at Hepworths (a forerunner of Next for those of you too young to remember) in Milford Haven before moving to London to work for the legendary Tommy Nutter.

I was slightly surprised to learn that Gordon Brown was a customer as the new Prime Minister is not known for prioritising fashion. I was wrong, apparently. Timothy tells me that Mr Brown knows rather more about clothes than you might think and doesn't just stick to the "New Labour uniform" of navy suit, white shirt and red tie.

My own style is more Primark than prime ministerial so I asked the great tailor for a few tips. You can find out how I got on by listening to Good Morning Wales tomorrow or turning in to Wales Today on BBC1 Wales - or www.bbc.co.uk/walestoday from 6.30pm tomorrow.

Without giving too much away, I did persuade Timothy to say "suits you, sir!" for the cameras, which apparently was "very Hepworths" although I imagine he doesn't say it when Gordon Brown is in his fitting room.

For more on the man who dresses the PM, check out http://www.timothyeverest.co.uk

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