Skip to main content

Taking Five with Patrick Grant of E.Tautz

taking five patrick grant e tautz
Patrick Grant is a man to admire. Firstly, he’s notoriously good looking – utter his name to anyone in the industry and watch them turn misty-eyed. Secondly, he bought and resurrected two traditional British menswear brands, Norton & Sons, a bespoke Saville Row tailor and E.Tautz, now relaunched as a ready to wear label. When we heard E.Tautz was about to have its very first store in London’s Mayfair, we were intrigued to find out more.

Why Mayfair?
Edward Tautz opened his first store in 1867 at 485 Oxford St, between Duke St and Park St and this was our home until the 1950’s. There is something quite poignant for us about re-opening on Duke St just a few yards from the original shop. North Mayfair has become the first choice for London’s emerging luxury design houses. My friends Christopher Kane, Roksanda Ilincic and Nicholas Kirkwood have all chosen it as the home for their first stores. And above all else it’s a beautiful street and a beautiful building.

Related Videos
E.Tautz, London

What’s the most exciting thing about opening the brand’s first store?
It will allow us to build direct and personal relationships with our customers, to build a community, to offer a great experience and to create the same sort of engagement that our bespoke customers enjoy at Norton & Sons. We care deeply about how the products are design and made, and we want to offer the same level of quality in the way we sell them.

Can you tell us about the concept behind the store design?
The store takes its designs cues from some of the great interiors of the fifties and sixties, in buildings like Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson’s Seagram in New York, and Van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. Concrete and whitewash hint at Le Corbusier and offset the richness of the inlaid timbered sections. Central wooden furniture pieces are are a nod to Donal Judd, free standing rails have been bespoke made in square section brass marry with wood inlays. Our architects Sanderson Studios have taken these references and created an elegant functional and flexible space that allows us to offer both ready to wear and made to measure. We wanted the interior to reflect the clothing it will house; beautifully hand-crafted in luxurious materials, it has a warmth and personality, but it retains a simplicity and lack of fussiness.

E.Tautz, London

The brand ethos speaks of the importance of building a wardrobe carefully over time. Does any element of the shopping experience reflect this ultra-considered curation?
Most importantly every garment is engineered not only to fit well and look good but they are made to last. You cant build a wardrobe if the pieces you buy fall apart. I believe clothes should get better with age so we make them from the best materials and sew them in the best possible way. We try to make clothes of enduring value.

E. Tautz, AW14, look 25 Do you have any favorite pieces from the AW14 collection?
I think my favorite piece is also one of the simplest. The black doeskin quilted parka from look 25. Is an exceptionally engineered piece of winter clothing.

E.Tautz is due to open on 71 Duke Street in October.

Editors' Recommendations

Get Great New Summer Style Essentials from Buck Mason
white tshirt

There are brands that you can reliably turn to each and every season to outfit you in classic style essentials. At least for our money’s worth, Buck Mason is one of those brands. With a focus on Americana staples done in a way that screams “modern man” and not “mountain man,” (think dusty, faded colors and pleasing washes), the below picks are enough to outfit you on as many summer adventures you can handle. With an emphasis on a reliable fit, exceptionally high-quality fabric, and easy wearability no matter what, the entire brand is one we appreciate -- for an investment, of course. That being said, there’s no denying the quality of our favorite picks from Buck Mason for summer (and well, well beyond).
Buck Mason Deck Shorts $65

Those cheap swim trunks you’ve been wearing? Toss ‘em out. The Buck Mason Deck Shorts feature the cut and look of your favorite pair of tailored shorts, made with sun-faded stretch cotton. We like the Vintage Charcoal option for the way it’ll let your your vintage-inspired Hawaiian shirt pop.
See It

Read more
6 Summer Blazers to Keep You Feeling and Looking Cool
summer blazer mens alton lane matt navy seersucker edited

Now that Memorial Day Weekend is behind us and summer has (unofficially) begun, many of us across the United States are still saying “Where’s the heat”? Well, stock up the ice chest: The Weather Channel says that, although we had a cooler spring, much of the country is due for normal to above average temperatures starting in June. So how do we keep our sartorial cool once things start getting sticky? Why with stylish lightweight , summer blazers, of course.

We like to leave one of these jackets in the office to throw on when the air conditioning is cranked a little too high, for unexpected client meetings, or for a business lunch. They’re also a perfect solution for a breezy night out at a sidewalk cafe, or a casual weekend wedding or party. Light enough to carry when commuting, they also pack easily … a few wrinkles should easily steam out in a hotel bathroom. Choose a neutral color so it can easily be thrown on with a pair of lightweight dress pants, khakis, or jeans…maybe even dressy shorts if the occasion suits.
Best Buy
Express Slim Navy Knit Blazer $99

Read more
200 Years of of Dressing Dudes: A Tour of the Brooks Brothers Tie Factory
brooks brothers tie factory red tie with blue stripes hand made

With the resurgence of "Made in America" in our menswear vernacular, many people are digging deeper to see who is actually working in the United States and who simply has a well-known American brand, but whose production is actually located overseas. Granted, some of these mega brands can’t shut down all of their foreign factories just to appease us. But the consumer does have some level of trust in a brand and hopes that they will at least make the effort to at least produce some of their products in the U.S.

Brooks Brothers, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, is the perfect example of an American business still making things in the U.S. Since the heritage boom began, Brooks Brothers was one of the first that enthusiasts ballyhooed. Founded in 1818 in New York City, it's an iconic brand worn by everyone from Presidents Lincoln to Roosevelt (Teddy and Franklin!) to Kennedy — it's also been written about by F.Scott Fitzgerald. They are also a massive company and much of their stock is indeed made overseas (in well managed factories that they own and control, which is another story altogether!).

Read more