Supplier Spotlight – Hotspur 1364 Menswear
Ask our Expert – Lisa Aynsley
Hotspur 1364 are a multi-national award winning menswear boutique based in Alnwick, in the heart of Northumberland. Established in 2014, Lisa and her team have dressed thousands of grooms and groomsmen over the years and are recommend supplier to Ellingham Hall.
They provide style advice to help chaps build a unique standout image by sourcing tailored, personal and designer collections to compliment, enhance and profile their look.
1. Don’t involve Groomsmen!
Should the groom and groomsmen choose the style of the suits? NO, NO, NO!
It’s your choice who you take to choose your suits, but our experience is that groomsmen do have a tendency to behave a bit like divas.
They quite often cajole a groom into something you didn’t really want with their own opinions and choices heavily influencing your decisions. Also, it’s difficult to please all the people all of the time, so the debates can become quite intense, especially if you have a lot of groomsmen.
We find it works best if you and your partner go together with an open mind and try on different suit combinations. We encourage you to take photos and then review to make a final decision on your look for your big day.
THEN the fun stuff happens…
We book you in for your VIP fitting experience with all your groomsmen in our private showroom (there’s complimentary cold beers too!) and we encourage you to try and make a day or evening of it.
To make your experience as stress free as possible, we pull a selection of sizes and get the grooms squad all tucked and pinned ready for our in-house tailor to make you all fit perfectly.
2. Your Suit is an Investment!
The choice is yours, but its better to go with a classic look that’s timeless just like your venue Ellingham Hall! We are happy to style you any way you desire, and our huge range ensures there is something for everyone. From tweed to tuxedo, mix and match, a three piece or simply a jacket and waistcoat. Whatever your vibe, we have a style to suit.
You may be thinking that suits are just for weddings and other formal occasions, but, in fact, they can be worn whenever you want. Suits aren’t just for special occasions like your wedding day, or job interviews they’re also great for other everyday events, such as going to work or hanging out with friends. Suits are easy to wear and dress up or down accordingly.
A blazer, polo shirt and chino combination are now a staple wardrobe go to for the modern man about town, just as is a suit trouser with a smart sharp shirt which are both perfect outfits for the relaxed Night Before celebration at Ellingham. View your suit as an investment piece that can be utilised time and time again.
3. White Shirts can’t be Beaten
We believe there’s nothing better than a crisp white shirt with your suit when saying ‘I do‘.
Colours are great too, but nothing beats the ‘ WoW’ factor than a white shirt for us.
We recommend to buy new shirts from the same brand or shop! We’re often bamboozled by the men’s’ thought processes regarding shirts: they’re happy to spend a sizeable amount on a suit only to pull an old white shirt out of their wardrobe to wear with it!
Please make and extra effort for a new shirt…it really does make all the difference!
4. Suits don’t have to match Bridesmaids
Suits have evolved over the years and have moved away from your simple two button black, navy or grey. We feel the groomsmen can stand alone and still have a dramatic effect. Sometimes a matching tie and pocket square in the chosen colour scheme is more than enough to bring the look together.
We are asked a lot if the groom should look slightly different, so he stands out from the rest of his groomsmen. This is easily achieved with perhaps a contrast waistcoat or a different colour tie. But we also feel everyone knows who the main man is, so there’s no need to make him different to stand out.
5. Don’t leave it too Late to shop!
Pre-pandemic, leaving the suit shopping until the last minute was not a problem, with stock supply in abundance and a supply chain that was slicker and quicker than Lewis Hamilton in last year’s F1. You could quite easily walk in the day before your wedding and get fixed up.
Unfortunately, times have changed, so if you have your heart set on a particular style and colour, we would advise to start looking 12 months in advance of the wedding.
Supply chain is still difficult but also prices are increasing almost monthly. I know a lot of chaps may be looking to lose weight or work out prior to the wedding, so you look your best on the big day, which is often the reason for putting back the suit purchasing until nearer the wedding.
Don’t worry we have an in-house tailor who can easily tweak, take up, in, out and down to ensure you look perfect on your day.
6. The Big Day
First, have a decent breakfast to set you up for the day and try not to have too much alcohol at least until the important bit is over.
Make sure you have done up the INSIDE button on your waistcoat, so it stays in place for the day ahead, and remove all mobile phones from trouser pockets for those intimate wedding portraits within Ellingham’s stunning grounds.
Finally, RELAX and ENJOY your special day!
If you’ re looking to dress your groom, visit Hotspur 1364 in Alnwick or visit hotspur1364.co.uk For details about our wedding venue in Northumberland and to book a viewing, fill in our contact form.