"Who is your tailor?" is my favorite cliché question from Hollywood movies. It's one that mostly goes unasked and unanswered today. Today we ask, "Where did you get your t-shirt?" or we could say, "Are the holes in your jeans real or were they manufactured?" But should you ask me "who's your tailor?", and I like the cut of your jib, I might reveal that my tailor is John Pearse of Meard Street in London.

John has a long and interesting history in the business, dating back to his days as one of the founders of the seminal Swinging London shop Granny Takes a Trip. Today he's more of a bespoke tailor, but he still practices haberdashery as a fine art. In addition to making custom suits and coats, he offers a line of fine shirts, handpainted ties after masters from Picasso to Warhol to Basquiat, and re-designed vintage items. Meard Street is located in Soho, not far from Carnaby Street, scene of a twentieth-century sartorial revolution. Here is a picture I took of John standing across the street from his shop. The sign on the door refers to another industry found in the lively Soho area, mostly after dark.