Pickett
I’VE GENUINE AFFECTION for the Eighties, that much-maligned decade that heralded a welcome return to classic British style after the dubious interlude of the Sixties and Seventies. In the slipstream of Chariots of Fire, Brideshead Revisited and The Sloane Ranger Handbook, the eternal verities were back. Founded by Trevor Pickett in 1988, this luxury leather goods brand was born on the crest of that wave. It’s surfed it with elegance ever since. Occupying the sweetest of spots between impeccable craftsmanship and aspirational products, Pickett has an address to match. Its twin stores command an exceptional view straight up Savile Row.
Apparently tiny, they’re actually quite spacious, with basement showrooms reached via vertiginous stairs. The rear windows give on to the fabled Rope Walk of Albany, the most exclusive apartment building in London. I’d stake a sizeable sum on the probability that Albany’s residents are Pickett regulars, faithful to its extensive range of ready-made and bespoke wallets, briefcases, holdalls, gloves, belts and washbags, as well as complete sets of luggage that can be customised to one’s precise specifications. Having been instrumental in introducing pashminas and kilim slippers into pukka British wardrobes, Pickett represents the best of Sloane style: discreet but not dull, timeless but of-the-moment.
See also: George Cleverley, Smythson
