Savile Row tailoring

The model David Gandy wearing a bespoke suit by Henry Poole & Co (2014)

Savile Row tailoring is men and women's bespoke tailoring that takes place on Savile Row and neighbouring streets in Mayfair, Central London. In 1846, Henry Poole, credited as being the "Founder of Savile Row", opened an entrance to his tailoring premises at No. 32 Savile Row.[1] The term bespoke is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers.[2] The short street has been termed the "golden mile of tailoring", where customers have included Charles III, Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson, Napoleon III, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Laurence Olivier and Duke Ellington.[1][2][3]

In 1969, Nutters of Savile Row modernised the style and approach of the traditional tailors; a modernisation which continued in the 1990s with the arrival of designers including Richard James, Ozwald Boateng and Timothy Everest. With increasing rents the number of tailoring businesses on Savile Row had declined to 19 by 2006.[4][5] There were also criticisms from Giorgio Armani of falling behind the times.[6][7] However, since the mid-2000s Savile Row has been enjoying a resurgence. A local online directory in October 2014 listed 44 tailoring and clothing businesses on or near Savile Row.[8]

  1. ^ a b Deitz, Paula (25 August 1996). "Savile Row's Ambassador to the Court of Kings". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b Norton, Kate (31 October 2006). "Savile Row Never Goes Out of Style". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  3. ^ Dunn, Bill (14 April 2003). "The Battle for Savile Row". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Bespoke Tailoring in London's West End - Westminster City Council". Yumpu.com. 19 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  5. ^ Lysaght, Brian (16 July 2006). "London Tailor Shops Flee Savile Row as Offices Push Up Rents". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  6. ^ Sherwood, James (29 July 2006). "Big enough for the both of us?". The Financial Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  7. ^ Hickman, Martin (9 December 2008). "Savile Row: Slipping out of style?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pollen_1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).