Stepping into the passenger side of a Rolls-Royce, one would naturally expect to be met with a cap-doffing chauffeur dressed in immaculate uniform. But what should be worn when you’re the one at the helm of the world’s most luxurious car?
This spring, Gieves & Hawkes posed an answer to this sartorial conundrum with a one-of-a-kind driving jacket created in collaboration with Rolls-Royce, which was exclusively unveiled at the 17th-century country manor of Aynhoe Park, Oxfordshire.
The bespoke jacket takes inspiration from the Rolls-Royce Wraith and Dawn models, which are typically self-drive cars as opposed to the traditionally chauffeur-driven Phantom range. Form and function, therefore, play a pivotal role.
Gieves & Hawkes head cutter Davide Taub has taken a traditional sports blazer and introduced functional elements such as a collar extension with detachable ‘kidney’ to switch between a classic lapelled jacket to a storm collar, and ‘action pleats’ behind the arms to allow for greater movement. Cut from 100% Khan Cashmere and woven in the UK with a pure silk crepe satin lining, the jacket has plenty of stylish yet subtle nods to Rolls-Royce throughout, which include specially made buttons etched with the Rolls-Royce logo and a silk-embroidered ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ inside the lining. The driving jacket took 80 hours to make by hand at Gieves & Hawkes’ prestigious home of No.1 Savile Row.
Gieves & Hawkes is one of London’s foremost bespoke tailors since 1771. Today, the house continues to create exquisite British bespoke tailoring for sophisticated men and women that is true to this unique heritage, designed for the modern world.
