Suited and booted for the big wedding

A Newbury tailor could shoot to global fame in an international film about the upcoming royal wedding

A NEWBURY tailor who has ‘suited and booted' several locals on the royal wedding guest list in April could also shoot to global fame in an international film about the event.

Suits Newbury, in Weaver's Walk, owned by Mark Fish, has recently measured up locals from the Bucklebury area for suits, invited to the April 29 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, with members of the Middleton family said to be among these.

Mr Fish said he was dressing “about ten of the guests” including Hash Shingadia and his wife Chan, proprietors of Peach's Store, Long Grove, Upper Bucklebury.

While at the store for his fitting last Thursday afternoon (March 17), Mr Shingadia said he would be wearing a morning suit with a tie in a co-ordinating colour to his wife's sari.

“Mr wife is flying to India to buy a sari,” said Mr Shingadia, who has been at the Bucklebury store for 13 years and during that time, served several members of the Middleton family, including Kate and her fiance, Prince William.

“They are always popping in - and Kate and William too,” he said, adding they were “very surprised, but very very happy,” to get an invite and currently mulling over what to buy for a wedding present.

“It's very, very difficult as to what is appropriate, but will be something traditional, from India - my home country,” he said.

Mr Fish and Mr Shingadia have been filmed as part of a longer documentary about the royal wedding, to be broadcast on a new American Discovery channel.

“The film crew were quizzing me on the style of dress and type of neck tie you would wear,” said Mr Fish, who pointed out this should be classic English morning tails:

“For a ‘Joe public' wedding you would have wing collars, but the royals always wear a regular collar and tie,” he said.

Waiscoats, he continued, were also ‘de rigueur' at royal weddings: “If you look at photos of Prince William and Kate attending a recent wedding he's wearing a waistcoat - it's very classic, old style and that's what I'm trying to put my customers in.”

“They don't want to look like a lemon!” added Mr Fish, who is to close his shop on the day - to watch how his suits shape up on television.