In the run up to the release of the biggest Bond movie ever, Skyfall, I was asked by wearesocial.net & Heineken to take care of three of today’s most exciting fashion & lifestyle bloggers, as part of their Crack The Case promotion.

This involved a spy experience day, during which they would be fitted for a bespoke suit.  I got the call just 72 hours before this was all meant to go down, so cleared my usually hectic schedule and pulled out all the stops to make it happen.

The bloggers were Gary Kingsnorth (former fashion editor of FHM magazine, now runs THESTYLEKING.com), Ollie O of http://www.bntl.co.uk and Ernest O of YIN&YANG fame.  Thanks to my friends at Dormeuil UK for the use of their fitting room at the bottom of Savile Row, photo credits to wearesocial.net and Carolina Revilla at Roberto Revilla London.

Gary Kingsnorth, AKA The Style King, considers his move

Of the three, Gary has had at least made-to-measure previously, at Kilgour in Savile Row, so I guess he may have had a certain level of expectation based on past experience.  As the creative force an voice of the Style King with over 50,000 followers, he certainly knows his stuff!  Ollie and Ernest had never had a bespoke suit before so this was as exciting for them as it was for me.

Roberto Revilla guides Ernest O through the collection

Ernest decided he wanted to do something more special and bolder in colour than he might normally go for.  With his natural colouring we decide on a striking solid petrol blue in three piece format.

Ollie loved the cloth I’d preselected for him

I’d done as much homework as I could find using Google on the guys before they arrived, as I would do for any other client, so for Ollie had already preselected a navy/french blue alternating check which had to be done in a three piece for him as I thought he had the right build and image to really make the suit work as a whole, but then use each element on it’s own (e.g. the waist or coat with jeans, the trousers with a casual shirt etc).  He agreed with me when he saw what I was contemplating for him!

Gary finds his inspiration

Meanwhile Gary had been studying the books I’d brought from my personal collection at home, particularly Bond on Set, Filming Skyfall, deciding that the suit Daniel Craig wore during the opening chase sequence – a beautiful light textured grey – would be the one for him.

Measuring Ernest O

Measuring Gary Kingsnorth

Measuring Ollie O

So after two hours hugely enjoyed by all, the guys were all measured, cloth picked, styling details worked out and obligatory bottles of Heineken emptied.  They headed out of Sackville Street to race off to their next mission while the hard work was only just beginning for me.  Results of my creations for Ernest and Ollie can be seen in a future post.

Further links:

The Style King http://www.thestyleking.com/compass/style-kings/bespoke-tailoring-with-roberto-revilla/

Yin&Yang http://yinnyang.co.uk/2012/10/crackthecase-the-heineken-experience/

BNTL (Better Never Than Late) http://bntl.co.uk/site/tag/roberto-revilla/

Continuing the update on the Heineken – Skyfall promotion, I received a picture set from Ollie O of ofhttp://bntl.co.uk not long after his final fitting.

I’d hand-delivered the finished outfit to his office only days before and from what I hear there was a big buzz over the outfit!

I created a three-piece suit using a navy multi-check fabric from French cloth design house Dormeuil.

Matched with a beautiful bespoke shirt from my own collection and knitted tie.  The outfit was finished off with a beautiful secret agent inspired cuff link set from Paul Williams, with interchangeable jewels.

The fashion snobs among you will – quite rightly – point out that Ollie is wearing a two button suit and should not have done the bottom button up, cut him some slack folks, it’s his first bespoke suit and he was so excited he forgot my advice… but it does show off the button detailing beautifully!

Here are some of the other pictures from the photo shoot…

Suit up Ollie

Knit tie by Paul Williams, Bespoke Shirt & Suit by Roberto Revilla

I asked the guys what “00″ designation they would prefer – Ollie is Agent 009

For a luxurious but fun touch since Ollie is a young man (early twenties) with a big personality, I used smoke mother of pearl buttons. Note the signature Revilla white buttonhole at the end of the 5 button cuff.

Roberto Revilla and Dormeuil combine to make a truly indulgent suit with lots of personality.

So the day for Ernest O (the “Yin” of Yin&Yang fame) to have his fitting as part of the Skyfall / Heineken Crack The Case promo.  The fitting took place at our workshop in the West End and I think Ernest was absolutely delighted with the results.  He photographs really well so it was great to capture the fitting on camera too!  Here are some shots from our session (all photo credits to Derek Addo, follow him on Twitter @tweetmason )…

Ready…

I created a bespoke shirt with blue & tan patterning to compliment the colours in the suit

I found a great tie from Denison Boston, Brighton, to co-ordinate with the rest of the outfit

Here we go…

Finishing Touches…

And…DONE.

Those clever folks at Italian leather goods company Giorgio Fedon have come up with an ingenious solution to an age-old problem.

Many of my clients have a wallet that is too big. Most of us would love to have our sunglasses handy but they’re just a pain in the ass to carry. Especially in London where the sun is a little shy sometimes & you never know when it may appear.

Introducing the Giorgio Fedon Opticard Wallet available from Roberto Revilla London – genuine Italian leather wallet, polarised sunglasses, together in a space-saving design!

I absolutely love mine and don’t go anywhere without it!

So winter in London continues this week as the temperatures dropped again and we even saw a snow flurry in London town!  And yet again I reverted to what has become a good friend through this cold snap – my grey herringbone tweed suit.

Originally I sketched out an idea for a more versatile tweed jacket – my other one is proper country bumpkin brown with big burgundy windowpane checks – so ended up with a two-button, patch pocket, wide peak lapel coat.  Patch pockets because it’s just a lot easier to drop in your passport/boarding pass etc when you’re racing through an airport.  Oh and I put charcoal suede elbow patches on.  Because I can.

But then I thought I may as well go the whole hog so I added the waistcoat and trousers to for a complete three-piece suit.  I’ve been able to wear the whole ensemble together for business meetings, the jacket and waistcoat with charcoal trousers for a more dressy look (great for parties, premieres etc), the jacket with jeans, the waistcoat with jeans…the list goes on and on.

It’s warm and the fabric is so hard wearing – I ride a Vespa around town through all types of weather… this thing still looks as pristine as the first day it was finished and pressed!

It’s inspired some of my clients (especially the younger ones) to go tweed this winter too, although most of those have only been brave enough to have me make a jacket for them – I hope next winter they’ll be brave and go a step or two further, because it’s really been my best investment this season!

This post was inspired by an email I sent to one of our VIP clients whose wardrobe I’ve been working on rebuilding over the last year or so. So I decided to adapt it to the benefit of all as it’s probably relevant to a lot of gents out there.

I’m optimistic that spring is about to arrive in London! Well, someone has to be… It’s therefore a great time to use the change in seasons as an opportunity to freshen up your look both in your business suits & smart casual outfits. So how to gently break out of dark greys & navy?

This Spring/Summer I think there’s merit in looking at blue/grey – for those of you with a historically more conservative disposition. Sometimes this colour is referred to as charcoal-blue but the main point is it combines the best elements of the two major cold colours giving a more energetic shade, very flexible and easy to wear, extremely transitional between social and formal occasions, and perhaps more relevant when you’re in sunnier climes!

There are different temperatures of this colour from dark to light, so for those that don’t want to stray too far from their comfort zone there is still safety to be found – personally I’ve experienced that the medium level is a good consideration for many as it will push you a little bit without taking you too far away from your comfort zone.

So this season, be brave, be a little bolder, let us help you change it up a little and break that wardrobe up with some exciting new shades!

by The Style King, www.styleking.com

London is the capital of the world when it comes to bespoke tailoring, the craftsmanship of tailoring which has been around for hundreds of years and the legendary Savile Row and the surrounding area of London is currently going through a resurgent period as stylish men discover the art of a great looking and fitting, bespoke suit. Customers sometimes fly to London especially for a bespoke suit because of the craftsmanship and high quality of the tailoring, which can often mean a number of fittings. Custom or ‘bespoke’ tailoring is a suit which is cut and made to measure for the customer to fit his precise measurements and requirements.

Recently, the Style King in collaboration with Heineken had a suit tailor made by one of London’s finest young tailors to celebrate the release of the Bond movie Skyfall on DVD ,  after my bespoke suit was delivered and left me feeling like James Bond you realise there is no going back to off the peg.

Roberto Revilla, a London based tailor combines quality, style and value providing a unique by appointment only service, without the overheads of being on ‘the Row’. The tailor will show you the most luxurious cloths in the world, my suit was made with a fabric by Anglo-French company Dormeuil and will guide you effortlessly through the bespoke service.

Here, we take you through the process of choosing and what to expect from a bespoke suit, a concept which every stylish man should try at least once during his lifetime. Roberto Revilla, creates tailoring that is affordable without compromising on style and quality.

The Bespoke Service.

1. Roberto Revillo will guide you through the array of different cloths to choose from, it is  a good idea to have a few ideas on  the style that you would like. My inspiration was James Bond and more specifically Daniel Craig who is renowned for his bespoke suits so a great starting point.

2. Choose the colour, style, lining, buttons, pockets of suit with guidance from your tailor. I chose a grey single breasted one-button suit with narrow trousers which is perfect for both professional and social engagements.

3. Your personal measurements are taken, this will ensure that your suit fits perfectly and any imperfections hopefully hidden.

4. The cut of the suit will be discussed with help and guidance from your tailor, who will ensure you get the best quality suit made for your shape.

5. After all your measurements have been taken and your style of suit has been decided, it is time for the tailor to start the suit making process which can take anything from one month to one year depending on your tailor and how quickly you need the suit.

6. The separate parts of the suit are first cut out on paper and then laid on the fabric to start the process.

7. The first fitting will take place to see where the suit needs adjusting and you can see the suit coming together, at this stage you will already notice the difference in quality between the custom made and suits you have bought before from the high street.

8. Depending on timings often the suit can take a dozen fittings, although mine only took two. The total  process should take between six and eight weeks so if you need a suit for a specific appointment, make sure you plan enough time as some tailors can take months.

9. Finally, the suit is finished and pressed ready for the customer, mine was hand delivered by Roberto Revilla. This is the kind of service that you will come to expect from a professional bespoke tailor.

A tailor made suit will reflect your personality and individuality in a way that cannot be found in a ready made suit from your local high street. To stand out in the modern world,  a classic old school tailor will leave you looking more contemporary and sophisticated than you have ever felt before and doesn’t need to cost a small fortune.

For more information: http://www.revillalondon.com

http://www.facebook.com/heineken

As part of the recent promotion activity surrounding the new 007 film Skyfall, I had the pleasure of fitting Fashion Blogger Ollie O.  We selected a beautiful check from the new Dormeuil range of fabrics.  I elected to go three-piece when creating the suit for Ollie as I thought it would give him flexibility and play to his character.  The results were fantastic and he was very pleased!

See the results here http://bntl.co.uk/site/tag/roberto-revilla/

Click here to go to the full article: #CrackTheCase | The Heineken Experience

posted in events, fashion, film, yin&yang by Yang

Last week we were invited to take part in Heineken’s Crack the Case experience, as part of their huge campaign in support of the new 007 film Skyfall. The experience included 007-esque secret agent challenges, a bespoke suit fitting by Roberto Revilla, a helicopter ride (which was postponed) and of course a pre-screening of the film. Read about the experience along with visuals after the break. Just so you know, this one’s lengthy!

Follow YANG on twitter

Revilla London has teamed up with HYPE Luggage, to bring our discerning clientele a formidable range of quality leather products.  Revilla London clients and their friends/family will receive a further 10% off leather goods throughout November 2012.

Every HYPE piece of luggage is ‘Made In England’, not ‘some’ as with other so called English brands.

Made in England is a proud declaration of a products provenance, a guarantee of passion, dedication, quality and craftsmanship, not merely a product churned out of a mass production line with profit margin as the main motivation. HYPE do not use cheap labour, do not manufacture offshore and do not cut corners to save money, quite simply they make the finest products possible.

Products are for ’life’, designed to withstand the rigours of regular use and manufactured with the same integrity, however, from the stunning cosmetic appearances you can see style has not been compromised.

If you are interested in English luxury luggage, something original, manufactured with passion and enthusiasm, that you will not see everyone carrying (or carrying a copy), then take a look at the HYPE range.  We will be featuring different pieces over the next fortnight starting today with the Chichester Cabin Bag.

‘CHICHESTER’ Cabin Bag

One of the most versatile pieces of luggage available and HYPE’s best selling range, the Chichester offers the perfect combination of stunning good looks and practicality, available in 18″ and 22″, perfect for ‘carry on’. A more modern, European, classic shaped piece offered in a choice of premium leathers;

‘Jockey’ supple, textured leather gives a luxurious feel and look, trimmed in bridle leather with solid brass hardware.

‘Antique’ smooth leather gives a more formal look to the bag, again, trimmed in bridle leather with solid brass hardware.

‘Crazy Horse’ oiled leather creates a whole new dimension, giving the bag an edgy, distressed look, a very robust leather that will enhance character.

On the outside there are two zipped pockets for accessories or essentials, on the front there is a smaller central pocket fronted with contrasting leather, on the rear is a full width pocket. Inside is fully lined in genuine suede and features two luggage straps with solid brass hardware.

Price: 18″ £599.00 Including VAT

Dimensions: W18″ x H12″ x D8″

Price: 22″ £650.00 Including VAT

Dimensions: W22″ x H14″ x D8.5″

Free UK Shipping, Competitively Priced Overseas Shipping Available, Please Ask For Charges.