Dandy & Rose

Bespoke Western Shirts, Handmade in England

Tag Archives: Dandy & Rose


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Bonjour Monsieur Grenouille, or Hello Froggy

 

Front landscape peach pincher

Bill DeMain is a very talented man. He is a journalist who has interviewed all your musical heroes; an accomplished musician and songwriter based in Nashville; the entertaining and astoundingly knowledgeable tour leader of Walkin’ Nashville; and a recently converted Francophile.

Bill visited Paris last year and fell in love with the city. During March, he returned for one of those total immersion language courses and kept his instagram followers entranced with photographs of the things he saw (and ate) while in The City of Light.

When Bill asked me for suggestions for his third Dandy & Rose shirt, this wonderful Arts and Crafts style print by Liberty leapt right into my mind. It seemed like such a fun way to acknowledge Bill’s love of France. And just look at that frog, with his little toes!

close up with label peach pincher

It can get hot out there, walkin’ Nashville, so Bill likes short sleeves. I like short sleeves too, and leap at the opportunity to make them.

short sleeve detail peach pincher

I have been waiting for an opportunity to use this print ever since it came out last year. I’m so glad that one has has hopped along.

OK. That’s enough corny frog jokes. Unless you know any.

 

 

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Is it Gin o’Clock yet?

junier-yoke-and-labels

This Liberty print is called ‘Juniper’. I have to admit that I had to google to find out what the flowers of the juniper tree looked like, only to discover that they are ‘inconspicuous’, so I am guessing the fabric designer took some artistic liberties here.

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On the other hand, I am very familiar with the taste of the juniper berry. Is the sun over the yardarm yet?

 

 

juniper-side-front

 


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Two Berry Classics

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Jim Lauderdale’s shirt in Liberty’s print ‘Wiltshire Berry’

Last week I was in something of a panic because this shirt had dropped off the postal radar: last recorded as leaving Heathrow, the US postal service had no record of it. But in a minor Christmas miracle, it reappeared on its way from New York to Nashville on Monday and arrived just in time for Jim Lauderdale to wear it on the festive edition of Music City Roots, the weekly live radio show he hosts, a couple of days ago.

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I always think this red colourway of Liberty’s classic print ‘Wiltshire Berry’, shouts ‘CHRISTMAS’. I have given it green piping and a celebratory mix of green and red snaps.

At the end of the show, Jim led the jam session that closes Music City Roots in the Chuck Berry classic ‘Johnny B. Goode’. I’m sure the pun was unintended but – well, a classic berry fabric and a classic Berry tune: what could be more pleasing?

Click here to watch a video clip of the jam.

 

Jim Lauderdale’s shirt in Liberty’s ‘Wiltshire Berry’


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Meandering Me

me chrys right front with sleeve

standing around

 

I’m beyond excited to be going to Nashville next month. I can’t wait to see friends, hear music and get stuck into some PhD research.

For my trip, I have made myself a new Dandy & Rose shirt! Here I am, nonchalantly standing around in my own living room wearing it this afternoon.

I have used a favourite floral print of mine. It’s called Meandering Chrysanthemum – a seasonal Liberty print from a few seasons ago.

 

 

me chrys back yoke


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I Got Stripes

Reed’s shirt in Liberty’s striped print ‘The Braided Brocade’

Working with Liberty prints means that I get to make shirts in all kinds of different prints or patterns, but rarely do I get chance to use stripes, which are such a mainstay of western shirt design. So when Liberty added this design, ‘The Braided Brocade’, to their range last year, I was dying to use it.

front left

It’s based on military braids, and I love the trompe l’oeil textured effect.

close up sleeve placket

 

When a regular customer in Los Angeles contacted me and asked if I would consider making him a blue striped shirt, I jumped at the chance, and we picked out this fresh colourway from the four available.

I’ve really enjoyed the crisp precision of working with stripes. And I love those sawtooth pockets!

backsquare front the braided brocade

To find out how to get a Dandy & Rose shirt custom made for you, click on the SHOP tab at the top of this page.


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Strike a light!

 

Danny's Strike with sleeve

The Americana Music Association UK’s 2016 Artist of The Year, Danny and The Champions of The World, are off to tour Spain later this week.

This Fifties-style shirt in Liberty’s matches print ‘Strike’ should keep front man Danny George Wilson cool on those Spanish stages. Even cooler than he already is!

Danny George Wilson’s 50s style shirt in Liberty London’s print ‘Strike’
Danny George Wilson’s shirt in Liberty London’s ‘Strike’

I love this style, with its loop closing at the neck. I haven’t got round to offering it as standard yet, so message me through the CONTACT page if you are interested.


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Walkin’ Nashville

Bill DeMain’s Guitar print shirt
Bill DeMain’s Guitar print shirt

Last time I was in Nashville, I decided to indulge in a little tourism. So I booked myself on the Walkin’ Nashville tour hosted by the journalist, musician and songwriter Bill DeMain. It was great fun and most informative! Bill is a real expert on the history of country music and puts his knowledge across with humour and warmth. We started at the statue of Chet Atkins on the corner of Fifth Avenue North and Union Street, where Bill began with the story of country’s fight-back against rock and roll in the late-1950s; in Printer’s Alley, we heard the tale of club owner Skull Schulman’s 1998 brutal murder, which took place there  – wait, was that the ghostly apparition of a tall, thin man in rhinestones we saw disappear around the corner?

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Skull Schulman posing with some of his collection of rhinestone encrusted embroidered suits by Nudie and Manuel. Skull loved poodles – and rainbows!

Moving on, we passed by the Country Music Hall of Fame and stopped to admire its architectural references to piano keys and musical notes; then, after stopping in the alley that many an Opry star must have slipped down on their furtive way there from the back door of the Ryman Auditorium, we ended at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge on Broadway.

Bill on tour

Bill telling one of his Walkin’ Nashville groups the history of the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 – 1974

 

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vintage patterns for Bill-1

 

Bill is a connoisseur of vintage western shirts, so when he asked me to make for him, I suggested digging out one of my collection of vintage patterns. He picked out Simplicity 4703, from the early 1960s. And because it’s hot out there on the streets of Nashville, I shortened the sleeve and added a piped cuff to it.

 

He also asked for a western-themed print. Not my thing usually, but when I found this guitar print with western touches, I fell in love. I specially like the tiny cacti on the guitar headstocks.

Guitars back yoke

 

To find out more about Walkin’ Nashville Music City Legends Tour, go to Bill’s website.

http://www.walkinnashville.com/walkin-nashville-music-city-legends-tour

You might even get to see him in his Dandy & Rose shirt!

 

 

 


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Grrrrreat shirt!

Scotty's Tiger Back Yoke

With its small, colourful floral design, this might very well be what most of us think of as a typical Liberty print, if it weren’t for that – thankfully friendly looking – tiger bursting through a clump of greenery as if to shout ‘Surprise!’

James’ shirt in Liberty’s Tiger print
James’ shirt in Liberty’s Tiger print

James, whose fifth Dandy & Rose shirt this is (yes James, I’m counting), picked the fabric out from Liberty’s website after being given a D & R gift token for his birthday. It’s so summery that I am glad he chose to have a short-sleeved style, giving me a chance to add a piped cuff.

Scotty's Tiger square on front

To find out how to order a bespoke shirt of your own, or to buy a gift token for a loved one, click on the SHOP tab at the top of this page.


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Tulip Mania

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London's art nouveau Tulip print 'Ten Six' 7

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’ back yoke

I was a little sad to see the tulips pass from my garden a couple of weeks ago. They are so exotic, with their  vibrant, polished petals and encompassing shape. No wonder that, when they were first introduced to Europe from the Islamic world in the sixteenth century, they were considered  precious objects of status. In the 1630s their value boomed so high that a phenomenon known as ‘tulipmania’ happened, with frenzied trading making many Dutch merchants enormously rich; when the ‘Tulip Bubble’ burst, they lost everything.

But anyway, never mind the history lesson. Here’s a shirt. It is made from an art nouveau style Liberty print representing tulips. It comes from last year’s Spring/Summer range, but it’s based on a furnishing design from the 1890s. So elegant.

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London's art nouveau Tulip print 'Ten Six' 6

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’

It’s always difficult to decide what to do with a favourite print in a favourite colourway. Some red piping might have been nice, but I really wanted to see those tulips bending in the breeze, so I have gone with my first instinct – to cut the yokes on the bias.

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London's art nouveau Tulip print 'Ten Six' (2)

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’

The shirt has short sleeves, which I have faced with plain pale blue fabric to match the leaves in the print. The pocket flaps are faced in the same fabric, but that will be the wearer’s secret till he lifts them to put something in his pocket. The topstitching is in the same pale blue colour. The pearl snaps are grey.

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London's art nouveau Tulip print 'Ten Six'

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’

It has turned out so sharp and snappy, I just had to photograph it with that top pearl snap done up!

Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’ front
Short Sleeved shirt in Liberty London’s art nouveau Tulip print ‘Ten Six’ back


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Making a paisley splash!

front leftA few months ago, I made a shirt in palest blue paisley for a lovely lady called Lorna, who now lives in the USA, but is a native of Paisley in Scotland. I called the piece ‘The Prettiness of Paisley’ and you can read it here:

The Prettiness of Paisley

Well, Lorna has left pretty and pastel behind, and for her latest shirt has chosen a brand new Liberty of London paisley called Cadby’s in reds, greens and blues. I piped her shirt in navy blue and added emerald green snaps.

What a wonderful splash of colour!

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