ACCESSORIES
I
hope this is an apocryphal story . Some years ago , a European traveller was enjoying the variety of Chinese culture when she felt a little peckish . Eschewing what street food was available , she entered a restaurant with her tiny dog in a bag . The lady sat with her dog and indicated to the waiter through sign language that she wished to order and also to feed the dog . With great politeness , the dog was taken away and in time the waiter returned with a steaming dish of noodles and spicy meat . No dog as such , was in sight . Lost in translation ? I ' d say .
But the truth of the canine matter is that , in general , most of the world loves dogs – as pets , not indeed all belonging to lettuce-munchers in Chanel-at-lunch . Some have to work for their keep with sheep , guide those who are visually impaired , or scour the forest ' s ferny floor for fallen pheasant . Cute / useful ( or both ) spring to mind .
So , a paws ( sorry !) for a bright thought which occurred to Mark Rodrigues and Lisa Yatabe who have come up with a concept to clothe beast – and man – in the best threads available , courtesy of Savile Row stalwarts , Holland & Sherry . While pieces for pooches is not a new idea per se , Tail-or-Made looks to bring functionality and glamour to both with three labels to choose from – Black Label ( bespoke ), Green Label ( made to measure ) and White Label ( ready to wear ). The pair are serious about their coats so you ' ll find no sparkly collars or leg warmers here – just immaculately tailored pieces to help both master and hound repel the inclement elements .
Dogs provide work for many hands from leather workers to the pet food industry , vets to doggy parlours ( dodgy description !). And when that dreadful time comes – think of the pet undertaker , even the taxidermist – and Tail-or-Made seems to be right on trend . And with the many fashionable ' mix-ups ' currently finding favour - cockapoos , labradoodles , puggles and chuskies – dogs like these may be the ideal customers .
The poet Alexander Pope wrote the following lines – “ I am his majesty ' s dog at Kew , pray tell me sir , whose dog are you ?” Now this is the kind of dog Tail-or- Made was , well , made for . Unashamedly , Rodrigues and Yatabe explain that R
SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE 37