A few years ago I dissected a pair of Henry Poole coats and was somewhat surprised to find that the lapels and collars had been padded by machine.
Rory Duffy, who trained in coat making at Poole’s, recently visited with his former master and had some news. Owner and President Angus Cundey has since insisted that all of their garments be hand-padded in order to maintain the traditions of Savile Row tailoring.
While I have sometimes questioned the intrinsic value of doing certain operations by hand versus by machine (though not the lapels), I am completely in agreement with the idea that there is history, tradition and craftsmanship that is worth preserving, particularly at the Row’s oldest, and perhaps most famous, house.
I used to work at Henry Poole's in the 80s. As a tailoress. Most of the tailors did the pad stitching buy hand, however there was a couple of tailors that used a machine, and they were very much frowned upon by us traditionalists. However nothing was ever said at the time so they just carried on! Angus Cundey was such a nice old gent. He would never say anything because he didn't like to upset any body!
Hello Jeff,
I prefer hand-padding as well. There is an exhibition at The Museum of London, titled " The Anatomy Of A Suit " which is free. Jan. 20th-2014-June 1st-2014. I recently read about it and have seen photos from the exhibition. They dissect the suits (opening the suits to reveal the inner construction) and tell you why the suits were constructed in certain ways throughout history. Also, they explain why construction of certain suits have changed throughout the years to present day. I hope you can share this information with everyone that is interested.