Budd's original handmade shirt

Budd's original handmade shirt

In Harold Budd's day all tailoring was bespoke, everything was handmade to measure for a specific client. Ready to wear and mass production were ideas of the future therefore the shop had no cabinets housing shirts, ties gloves etc, none of the fittings we associate with the haberdashery of today.

At this time all shirts were neckband shirts without collars. Collars were separate and would be cut to the style and shape you wanted. These shirts would seem enormous to us today. They were so long, cut just above the knee, you could sleep in them, doubling as a night shirt. It was only after the war when cloth was in short supply that shirts were reduced to 31" length.

This was the age before central heating and M&S thermals. Houses were freezing, whether you lived in a mansion along Piccadilly or a country pile in Gloucestershire. Budd capitalised on this by offering bespoke underwear in differing cloth weights depending on the season - something sturdy for the winter, something lighter and more breathable for summer, and an in between weight for spring/autumn. This was the age of real customer choice......if you had the readies Harold Budd would service your most intimate needs.

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