Sartorial legacy of Savile Row – “The Savile Row Suit” by Patrick Grant
Dear readers, some of you might start doing your Christmas shopping now I suppose, yet, what Christmas present will you get for your classic menswear aficionado and dandy friends? I guess a piece of unique accessory, whether it’s a polished and smooth calf leather billfold or a handmade lapel pin in luxurious fabrics, could be a great place to start, but what about this particular person who is also into menswear history? In particular, the English sartorial history of the famous Savile Row? If that’s the case, perhaps I have a suggestion for you here. A couple of days ago I discovered a copy of a very handsome book, titled “The Savile Row Suit – The Art of Bespoke Tailoring” by Mr. Patrick Grant, the Scottish designer who is the co-owner of Norton and Sons, one of the esteemed bespoke tailoring house on Savile Row; at first, this copy drew my attention because of its title and the sophisticated textured cover in heather grey color, when I took the book out from the bookshelves and a closer look with the cover, the handsome illustration of the author himself was featured right on the cover in his impeccable grey-flannel-like suit, light blue shirt, and dark blue necktie, with his neat hair-do which appeals to me very much, and so, I can’t stop myself to discover more what this book is about.
p. 049 Illustration Oriana Fenwick, The Savile Row Suit, gestalten 2024
p. 081 Illustration Oriana Fenwick, The Savile Row Suit, gestalten 2024
Published by Gestalten back in Jun 2024, this book celebrates the history of Savile Row, the reputed British Sartorial mecca in London, and its captivating story, is interpreted through the eyes of this stylish Scottish designer. Along with the beautiful illustrations by artist, Ms. Oriana Fenwick, this book takes one on a journey to the long-standing traditions of this valuable British craftsmanship in multiple workrooms of this quiet corner of London’s Mayfair, with detailed steps and patterns about how a piece of tailoring clothing comes about, from a pair of trousers, a waistcoat, a jacket, and even a coat, all in traditional Savile Row style, it also included a part with one of the finest shirt makers on Jermyn Street, to illustrate the art of refined shirt making and technique, which gives one an eyes-wide-open experience to understand deeper about the methods and traditional art of Savile Row craftsmanship, even without being in the tailor’s workroom physically.
p. 080 Illustration Oriana Fenwick, The Savile Row Suit, gestalten 2024
p. 102 Illustration Oriana Fenwick, The Savile Row Suit, gestalten 2024
Another part that touches my heart is the personal story told by this Scottish designer and author himself, about how he developed the bond with this British sartorial holy grail and his love for tailoring menswear made from Savile Row; I find it very interesting how his taste and preference evolves from high fashion designer menswear that he bought when he was young, to the tailoring menswear made in Savile Row, in particular from his co-owned Norton & Sons, through his days working with the head cutter and the team of colleague and artisans, witnessing their effort to create a piece of exquisite tailoring clothing from scratch, which is way more meaningful and intimate compare with the high fashion designer clothes that Patrick has curated for his own throughout his youth, even the author himself mentioned that he can no longer go back to the designer clothing anymore after having his very first Savile Row suit made since he was 33 years old! To me, this book is not only about the art of tailoring menswear from Savile Row, it’s a retrospect of the growth and transcendence of the designer himself through refined tailoring menswear, to rise above merely the so-called high-end-designer-fashion level, to something more profound that connects him to the roots of British tailoring, the beauty of its artisanship and humanity; more importantly, through this journey, it sharpened his sense of style and aesthetic, even the construction of a piece of tailoring clothing, enables him to take the essence of this traditional know-how to the next level into the modern world, the effort and result can be seen through his impeccable tailoring work.
p. 039 Illustration Mathew Wood, The Savile Row Suit, gestalten 2024
p. 141 Illustration Oriana Fenwick, The Savile Row Suit, gestalten 2024
Besides the history and techniques, for those who are interested in menswear history, there’s a chapter called “Perfectly dressed: a timeline of the suit” which is dedicated to this topic, it could be up your alley! With sumptuous and detailed illustrations as well as some of the most legendary figures in menswear, this chapter showcased the evolution of classic menswear, in particular the tailoring clothing, from King Charles II of the late 17th century through nowadays, with an explanation about the silhouette and characteristic of tailoring menswear in each era, making it informative and easy to understand.
Hope you’ll find this book inspiring, and be able to see this legendary British sartorial mecca and its art of craftmanship, through this Scottish designer’s perspective in one’s leisure time; of course, hope this will be a wonderful gift-giving option for your refined menswear friends this year, or perhaps for yourself, too!
p. 140 Illustration Oriana Fenwick, The Savile Row Suit, gestalten 2024
Image courtesy of Gestalten Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin