In the cab to my interview I play a quick game of six degrees of separation. As we turn off Baker Street, I realise that a really easy way to connect Kevin Bacon, Tom Cruise and Ralph Fiennes together would be by who dresses them. In this case, it’s somebody I’m about to join for a coffee over in Marylebone.
Timothy Everest MBE, the legendary British tailor, has crafted suits that survived rooftop chases, MI6 briefings, and fights on speeding trains. But I’m not greeted with Hollywood hauteur or false modesty – instead, a charming smile and a kindly kiss on the cheek. I’m meeting him on Chiltern Street at Grey Flannel, the storied menswear store he took over as co-owner relatively recently. He now helms the store – an institution since the 1970s – with equal parts respect and ambition.
The shop’s American Gigolo-esque interior, with cool greys, polished chrome, cinematic geometry and Bauhaus-inspired modernism remains largely untouched since his arrival. “It would be a crime to meddle without a plan,” Everest muses, as we sit with a coffee and admire the store. The affection he has for the space is visible in the way he gestures around it, not as a new owner but as a custodian. Yet he’s not here to simply preserve. Everest is plotting a future for Grey Flannel that is as daring as any of the action scenes his tailoring has supported, as I later find out.
As the Mission: Impossible movie franchise released its final instalment this year, I ask him about his longtime involvement in films. “Mission: Impossible was a big step for us,” Everest nods. “It really put us on the map. It all started 30 years ago. I know, right? We did so many of the films, and we got a reputation that took us from bespoke tailoring into film as well as television and awards ceremonies.”
Photo 12 / Alamy Stock Photo
He has so many fascinating stories about his time with famous clients – though nothing too salacious or unprintable at any rate; he’s far too much the gentleman to be indiscreet.
“There were several things I was instructed not to discuss with Tom Cruise, but within the hour we had chatted about them all.” Indeed, Everest has gone on to work with Cruise on multiple occasions and recalls accidentally walking straight onto set.
“Tom waved ‘hello’ so I went straight up to chat. You don’t do that. It was fun though – and great going to Stanley Kubrick’s house.” This was on yet another production he explains, after dressing Cruise for Eyes Wide Shut.
It seems as though Everest has a never-ending supply of wonderful stories, perhaps because he’s genuinely interested in understanding people, is constantly curious and eager to learn from anyone willing to share. By now, I’m convinced he’s the ideal dinner party guest – genuinely entertaining.
Though to begin with, I’m just keen to discuss more about him growing up in Wales. His mother apparently still lives in South Pembrokeshire and he visits a great deal, and is where he spent much of his adolescence: “I didn’t always love it as a kid, but I do now. It’s an incredible part of the country, utterly beautiful.” I spent much of my childhood visiting the area so we have lots in common. While comparing notes on the beautiful remote country pubs and beaches, it seems a far cry from refined Marylebone and dressing action stars.
He has some incredible memories of Wales, some a little risqué or self-deprecating, some just plain cool – “Oh yeah, I saw The Police play there, right when they first started out. And that’s a club where Duran Duran played,” he adds.
Everest’s entrepreneurial spirit shines brightly when he enthuses about the potential to add to the retail landscape in Tenby: “There are so many gorgeous Georgian buildings – I think a well-considered brand that celebrates the area would be a great addition.” I can imagine a space that brings a touch of classic Timothy Everest style to seaside Wales would be glorious and suitably bonkers for a tailor who made his name fighting ‘The Establishment’ on Savile Row.
I ask about his own sense of style and fashion, noting he’s wearing a crisp, white T-shirt, perfectly cut navy trousers and a casual blazer. “It’s so funny how circular fashion is. We’re moving back to looser cuts of suits, roomier jackets of the 1990s. Even the T-shirts, the chinos, the coats. I was always told that the best way to style a T-shirt was to tuck it in fully, then raise your arms, and there you go, perfect.” Everest is standing in the store demonstrating and of course he’s right, it’s just the right amount of ‘untucked T-shirt’.
As if on cue, a customer walks in and he smiles and they chat while looking at photographs of a dinner jacket the woman’s husband wore at a gala earlier in the week, while she picks up another order. This is a man dedicated to both his craft and his community – “I’m a tailor first.”
I’m interested to know what he has in store for Grey Flannel. “I would love our clients to have more space here, and we have some big ideas,” he explains as he shows me the downstairs lounge space and cutting areas, where the in-house tailor is busy. He floats exciting ideas on wine storage, a humidor and so much more. Everest sees this latest chapter as expanding the essential refuge of style for men who appreciate quality without craving spectacle. His ‘Made by Everest’ range – MbE – is testament to that.
Surrounded by an exceptional team, it’s clear Grey Flannel could not be in better hands. And I, for one, cannot wait to sit down with him again – T-shirts tucked in, coffees in hand – to hear what comes next.
See more at greyflannel.co.uk
