ASK JJ LEE

Thi s week: London shops!

Q I’m not saying you would do this, but if you did want to run up a credit card in London, England, during the Olympics, what would you bring back?

A I never realized “going for the gold” in London 2012 could mean an Olympian-yettheoretical spending spree. I will assume it is at your expense.

May you have the fleet feet of Usain Bolt to evade the collection agent, because London, as far as I am concerned, is the capital of menswear, with as many sartorial must-see sites as it has historical ones. In fact, the task is so mammoth, it could qualify as its own competitive event.

To warm up, I would get into the Anglophilic mood by swinging by Sunspel’s store in Soho (40 Old Compton St.). Sunspel has made underwear since 1860. It has famously kitted super spy James Bond with swim shorts (Sean Connery), T-shirts and navy blue polos (Daniel Craig). I would buy Sunspel’s marine stripe T-shirt with an Irish cream background (£30, $48) because I, by way of sartorial splendidness, merely carry a licence to thrill.

And of course there’s always Savile Row, the global centre of bespoke/ hand-tailoring. Emperors, kings, dukes and prime ministers have shopped here. But there’s no reason to be shy. A good Savile Row front-of-shop man or woman is a generous soul. One can’t have class if one is a snob.

However, once over the threshold, I would hold no hope of buying bespoke clothes. I can’t get around the fact it can take months to create a bespoke suit. Still, I wouldn’t leave emptyhanded with a visit to Gieves & Hawkes at No. 1 Savile Row, where a big Union Jack proudly flies in the front and, more importantly, they sell ready-to-wear. My choice would be their super sporty, blazing red chinos that say nothing if not “Cool Britannia” (£150, $240).