The Spring pop-up: Rubato, Bentley’s, Ludovic and Jake

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*Update: I forgot to say that all PS products will be there too! Sorry, forgot to mention that...*

I'm delighted to say that the PS Presents pop-up shop will be back in April, in the same space at The Service, on Savile Row.

For Rubato it will be their first visit to London, with Oliver and Carl bringing their distinctive knitwear, shirts and trousers, as well as hopefully some new launches.

I know there are quite a few readers who have been interested in Rubato, but never been sure how the shorter, V-shaped knitwear and relaxed-fit shirts will work for them. Hopefully this is a good opportunity to try everything in person - whether you buy or not.

We have also done a small collaboration, in that I have asked Rubato to bring back a colour of their chinos - the dark, dark brown that was originally part of the launch range. It will be in my favourite style though, the Officer's Chino, rather than the single-pleat style it was originally made in.

These will be launched at the shop, and initially only available there. I don't have any pictures, but I'll take some before the event and put them on social, so you can see the colour.

As with pretty much everything else Rubato do, I think they're unusual but perfect.

Three other brands will be joining us. First, bespoke glasses maker Lunetier Ludovic, from Brussels (above).

I covered Ludovic here on PS, and have kept in touch with his creations ever since. He's a talented craftsman, but has also branched out into ready-made and MTO glasses, to make the work easier to access.

These will be on display at the pop-up: a small range of RTW frames, and then a comprehensive MTO process where readers can pick their details and materials.

I think this is an interesting avenue for glasses, as most guys don't need bespoke but find it hard to get the precise designs and materials they want ready-made.

The RTW and MTO costs €950 for acetate and €1200 for horn - all made by hand, by Ludovic in Brussels, in the same way as the bespoke product.

Full bespoke is a question of starting from scratch, with ideas and sketches, and costs €1300 and €2200 for those two materials. It involves at least three appointments, plus try-on frames, but impressively, Ludovic says he will do a fitting within two days for anyone coming to the pop-up. He will then be back in late summer.

Second, shirtmaker Jake Wigham will be there with his Ivy-centred made-to-order shirts.

I've yet to cover Jake (above, right), but will correct at that soon. For the moment, I know from others that he makes good, functional MTO shirts in London. He's no bespoke artisan, but deliberately so, and that's reflected in his prices, with shirts starting at £145 with no minimum.

Jake will have sets of shirts to try on for MTO, some special cloths including hand-loomed madras (a little more, £175), and a few ready-made summer designs. The shirts are made in standard collar sizes and a single fit, with only the sleeve-length customisable.

I know it's not always easy to make an appointment with a maker when you don't know whether you want to order. It's easy to feel under pressure.

The nice thing about having makers like Jake in the pop up, I find, is that you can just browse - come and see and try the shirts, chat to him, and get a first impression.

I know that worked for shoemaker Masaru Okuyama last time.

Last but certainly not least is Bentley's Antiques.

Tim Bent (above) has a beautiful shop down on Lower Sloane Street, so he doesn't quite fit into our criteria for brands that you can't otherwise access in London.

But frankly, I've managed to get down to the shop once in the past five years, and I live here. I want Tim's antiques to be on display in Mayfair - especially as I fondly recall when he had a permanent set-up in Gieves & Hawkes at the end of the Row.

It was a perfect fit in that shop, and always felt like an Aladdin's Cave when you walked in, with floor-to-ceiling chestnut leather and gleaming brass. I bought several things over the years, including this card holder, this lovely folio and this alligator case.

It will be wonderful to have a bit of that glamour in the pop-up.

The shop is at the same location as last time, in the back half of The Service at number 32 Savile Row, from Wednesday April 20 to Saturday April 23.

We will be open 10am to 6pm every day, and on the Wednesday there will be some opening-night drinks for everyone, as per usual.

I look forward to seeing everyone, also per usual. Perhaps it will be a balmy spring evening, and we can all mill around outside.

Now wouldn't that be nice?

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Peter Hall

The shirts look wonderful. I’ve checked on Jake’s website and hoorah! breezy fit. I hope his ‘fun’ shirts guarantee said fun.
Perfect timing as I am in the UK that weekend…Ferry disputes permitting.

Gregoire

A real shame, being around Easter I have a feeling lots of people are taking advantage of the bank holidays and so (like myself sadly) will be away. Especially sad to miss Rubato as I have been on the cusp of a purchase for about 2 years!

Bentleys are great curators – you overpay by an unbelievable margin that I haven’t seen at many other antique places though! I guess for some people not worth trawling the regional auction houses though, so fair enough.

Lewis

Looks great Simon .. I really wish I could stop by.
Can you please find out from Rubato why they discontinued their brown v-neck, and if they plan to bring it back ?

Thanks.

Oliver - Rubato

Hi Lewis,
The Brown V-neck was discontinued to give way to other color ways. However! Who knows what the future might bring.
Kind regards,
Oliver – Rubato

Pyc

I second Lewis’ comment. Bring back the brown v-neck!

MBB355

I say bring back the grey crewneck (or some grey knitwear)

Oliver

Who knows… you’re wishes might come true!

Kind regards,

Oliver – Rubato

Fred

Great line-up. I am especially keen to try Jake’s shirts and will hopefully be able to make the trip down south to do so.

Rob

This looks great and I would have loved to come along to meet the Rubato team alone never mind everyone else. Unfortunately it falls during the Easter holiday period and I’ll be away. I am sure it will be a great success.

Shem

Hi simon have you tried juniors ocbd/mto shirts? I think they are alsk ivy styled and relarively affordable. Something you can also cover and review to offer a specteum of price points for viewers with different budgets

Steve D

Hi, I second that emotion — own several of Glenn Au’s outstanding OCBD shirts at Junior’s, really the highest quality of anything sub $300 I’ve ever seen. He also does MTM in a wide variety of cloths. Simon, as a regular PS reader, I really think you’d enjoy them. – Steve

Jonathan

Hi, I recently discovered Junior’s and am curious to know more. Is the cloth nice and weighty? How do these shirts compare to Drake’s, say? Best, Jonathan

Steve D

Jonathan, yes, weighty with a texture that seems to wear “tough” if that makes sense, but still soft to the skin. Don’t have a Drake’s OCBD but my other favorite is Mercer and Sons. I’ve attached a picture of both shirts, if allowable, to show the difference. The Junior’s shirt is thicker with a heavier collar that stands up on its own. Both are MTM. I live in Vermont and wear these about eight months of the year, the lighter Mercer shirts the other four; I enjoy them both equally for what they are. Hope this helps!

IMG_1512 copy.jpg
Jonathan

My apologies, Steve – just saw this. Thanks for the extra info. I too have some Mercer shirts and enjoy those very much.
The Junior’s collar band looks somewhat taller, which could be useful with my longish neck. Did you opt for the Junior’s ‘lined and lightly fused’ collar option?

Noel

Will the dark brown rubato officer’s chinos have the narrowed leg of your pair Simon ?

Matt L

Great to hear Simon, very excited to have a browse. I’m a little surprised to see it’s not running on the Sunday. Weekdays are pretty much impossible for me. I’ll do my best to make the Saturday.

Matt L

I understand. I’m looking forward to it all the same!

BB

Great lineup Simon. Feels finally like some real green shoots.
It’s been such a dreadful winter with everything that’s been going on in the world.
Rubato … need to see Rubato.

Stephen S

Hi Simon,
On a not totally unrelated point, the Style Magazine that comes with the Sunday Times, was a ‘mens edition’ on the 20/3. If you’re looking for the very antithesis of PS, then look no further! A piece by King and Tuckfield was about the only redeeming point.
Best

Stephen

Definitely a compliment. And an observation.

Sam

Hi Simon, unfortunately missing this pop up as I’m away but would be interested to try a Rubato brown suede belt. I am overly pedantic about matching my belt to shoes (I know), so was wondering if you have their brown suede belt as well as a pair of Drake’s brown Crosby chukkas. If so, I’d be interested to hear your opinion on whether they are the same shade of brown, and otherwise as similar a suede as possible. Would also appreciate the views of other readers (especially given how popular the Crosby is). Thanks kindly!

BB

Hey Simon,
Will Rubato be stocking the brown suede belts at the pop-up? Thanks

Oliver

Hi BB,
Yes we will!
Kind regards,
Oliver – Rubato

BB

Many thanks. Look forward to inspecting the label.

Jonathan

Hi Simon, planning to come along, probably towards the end. As far as you know, is everyone going to be there all the way until Saturday evening? I am presuming so, as Saturday is doubtless the busiest day. Particularly interested in Jake’s offerings and Rubato. Best wishes, Jonathan