Following a short hiatus, the Fayed brothers are back at Bespoken. Well, actually, James Fayed is sticking with the parent company, bespoke men’s clothier Turnbull & Asser, while Sammy is jumping headlong into the younger line. Spring, he said during a walk-through at the Turnbull & Asser showroom on East 57th Street, marks the relaunch—concentrated though it is in 20 looks—and his first season as creative director.
As before, the new Bespoken incorporates elements of both Savile Row and rock ’n’ roll. But Fayed doesn’t intend to beat anyone over the head with the rock part—although he could; he’s a drummer in a band that plays gigs around New York. Rather, he lets the influences mix together naturally like polite company. Rigorously tailored dress jackets were paired with knee-length shorts à la “rude boys”; distressed denim looked appropriately worn-in against a citrus-print shirt; and a palette of evening blacks and navy blues blended organically with crisp Mediterranean shades. The right detail was never amiss, whether a rubberized button or reversible print.
In London, Turnbull & Asser has outfitted upstanding gents for generations—monarchs, politicians, and celebrities ranging from Prince Charles to Winston Churchill to David Bowie. In 1962 it began dressing Sean Connery, among its highest-profile clientele, for his portrayal of James Bond, a studio promo shot of which gave Fayed an idea. He asked his friend, artist Hey Reilly, to alter that image for T-shirt art—hence, one item with the Scottish actor peering out from behind an orange construction cone. That sort of cautious irreverence seems to be the new normal, the new formal for Fayed, not that he needs to ride on anyone’s coattails.
