Black Caps captain suiting up
IF ALL eyes weren’t already on Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum, they will be now.
McCullum has teamed up with well-known suit tailor Serena Kelsey, who has designed and made bespoke garments for royalty, legal professionals and A-list celebrities, including supermodel Kate Moss.
And it seems their partnership could not have come a moment too soon, as a well-dressed McCullum gave evidence for the prosecution in former teammate Chris Cairns’ perjury trial in London last week.
But while McCullum was not wearing one of Kelsey’s designs, his lawyer, Garth Gallaway, was.
It was Gallaway who introduced the two.
Kelsey, who began her bespoke tailoring business in London in the late 80s, said her partnership with McCullum was for mutual benefit – he would look ‘‘fantastic’’ wearing her garments to events and she would get publicity.
‘‘We met, we spoke about it, and basically it is to help one another,’’ she said.
‘‘I’ll help him by making him look fantastic, yet slightly different, so he doesn’t look like every other Tom, Dick and Harry, and he will help me get my brand out there,’’ she said.
‘‘Here, there aren’t very many people in the public eye and Brendon’s got the right image for me and I have the right image for him.
‘‘It’s great to have him as a partner. He’s a very nice guy.’’
They also shared a love for horse racing, Kelsey said.
McCullum owns and syndicates thoroughbreds through his company Vermair Racing. Kelsey is in the middle of making McCullum a racing jacket.
She hoped their partnership would encourage more Kiwi women and men to dress better.
‘‘It’s getting better now, but when I arrived, I was walking down Queen Street and my eyes almost fell out of their sockets. There were jandals, check shirts and shorts,’’ she said.
‘‘Fair to say it was a bit of a culture shock coming from London.’’
Kelsey established Contemporary Tailors in Auckland in 2013. Before that, she had two stores in London.
She is now an Auckland suit tailor and creates garments for many of New Zealand’s top executives and lawyers.
She was voted Menswear Designer of The Year in 2001 by GQ readers.