Independent movie moghul Jonathan Sothcott may not be on the Oscars podium yet for his filmography but if there were awards for Best Dressed Producer he’d be up on stage every year. His films are edgy and entertaining, yet the man himself is the embodiment of tradition and sartorial excellence. His new book ‘The Jermyn Street Shirt’ lifts the veil on the history of one of London’s iconic streets and celebrates the art of the formal shirt that it is recognized for.
In his foreword in your book, Tom Parker Bowles credits you as keeping the flag of luxury flying. Primarily sartorial suits and shirts, of course. Do you think there’s a sense of renewed interest from men these days, or is the trend going grimly downwards?
Tom is exceptionally kind but I think, sadly, in answer to your question, the opposite is true. I was watching an interview with my friend Martin Kemp the other day – he’s just launched an accessible fashion collection for Sainsbury’s and he was saying that ten years ago men wore suits all the time – to work, to dinner at a restaurant, literally everywhere out of the house where they wanted to look proper – and if not a suit, a blazer or sports coat with slacks. Now that has been replaced by the ‘smart casual’ look – rooted by designer trainers, denim, polo shirts and super expensive sportswear plastered with monograms. The reaction to this has been that the people who actually enjoyed dressing in that tailored way have found like-minded souls on Instagram (there’s even a rather wonderful Sartorial Club, which meets in London, Paris and New York each month) and similar platforms and because they are no longer required to dress a certain way, they can express themselves how they like. By the way, Martin’s clothing range looks great, he’s always been a very stylish guy and he’s nailed that ‘cool Dad’ look with his collection.
I don’t think menswear is a case of right and wrong anymore, it has to be a case of personal choice, like everything else is. We can’t moan about manbags, trainers with suits and logo-laden hoodies when this generation’s James Bond wears suits that don’t actually fit. I draw the line at those light grey tracksuit trousers though. They should be outlawed, I will never understand who looks in the mirror and thinks the felon look is a winner.
I hope that now that everything has become more relaxed, we can all wear what we want – some years ago I wandered into a rather salubrious pub in Central London and was told I had to remove my black tie. “But I don’t want to” I replied, “I’ve just been to a funeral” only to be told that ties were not allowed under any circumstances. What an unlikely rebel I felt as I made my prompt exit.
Is social media helping the promotion of sartorial dressing?
I think the downside of all this social media is that, particularly, young people are constantly bombarded with expensive luxury brands and have, relentlessly and mercilessly projected on them a lack of self worth if they don’t have this kind of stuff, which is incredibly unhealthy and also devalues these brands in the long term – on my walk to work this morning I went past a market stall brazenly selling moody Gucci and Fendi handbags, which all the young girls carry.
I’ve seen first hand how young people can get completely sucked into believing these idiots on Instagram and tiktok are ‘billionaires’ flying everywhere by private jet, drinking Crystal and flashing Pateks like they’re Casios and I despair because the reality of it is that it’s all fake. We live in strange times at the moment and I hope there will be a values correction at some point. From the friends in the menswear industry I talk to, I hear time and time again that the tailored/smart look is suffering – and you can tell by how many legendary brands fell in the 2020 pandemic (Daks, Aquascutum, Crombie… and that’s just in London) how much of a thread they must have been clinging on by even then. It is very hard to buy a decent necktie in London now. I was doing so in Anderson & Shepherd the other day and was told I am their best tie customer… and I really don’t have that many.
I love that quip from Billy Murray when he complained about you wearing a suit on set. Conversely, many people judge other people by what they wear too, So, it wouldn’t hurt men to dress up more in the corporate environment?
Yes, Billy can be very amusing, especially when he tells that one joke that he almost knows. I don’t wear a suit on set unless we have visitors but I do my best to dress how I want to, which is smartly, even if it’s a pair of cords and a sweater. I think it helps that my wife, the actress Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, really likes how I dress and is always appreciative of it. She really doesn’t mind that I’ll buy a tie wherever we go in the world or that I always seem to need one more to match a shirt I don’t have yet. At the end of the day she’s the only person I want to impress. To be honest, she’s the stylish one in our relationship really, though she’s so beautiful she could, to coin an old saying, wear a bin bag and look sensational. Call me old fashioned but I still put on a shirt and cologne for a zoom meeting!
Since the book’s release, what’s been some of the interesting feedback you’ve received? And from whom?
In terms of people reaching out it really has been the most rewarding thing I have done. I’ve had messages from all over the world, from Royalty, from tailors and shirtmakers, from aficionados and particularly from men of a certain age who really miss working in the City when they’d wear their Harvie & Hudson or Turnbull & Asser shirts but now spend more time on the golf course. One of the most interesting connections I made is Arthur Sarkissian, now a famous and inspirational film producer, who used to own Jermyn Street’s most luxurious boutique, Vincci, opposite Tricker’s shoe shop. It really was a sight to behold. When the market for luxury menswear started to thaw at the turn of the century that shop sadly closed (along with the Angelo boutique by the Ritz, Avi Rossini and many more). I also must confess I love seeing the book in menswear shops – a few of them have made a display piece of it which always makes me smile.
You touch all aspects of shirt-styles but there’s little advice on colour choices or shirt colour for the right occasions? Or is that left to individual expression?
For me, my favourite colours are light blue and light pink, they go with pretty much everything and just add that little more interest than white. Ecru is lovely too, especially if your complexion is warmer. For me the most important thing is getting the fit right (not too tight – if the buttons pull or the collar isn’t comfortable it is too small) – personally I prefer higher collars with longer points, I’m not a fan of the high street fad for tiny stunted little collars, and always with stiffeners (they don’t have to be removeable, some of the very best shirts in the world, such as Stefano Ricci, have them sown in). Bengal stripes aren’t particularly fashionable at the moment but are always a classy choice, particularly with a solid tie in the same colour. Personally I’m not a fan of checks with ties, I think they work much better with a sweater or a leather jacket, but that’s just me.
If you weren’t involved in film-making, would it be fair to say you would’ve found your way into the men’s sartorial industry instead? (It only seems natural)
I’m not sure. I really like wearing great suits and shirts but I am just as much of a watch guy… but I wouldn’t want to sell watches (or make them). I’m not particularly interested in what other people wear so long as they’re happy and comfortable and I don’t have the kind of passion that drives me to actually watch people sowing shirts and canvassing suits. I just like to look as good as I can. I think if I were to be in that industry it would need to’ve been 30 or 40 years ago, not now. A little bit about films then… low-budget films notwithstanding, I’m sure you wouldn’t say ‘no’ to a period drama one day that would really feature all the shirtmakers you love? I always try to get a little bit of production value into my films that reflect luxury menswear – Bruce Payne wore a Brioni velvet jacket in Nemesis, Louis Mandylor and Lee Majors were dressed by New & Lingwood and Billy Murray wore a rare Rolex submariner with a diamond dial (amongst others) in Nemesis. I notice these little touches when I watch films and I know other people appreciate them – it elevates the movies.
Any plans to make a book on suits and Saville Row?
No, but I am trying to clear time to write the biography of the greatest of all the London tailors, the late Doug Hayward. Doug was an incredibly important part of my life and every time I walk down Mount Street, where his shop was, I think of him fondly. I actually got married within sight of the old Hayward store but sadly my wife never got to meet him – I know they would have loved each other. Doug was the most incredible warm man, loved by everyone who met him. We used to go to the pub opposite his shop, The Audley (now the best pub in London thanks to my pal Ewan Venters, with a restaurant to match upstairs presided over by genius chef Jamie Shears), he’d have a Scotch and a cigar (that’s how long ago it was). Now Mount Street is very different – I took my wife to Scott’s for her birthday and it was disappointing – the food was good but there was absolutely no experience – it’s just like an over busy, noisy chain restaurant on a bigger scale.
We’ve just been to a cocktail party at Bonham’s hosted by Roger Moore’s family who are very good friends of ours. Some of the suits Hayward made for Moore as Bond are being auctioned and it was wonderful to see them in person. There’s a grey flannel three piece from For Your Eyes Only which I remember thinking “wow that’s how I want to dress’ when I saw the film in my teens, and it hasn’t dated at all, it would still look supremely stylish today. No wide lapels or flared legs, just a classic 3 button cut and a timeless cool weather fabric. That’s the secret of good tailoring: stick with the classics and you can’t go wrong.
So what film are you currently working on that you can share?
I recently completed production of a horror movie on location in London. It is written and directed by Phil Claydon who is, simply put, one of the best directors I’ve worked with and certainly the most prepared. The lead actors are my wife Jeanine, who is giving a magnificent, kick-ass performance, Hollywood legend Michael Paré (I’ve been a fan of his since Streets of Fire) and Ronan Summers who played both Kray twins magnificently in Code of Silence. I can’t give much more away as we’ve not announced. It yet but I have a really strong feeling it is going to be a cult movie. Low budget horror, done right, Is one of the most rewarding sandboxes to play in - I thought The Terrifier 2 was fantastic and if we have a fraction of the success that enjoyed I’ll be very happy.
What's with all the avoidance of streaming services? We can't find most of your films on Netflix.
Where a film ends up isn’t down to the producer, that’s the distributor’s job - but there is very little independent content on Netflix which seems to be an increasingly broken model. I have quite a few bits on Tubi which I think is a much better platform for indie and genre film fans - ‘Nemesis’ has been particularly well received there. Netflix did the Best PR campaign in history and changed the game completely but I think the cracks are beginning to show for a certain demographic.