Celebrating a marriage between Favourbrook and Eastnor Castle

The heritage tailoring label shoots its latest autumn/winter collection in the storied halls of Eastnor Castle

Designer Oliver Spencer started Favourbrook in the late 1980s when, as an art school graduate, he began trading in second-hand clothes. He came across some “seconds” stock of silk fabric, which he made into waistcoats and sold them on a stall in the Portobello Road in London. His venture received a leg up when he supplied some of the wardrobe of Four Weddings and a Funeral, for which the Favourbrook take on occasion wear was well suited.

Today, Favourbrook is based in a beautiful building designed by Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens in Pall Mall, virtually opposite the RAC Club. It continues to be a favourite among those looking to dress up for weddings, parties and the social season. It became the Official Menswear Licensee of Royal Ascot in 2019 and, bar a year off during Covid, still fulfils this role, and regularly kits-out people looking for traditional white- and black-tie, morning suits or a more fashionable take on eveningwear for men and, for women, party attire. Customers have included an eclectic mix of stylish dressers, from the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood to Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page.

Each season Oliver Spencer looks for a venue at which to shoot his new collection and for this autumn/winter he chose Eastnor Castle.

"Outside, the gardens, lawns, lake and the Norman-revival castle suggested a celebratory mood like you might find at a wedding; inside, the vibe was of a weekend house party"
Oliver Spencer, Founder and Designer, Favourbrook

‘A friend of mine who had stayed at the Castle showed me pictures of it and I was blown away,’ says Spencer. ‘It’s a very unusual place, as it is not a chintzy traditional English country house, but much more glamorous and atmospheric than that. I felt it would be the perfect backdrop of my new Favourbrook collection, which is full of bold tones and textural fabrics and nods to the so-called “peacock revolution”, which took place in the ’60s and ’70s.’

The designer came with his team to Eastnor with racks of frilly cotton poplin dress shirts in muted pink and ivory, and a large selection of velvet smoking and dinner jackets. Favourbrook is known for its use of velvet in deep hues and this collection features the plush fabric in a port-coloured red, chocolate brown and emerald and olive green. Corduroy also showcases a rich palette of pink, olive, moss green and navy.

"The castle has hosted many spectacular weddings over the years, including the fictional one between Shiv Roy and Tom Wambsgans in Succession, Season 1"
Imogen Hervey-Bathurst, owner and resident of Eastnor Castle

Spencer explains that he feels putting on your finest should be fun. ‘I’ve always seen Favourbrook as a collection for people who want to enjoy the whole dressing-up experience. They want to look great and feel great. And they also want to look stylish.’ In Eastnor Castle he found a setting that could bring to mind different sorts of special occasions for which you might look to Favourbrook for your outfit.

‘What I found at Eastnor was a great outdoors setting with gardens and lawns and the lake at the back of the castle, as well as its Gothic Norman-revival exterior,’ says Spencer. ‘This suggested a celebratory mood, like you might find at a wedding, and at Favourbrook we certainly cater to a lot of people getting married. But then inside, the vibe was more that of a weekend house party.’

What he particularly liked about the interior was its eclectic mix of furnishings and furniture. ‘The castle is full of fascinating objects and has a really opulent, sumptuous look. This worked brilliantly with the colours and textures of the collection, like my velvet and wide-waled corduroy pieces, which hold their colour so well and look so tactile.’

‘The castle has hosted many spectacular weddings over the years,’ says Imogen Hervey-Bathurst, who lives at Eastnor. ‘These include the fictional one between Shiv Roy and Tom Wambsgans in Succession, Season 1,’ she jokes. ‘So because Favourbrook is so associated with wedding and party wardrobes, we felt that Eastnor would make a great setting for Oliver’s latest collection.’

The marriage of Favourbrook and Eastnor has certainly produced some memorable images.

For more information about Favourbrook, visit favourbrook.com

 To book a wedding at Eastnor Castle, email hayley@eastnorcastle.com or call 01531 633160