Jeremy Hackett - The Mr Classic Blog

Having just returned from The Festival of Speed at Goodwood it occurred to me that while it is not the most sartorially inclined occasion, unlike The Revival meeting later in the season, the cars are amazing.

Jeremy Hackett

It was a real thrill to meet the Williams F1 driver, Valterri Bottas the other night and to notice how he handled his interviews back to back with journalists from motoring magazines. He was assured, calm and considered as he neatly answered all the questions put to him in a truly professional manner, without doubt he has all the attributes required of a great racing driver.

With barely time for a pit stop we were off to the Hackett event at our  Regent Street shop. The shop was heaving by the time we arrived and the Martini's were flowing  (thank you Martini). Not only was a Williams race car on display but a simulator had been set up which Bottas gamely took part in, setting a lap record for our guests to improve upon, of course no one came near.



Having had a couple of drinks I declined to take up the offer of competing for the fear of being arrested for being drunk while at the wheel of a simulator. I suspect that Bottas having negotiated his way around the shop for two hours and being constantly asked for a photo or his opinion on this and that he was beginning to think that the event had been more pressurising than two hours on the race track with a Ferrari in his slipstream but he never let it show. Thank you Valterri for making the evening such a success.

Jeremy Hackett

A huge and heartfelt congratulations to William Fox- Pitt on his second win at the Badminton Horse Trials on Sunday after an incredibly tense show jumping round. It must be more than twenty five years ago that I met the young Fox-Pitt an up and coming three day event rider at Gatcombe  Park horse trials. I was so struck by his riding ability that I decided to sponsor him, it helped that he was a good looking fellow. 

Credit: William Fox-Pitt photographed by Garda Tang for my book Mr Classic
The sponsorship ran for a number of years  and during that time we regularly took Hackett trade stands at all the major three day eventing events. We introduced a William Fox- Pitt polo shirt in his cross country colours which was always a sellout, bought by his admiring fans mostly teenage girls who adored him. 

I remember having riding lessons from him (long before he gave lessons to Madonna) and him being very patient when I rode one of his event horses very badly. Whilst we never had the good fortune to win Badminton, throughout our sponsorship I have fond memories of the time but as they say in the equestrian world " that's horses".  Well done William.

Jeremy Hackett

Last year, my half brother Robert very kindly sent me from the U.S a pair of Randolph sunglasses explaining that our  father an ex  Colonel  and flight surgeon in the U.S Air Force ( it's a long story) wore them frequently when flying. I showed them to our buying department suggesting that we stock them in our Spitalfields shop  where from time to time we drop in products outside of Hackett branded goods because we believe in their authenticity and find that they are complimentary to the brand. 

The classic Randolph aviator fulfills that criteria perfectly as they are purposeful, well made and have long been in use by the American military. I am thrilled to announce that they are now available in our Spitalfields shop. I shall be making a trip to the South of France shortly sporting my Randolph Sunnies where famously Somerset Maugham commented "A sunny place for shady characters". I should fit in perfectly.

Jeremy Hackett

Last week I was in Amsterdam for the latest Hackett shop opening and at the party to celebrate the occasion I was chatting to a journalist who mentioned that Amsterdam is considered the capital of denim so much so that there is course available to study denim. I supposed that once you had completed the course you would be awarded a degree in Jeaniology.

Wandering around Amsterdam I was struck by how many famous jean brands had set up shop in the city from Pepe Jeans to Levi's. I remember when I was around 14 buying my first pair of shrink to fit Levi's and sitting in the bath as they shrunk. I then moved on to a pair of bell bottom Levi's, it was the 70s and in the early 80s I was barely out of Levi's 501s. To this day I still wear Levi's,  my preferred fit being 505s which I buy from a little shop called Cinch off Carnaby St, they are narrow but not skinny, there now I've said it, the Jeanie's out of the bottle.



I often read articles written by fashion pundits that men should not wear jeans after the age of thirty, advice that is widely ignored by the vast majority myself included. At Hackett, our five pocket jeans regularly top the list of best sellers and looking at recent fashion pages it seems that denim is enjoying a revival in the guise of double denim, although I'm sure for many people it never went away. Passing the smart French shoemaker Corthay in well heeled Belgravia I spotted in their window a pair of properly made shoes with dark denim uppers which I thought would look great once they are beaten up a bit but wearing them with jeans might be taking double denim a step to far.

Jeremy Hackett

It was a bitter sweet Sunday afternoon as I settled down to watch the England Rugby team take on Ireland in what I optimistically thought would be England's  third win of the the six nations; only it wasn't to be. Somewhat deflated by the unfortunate result of the match my spirits were lifted when Chelsea held the League cup aloft. To see Jose Mourinho so obviously ecstatic at his teams win was a rare sight. Mourinho rolling around on the grass in his Hackett Chelsea suit like a ten year old made me think that I shall probably be getting a call from Chelsea, no not to play but to provide their manager with a new suit which of course I shall happily oblige. I just wondered if we had kitted out Stuart Lancaster in a Hackett suit would the outcome of England's match have been different? I shall spare you my cod analysis of the matches suffice to say commiseration to England and congratulations to Chelsea.

Jeremy Hackett