The true secret to a good suit lies not in its complex details, impeccable lining or masterful stitching. Instead, it exists in its tailor’s ability to discover the inherent individual style of the suit’s intended owner – the unique combination of sartorial elements that imbue the owner with an understated confidence, a natural elegance and a feeling that he could wear the suit forever. It is this simple yet crucial understanding that has proven the means of success for 31-year-old tailor Patrick Johnson who, from his Sydney-based atelier P.Johnson Tailors (he also has an outpost in Melbourne), dedicates himself to discovering the inherent style of all manner of gentlemen.
“My childhood dream was to stop getting into trouble,” Patrick Johnson laughs when asked of the aspirations of his youth. But aside from eschewing mischief, his plans as a young boy growing up on a property just outside Adelaide never ventured far into his future. His appreciation for sharply tailored suits, however, began to form quite early on. “My stepfather always had his suits made on Savile Row and is an immaculately dressed man,” Patrick marvels. “I used to sneak into his beautiful dressing room, where all his jackets and shoes were laid out, perfectly colour-coordinated. He used to go to London three times a year to do his clothes shopping and get all his suits made. He really is a true gentleman.”
As he began to inherit his stepfather’s old jackets, Patrick’s passion for suits started to stir. His first suit, a hand-me-down that he treasured dearly, consisted of a tweed riding jacket complete with hacking pockets and a vest, which had originally come from the iconic Henry Poole tailors on Savile Row. “I used to wear it with riding trousers and I wore it everywhere,” he recalls. “I loved that thing. I’d even wear it while riding a motorbike – I never wanted to take it off.”
When he finally finished high school and it came time to choose a career, Patrick meandered down a path well trodden by native South Australians. “At the time I had no idea what I wanted to do,” he says. “Growing up in South Australia, you either become a doctor, a lawyer or a winemaker.”
He chose the latter, enrolling in a science degree majoring in oenology, but was soon dealt a blow when he developed an acute allergy to sulphur dioxide – the preservative used in most wines. Despite becoming quite ill from working in the wineries, Patrick decided to go to France to give the profession one last try. When he finally realised that it wasn’t meant to be, his disappointment was only half-hearted. “To be honest, I wasn’t that upset about it,” he admits. “It wasn’t really my passion.”
At the same time, Patrick’s brother was studying at Cambridge in the UK. Weighing up his options as to what to do next, Patrick decided to indulge the passion of his youth and enrolled in Central St Martins College in London to study fashion. During his studies, he had a chance encounter with tailor Robert Emmett, based in the London borough of Chelsea, and began working with him on small tasks. “As soon as I started with him, I knew that was what I wanted to do,” Patrick says. “It was more the man than the actual tailoring that inspired me to start with – I just fell in love with that whole lifestyle of being a tailor.”
Taking Patrick under his wing, Robert not only began to school his young pupil in the art of English tailoring but, perhaps more significantly, in the intricacies of Italian sartorialism, which is what caught Patrick’s eye. “I had a massive respect for English tailoring,” Patrick explains. “But for me it was much more about Italy. I spent a lot of time with Robert at workshops in Naples and in Parma and there are a lot of different technical things that I love about Italian tailoring. It’s a really different way of thinking about clothes: where the Brits are a little bit stiff in their way of thinking, the Italians live in their clothes and have a softer style of tailoring. The Italians wear smart casual really well in a way that’s really relevant and modern.”
Reflecting on the greatest lessons he learned from Robert, Patrick says the education was vast. “When I came to Rob, I was essentially a fashion student who thought that Helmut Lang was the best thing in the world,” he laughs. “But he never criticised anything I ever did, even if he didn’t like the look of it. He let me find my own path. Another thing I learned from Rob was not to be in a rush – have patience, take your time and give your best every time.”
When Patrick eventually moved back to Australia, he faced the task of adapting his tailoring style to the warmer climate and the fickle tastes of Australian men. But he quickly found a dedicated clientele. “Suits are definitely becoming more fashionable among younger guys now, but a lot of my clients are 50–80 years old and have always had their suits made in England on Savile Row and in Italy,” he says. “They’re really into it, but they don’t advertise it, talk about it or put it up on a blog – it’s just for them.”
While Patrick’s own dapper style has been well documented, including on Tommy Ton’s coveted fashion blog Jak & Jill, his focus is not on keeping things on trend. “The most important thing is to wear clothes that feel like they’re right for you; clothes that suit you,” he explains. “People come in with an image of someone, like Prince Michael of Kent, and say they want a suit like his. But, let’s face it, he’s 6’2” and the Queen’s cousin – it’s probably not going to work for them.”
Interacting with his clients, Patrick says, is one of the things he loves most about his trade – in particular the challenge of finding someone’s unique inherent style. “Everyone has their own idea of themselves in their head and so you have to try to work out what that vision is,” he says. “Tailoring is really a personal journey for every individual; there’s no right or wrong. And while I think this new wave of fashion blogs on the internet is fantastic, you have to have caution with it because there are some that kind of bully people and say you have to do this or that – and it’s bullshit. You can do whatever you want and it’s about experiencing it.”
Of the gents that the 31-year-old tailor lists as style inspirations, many are closer to home than traditional fashion icons. “I’ve got some clients in Sydney who really inspire me and not just in the way they dress but the way the live their lives,” Patrick says. “It’s not flashy or pretentious.”
Further afield, Patrick admires the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel and Gianni Agnelli, as well as the subtle sartorial stylings of Prince Charles. “His style is incredibly understated,” Patrick explains of his admiration. “A lot of people just don’t get it and think it’s boring. But if you look at what he’s actually doing, it’s fantastic, particularly if you like the English style.”
The greatest challenge since he started his business, he reveals, is keeping his designs fresh and original. “You see it a lot with menswear in Australia – people copying something that’s been done in Europe,” he says. “It’s pretty easy to do because people haven’t seen it here. It’s hard to always keep things very original and to always be true to yourself, not letting the public push you in any direction aesthetically. You need to get out there and travel a lot and go to places like Europe and find things that inspire you and then interpret them.”
Patrick’s words of advice to gents relate to what he regards as the most important element of style. “Always be well-mannered,” he says. “I think it applies to everyone, because, no matter what your style or personality is, you can always manage to have good manners.”