Philippa Coates

A little bit about me....

I joined Savile Row in 2002 having just completed a degree and thinking I knew everything! My degree was in Threatrical Costume Production so I had spent three years making everything from period dresses (including corsets and bustles) to trilbys a and 7 fold ties.
Arriving at Savile Row and realising that these old established companies weren't begging this 21 year old girl to work for them was no surprise, but realising I would have to start at the very bottom was.
I worked for free sewing on buttons doing alterations, running errands in the rain making tea, anything I could to enable me to spend some time with the illustrious coat makers. Being self employed the last thing these masters want to do is have someone hanging off the end of their board watching them all day. But by doing odd jobs I started being able to pad collars and canvases and became useful resulting in me producing bastes for fittings at No1 Savile Row Gieves and Hawkes.

It was at Gieves and Hawkes I was given the opportunity to work in the cutting room, trimming jobs and trotting errands at first but finally I managed to secure a job as an undercutter to Kathryn Sargent. I worked at Gieves and Hawkes for 3 years before moving onto H Huntsman and Sons for 5 years working under the Head Cutter Mr Patrick Murphy after that I then became Head Cutter at Cad and the Dandy a young company that moved onto Savile Row this year and needed my experience to start a truly bespoke department.



It was in August 2013 when things all changed, I married my Savile Row tailor boyfriend and we moved to Shanghai! Peter Coates was a Master tailor currently making bespoke coats and was offered a role with Alfred Dunhill in China. We decided to make the move and I intend to see what opportunities are available for me in Asia now.  So those of you who knew me as Pippa May of Savile Row I would like to introduce myself as Philippa Coates of Shanghai! 

This is my blog, it is a bit about me, a bit about our journey and a lot about tailoring. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy what follows.


Philippa Coates