Suits you, sir!

THERE are few places in Britain you can take your dry cleaning, pick up a draught excluder and emerge looking dapper in a racing green smoking jacket, but Humphrey & Tilly is one of them.

Housed in the old banking chambers, in Thirsk Market Place, the store is one of the few traditional, old-fashioned outfitters around – unique not only for what it sells, but for its location. (It still has the bank’s original old safe in the cellar).

Owner Stephen Ranaghan and his business partner David Pipes opened Humphrey & Tilly last year and the store celebrates its first anniversary at the end of this month.

“We’ve been quite brave opening in the recession, but we strongly believe that when it comes to shooting, cloth and country supplies, there’s still a market,” says Stephen. “It’s a cracking old building, people come in just to see inside. It lends itself to a traditional tailors.”

Humphrey & Tilly (named after their labradors) specialises in bespoke tailoring, formal wear and country clothing, stocking well-known brands such as Jack Murphy, Jack Orton, Viyella, Joules and Hunter.

Wander around and you’ll stumble upon everything from dog beds and tweed cushions to cufflinks, curtains and shooting paraphernalia. There are Sherlock Holmesstyle hats, smoking jackets, hip flasks, plusfours and posh toiletries.

Go through to the back room (originally the servants’ quarters) and there’s a wide selection of ladies’ wear. The store also offers an alteration and repair service, along with dry cleaning.

Stephen, the former manager of Attire Menswear, which occupied the building before, is based on the shop floor. David is more behind the scenes, doing the alterations from his workshop at home.

The made-to-measure service has become so popular he has a new appointment every two weeks. “The suits have been popular because the prices we offer are a quarter of what you’d pay in London,” says Stephen.

Humphrey & Tilly charges about £500 to £600 for a bespoke suit, using high-quality cloth from suppliers such as Lovat Mill, in Scotland, and Holland & Sherry, off London’s Savile Row.

With up to 500 different kinds of cloth to choose from, one of the biggest difficulties is getting customers to make up their minds.

Each suit takes four to six weeks to finish, but with ten years’ experience behind him, David can turn his hand to most things.

“Sometimes guys don’t know what they want and need some guidance,” says Stephen.

“But if they’ve had a jacket for 20 years and want exactly the same style, we can copy it. We can do just about anything.”

One of the most unusual requests to date was a racing green, velvet smoking jacket.

More Bond than Hugh Hefner, not only did the chap request a very particular cloth, he wanted the lining to match his regimental colours.

The finished article cost £500, but he was “chuffed to bits” according to Stephen.

“As long as he looks after it, you’d expect it to last ten years at least,” he says.

The biggest orders tend to come from gamekeepers, whose suits never change – plus-fours, shooting waistcoats and field jackets. “It never goes out of fashion because it’s never been in fashion,” observes Stephen.

“It’s timeless. When you’re picking up birds out on the moors, it has to be heavy duty cloth that will last.”

Birds aside, the store also caters for wellknown racehorse jockeys and trainers as well as a steady stream of American tourists.

“They always want something ‘British’ – usually a flatcap, traditional cords or tweed sports jacket,” says Stephen. “American tourists always say they have nothing like this where they live.”

“We had a 97-year-old man in the other week.

He wanted a brushed cotton shirt, burgundy cardigan and a pair of grey wool slacks to go with his blazer. He was pretty sharp and knew exactly what he wanted.”

Other people come in looking for gifts such as old-fashioned gents toiletries and shooting books. The cushions made from Scottish and Yorkshire tweed are also popular and can be made to order.

While they’re not quite on a par with The Fast Show’s “Suits You” tailors Ken and Kenneth, another thing that sets the shop apart from others is the level of service. “We don’t jump on customers as soon as they come in,”

says Stephen. “We say good morning and let people get on with it.”

If there’s one thing he has learnt working in menswear, it’s when to stand back, particularly when the wife’s involved.

“Ladies will often come in and have a look and then drag their husbands in,” he says.

“They’ll say, ‘his cuffs are looking a bit frayed, I want to smarten him up’. Then the husband will pull a face and say, ‘I’ve got one pair of trousers, what do I need another pair for?’.”

Although their sizes go up to a 58in waist on trousers and 60in chest, Stephen says one of the most common mistakes customers make is with their size.

“A lot of men like to think they are thinner than they actually are as they approach old age,” he notes. “We always say, be honest.”

■ Humphrey & Tilly, The Old Bank Chambers, 37 Market Place, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 1HA. Tel: 01845-527120