Take a stroll from either of Hilditch and Key's two Jermyn Street shops and you will soon arrive at any number of other iconic London landmarks. One of these is certainly the Ritz. The hotel celebrated a century of business last year. Quite a boast, you might think. But then Hilditch and Key is still the senior party, having been making shirts since 1899. That said, at least as far as hotels are concerned, how many can claim that their names have added to the style lexicon? Describe anybody as "Ritzy" and a picture instantly forms in the mind of their possible appearance, even personality.
Though far from ritzy, myself, I was lucky to be invited to the hotel recently. I say lucky for many reasons but in particular for the premium still placed there on sartorial standards. Fewer and fewer places in London - worldwide for that matter - share the commitment the Ritz has to maintaining a dress code. Even billionaires who could afford to buy the hotel many times over are turned away if they do not pass discreet inspection in the lobby area. What a pleasure to be in a space where the maintenance of traditional dress standards is such a priority. We should all commend that there seems no weakening of the Ritz's resolve to require gentlemen to wear both ties and jackets.
My own particular reason for being at the Ritz was a champagne tasting. The hosts - as well as the hotel - was the house of Ruinart, perhaps most renowned for the Blanc de Blanc variety of champagne (namely, 100% Chardonnay without, as is the custom with most champagnes, any blending with the Pinot Noir grape). Also showcased was Ruinart Rose, namely the vintages of 1990 and 1996. The latter shows much promise while the former has already blossomed. In other words, buy the '90 to drink now and store the '96 for when you run out of the senior version.
I may have been alone in this but, as we sampled these carefully nurtured pleasures, my thoughts turned to what to wear when tasting wines*. Of course, in the Ritz, there is no choice. A tie is compulsory. But in other respects, smart dress is the least that fine wine deserves when under evaluation. After all, the producer has nurtured his pride and joy for years, if not decades, ahead of the moment when the cork is removed and judgement is passed. In such circumstances, the least we should do is make sure we are respectfully turned out.
As I further mused on this, a secondary thought occurred to me. Here was I in a fine English institution, enjoying the very best of France. Leave, for one moment, the traditional blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. I momentarily paused to ponder that, for all the historical differences there have been between France and Britain over the years, these finest of two nations can mix very well, too.
This, of course, brought me back to Hilditch and Key, where I had begun my evening before taking the short stroll west along Jermyn Street to the Ritz. With a much valued shop in Paris on the Rue de Rivoli servicing, among others, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French premier's sartorial needs, twinned with longstanding Jermyn Street premises, Hilditch and Key represents a most enduring Anglo-French relationship. Wearing H&K is, as well as a reflection of good taste, also a celebration of the entente cordiale. I would happily drink to that.
* H&K item to wear when wine tasting? A crisp, new white shirt, as viewing the contents of a glass against the black cloth of such a pristine, clean-cut cuff will give you a pure insight into the colour and therefore age of what is being critiqued, before considering the bouquet then ultimately taste.
Colin Cameron
Colin Cameron writes about lifestyle for a range of newspapers, including the Financial Times, and magazines. His next book, "You Bet", on the cultural, social and political impact of the explosion in Internet betting since 2000, will be published by Harper Collins in 2009.