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Bespoke Tailoring

Mossy said:
Len i don't think that is the tailors that Dek was on about it must be Callaghan's

Mau-reece
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Sorry Mo it was Tommy Walters by the lights, Colin Callaghan's was further up the road on the other side. Colin made my wedding suit, it fell apart within the year. He is a mate off mine and now still makes fine suits, his shop is now on the Queensway opposite Mel Masion Hotel.
Colin was one of the lads from the Ritz in Kings Heath and Carnegie Boys club Moseley, Colin was also a mate of Paddy Finn whom you know died last month. It was good to see you at his funeral and as one of the Guys said, I think it was big Joe Lewis, thats what you call a funeral.
As it happens another famous Brummie tailor was there also, Irish Jimmy Hurst also now from Western-S-Mare. he coined the famous saying in the mid 60's about a new cloth for suits " Its not Mohair, it looks like Mohair, but its Hop-sack" said in a strong Irish accent. :-)
 
Yes Bob you are right Callaghan's was on the left going down Hurst St before the lights and Tom Walters was on the right passed thee lights

And it was nice to meet you on such a sad occasion at Paddys funeral....and as you say ''what a funeral''

Mau-reece
 
My first suit was from Brooks Brothers in Carrs Lane. Blue with a fancy lining. Then a glittery Tedddy Boy thing from Moss Zissmans. Then it was all Horne Brothers in New Street, then the aforementioned Waters & Pressburger Ron & Reggie Kray lookalikes (see styles in this shot of me and my mates), then Scruffs in the Arcade, Nicholls on the corner of Navigation St, then Redfords in Solihull. My history in clobber....sigh. Fat git now, can't get into any of em....
 
Wouldn't it be nice if the young men of today dressed up smartly when they go out for a night on the town. There is far more money about today but everyone looks the same in jeans, trainers and casual tops. No sense of occasion now, you hardly ever seen people really dressed up nowadays.
 
Dennis Williams said:
That's the man and exactly the location. Expensive as hell, but his suits were to die for. Like you it was well more than a month's wages for me at 18 in those days, but it had to be done if you wanted 'the look'. Johnny Prescott plus all the footballers used him. Magic days. He has a unique 'language' his staff used to describe your shape, after the routine measurements, based on Acronyms to avoid upsetting the customers - I only remember the one - "FPS".i.e. forward protruding stomach... Died quite young, no idea why.
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Dennis the last suit i had from Tom Walters was my Wedding Suit a three piece with real quality cost £260 in 1967 needless to say the good wife (of then )put a stop to that still to be fair i was home building and the money was used on more important things.glad to say no coded messages were required in those days a fine figure of a man was i how things have changed. Dek
 
When I first started in the Delivery office in Pinfold Street in 1953 they were a smashing lot of guys to work with, most of them were exservice, and a lot of good
natured banter about different regiments and so on.One of my friends on Town 5, before the of post codes we just used district numbers, Frankie, I cant remember his
second name, used to deliver Hurst Street and he told me one the tailors was an Orthodox Jew, and apparently they cant do any work atall on their Sabbeth, so he used
to pay Frankie five shillings every week to light his coal fire for him, and get some coal in for the rest of the day.Didnt Harry Wiseman the Blues director have a tailors
shop in Dale End or down that way somewhere, Bernard
 
Yes John, that you were! Norman Stafford is still hanging in there in spite of recent Stroke/Diabetes complications. I was a tad younger and in awe of your combined pulling power!!! What a pair. You two were my absolute heroes. Welcome to the best nostalgic supermarket in the World. Fill yer boots...!
 
lovely photo of you and your good lady, no sign of the Brigade Tie so I suppose you had not done your 2 yrs yet.
"Nuli Secundus"
paul
 
hi Paul, I had done five and a half, Feb/48 to June/53 was demobbed just before the coronation, Bernard(dont forget I was 80 last birthday).
 
Dennis I am assuming thats you on the left end, although I am a bit younger, I do remember you lot can you please name the line up Please?
Where was the photo taken outside? Great photo was this taken early 60's?

Bob Summers
 
Hi Bob, Yes, about 1963 I would guess. From Left to Right it's Den, Graham Nix, Johnny Edwards, Norman Stafford and two more Bordesley Green lads I never really knew, and can't for the life of me remember their names The photo was taken outside a cafe on the way to Torquay in Stafford's Hillman Minx. I think we were on the pull at the seaside for a weekend break. Great fun....

Our usual haunts were the Swan, the Custard House, pubs were the Richmond Gents Only and the Broadway, also used the Ritz coffee bar, The Tower Ballroom and Robbie Pryke's Moat House and the YWCA. Ooer Mate, I'm exhausted now, must go and have a lie down just thinking about what we got up to. Johnny might fill in more details, I was a few years younger ( 68 now) and not as 'well travelled' as him and Norman Stafford.
 
The thing about Burton's and John Collier etc was that the cutting was all done by machine at the mills up north, so iff the measurements werent right then the suit would be a mess. I was a "Wannabee" Mod, but couldn't afford all the clothes. I was watching "The Avengers" and when the credits rooled i saw "OPierre Cardin" as the designer of Steed's suits. In the Bullring was a chainshop tailor "John Temple" and they advertised "suits designed by pierre cardin. I had one and it was brill, of course I waqs only 11 stone then but it had a flared waste. chose a mohair cream suit for my wedding, from them, and with my yellow shirt and gold tie......well I had to keep the girls of with a stic. .When the measurer moved away and I had another suit from them it wasn't so good, then they were taken over. all these suits were paid over 2 years I seem to remember.
 
leonardjob said:
The thing about Burton's and John Collier etc was that the cutting was all done by machine at the mills up north, so iff the measurements werent right then the suit would be a mess. I was a "Wannabee" Mod, but couldn't afford all the clothes. I was watching "The Avengers" and when the credits rooled i saw "OPierre Cardin" as the designer of Steed's suits. In the Bullring was a chainshop tailor "John Temple" and they advertised "suits designed by pierre cardin. I had one and it was brill, of course I waqs only 11 stone then but it had a flared waste. chose a mohair cream suit for my wedding, from them, and with my yellow shirt and gold tie......well I had to keep the girls of with a stic. .When the measurer moved away and I had another suit from them it wasn't so good, then they were taken over. all these suits were paid over 2 years I seem to remember.
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From what I remember of my Sorting Office days, most of the envelopes with the suit orders went to a firm called Price
in Leeds, i transfered to Burton from Brum in 1957 when we got a house at Stretton under the overspill scheme, Bernard
 
My one and only suit was my wedding suit, made to measure but was a poor fit and went back three times, last attempt it was returned three hours before the wedding. Never wore it again and years later my son pinched it and got the local West Indian tailor in our road to alter it, trouble was it was also a "smoking den" and the suit would get you high if you wore it in a small space!
 
Sad to inform our members that one of the last bastions in Birmingham bespoke tailoring has passed away in November. Colin Callaghan who's shop was on the opposite side of the road to the Mail Box till his passing. Colin was born and bred in Moseley and went to Queensbridge Sec Mod. school. He was 70 years old and a consummate Mod Townie of the 60's whom could be found in the West End dance hall on a Tuesday, The La Metro on a Wednesday The Locarno on a Monday and the rest of the time he was at the iconic Wiskey a go go blues club, on the corner of John Bright St. and Hill St. A great character of Brum that will be missed by all that knew him.
 
my first pair of long trousers when of age to wear them was bought my grand mother on Aston cross
next to the sauce factory on the corner facing the public toilets
and that was sattoria,s the posh gents clothing for all ages
later in life as a youth bought from evans out let weekly club , then to springhill as a young man with money in my pockit
as the old advert used to sing out to ya, John Collier, John Collier the Window to watch bom bom
got my weekly wages and bought my best whistle and flute , suit
and my first wages came from Divis,s the builders and contractors for the council tennants houses
best wishes every body and a Happy christmas and a healthy and prosperous new year to each and every member
On the BHF Alan,,,,, Astonian,,,,,
 
Hi Paul
nice to hear from you again and many thanks for your seasons greeting ,
And i sincerely wish you and your wife a merry christmas and a happy new year
and that 2017 will improve for us all
Unfortunately we have had a huge family breakdown there will be one missingfrom the table
Still as my dear old mother used to say keep your chin up and carry on and smile
thanks again paul my friend speak soon Alan,, Astonian,,,,,
 
bobsummers said:
Sad to inform our members that one of the last bastions in Birmingham bespoke tailoring has passed away in November. Colin Callaghan who's shop was on the opposite side of the road to the Mail Box till his passing. Colin was born and bred in Moseley and went to Queensbridge Sec Mod. school. He was 70 years old and a consummate Mod Townie of the 60's whom could be found in the West End dance hall on a Tuesday, The La Metro on a Wednesday The Locarno on a Monday and the rest of the time he was at the iconic Wiskey a go go blues club, on the corner of John Bright St. and Hill St. A great character of Brum that will be missed by all that knew him.
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I take it he also had a business on Hurst St in the 1960's from reading other threads.
 
PaulaArtist said:
I take it he also had a business on Hurst St in the 1960's from reading other threads.
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I've only just seen this thread - yes, I think Colin did have a shop in Hurst Street before he moved to the shop near the Alexandra Theatre.
His late wife Shirley, who used to help in the shop, was an old friend of mine from the mid 60's and I knew Colin too, I went to their wedding - lovely couple.
 
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