ALL IN GOOD TASTE - DIRECTED BY CHRIS FLOYD
Our customer, Thomas Birkett, has an important appointment at ‘Arlington’, Jeremy King’s elegant neighbourhood restaurant in the heart of Mayfair that specializes in expertly-prepared classics using the very finest ingredients and where they are always ready to welcome you. Thankfully, his friends from Fully Charged, the home of A-list E-bikes, were able to supply him with a Riese & Muller Charger 5 to get him there as efficiently as possible. As he rides effortlessly through Mayfair and St James’s, Lord Birkett demonstrates how Anderson & Sheppard’s English Drape cut affords the wearer supreme comfort, ease of movement and sartorial flair.
We would like to thank Jeremy King Restaurants, Fully Charged, Riese & Müller & Abus Locks for supporting this project.
Our friends at Arlington shared how the idea for the film came about:
Where did the idea for this film come from?
Chris Floyd – Director (CF): The depiction of movement was Anderson & Sheppard’s primary concern when this project started. The Anderson & Sheppard suit is founded on freedom of movement. It is not a suit for a parade ground so when the idea to partner with Fully Charged came along, I think Anda Rowland (owner of A&S), saw how this could all join together. Anderson and Sheppard is an indelible part of the London experience, so what better way to communicate that than show a handsome chap in one of their suits cutting a two wheeled swathe through the great metropolis en route to an important appointment.
How did you end up collaborating ? Had you worked together before?
(CF): I have some friends; Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland who host the world’s most popular history podcast, ’The Rest Is History’. They wanted to do a couple of episodes on the history of the suit and were looking for someone to talk to who could guide them. I knew Anda, so I contacted her to ask if she would be interested in talking to them. Fortunately she texted back almost immediately to say that she was in fact listening to an episode of the podcast on the bus at that very moment and would be delighted to help! From that meeting came the idea for us to make a film about Anderson & Sheppard featuring Dominic and Tom. They both ordered suits and wanted them to be ready in time for a sell out show they had scheduled at The Royal Albert Hall. It was great fun to do and we all decided that we’d like to do more things together.
How did you cast our cyclist / diner?
Anda Rowland – Anderson & Sheppard (AR): Being a man of exceptional taste, who values efficient design and high quality – naturally Thomas Birkett is an established customer of both Fully Charged and Anderson & Sheppard! In addition to being an acclaimed photographer, he is also a keen cyclist who regularly navigates the streets of London on his e-bike – so for many reasons he was the perfect choice.
Tell us about what he’s wearing, and how you express and interpret the idea of bespoke and tailoring in general in the film.
(AR): Lord Birkett chose a Porter & Harding navy 100% wool Donegal thornproof 13oz cloth. The model is a 3 piece lounge suit with shooting pleats in the jacket. He added a scarf and polo shirt from our Haberdashery and his own cowboy boots. Anderson & Sheppard is well known for the English Drape Cut, ensuring the wearer’s movement has minimal impact on how the jacket behaves – perfectly illustrated by Lord Birkett as he navigates the busy streets of London on his Riese & Muller Charger5 Mixte Automatic e-bike from Fully Charged.
Why did it make sense for him to end up at Arlington?
(AR): It’s one of the defining destinations of modern London. As well as this, the route from Anderson & Sheppard to Arlington takes you through some of the greatest parts of London: Old Burlington Street, past the Royal Academy, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Pall Mall, St James’s Street.
And is there any special significance behind the pie he enjoys?
(CF): It’s such a British dish, isn’t it? So cosy and comforting. I think it also says something about the person who orders it in a restaurant. It denotes decency, honesty, and a certain kind of self confidence. It’s not a dish for a dilettante.
When you visit Arlington, what’s your usual order?
(CF): I love the steak tartare with Russell’s Caesar salad.
If there’s anything else you’d like to share about the project, please let us know—and thank you!
(CF): Filming someone cycling in a city is complicated! I couldn’t have done this without Tom Frimley, who converted his own cargo bike in to a camera bike with the camera mounted on it and operated by remote control from the saddle. He captured all those beautiful shots of Lord Birkett en route to Arlington. Hats off to the people who know how to actually do things: chefs, tailors and camera operators.
(AR): We would like to reiterate our thanks to Chris Floyd for his unique vision on the project, together with all the teams involved at Fully Charged, Anderson & Sheppard, Riese & Muller and also Abus – the cycling equipment specialists, who provided all the safety equipment including the Granite Super Extreme lock and Abus HYP-E helmet.
Director: Chris Floyd
DoP: Tom Frimley
Camera Assistant: Daniel Ali
Editor: Josh John