That Dapper Chap: interview

That Dapper Chap interviews Ellie founder of The Cordial Churchman, makers of fine bow ties and accessories

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Ellie of the Cordial Churchman. She had spotted me on Instagram wearing bow ties as I often do on a Tuesday for #bowtietuesday and got in touch about her business and incredible range of bow ties. Before long I was sporting a beautiful floral bow tie of theirs made from Liberty of London print which I proudly sported for my recent shoot for the London College of Fashion.

Wearing my bow tie for a shoot at the London College of Fashion

When did the business start?

In June of 2009, I made a bow tie for my husband, Andy out of some leftover seersucker, a popular fabric here in the South, it turned out pretty nice and we started offering them through my blog at the time and to our surprise, they actually sold! We made seersucker and madras bow ties throughout that summer and in the fall we transitioned into velvets, wools, and silks and it's been going strong ever since.

The Colt bow tie $32.00

A classic diamond point bow tie

What was the inspiration for the business?

We were really inspired by the traditional and prep clothing styles we were seeing mostly online but also here in South Carolina. Mostly though, we used our customers as a gauge to help us know what to do next. Since we custom make almost everything, we are able to take requests from gentlemen who order from us. Once we get enough requests of the same thing we think - we should offer that product all the time. It works pretty well for us.

A great range of bow ties

Who are the main players in the business?

It started with me (Ellie) doing most of the legwork of the sewing, designing and marketing. Andy, my husband has been a great collaborator in this process though. I'm always bouncing ideas off of him. Andy has also been mostly the "face" of the business - even modelling each of the products we'd post online before we started buying mannequins and hiring models. We started hiring sewers in the first 6 months when we realized a hobby had turned into a viable business. Now we have 7 employees and we pride ourselves on trying to provide excellent customer service and personal touch with handwritten notes and quick responses to questions posted through e-mail and online.

A very cordial look with a pop of colour

The Alistair bow tie in a Liberty Of London print $49.00

Where is The Cordial Churchman based?

We are in Rock Hill, South Carolina. We have a great workroom here on Main Street of our downtown. It's a smaller town with a thriving art culture.

what makes you tick?

There's plenty of things that make me tick..... but sartorially, It's really hard for me to focus when I see a gentleman who has the bottom button of his waistcoat or blazer buttoned.

The bow tie that Ellie offered as the first prize in the April That Dapper Chap Instagram contest

Do you have a strap line, values or a mission statement that the business lives by?

In all we do, we strive to be truly Cordial and hope to inspire others to be cordial as well. A gentleman should dress and act in a way that sets others at ease and that's what we try to do and encourage.

The Cordial Churchman website

What are you most proud of?

When I first started sewing the bow ties, I thought I'd mastered the skill. What amazed me is that when I started teaching our seamstresses, they would catch on so well that they were actually making them better than I was. As a teacher, it was a real thrill to see our sewers grow to such experts. As a the business owner, I was glad to know that I would be able to offer a quality well made product that was made with such precision and care.

Stunning bow ties at just $40

What do you take inspiration from?

I'm mostly inspired by fabric - the color of the threads and texture of the weave. But I draw inspiration from everwhere such as perusing the clothing at a local thrift store, travelling to larger cities, pictures on tumblr or instagram of stylish gentlemen, an abstract painting, a vintage print, the color of someone's eyes, a book about vintage clothing.

The stunning Gary patchwork Madras check tie. $42.00

What's your favourite material to work with?

I love a good wool tweed!

The Dungloe Dongeal Tweed bow tie $38.00

Due you attend any shows with your products?

Only shows here in South Carolina and the surrounding states, but I'm open it.

The stand at one of their local shows

What's the future?

Our customer have been requesting braces for years and we're excited to begin selling these. We also hope to move into more retail stores this year.

The fantastic braces

A close up of the hand worked leather

My look with the Cordial Churchmans braces. Posted to Instagram

Where do you want to be in 5 years?

I've never been good at this planning thing. If you'd asked me 5 years ago where I'd be, I'd never have imagined this. We love making the bow ties and I hope we can continue to do that as long as possible, but it would be fun to move into making other products as well.

I just hope that in 5 years, we've inspired many people to be a bit more cordial in the way they dress, speak and act.

Carlee, Erica, Ellie, Dominique in the TCC studio

Huge thanks to Ellie and the team at The Cordial Churchman for taking the time to speak to me and share their products. I wish them the very best of luck with their continued success and look forward to more products popping up on their site and their Instagram feed.

Find The Cordial Churchman

Website: www.thecordialchurchman.com

Facebook: facebook.com/The-Cordial-Churchman

Twitter: twitter.com/cordialchurchmn

Instagram: instagram.com/CordialChurchmn

Pinterest: pinterest.com/tcchurchman

THANKS FOR READING!

Jonathan showing his dapper side

That Dapper Chap interviews Canada's Sharpest man. Stylist, blogger and style inspiration: Jonathan Cavaliere

Meet Jonathan

Jonathan is the guy who has inspired me to be where I am today,he ignited my interest in menswear and set me on my sartorial journey.

While looking around on the web for one thing or another I happened upon his blog, I read a bit, I read a bit more and the found myself searching for items that he has featured on his blog for me to wear to emulate his style. If that's not inspiration and makes him the best person for my very first 'StyleSpitation' feature I don't know what is!

The Interview

TDC - How long have you been interested in menswear and who or what inspired your interest?

JC - I have probably been inspired by menswear since I was 10 years old. At that age, it was more about a search for the man I wanted to become rather than just clothing. I idolized many different people whether they were actors, athletes, or people on the street, but I always found one common denominator, they all dressed well. At the age of 17 I started working in retail selling men’s suiting. Not knowing much about suits at the time I was determined to learn everything I possibly could which would allow me to be one of the best at my job. As the years went by I slowly honed my skill and menswear became more of a passion rather than just a job.

Looking smart in monochrome

TDC - That learning has really paid off for you! Congratulations on becoming Canada’s Sharpest Man. I voted for you a number of times. Has it opened many doors for you? Is fashion your career now?

JC - Thank you! Being crowded Canada’s Sharpest Man more than anything gave me the backing I needed to pursue a career in a female driven industry. Females whether its womenswear or menswear dominate the job market in Toronto and before winning my sartorial accolade I always found because I was young, male, and heterosexual there wasn’t going to be a place for me. Once I got the title I was contacted by many brands and guys who wanted to know my opinion on different menswear related topics which I feel in a way opened the door for other guys who want to pursue fashion as a career! The fashion industry is one of those career paths where you can dabble in so many different channels. At the moment, I am blogging on MrCavaliere.com full time, but I also do men’s personal shopping and image consulting on the side as well as creative direction for local menswear boutique.

The winner of the Canada's Sharpest man competition

TDC - I’ve seen a few styling projects of yours. Is this the way forward for you? Personal stylist?

JC - At the moment personal styling and blogging have been awesome and brought up some great opportunities. The guys that I help on JonathanCavaliere.com are very grateful for my services and a lot of the time I feel like the only reason I put in the extra work is because of how appreciative my clients are. At the end of the day though you never really know what the future holds.

The Mr cavaliere Blog

TDC - So, you've styled many guys, but what is your 'go to' look

JC - Well this depends on the season and the occasion of course, but I would say a white club collared dress shirt, my blue plaid wool waist coat, a grey tweed blazer, a paisley pocket square, royal blue chinos, a printed sock, and my navy wingtip boots.

TDC - You mentioned colour, pattern or texture there but if you could only have one which would you prefer?

JC - I would definitely choose pattern. Pattern is one of those elements of dressing that guys stay away from but is ultimately the difference between a good look and a great look. Pattern can be as striking as color and can be confused for texture. It’s truly the secret that gives your outfit depth and visual interest.

Jonathan in a more relaxed style with camo patterned joggers

Stan the Mannequin, styled in pattern by Mr Cavaliere

TDC - You're clearly on your A game, you must consume fashion every day. What would you recommend to my readers?

JC - I read about men’s fashion to keep me up to date on what’s going on and sometimes even to inspire my own look. Most of the fashion literature I read is from the internet. Blogs and online magazines are the best source of up to date information as you can interpret it through the likes of picture, words, and video. Some of my favorite sources are GQ.com, Why-youmad.com, and Fashionbeans.com

Jonathan embracing colour

TDC - If you could have one fashion wish what would it be?

JC - If I could have anything it would probably be a custom bespoke glen check 3-piece suit made to my exact specifications.

TDC - I'm with you on that one! Now lets flip that around; what's your pet hate in menswear? I know at least two of them!

JC - I actually have quite a few but if I had to choose one it would probably be tying your tie abnormally short. I’m not talking just above your belt buckle, I’m talking about those guys whose bottom two buttons of their shirt are exposed because their tie finishes in the middle of their sternum. Chances are if you don’t take the time to tie your tie to the proper length the rest of your outfit was put together with the same carelessness.

Wearing the perfect length tie

TDC - Good advice on the tie! but what advice would you ofer to someone who came to you for help with an outfit for a summer wedding?

JC - The great thing about dressing for summer weddings is that you can have a little more fun with fabric and color. I would do a slim beige cotton suit, a madras printed button down collared shirt, a navy knitted tie, a solid colored tie bar, a linen brown tipped pocket square, a braided belt, and a suede brogue. It’s breathable for the summers warm but smart enough that you won’t be underdressed.

TDC - Duly noted! I have two weddings coming up very soon! Time to go shopping! I'm staying over for one of them so what three essentials would you suggest that I pack in my case?

JC - I don’t classify myself as an expert on packing but there are a couple of items I won’t leave without. I always pack great underwear first when I go away. I think there are a couple reasons why I do this. Firstly so I don’t forget it but secondly so I am comfortable where ever I am heading. Sometimes being away from home can be a pain and having comfy underwear can be exactly what you need to make everything a little bit more bearable. Who knows you might get lucky and at least you’ll be prepared!

The second item I bring is my leather Roots tote bag for all my toiletries. There’s something about this particular bag that I love, It could be that I carry a little piece of Canada with me no matter where I go or that I got it for free but for some reason it’s always there for my various travels. Lastly I can’t leave without my hair product. I use Schwarzkopf Got 2 b glued because it has the perfect hold on my pin straight hair. If you’ve seen MrCavaliere.com a lot of my looks compliment a cleaner hair style and for this reason I can’t settle for a product that won’t give me the hold I need. So I never go away without it!

Raising the smart level of chinos with a double breasted blazer

TDC - You mentioned 'getting lucky' So, It's your first date (not that you, as a gentleman, would expect to get lucky on your first date of course)but she's booked a table at a local restaurant, what are you going to wear other than great underwear?

JC - On first dates I like to dress inconspicuously, but fashion forward at the same time. The reason why is because first dates should be about letting your guard down to allow yourself to get to know the other person and your attire should represent that.

I also never wear a tie on a first date, and there are two reasons why. The first reason is related to the letting your guard down theory, it allows you to get to know the person without you looking like it’s a serious business meeting. The second reason is because it shows off your collar bone. Your collar bone is a place on your body that doesn’t build fat and when seen, it gives the illusion that the rest your body is just as chiselled as your exposed chest bone. Don’t take it too far though two buttons maximum.

With this being said I would probably wear a button down collared shirt, a solid colored cardigan, a denim jacket, navy chinos, and a casual sneaker or leather boot.

Jonathan, date ready?

TDC - Your wardrobe can't just be full of great pieces. What's the most horrible thing you own that you just can't get rid of?

JC - I own these black Adidas trainers that are destroyed and for some reason I can’t throw them out. I wear them when I’m cutting the grass or going to get the newspaper as they literally tear at the seams. It’s probably because they were the first shoes that I really wanted as a kid that my mother actually got for me! I usually would get an option between two pairs I didn’t like and would have to wear them till the sole fell off. This deprivation of shoes I liked may be another small reason of why I got into fashion!

TDC - We all have something like that. With that in mind, what advice would you give to a young man who wasn't sure about his style and what choices to make?

JC - A lot of people say start with the basics but I feel you should start with what not to wear first.

One of the first posts I did on MrCavaliere.com was a what not to wear post because I think it’s more beneficial to know what not to buy before you go spending your money.

In a way it’s like un-teaching bad sartorial choices so there is room for new good wardrobe decisions. After you’ve taken the menswear rules into account, then it’s time to start investing in your essentials!

TDC - Great advice! I know that you've done various collarerations and I've seen video of you too (see below)but what’s next for Mr Cavaliere?

JC - At the moment I am just working on making MrCavaliere.com as good as it can possibly be. Like anything that’s worth it, it takes a lot of time and commitment and hopefully one day the Mr. Cavaliere can be a recognised style source for all things menswear related.

At the end of the day you never know what the future holds that’s why I just taking everything one step at a time!

I'd like to thank Jonathan wholeheartedly for not only being the subject of my very first StyleSpiration piece but also for being my initial inspiration which has taken me to where I am today. Check him out and I'm sure you'll be inspired too.