After 27,200 days as the heir, Charles Philip Arthur George will today be officially crowned King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Video /AP
The clothes maketh the man – and broadcaster Mike Hosking’s outfit has now been revealed as he heads to Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The Newstalk ZB host found himself in London without appropriate attire for the once-in-a-lifetime occasion and headed to Savile Rowe this week in the hunt for the perfect suit, the broadcaster’s wife Kate Hawkesby shared on Instagram.
And today Hawkesby, who hosts Early Edition on ZB, has revealed the final result, with Hosking decked out in a dark blue seersucker with a very fine pinstripe – complete with white buttons (which she said was the “on-trend new look”).
”When Mike asked them to change to buttons to dark ones instead, the tailor and stylist was like… ‘Ummm, prefer not to if you don’t mind, as that’s THE look’ (so God forbid we mess with ‘THE LOOK’).”
Hawkesby posted on her Instagram stories Savile Rowe has long been known for traditional bespoke tailoring for men, and fittingly – no pun intended – has been the location where men of royal descent have been dressed for centuries.
Kate Hawkesby has shared the outfit reveal. Photo / Instagram
Kate Hawkesby has shared Mike Hosking's journey to finding the perfect coronation outfit. Photo / Instagram
Built between 1731 and 1735, the development was home to the creator of the dinner jacket, Henry Poole, in 1846, and later Henry Huntsman of H. Huntsman & Sons. Savile Row has seen many historic and royal names come through its doors, including Winston Churchill, Napoleon III and the man of the moment, King Charles III.
The pull is their “bespoke” tailoring – a term meaning each suit is hand-made to perfectly fit the individual.
In a series of images earlier this week, Hawkesby revealed that by a twist of fate, her husband will be wearing the exact same shoes as the King himself.
Showing a close-up of the shoe, she said she spotted them at a “bespoke shoemaker” shop and couldn’t help but look at them in awe.
”[The] salesman explains these are the shoes the King is wearing to the coronation,” she wrote on a picture of Hosking holding up the shoes. “This is a sample they made of them, but there’s only one and only in one size.”
“Mike (Cinderella)”, she cheekily quipped, “asks ‘What size are they?’ Salesman says, ‘Let’s try them on and see if they fit you’ …”
In the next Instagram story, Hawkesby posted a photo of Hosking wearing the shoe, “and guess what? They fit like a glove...”
“She went on to say the salesman agreed to sell them to the couple, meaning Hosking will be wearing the exact same shoes to the coronation as King Charles – minus a gold royal buckle that is being added to Charles’ pair as per coronation custom.
Hosking will join a select few Kiwis inside Westminster Abbey to celebrate the King’s coronation, including Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, former All Black captain Richie McCaw and Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro. Spy reported last week that McCaw has chosen a morning suit from the menswear store Sergios in Christchurch.
