My fascination with tailoring started with school uniform, abolished at my progressive school to my secret regret. A suit takes care of everything and the slightest undoing of it's formality creates an air of renegade. The loosening of a tie speeds up the heart rate. My favourite suit configuration as Summer morphs into Autumn is the Chrissie waistcoat and Bowie trousers in Prince of Wales check. With or without a T-shirt. Upper Sixth sophistication and love of 70's female singers like Joni Mitchell. When I moved to London as a teen, my father would often ring up late at night after he'd finished painting and ask if I wanted to meet him at a club somewhere. I always went. Sometimes we would encounter his friends, and I drank up the stories they told. There was a famous 1950's model called Fiona Campbell-Walters who married the billionaire Baron von Thyssen. One night she showed up at the chic Mayfair club Annabel's wearing a glamorous trouser suit. The dress code at the time forbade women entrance if they were wearing trousers. Without missing a beat, she slipped off the trousers revealing an amazing pair of legs, clad in sheer stockings, and sauntered in. Whether this story is entirely true, or an urban myth, I have never forgotten it's atmosphere.

At Bella Freud, our tailoring is designed to be transitional and easily take you from day to night, offering up complete versatility with each piece. A velvet jacket can be styled down with a classic white tee and trainers, or offer sophisticated glamour when paired with the matching trousers and your favourite heels. We design pieces to be worn, cherished and become wardrobe staples. Our trousers come in a standard length to allow for easy alterations to your desired length. When tailoring trousers, it is always advisable to take your preferred shoe with you to ensure the perfect fit. All trouser styles are cut with a straight waistband to offer a more flattering fit and we use the same cuts and construction for each style across different seasons, meaning your favourite shape will remain your go to for years to come. Across both jackets and trousers, it is important to note that different fabrications do have an impact on the overall fit, for example velvet has less natural mechanical stretch compared to wool cavalry twill styles. With velvet specifically, if you fall in between sizes we would advise to size up to allow for more movement in the fits. 

The David trousers are a classic evolution from the more sexy 1976 style. David sits true to the waist, creating a more cinched in and form fitting shape. The thigh is relaxed and the leg straight, with a slight kick flair to elongate the leg. This cut is easily styled with knitwear or jersey, but works perfectly when worn with both our Bianca or Saint James jackets and looks effortlessly cool paired with just a Chrissie waistcoat. The David trouser is a great all-round classic.

The Bowie trouser is our most relaxed style, with a very wide leg and double open pleat on each thigh. The fit is loose across the hips and seat and hangs wide to the floor. When tailoring the Bianca, we advise keeping the length long to the floor to allow the pleats to hang well. The Bianca works just as well with trainers or with a statement heel.

The Bianca are our most statement trousers with a wide, flared leg in a long length. Sitting on the true waist, this style is flat fronted, creating a very flattering fit across the waist and stomach. When altering the Bianca, it is advisable to keep the length long to the floor, allowing the fabric to hang well and not swing. The Bianca can be dressed up with a double breasted Bianca jacket for a statement evening look, or styled with a Chrissie waistcoat or Saint James jacket to create a more fitted silhouette on top.

The Slim Kim trousers are a more fitted style, sitting on the waist and hugging hips, seat and upper thigh. The kick flare is wider than on the David trousers, allowing this style to be easily dressed up for a more statement look. The cut of the Slim Kim is fitted and more figure hugging, but can be easily sized up to have a more relaxed and unisex fit.

The 1976 Trousers are our go to shape for every occasion. The narrow profile on the hips and upper thigh create an incredibly flattering fit and elongate the leg, whilst the more prominent kick flair balances proportions and works to create a slim and slender look. This style can be easily dressed up or down and take you through from day to night.

Velvet, by nature, has less mechanical stretch and natural give so can appear tighter than the same style in the Cavalry Twill fabric. If you fall in between sizing or desire a little more movement, we would advise sizing up.

The Saint James jacket works well for all occasions and can be just as easily styled layered with a jumper as it can with our silk Minelli shirt. The jacket is single breasted, creating a more fitted style that works well with all our trouser shapes. The Saint James jacket is a wardrobe essential that you’ll keep coming back to for years to come.

The Bianca Jacket is our double breasted offering, creating more of a looser fit on the body. The length of the jacket is long, but the shoulders are gently shaped down to the chest to create a more sensitive and female fit. Due to being double breasted, the Bianca jacket can feel oversized and slightly more statement. This style works well with the Bianca trouser for a more exaggerated look or our slimmer fit trousers for the everyday.