Taylor of Old Bond Street: a quiet underworld of etiquette beneath the metropolitan squall

Sometimes it is easy to look at a London of takeaway lattes and frozen yogurt and wonder where all the Victorian charm has gone. Have we become flippant in our culture of quirks and twenty-first century kookiness? Or is there still a quiet underworld of etiquette and genteel fussiness beneath the metropolitan squall?

The answer to this, of course, is yes. Old England still suns itself ubiquitously across the city, and this emanates nowhere more palpably than in the haunts of St James (that’s Piccadilly to you and me). The Tailor of Old Bond Street is just one of the many old survivors to be found here. This cosy shop sits refined, idealistic and ever so slightly eccentric in the heart of Jermyn Street. A family run business, it has been going since the 1850s with long standing members of staff and a loyal clientele.

The aim of the establishment is to provide ‘luxury grooming products’ for ‘the true gentleman.’ Anyone who’s ventured out into London’s nightlife might find it hard to believe that there is such a thing as a true gentleman, still less a lucrative market base that has remained steady for over a hundred and fifty years, but it appears there is. The business is based around shaving, lovingly endorsing the benefits of the cut-throat approach and proper products.

Stepping in as an outsider, unfamiliar with the more refined grooming habits of men, what is remarkable is the variety and attention to detail that palpitates within the shop. There are of course the predictable shaving brushes, razors, hair brushes, oils and talcs, but beyond this is an extraordinary range of men’s manicure sets, leather razor cases and moustache kits – for the ‘exceptional maintenance’ of the moustache. It encourages men to be attentive to their face, body, hair and scalp, while offering gift sets, travel-ware, mirrors and hair, clothes and shoe brushes. Furthermore, in a small back parlour, haircuts, shaves, manicures and pedicures are available, either by drop in or through appointment.

It’s an education. Razor choice ranges from nickel handled fusion razors to Victorian (or Edwardian) style, to butterfly razors to the Jermyn Street collection razor. For the more adventurous, there is also a wide selection of open razors. On top of this, one can buy honing stones to keep those blades sharp, razor stands, badger brushes, aftershave and cologne.

For men with a real zeal for attention, the manicure sets are available in a variety of forms and include nail scissors, nail clippers, slanted tweezers, sappine dust nail file and a cuticle pusher. There’s even an upmarket toothbrush; the hand finished Tilbury bone handled toothbrush is made using the same methods that were employed 200 years ago. Holes are drilled into the bone and each tuft of hair is pulled individually into the hole.

The shop also produce their own products, and have done so since the 1850s. EU regulations have prevented produce made on site, something of a lament for the owners who used to be able to whip up tailor made creams and lotions. ‘If someone wanted less oil, you could do it for them,’ they explain, ‘but now we have to buy in bulk.’ This said, the recipes are still all their own and the contents of the highest quality.

Clientele vary from young upstarts in their 20s to members of the House of Lords. ‘Young people are shaving in the old way,’ one of the proprietors explains, ‘which is of course interesting to us.’ The shop also has regular visits from some of cultures top names as well as visits from overseas royalty.

Worth a look regardless of gender and shaving disposition, The Tailor of Old Bond Street is one of London’s more traditional gems. The quality is unsurpassed and the staff clearly care deeply about their vocation. ‘If a person shaves correctly,’ they explain, ‘their skin will be good for many years.’

www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk
74 Old Bond Street, London, SW1Y 6NP