Prince Charles and Winston Churchill. Jude Law and Muhammad
Ali. Ian Fleming and Daniel Craig. The common thread among
this eclectic list of gentleman is the one holding together
their bespoke shirts from London's famous Savile Row.
Built in the 1730s, Savile Row is named for Lady Dorothy
Savile, wife of the 3rd Earl of Burlington. The majority
of the architecture on the street is the work of Henry
Flitcroft, although several architects have had their hands
in designing the 19th century houses that line the street.
Originally, the homes were occupied mostly by military
officers and their wives. By 1803, however, some of the
custom tailors that occupied streets around Burlington
Estate were beginning to gain popularity and began moving
to the residences on Savile Row.
In 1846, Henry Poole opened a second entrance to his
father's tailoring shop on Savile Row, however there a few
custom tailors occupying the street prior. Henry Poole and
Company originally made military uniforms, but the company
is credited with the creation of the Tuxedo. This is still
a family run business today.
Other occupants on Savile Row include the Hardy Armies
fashion House. Although no longer owned by Hardy Armies,
who retired in 2001, Hardy Armies was the official
dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth II. Armies was knighted by
Queen Elizabeth, and his fashion creations were used in the
movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Holding a number of Royal Warrants, Gieves and Hawkes dates
back to the 18th century, having been merged from separate
tailoring houses Gieves and Hawkes. Considered one of the
original bespoke tailoring houses, they now offer ready to
wear options as well as military styles, and they have
several outlets throughout the world.
Nutters of Savile Row is a relatively new entry to the
group of bespoke tailors at the Savile Row location,
opening in 1969. Nutters went a long way in modernizing
the concept of the Savile Row tailors by featuring open
windows with elaborate displays. The customers of Savile
Row have included Mick Jagger and the Beatles as well as
Lord Montagu and the Duke of Bedford.
The most recent entry to Savile Row is Ozwald Boateng, a
Ghana born designer who began making bespoke suits in 1990.
Boateng is the first tailor to have a runway show in
Paris, and the fashion forward Boateng has appeared on a
reality television show as he made attempts to bring his
couture custom clothing to the United States. His famous
clientele include Samuel L. Jackson, Russell Crowe and Will
Smith.
There are just 19 tailors remaining on Savile Row, and the
cost prohibitive real estate may force more of them out of
the area. In 2005, the Savile Row Bespoke Association was
formed, and efforts are underway to help maintain the
reputation and integrity of Savile Row.
----------------------------------------------------
Paul Beckett is a retailer that specialises in bespoke
men's shirts from his base in Bath, England. Find out more
about tailoring at: http://www.kjbeckettbespokeshirts.com
No comments:
Post a Comment