Liam and Sam Fayed grew up in London observing their father run Turnbull Asser, the storied Savile Row men s clothier he acquired in 1986, a year after its centenary. And while their own men s line, Bespoken, draws from the bespoke method, as the name makes perfectly clear, it also has its roots in rock n roll, from the time the brothers had a band.
Now all grown up and based in New York, the brothers Fayed still say their label is part Savile Row, part rock n roll. For Fall, however, Bespoken was much less rocker than commuter. At the Turnbull Asser showroom on 57th Street, Liam described how they d been noticing the innate stylishness of white-collar workers in transit, their office attire layered in utilitarian coats and knit scarves. So he and Sam jazzed up the straphanger look with double-breasted coats over double-breasted jackets (some with a slight stretch), a slim blazer made entirely of neoprene, other blazers worn over thin sweaters, a herringbone biker jacket (no leather), and a Rorschach-like marble print for shirting.
Fabric innovations included a shadow-dyed iridescent wool, for visual richness, and a Japanese nylon heat-sealed at the seams. Traditionalists will gravitate toward a particularly heavy (in a good way) black flannel coat, twice the density of regular wool, as well as a camel topcoat and a tuxedo jacket with a grosgrain lapel—for satin is far too fancy. Let Turnbull Asser outfit the British male monarchs in their finery, as it has for decades: Bespoken is building its own image on that of the thoroughly modern man.
