David Parkin steps out in style...then puts his foot in it

AFTER last week’s photographs of the unfinished construction work at Leeds station, I make no apology for this image of a beautiful creation.

No, not me, the jacket I’m wearing in the photo above alongside the Michelangelo of tailoring, James Michelsberg.

“The Baron”, as he is colloquially known, has created a new garment for me in wool, silk and linen ready to be worn at garden parties, race meetings and polo matches during the upcoming glorious English summer.

It is in a base colour of burgundy (I’ve not worn a burgundy jacket since I last donned my school blazer just before I went up to Borstal) with a cream and pink check.

It isn’t my natural choice for a jacket, but as an ambassador for Michelsberg Tailoring, the guv’nor doesn’t see the point in sending me out there in a plain navy blue jacket.

Whether you think I look like a clothes horse or the back end of a pantomime horse, I’m delighted with the jacket which is so light I hardly know I’m wearing it.

Despite the nostrodamus-like predictions of the demise of tailoring in the increasingly casual workplace, James Michelsberg is enjoying a renaissance fuelled by gents looking to acquire statement pieces for weddings, race meetings and balls.

I can tell he is busy because he is currently restricted to one holiday a quarter and I had to wait three weeks for an appointment to go in for the final fitting and collection of my jacket.

Mind you, if I was a paying customer, I would have probably got in a lot earlier.

Now all I need to do is get an invite to a race meeting, garden party or polo match.

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LAST week I mentioned I was off to the annual conference on the east coast called The Business Day.

The event at Bridlington Spa, is organised by the former long-serving leader of East Yorkshire Council Stephen Parnaby and can trace its roots back to the much-missed Yorkshire International Business Convention organised by buccaneering entrepreneur Mike Firth.

Stephen has finessed the format over the years and the day is now focused around two keynote speakers and two breakout sessions giving delegates plenty of time to network and do business.

The sell-out event attracts the most successful entrepreneurs from Hull and the East Riding.

I set off from Leeds in torrential rain but by the time I had hosted a breakout session in Bridlington the sun was glinting off the North Sea and delegates were sipping morning coffee and nibbling on bacon sandwiches on the promenade.

I’m a trustee of Hull-based charity Run With It which delivers innovative and challenging learning programmes for children, young people and adult learners in inspiring locations like the MKM Stadium in Hull, the Flemingate shopping centre in Beverley, Bridlington Town Football Club and the Sewell Group Craven Park rugby stadium.

I compered a seminar aimed at highlighting the work of Run With It and promoting the business benefits of businesses working with third sector organisations.

Given there were three other breakout sessions on at the same time, it was uplifting to see our event almost full and the three panellists, Rob Daysley of Designs Signage Solutions, Andrew Horncastle of property company Horncastle Group and Chris Huscroft, chief executive of school trust Edukos, brilliantly brought to life the benefits of firms working together with charities like Run With It.

At the end of the session the charity had enthusiastic approaches from companies working in healthcare, manufacturing, housebuilding and a bakery.

From that inspiring start to the day, I went off to listen to the two keynote speakers.

Luke Campbell MBE is the 2012 Olympic boxing gold medallist who went on to twice fight for world titles in the professional ranks and last month was voted in as the first mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire representing Reform UK.

Event host Giles Brandreth spent the first half of his fireside chat with Luke asking him about his family background and boxing career.

It was a useful way to introduce an individual who is new to not just his role, but politics in general.

Luke won over the audience with a comment saying that his new role was only 5% about politics and the rest was about delivering for the region.

It would be nice if other politicians adhered to that rule.

He’s got a big job and limited resources, but you can’t doubt Luke Campbell’s commitment to wanting to make a difference.

The keynote speaker in the afternoon was media personality Piers Morgan.

His chat with Giles Brandreth was everything I had hoped for: funny, bitchy and full of juicy gossip.

How can you ignore a man who has interviewed everyone from Nelson Mandela to Donald Trump?

As well as recounting his feud with Jeremy Clarkson - Jezza threw a glass of champagne over him on Concorde’s final flight across the Atlantic (watched by Joan Collins and Kate Moss) and later punched him at a journalism awards event - he revealed that US President Donald Trump phoned him for a 15-minute chat when he was in the back of a black cab in London two weeks ago.

Piers puts his success in Rupert Murdoch’s media empire down to what he calls “the peach brandy moment”.

At a dinner for senior News International editorial figures at Rupert Murdoch’s London home, the guests were asked if they would like a drink following the meal.

Led by then editor of The Sun, Kelvin McKenzie, the guests declined the offer until the waiter got to the-then 27-year-old fearless Piers Morgan, who asked what drink the server recommended he should have.

He suggested a peach brandy, Piers said he would love one, as did the man sitting next to him, Stuart Higgins.

Murdoch said he would also have a glass of the liqueur and a month later Piers Morgan was appointed the youngest editor of the world’s biggest selling newspaper, The News of the World and Stuart Higgins was made editor of The Sun.

“I don’t put it down to Rupert thinking I was hugely talented, just that he liked our balls in choosing to have a drink after everyone else had said no,” opined Piers.

He also said that Rupert Murdoch had once told him that he trusted his gut instinct when making business decisions.

“Rupert said that he had gone against his gut instinct only three times in his career and all of them had been wrong.”

During the course of the conversation Piers Morgan mentioned that his father had worked for social reformer Lord Longford.

This allowed Giles Brandreth to chip in that he had been asked to sit on his inquiry into pornography in Britain in the early 1970s.

According to Giles, it involved many interesting experiences, including being handed cash at the British embassy in Copenhagen so members of the inquiry panel could go and witness what happened in Danish sex clubs for themselves.

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I VISITED several stands at The Business Day included those of Chameleon Business Interiors and Wykeland Beal - the joint venture between Hull-based property developer Wykeland and housebuilder Beal Homes.

The two have collaborated on several impressive projects, none more so than that around Humber Street at Hull Marina.

It is a vibrant cobbled street of bars, cafes, restaurants and shops now complemented by smart apartments.

Alongside serving coffee and pastries to delegates Wykeland Beal transformed their stand into a mini-Humber Street, complete with a photo-shopped Piers Morgan ambling along the cobbles.

He’s the small one in the navy suit in the photo above.

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ANOTHER week, another controversy.

Well, the same one actually.

Last week’s blog lamenting the state of Leeds city centre in general and construction work on the railway station in particular, generated plenty of reaction.

Many people agreed with my assessment that the whole thing is an expensive dog’s breakfast that has caused the best part of four years of chaos.

I say many people.

Well, there was only one dissenter.

Last week I credited lawyer Paul Berwin’s photographic reports of the construction work which he views from his office in Platform which overlooks Leeds station.

His brother Simon clearly doesn’t share his positivity for the project.

Simon Berwin commented on last week’s blog: “Needless to say I agree with your comments re the chaos that is our station. I can’t see any difference between any of Paul’s pictures.”

After that agreeable support, Paul’s reply put me firmly in my place.

“Simon knows a lot about menswear, I know a bit about law. Neither of us know a lot about construction projects, and probably you neither.

“So I went to find out, and shared what I found. It's good to see the level of interest in something so important to the city. I naively assume that people try to do the best they can, and now I've met some of those doing that on this project.

“It's easy to criticise. It's better, I think, to find out,” concluded Paul, without sounding patronising in the slightest.

Well, I say concluded, he was back at it again yesterday, posting another photo of Leeds’ answer to the Sagrada Familia (the basilica in Barcelona which was started in 1882 with completion expected at some point beyond 2026).

I’m not too familiar with that modern phrase ‘passive aggressive’ but I definitely think Paul was having another pop at me.

After an update on the line of the new kerb, coach access points and two new sets of steps, Paul said: “For those who criticise - the Miserabilist Tendency, let's say - I'm observing and reporting, not praising; I am no specialist, and I don't know if the cost is good or bad value.

“I am just interested in development, and as Leeds continues to grow, the old infrastructure has to be updated all the time. And let's have a shout-out to David Parkin who's missing being mentioned.

“In the words of Oscar Wilde: there is only one thing worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

“Oh, and if anyone would like to use my photos, or has used them, I'll be happy to consent for a modest donation to my nominated charity - just get in touch,” said Paul.

I think I better make a charitable donation sharpish, otherwise I might get invited for a tour of the ongoing works at the station.

I think if that is proffered I might have to tell them I’m washing my hair because I can’t think of anything worse.

Hang on, I can.

A night out with Paul Berwin.

Have a great weekend.