Tucked away at the far end from Jermyn street in the Piccadilly arcade one finds Budd Shirtmakers (3 Piccadilly Arcade). The store’s history reaches back over 100 years (established in 1910), clearly the men at Budd have been doing something right. The store has that genuine worn in look and feel to it that can only be attained by decades of use, I’d imagine the store has not been redone for at least half its existence. Depending on your preference this either greatly adds to your experience at the store or it detracts from it, I tend to think it adds.
Although Budd prides itself on being a bespoke shirtmaker it has expanded into ready to wear shirts, neckties, bowties, robes, and pocket squares among other things (which is the case with all Jermyn Street stores). Like most of Jermyn Streets bespoke shirtmakers Budd requires a minimum order of shirts. I believe it was 3 shirts at around 185 each. I was unable to see any of the completed bespoke shirts, unfortunately. However, I hear their shirts are a good value.
Aside from their shirts there are two products that Budd stocks that should be noted. The first are madder silk ties. Madder silk is dyed with vegetable dye, instead of chemical dyes which creates a different look to the tie. A somewhat muted and elegant look, in my opinion. Madder silk is somewhat hard to come by these days, I regret not purchasing one of the ties.
The second product of note are batwing bow ties. Much like madder silk, batwings are not as prevalent as they used to be. Also like madder silk, the elegance of a batwing has never waned. Batwings are defined by their shape, which is that of the bow tie on the right and left in the picture. They have straight edges which when tied create a different aesthetic than the more common butterfly bow tie.
If traveling the promised land that is Jermyn Street one should put Budd on the list of must see stores. If not for its shirts then definitely for its old school atmosphere, madder silk ties, batwing bow ties and reasonable prices.
