Cashmere Updated

Photo: Marc Guyot

To most of us clothes are a mystery, brought complete to the point of sale for our consideration and with the design and production process invisibly conducted by third parties.

A smaller group of men have their clothes made by suppliers that provide materials and tailoring. The maker has a house style and usually resists deviation, so garments tend to vary in just a few areas: cloth, jacket buttoning and the style of the details such as the pocket and lapel designs.

From Beau Brummel on, the handful of men that have been considered very well dressed in modern times have been the designers, or at least the general contractors, of their own wardrobes. Whether to make a living, like Hardy Amies and Alan Flusser, or for their own account, like Cary Grant and the late Duke of Windsor, they've studied style, sought out their own fabrics, and created clothing based on their own taste and ideas.

One of these men is the French designer Marc Guyot, who continues to update the classics from Paris. Here, his made to measure four ply cashmere pullover in a beige chevron print. Expensive, and unique in the world.