A Cut and A Cut
I recently stopped by Dunhill’s Bourdon House to see barber extraordinaire Brent Pankhurst and to refill my supply of his short hair creme, the only thing that will keep my stubborn locks in check. The newly re-packaged products come in black metal canisters and pumps that would be equally at home in a stealth jet or on a marble countertop. The old plastic was fine, but it’s just plain enjoyable scooping the morning’s dollop out of something as cool as what’s inside.
My hair-product-packaging fetishism aside, there’s other big news on the Pankhurst front. He’s moving. After 6 years at Dunhill, in both Jermyn Street and Bourdon House, Mr. Pankhurst is heading to Savile Row. It’s about the only step up he can make, although technically he’ll be moving down from the first floor at Bourdon House to the lower ground at tailor Nick Tentis. Direction is relative, is it not? The new shop will open early January, and you can expect the typical Brent Pankhurst hallmarks – lots of McQueen photos, a haircut second to none, and a distinct aura of manliness.
Plus, there will be Brent. If you’re anything like me, the second most important thing about a barber, after the cut they give you of course, is their personality. I want someone I’m happy to go chat with every few weeks. Someone who takes the time and consideration to make me feel welcome, relaxed, and indulged for those precious moments of respite from the outside world. Dropping by for a cut with Brent is stopping by to chat with an old friend, and you happen to come out looking refreshed.
Even if you’re not in the market for a new barber, I highly recommend stopping in Nick Tentis’s new premises in Savile Row. Although they’ve been around doing bespoke for years, Nick Tentis just moved into the space that belonged for years to Paraboot but had remained vacant for as long as I’ve been exploring the Row. Done up to look like the bedroom from Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, decorated with saddle-wearing birds and mustachioed fox heads, and filled with exciting clothes, Tentis’s shop is one part simplicity, one part tomfoolery, and one part serious tailoring. Their outerwear in particular caught my attention – single breasted, belted wool coat in an oversize grey Prince of Wales with a purple overcheck might be the best coat I’ve seen in a very long time. Certainly not traditional Savile Row aesthetic, but beautiful, innovative, and bringing Brent Pankhurst to the Row. Not bad Mr. Tentis, not bad at all.
