Mayfair Life
Issue 7
October 2009
A Worldwide Reputation
Savile Row is synonymous with the artistry and craftsmanship of Great British bespoke tailoring. Bespoke tailoring is the Haute Couture of men’s style and Savile Row has dressed every icon of male elegance from Nelson, Valentino and Astaire to Sinatra, Jagger and Jude Law not to mention crowned heads, statements and captains of industry that the Row is far too discreet to name.
Today Savile Row remains the home of a community of skilled craftsman ad associated artisan businesses that thrives and survives in the heart of London right next door to the big brand luxury flag ships of Old Bond Street. Savile Row’s tailors continue to create simply the best suits in the world, by hand, using skills that the modern world consider archaic or lost. Savile Row Bespoke protects the mysterious art of bespoke tailoring and ensures that the well dressed man will always consider Savile Row his spiritual home.
1733 is where it all began. The Daily Post reports that a new pile of buildings is going to be carry’d on near Swallow Street by a plan drawn up by the Right Hon. Earl of Burlington and which was to be named Savile Row. Named for his Countess, Dorothy, Savile Row was born.
Future Prime Minister William Pitt became a tenant in the aristocratic dwellings as did Dr John Arbuthnot and Dr Simon Burton, thus introducing the first generation of tradement on Savile Row. The Countess of Suffolk took up residence at No 15 Savile Row (now Henry Poole & Co) in 1735.
The birth of British bespoke tailoring as we know it today began in 1789 inspired by the ‘honest’ English country gentlemen’s riding attire.
In 1808 Beau Brummell was at the height of his fame as a man of fashion and storical advisor to the Prince Regent (later King George IV) and becomes the first ‘celebrity’ icon to influence bespoke fashion, introducing the trouser to fashionable London. In 1846 the first tailoring house was to open for trade on Savile Row. Henry Poole inherits the firm from his late father and earns his title ‘founder of Savile Row’.
In the following years, Savile Row earns international recognition for its bespoke skills with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, together with the Royal Households of Europe, becoming customers to the growing number of tailoring house.
As 1925 approached, Hollywood came to town, resulting in the finest manifestation of bespoke style and elegance. Fred Astaire’s iconic white tie and tails as worn in the Astaire/Rogers film, Top Hat was acquired at Savile Row.
The fine reputation of Savile Row is now firmly established worldwide.
The beginning of a new era in 1969, swinging London, Nutters opened as the first shop on Savile Row to Pioneer ‘open windows’ and wild displays, executed by bespoke tailor to the stars Douglas Hayward who dressed Michael Caine in the infamous gangster caper The Italian Job. Caine’s skinny suits and tone-on-tone white shirt and tie combinations set a cocky, sharp tailored style that resonates today. During the 1970’s, an example of the consolidation of tailoring houses to sustain skills and longevity, many joined forces to establish themselves for years to come.
A GUIDE TO BUYING REAL SAVILE ROW TAILORING BY RAY STOWERS OF STOWERS BESPOKE
It’s a common assumption that all traders on Savile Row produce bespoke suits. This may have once been the case, but it is now a huge misconception. Savile Row has recently become a minefield for the new customer visiting for the first time and even for the veteran bespoke tailoring connoisseurs.
From large fashion houses to smaller outfits, there has been an influx of companies offering non-Savile Row ‘Bespoke’ clothing capitalising on the namesake of the Row. Some of this is ready-to-wear or made-to-measure and is often outsourced to the Middle East.
Many products are made without tailoring training, experience or knowledge, yet these companies are masquerading themselves as real Savile Row bespoke tailors, and there is no professional body to police and monitor professional and moral standards.
There are however still a handful of tailors who sustain and nurture the traditions, culture and craft of Savile Row, which has by some, been sacrificed for the sake of bigger profits.
In order to make sure you purchase the genuine article follow Ray Stowers’ guide.
1…CHOOSE YOUR TAILOR CAREFULLY
Most genuine tailors on the Row will have a house style. This won’t suit everyone. Some are also rigid with their designs, cuts, timescales and working methods. It is important to choose a tailor who suits your personality and specific requirements including your age, profession and lifestyle.
Genuine Savile Row bespoke tailoring should be about giving the customer exactly what they want, when they want, without limitations. An open book policy and the opportunity for the customer to cerate their own personal style or design is limitless.
Unless the tailor is recommended the best way is to visit a number and view the product and ask questions appropriate to your own personal needs. There must be a willingness to work with and around you, after all this is a luxury business and you are the customer. It is important to meet your tailor before you commit.
2… MEET YOUR TAILOR AND ‘CUTTER’
A ‘genuine’ Savile Row tailor will employ experienced and knowledgeable staff including ‘cutters’ who will advise you on the cloth, style and design of your bespoke clothing. The Cutter should produce your individual pattern which will be used to cut your chosen cloth and your patter. ‘Your’ pattern should be drafted and kept on the premises. Demand to meet the cutter who should also be able to answer the question of where your suit will be made, and if it will be hand-made on Savile Row.
3… WHICH CLOTH? BE PART OF THE DECISION PROCESS
The cloth you choose to make your suit is critical and should be carefully considered. Ask your tailor where the cloths are manufactured. Savile Row tailors should be using primarily UK milled cloth, which is still considered the best and supported only by a small amount of speciality cloths from Italy.
The quality should also be chosen for its practical properties as advised by the cutter and assistant taking into consideration your personal expectations, type of work, lifestyle and requirements including colour, pattern, style and design of the garment. Bare in mind however that some of the most expensive fabrics may be impractical, and will not necessarily stand up to the vigour of wear; you would not go rallying in a Ferrari!
4… BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS
The experienced Savile Row trained cutter should measure you while discussing your own personal style and requirements, giving his/her opinion and using his/her knowledge and experience to help and guide you. Interacting with the customer and understanding their exacting requirements is crucial.
Ask the question: will you personally cut my pattern or will my measurements be sent away to a factory? Unfortunately the size, history and prestige of a company are no longer a barometer of measuring quality.
5… ENSURE YOU HAVE SEVERAL FITTINGS
In order to establish and confirm the desired style, cut and fit, the cutter should conduct a series of ‘fittings’. The cutter and tailors will work very closely to ensure the garment is produced to the highest possible standard and the customer’s personal details, sizing and required style is carefully followed.
During the fitting process it is easy to essential to discuss your thoughts. Remember the cutter is making a suit for you and not for him/her. You have to build a close working relationship with the cutter in order to understand exactly what you want; he/she must have the ability and willingness to complete the suit as you wish, with some expert guidance.
6… BE AWARE OF YOUR TAILOR’S ROLE
Your tailors should be able to complete the suit as you wish and the style, cut and fit should be changeable (within reason) up to the second fitting stage. If not, or the suit is ‘finished’ (apart from minor adjustments) then this is a made-to-measure, factory-made suit, often miss-sold as bespoke.
Various stages of production will include the first fitting or plain ‘baist’, pocket baist, forward and the finished garment. After the first fitting the cutter will have ‘ripped’ down and re-cut the garment. Your tailor will be the one to arrange when your next fitting with your cutter is appropriate. The fitting and re-cutting process will be repeated two or three times, each time the garment becomes more complete.*
*The number of fittings will depend on the complexity of the garment and how acquainted the tailor and cutter are with understanding the individual customer’s requirements. Established customers may only need one advanced fitting.
7… BE KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION
Every bespoke suit takes a minimum of 50 hours to tailor, cut and fit, although this does depend on the complexity of the piece and the amount of fittings necessary to complete. A genuine Savile Row bespoke suit must be ‘tailored’ by a Savile Row trained and experienced tailor who will construct the clothing in a traditional manner with a floating hand canvassed chest and front construction, hand sewn linings, edges and button holes. The buttons should be horn and not plastic and the trimmings, linings and canvasses etc should all be of the finest quality.
The tailoring of garments is not always completed on the premises; this is usually down to space, although if you can see tailors working then it is a good sign that you are buying the genuine article.
However ask the question; are the garments tailored by individual tailors? It should never be made in a factory and not manufactured abroad, again if it is, then it’s not a piece of Savile Row bespoke clothing.
8… YOUR RECORDS SHOULD EXIST
Your tailor should keep a complete set of records of all your personal measurements, purchases, cloths and individual details which should be kept along with your personal pattern. This gives you the opportunity to view your complete history for reference including changes in size and style when recorded.
9… KNOW THE LEVEL OF SERVICE TO EXPECT
Ask what level of service you can expect (it must fit with your lifestyle and work commitments) also ask if your suit has inlays for growth and if they will charge for servicing, repairs and alterations. Typically a bespoke suit is made 3 or 4 inches bigger in size and are designed and tailored to include room for growth or change and can be remodelled if required, they are tailored to last and are not a throw away item. Our aftercare service will last as long as the suit and we will not charge our regular customers for this service.
We limit our bespoke clothing to 200 outfits only per year worldwide. This allows us to offer our customers the finest quality bespoke clothing whilst offering a first-class service that extends to anywhere in the world, visiting customers on request for fittings or consultations. We will also help manage and maintain our customer’s wardrobe, advising on the upkeep, design and wear of the outfits, often specifically for special forthcoming events and occasions. Our bespoke range includes classic and fashion, as well as uniforms, dress wear and formal wear for both ladies and gents.
Our expertise gives us a wider scope to produce whatever our customer’s desire. I try to never say no to my customers and will go out of my way to accommodate them, whether finding a particular product or making myself available at their convenience. Our aim is to always build a committed long term personal relationship with our customers built on trust with an exceptional, friendly, flexible and first class customer service. Our clothing is made with passion, commitment and conscience and is much more than just a transaction.
10… BE AWARE OF THE PRICE RANGE
For a genuine Savile Row bespoke suit produced from a god quality cloth you should expect to pay at least £2,500. Obviously companies selling ‘Savile Row bespoke suits’ at a fraction of this price are not being honest with the manufacturing process and the quality of the garment. Made-to-measure suits of varying qualities are the usual culprits.
The common misconception is that because you go through a measuring process and choose the cloth, the suit is therefore manufactured on Savile Row and that it must be a bespoke suit, however often they are made in a factory and are not Savile Row bespoke suits.
With bespoke suits, you are paying for an exceptional garment, a first-class service, a suit that has a life expectancy of anywhere between five and twenty years depending on how it’s worn and maintained. Hand-made bespoke clothing is therefore a very good investment and worth the expense.