Jas van ambassadeur Allard Merens c. 1945 - 1976

This is ambassador Allard Merens’ jacket, made by Chalk & Dawson Ltd. Jones, whenever that was. Imagine the hand that sewed those glittering gold threads into the collar and cuffs. I wonder if it felt like drawing? The fabric is like a dark, smooth ground and these shining motifs are like sharp, gestural marks that pop and sing. It makes me think about the power of detail and the way a small gesture can communicate so much. The tailor has made something that is both functional and decorative. It must have been worn with pride but also with the weight of responsibility. Maybe tailoring is just another form of painting - building layers of meaning and expression with every stitch. Certainly, like painters, tailors are in conversation with history, drawing on tradition and innovating with new techniques. It's an embodied practice that invites us to consider the interplay between craftsmanship, identity, and representation.