A wise man once said, do not measure your years in ten – or worse, twenty-year chunks. The result is often depressing. At 50 years of age, ten years earlier you were just leaving your thirties behind and, in ten years time, you’ll be reaching your sixties. So it is with the utmost care we gingerly conclude, not only another year at M&M Towers but a decade too.

Tailors come, and makers go at Meyer & Mortimer. Our directors, however, are the constant. Between Brian Lewis and Paul Munday, they have racked up a staggering eight decades at Meyer & Mortimer. It is hard to imagine M&M without them. There was an attempt by Mr Lewis to semi-retire. However, after a recent exit by one of our tailors it now means he may have to stay on his five days after all. So for now, no change. The song remains the same.

Brian Lewis & Paul Munday advertising a trip overseas

Before we step into this new version of the twenties, we reflect on the year just gone. What tales played out at M&M; what bespoke delights were created and which dim-lit areas of tailoring did we illuminate?

January: Oscar et al

Last January, we kicked off the year in style with a blog on the Awards Season which culminates in the Oscars in February. In it, we took a light-hearted look at the phenomenon of film awards and how more difficult it is for women on the red carpet than men. For the former, the canvas is wide and with this comes the risk of jumping the shark sartorially. On the other hand, the men - backed by a good tailor - are on safer ground with the black tie.

Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking… Bruce Willis

February: Trews n’ Trousers

From Los Angeles to the Outer Hebrides, we stayed in Scotland, albeit on the mainland, with our next piece on Scotland’s lower dress. Not the kilt, but trews in Like Trousers But Not. It offered a short introduction to those with little or no connection to Scotland on the garment.

Like trousers but not

Historically older than its relative, the trouser, trews were born out of much-needed necessity with the kilt just not cutting it them harsh winters north o’ the border. Over in our Lookbook, director Paul Munday happened, at the time, to be working on a pair with a matching waistcoat. It’s a fascinating read of bias, warps and wefts.

Paul gets into Trews mode

March: Decidedly Smoking Jackets

On the home page of our website it says, we make beautiful clothes in the highest standards of Savile Row bespoke tailoring. An example of which is a creation from Brian Lewis: The Churchillian Green Velvet Smoking Jacket. It’s unique in that Brian, inspired by Churchill’s time in 4th Hussars, brought together uniform and smoking jacket into one garment. The result is simply beautiful.

April: A Day in the Life

April ... hath put a spirit of youth in everything. It was also the month we turned to filmmaking. To provide an insight into bespoke tailoring, we created our first film: A Day in the Life.

From M&M Studios

It was actually filmed over two days (creative licence), and it shows the M&M’s tailors going about their day. The film also features resident shirtmaker Sean O’Flynn who works out of 6 Sackville St. Scorsese, Tarantino and Bigelow shouldn’t be worried though. It was fun making it, but we think we’ll stick to the day job.

May: But I See Your True Colours

Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People

In May, to reflect Spring springing us from winter’s darkness, we celebrated the very many different hues available for men’s suiting in True Colours. Where blues and greys tend to occupy the majority of men’s wardrobes, we looked into why this is the case. We also considered examples from the past where conservatism was dispelled in favour of something more vibrant.

June: Remembering D Day

Over on Twitter, we remembered those who fell on D Day. It marked 75 years to the day (6th June 1944) the Allied invasion of Normandy. It proved to be the largest seaborne invasion in history. We have a history of making military uniforms, mainly for the British Army, so days of remembrance are acknowledged each year solemnly at Meyer & Mortimer.

We are proud Royal Warrant Holders to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, and in June it is, of course, the Queen’s official birthday. We have held our Royal Warrant since 1820, and you can read all about the this in our blog from 2015 The Royal Warrant Q&A.

July: Holiday. It Would Be So Fine

Holiday!

In July, with thoughts turning to the summer holidays for both customer and tailor we thought it might be a good idea to find out where our tailors like to get away from it all. Our findings were, if anything diverse, with Devon, Disney and Denver all getting a mention. You can read all about it here in We’re All Going on a Summer Holiday.

August: The Life of Brian

British Leyland’s Morris Marina

In August we published a blog on Meyer & Mortimer travelling overseas to see our customers. It’s a job that Paul Munday undertakes going each year West to the US and East to Paris and the Far East. However, in September 2019 Brian Lewis, after a nearly 20-year break from travelling, was joining Mr Munday on the Autumn (Fall) trip to the USA and Canada. We discovered the reasons for joining Paul in The Life of Brian while finding out about some of Brian’s first excursions overseas (in a Morris Marina).

September: Nehru Jacket

Popular with a Fab Four

Waving a fond farewell to summer, we turned to warmer garments to see us through those winter evenings. In our Lookbook, we focused on one of the latest creations at the time: a blue crushed velvet Nehru jacket. For those not familiar with the garment, the Nehru takes its name from Jawaharlal Nehru who was the Prime Minister of India between 1947 and 1964. Instead of lapels and tuned over collar, the Nehru sports a Mandarin collar. It’s a wonderfully stylish alternative to the suit which was made even more popular by a four-person beat combo from Liverpool.

October: National Army Museum Visit

In August, not October, we had a rare opportunity for a day out. Both myself (Marketing) and Brian Lewis were invited to see some of M&M’s past work at the National Army Museum’s warehouse collection.

Brian in blue gloves

It was a fascinating visit which we covered in Meyer & Mortimer and The National Army Museum published in October. Not only was it a rare opportunity to see some of past work (uniforms as well as swords) we were able to see the rest of the NAM’s warehouse which includes a vast array of guns, canons, old military vehicles and bits of the Berlin Wall. It was all very Indiana Jones and fascinating. There are plans to hook up again with the team at NAM at some point in the near future. Stay tuned!

Two vehicles and a section of the Berlin Wall

November: Remembering the Fallen

November is about remembering those who have lost their lives supporting our freedom, a freedom we continue to enjoy. On the 10th November, we acknowledged this, as we do each year, on Armistice Day with the poem Ode of Remembrance.

December: The Tinsel Onslaught

And finally, December. On the first of the month, Christmas takes effect with a vengeance: Christmas trees spring up furiously while festive tunes muscle their way onto the airwaves. Yes, Christmas is in 25 day’s time and we’re not going to let you forget it!

Knotted histories

In one of our final acts of the year, we succumbed to this tinsel onslaught by readying and updating our Accessories page selling men’s ties and braces. In doing so, we published The Knotted History of the Tie. In it, we looked at the origins of while considering its changes in size, width and colour over the years.