Doug Hayward

Hayward suffered a fall in 1996, and there followed a long period of ill health before his death brought on by vascular dementia. Hayward died in a London hospice. A lifelong agnostic, Hayward received the last rites from a Roman Catholic priest before his death, on which his daughter and business partner, Polly, commented: "Typical jammy bastard—gets forgiven all his sins right at the end."

Every week until her death in 1984, he visited his mother, Winifred. Each time he would present her with a £1 note, to pay for her Meals on Wheels. He also gave her regular sums of money, always in cash. Convinced that her son was running either a brothel or a game of chemmy, she kept it all. After her death, the family found it beneath her bed in 15 empty ice cream boxes, with a note: "This money is to get Doug out of prison when they finally get him."

Married twice, his first wife was Diana, sister-in-law of film director Basil Dearden. His second was journalist Glenys Roberts, with whom he had a daughter Polly, who later became his business partner. Roberts divorced Hayward in 1978. Hayward was so charming many women claimed to be his lovers. In 1973 he made a full-length double cashmere coat for Janet Street Porter.

Hayward had a lifelong love for football. A boyhood fan of both of Fulham and Arsenal, although on Saturdays after lunch on the King's Road he would head to Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea. Hayward had his own team, the Mount Street Marchers and Social Club. The amateur team played in arranged matches on Hyde Park on Sunday mornings, whom he talked clients and actors Richard Harris and Tom Courtenay, and occasionally Bobby Moore, into appearing for. In 1970 he persuaded the Rank Organisation to pay for his team to fly to Mexico for the 1970 World Cup. Believing that they were going to get an exclusive documentary about the England team, Rank were presented with footage of Hayward enjoying himself against local park sides.

Hayward first set up on his own operating out of a small room in London's Pall Mall, before moving to 95 Mount Street in Mayfair in 1966 where he lived above the shop which soon became a club for his famous clients. In the rear was the cutting room overlooking the Mount Street Gardens.

Hayward's client list included: actors Clint Eastwood, Sir John Gielgud, Michael Caine, Terence Stamp, Ray Austin; film director Rex Harrison, Steve McQueen and John Osborne; actor Tommy Steele; singer Tony Bennett; newsreader Tom Brokaw; footballer and 1966 World Cup England captain Bobby Moore; Formula 1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart; and businessmen Lord Hanson and Mark Birley. Female clients included Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, Jean Shrimpton and Sharon Tate. His design of suits for singer Mick Jagger lead him to designing the wedding suit for Bianca Jagger, and later many of her iconic white jumpsuits. His film credits included Caine's suits in The Italian Job, and Roger Moore in James Bond. Actor James Coburn called Hayward "the Rodin of tweed". Many of his clients became close friends. An early friend was Ralph Lauren, who met Dougie in the early 80's on one of his first visits to London. Ralph realized that Hayward's approach to his clients, and their corresponding support of his style and tailoring, was very similar to his own and exactly what he envisioned for his eventual entry into the London market. Dougie recognized Ralph's ideas and talent and became a great friend and supporter. In his approach to his clientele as a complete source of style, Hayward sold hand-made shoes, and his own line of watches and leather luggage. He lectured at the Royal College of Art on tailoring, placing emphasis on cutting: "You can't do anything unless you can cut." Pragmatic and undemanding of his clients body, Hayward believed that any one could be made to look sleeker:

Douglas Frederick Cornelius Hayward (5 October 1934 – 26 April 2008), was an English fashion designer and bespoke tailor, who dressed many famous people during the 1960s. The inspiration for customer Michael Caine's characterisation of his role in the 1966 film Alfie, he was also the model for client John le Carré's Harry Pendel, aka The Tailor of Panama.