Let’s face it, there are many reasons not to visit London these days: the crime, the intimidatory protests, the woeful public transport, the eye-popping cost of everything, Sadiq Khan – I could go on. So disillusioned have I become with what was once my favourite place in the world that I fear I may be tiring of it, and thus, perhaps, life. Such thoughts make those assisted dying adverts the mayor has just plastered all over the Tube all the more poignant.
We are not talking about fashion here, which I haven’t paid any serious attention to since the zip craze of the early 1990s
But there is at least one area where London still excels, and can claim plausibly to be the world’s premier destination, at least for half of the British population: high-quality menswear. London remains a sartorialist’s dream, with more must-visit (the website won’t do) shops serving the discerning gentleman than almost any city in the world. It’s miles ahead of Paris, leaves Milan trailing in its wake, and has only Tokyo, perhaps (my home for most of the year), as a serious rival.
To clarify, we are not talking about fashion here, which I haven’t paid any serious attention to since the zip craze of the early 1990s. Nor are we particularly interested in the Bond Street superbrands whose overpriced bling is pretty much universal. No, the area in which London stands out is style: well-made, distinctive, built-to-last clothing that says something rather complimentary about the wearer but does so in a whisper, or an aside, rather than screaming it in your face.
There are too many........