Salon Privé has long understood that a concours is as much about atmosphere as it is about machinery.
For 2026, the Blenheim Palace event is extending that sense of presentation to its male guests with The Concours Style Award presented by Clements + Church, a new prize dedicated to tailoring, craftsmanship and personal style.
It’s a natural move for an event where polished automotive design, garden-party dress codes and British occasion dressing already sit comfortably together.
At a glance
- Salon Privé will debut The Concours Style Award presented by Clements + Church on Thursday 3 September at Blenheim Palace.
- The judging will focus on men’s tailoring, fit, proportion, construction and how a complete look suits the event’s garden-party setting.
- The winner receives a bespoke Clements + Church look valued at up to £10,000, with custom-made knitwear awarded to two runners-up.
A concours lens on men’s tailoring
The new award applies the language of the concours lawn to personal presentation, looking beyond simply who is wearing the sharpest suit.
Judges will consider cut, proportion, fit and construction, along with how well the outfit works as a complete expression of individual style.
That matters at Salon Privé because the setting is unusually specific.
The lawns of Blenheim Palace call for something more considered than standard formalwear, with a balance of polish, ease and confidence that feels right for a luxury automotive garden party.
Clements + Church joins as tailoring partner
Clements + Church has been appointed Salon Privé’s Official Tailoring Partner and exclusive title partner for the award.
The British tailor’s role gives the competition a clear sartorial centre, especially as the judging criteria lean heavily on the craft of tailoring rather than surface styling alone.
David Bagley, Director and co-founder of Salon Privé, described style as part of the event’s fabric and pointed to the parallels between fine tailoring and concours-level motor cars.
Both depend on proportion, detail, originality and personality, which makes the comparison more than a neat marketing line.
How the judging will work
The Concours Style Award takes place on Thursday 3 September, alongside the Salon Privé Concours by Aviva Private Clients.
Finalists will be selected during the day by Ian Roper, Chief Business Officer at Clements + Church, and Anna Moore, the tailor’s Chief Creative Officer.
The overall winner will then be chosen and presented with the inaugural award by Clements + Church Chief Executive Officer Mark Nash after the official judging.
The prize is suitably substantial.
The winner will receive a complete bespoke look created with a Clements + Church tailor, valued at up to £10,000 depending on fabric and design choices.
The consultation can take place at the Clements + Church studio in Oxford, or a tailor can visit the winner at a convenient location, with the finished look delivered six weeks later.
Two runners-up will each receive a piece of custom-made knitwear created personally for them.
A new counterpart to Salon Privé’s fashion calendar
The award sits separately from Salon Privé’s established Ladies’ Day by Boodles and its Best Hat Competition, which takes place on Friday 4 September.
That distinction is important because this isn’t simply a menswear add-on to an existing fashion moment.
It gives men’s tailoring its own place within the Salon Privé programme and reflects how carefully many guests already dress for the occasion.
For collectors, tailoring enthusiasts and regular Salon Privé guests, the award adds another layer of theatre to a week already built around detail, taste and presentation.
Tickets for Salon Privé 2026 are available now, with The Concours Style Award set to make its debut on Thursday 3 September at Blenheim Palace.
