View source for Savile Row

{{short description|Street in Mayfair, London, England}}
{{About|the London street|tailoring in the street|Savile Row tailoring|bespoke tailoring in general|Bespoke tailoring}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox street
| name                    = Savile Row
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| image                   = Saville Row from Burlington Gardens.jpg
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| caption                 = Savile Row from [[Burlington Gardens]]
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| type                    = Street
| owner                   = [[Government Pension Fund of Norway| Norwegian Oil Fund]]
| maint                   = Westminster City Council
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| north                   = Conduit Street
| east                    = 
| south                   = Vigo Street
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| main_contractor         = 
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| commissioning_date      = 
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| completion_date         = 1735 
| inauguration_date       = <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
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| designer                = Henry Flitcroft
| known_for               = Traditional bespoke tailoring for men
| status                  = 
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}}

[[File:Savile Row Édifice Pancarte.jpg|thumb]]
'''Savile Row''' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˌ|s|æ|v|ɪ|l|_|ˈ|r|oʊ}}) is a street in [[Mayfair]], [[central London]]. Known principally for its traditional [[bespoke tailoring]] for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the [[Royal Geographical Society]] at 1 Savile Row, where significant British explorations to Africa and the South Pole were planned; and more recently, the [[Apple Corps|Apple]] office of [[the Beatles]] at 3 Savile Row, where the band's [[The Beatles' rooftop concert|final live performance]] was held on the roof of the building.

Originally named Savile Street, it was built between 1731 and 1735 as part of the development of the [[Burlington Estate]]. It was designed under the influence of Burlington's interpretation of [[Palladian architecture]], known as "Burlingtonian". [[Henry Flitcroft]], under the supervision of [[Daniel Garrett]], appears to have been the main architect – though 1 and 22–23 Savile Row were designed by [[William Kent]]. Initially, the street was occupied mainly by military officers and their wives; later [[William Pitt the Younger]] and Irish-born playwright and MP [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]] were residents.

Tailors started doing business in the area in the late 18th century; first in [[Cork Street]], about 1790, then by 1803 in Savile Row itself. In 1846, [[Henry Poole & Co|Henry Poole]], later credited as the creator of the [[dinner jacket]], opened an entrance to Savile Row from his tailoring premises in Old Burlington Street. Founded in 1849 by Henry Huntsman, [[H. Huntsman & Sons]] moved to No. 11 Savile Row with the ending of the war in 1919.<ref name="Anderson 106">Richard Anderson, ''Bespoke: Savile Row Ripped and Smoothed'', ([[Simon & Schuster]], 2009) p.106</ref> During the First World War, Huntsman's was a tailor to the military, producing dress uniforms for British officers. In 1969, [[Nutters of Savile Row]] modernised the style and approach of traditional [[Savile Row tailoring]]; a modernisation that continued into the 1990s with the "New Bespoke Movement", involving the designers [[Richard James (tailor)|Richard James]], [[Ozwald Boateng]], and [[Timothy Everest]]. The term "bespoke" as applied to fine tailoring is understood to have originated in Savile Row, and came to mean a suit cut and made by hand.

Savile Row runs parallel to [[Regent Street]] between [[Conduit Street]] at the northern end and [[Vigo Street]] with [[Burlington Gardens]] at the southern. Linking roads include [[New Burlington Street]], [[Boyle Street (London)|Boyle Street]], and [[Clifford Street]]. The [[Freehold (law)|freehold]] is owned by the Pollen Estate. In 2016 [[Westminster City Council]] commenced attempts to protect the street's tailoring heritage under the Savile Row SPA (Special Policy Area).<ref>{{Cite web| title=Westminster City Plan - Consolidated with all changes since November 2013 | url=https://www.westminster.gov.uk/media/document/core-020---adopted-westminster-city-plan-2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221220503/https://www.westminster.gov.uk/media/document/core-020---adopted-westminster-city-plan-2016 | archive-date=2021-12-21}}</ref> In 2014, [[Government Pension Fund of Norway|Norway's Oil Fund]], the world's largest [[sovereign wealth fund]], acquired a 57.8% interest in the Pollen Estate from [[The Church Commissioners]].<ref name=SR_NYT_NOR>{{ cite web| title=Norway's Oil Fund Buys London's Savile Row| first=Stanley| last=Reed| url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/08/11/norways-oil-fund-snaps-up-londons-savile-row/?_r=0| work=The New York Times| date=11 August 2014| access-date=18 January 2015}}</ref> This includes properties in Mayfair, among which is Savile Row.<ref name=SR_NYT_NOR/>

== History ==
[[File:Savile Street by Horwood 1819.jpg|thumb|Savile Row (then called Saville Street) as shown on Richard Horwood's 1819 map of London]]

The first house in what would become Savile Row was "a fine House and Ground",<ref>{{cite book |first=John|last=Strype |title=A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster: Volume 2 |publisher=T. Read |year=1720 |page=84 |chapter= chapter 6}}</ref> built in 1674 on the site of what is now No. 1, and occupied by a series of [[Nobility|nobles]] until it was demolished in 1730 in preparation for the laying out of the houses on the east of Savile Row in 1731.<ref name=Sheppard/> Savile Row was built between 1731 and 1735, on [[Freehold (law)|freehold land]] known as Ten Acres belonging to a merchant tailor, William Maddox,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41485|title=Cork Street and Savile Row Area: Introduction, Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32|author=F. H. W. Sheppard|date=1963|via= British History Online |publisher=London County Council|page=442}}</ref> as part of the development of the [[Burlington Estate]], and is named after [[Dorothy Savile, Countess of Burlington and Countess of Cork|Lady Dorothy Savile]], wife of the [[Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington|3rd Earl of Burlington]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgQ4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA128 |title=The Early History of Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Soho, & Their Neighbourhood |author=Charles Lethbridge Kingsford |page=128 |year=1925|author-link=Charles Lethbridge Kingsford }}</ref> Maddox's land, consisting mainly of fruit and other trees covering what would become Savile Row and the streets around, some of which is still owned by his descendants as the Pollen Estate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepollenestate.com/pe.aspx?doc=36069 |title=The Pollen Estate – History |publisher=The Pollen Estate |access-date=13 March 2013  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525224025/http://www.thepollenestate.com/pe.aspx?doc=36069 |archive-date=25 May 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Sheppard 1963 442–455"/> When initially laid out – under the name Saville Street – Savile Row ran from Burlington Gardens (then Vigo Lane) to Boyle Street, with houses only on the east side, but in the 19th century, houses were built on the west side.<ref name=London>{{cite book |title=The London Encyclopaedia |author=Ben Weinreb |author2=[[Christopher Hibbert]] |year=1983 |publisher=Macmillan  |page=772|title-link=The London Encyclopaedia }}</ref>

===Nineteenth century===
Initially, the street was occupied by military officers and their wives, along with politicians: [[William Pitt the Younger]] wrote letters from the street when it was called Savile Street;<ref>{{cite book |first=Anne|last=Manning |title=The Journey from Blandford to Hayes: The Life and Times of Two Prime Ministers, William Pitt (Earl of Chatham) and William Pitt the Younger |publisher=Bromley Leisure & Community Services |date=12 January 2009 |page=72}}</ref> Irish-born playwright and MP, [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]] lived at 14 Savile Row in 1813–1816, till his death.<ref>{{cite book |title=Indication of Houses of Historical Interest in London: Volume 4 |author=P.S. King |page=88 |publisher=Jas. Truscott Press / London County Council|date=1928}}</ref> [[Jules Verne]] had [[Phileas Fogg]], his lead character in ''[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]'', live at 7 Savile Row – a "fashionable address" and "the former home of [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan|Sheridan]]".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/legacyofempirejo0000glin|url-access=registration|title=Legacy of Empire: A Journey Through British Society |first=Werner|last=Glinga |page=[https://archive.org/details/legacyofempirejo0000glin/page/27 27] |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-7190-2272-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-cDaIELSXtgC&pg=PT185 |title=A Room of His Own: A Literary-Cultural Study of Victorian Clubland |page=175 |first=Barbara|last=Black |publisher=Ohio University Press |date=20 November 2012|isbn=978-0-8214-4435-1}}</ref> It may have been the affluent and influential nature of the residents of Savile Row that first attracted dealers in luxury goods to the area.<ref name=Berg>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hemsvn9ZbRkC&pg=PA617 |title=The Berg Companion to Fashion |pages=617–618 |first=Valerie|last=Steele |publisher=Berg |date=15 November 2010|isbn=978-1-84788-592-0}}</ref>

Tailors started to take premises around Savile Row in the late 18th century, first in [[Cork Street]], about 1790, then by 1803 in Savile Row itself.<ref name="Sheppard 1963 442–455" /> In 1846, [[Henry Poole & Co|Henry Poole]], credited as creator of the [[dinner jacket]] or tuxedo,<ref name="NYT" /> opened an entrance at 37 Savile Row from his late father's tailoring premises at 4 Old Burlington Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://henrypoole.com/history/the-story/the-past/|title=The Story|publisher=henrypoole.com|access-date=21 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116021500/https://henrypoole.com/history/the-story/the-past/|archive-date=16 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41491&strquery=#s2|title=Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32: St James Westminster, Part 2|author=F. H. W. Sheppard|via=British History Online |publisher=London County Council|pages=495–517|date=1963}}</ref> As tailoring moved into the street, the house frontages were altered to bring natural light into the tailors' working area with the addition of glass frontages and [[lightwell]]s.<ref name=SPA /> The houses have been much altered over time; the original Burlingtonian design has been mostly lost, though No. 14 still retains much of the original external features.<ref name=Sheppard />

===Royal Geographical Society===
The [[Royal Geographical Society]] occupied No. 1 from 1870 to 1912, from where significant British exploration was planned, including into Asia, Africa, and the [[South Pole]]; and, according to the society, the address "became associated with adventure and travel".<ref name=Sheppard/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rgs.org/nr/rdonlyres/53ac53b8-ef0a-4129-a97a-dbdd83eb59ec/0/historyofthesocietypdf.pdf |title=Royal Geographical Society – History of the Society |access-date=13 March 2013 |publisher=Royal Geographical Society}}</ref> [[David Livingstone]] was laid out in state at the society's headquarters, before being buried in [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>{{cite journal |year=1873–1874 |title=Report to the Council on the Arrangements for the Funeral of Dr. Livingstone |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=445–450 |jstor= 1799748|doi=10.2307/1799748 |last1=Livingstone |first1=Dr. |last2=Rigby |first2=C. P. |last3=Fergusson |first3=Wm. |last4=Grant |first4=J. A. |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1449384 }}</ref>  In 1871, shortly after the Royal Geographical Society moved into Savile Row, so did the [[Savile Club]]; a [[gentlemen's club]] founded in 1868 as the New Club, occupying rooms overlooking Trafalgar Square; it changed to its current name during its residence at 12 Savile Row, retaining the name when it moved in 1882 to premises in Piccadilly.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sAA9olZqPSMC&pg=PA822 |title=The London Encyclopedia |page=822|author=[[Christopher Hibbert]] |author2=John Keay |author3=Julia Keay |publisher=Pan Macmillan|date= 23 March 2010 |isbn=978-1-4050-4925-2 }}</ref>

===Twentieth century===
[[File:Savile Row- Tailoring at Henry Poole and Co., London, England, UK, 1944 D21866.jpg|thumbnail|Bomb damage in Savile Row, 1944]]

Savile Row was extended to [[Conduit Street]] in 1937–38, and by 1939, the Metropolitan Police Station was constructed on the corner of Boyle Street.<ref name=London /> This police station was damaged in another [[The Blitz|German bombing raid]] in September 1940, during which the building opposite, No. 21a, was destroyed, as was No. 7 earlier that month.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westendatwar.org.uk/page_id__112_path__0p28p.aspx |title=Bomb Incidents Savile Row W1 |first=Katlynn|last=Miller |website=WestEndatWar.org.uk |publisher=[[Westminster City Council]] |access-date=13 December 2012}}</ref> [[Fortress House]], an eight-storey block of offices faced with Portland stone, was constructed at 23 Savile Row in 1949–50 and occupied by a series of government ministries, ending with a long period of occupation by [[English Heritage]] until 2006. It was demolished in 2009 and replaced by a new [[mixed-use development]] designed by [[Eric Parry]], Architects.

{{anchor|3 Savile Row}}[[File:3 Savile Row.jpg|thumb|right|upright|3 Savile Row, the Beatles' former Apple offices, 2007]]

In July 1968, [[the Beatles]] moved [[Apple Corps]], their multimedia corporation, into 3 Savile Row.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Piet Schreuders |author2=Adam Smith |author3=Mark Lewisohn |title=Beatles London: The Ultimate Guide to Over 400 Beatles Sites in and Around London |publisher=Anova Books |date=30 June 2008 |page=53 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2N53-a3FafQC&pg=PA53|isbn=978-1-906032-26-5}}</ref> Apple purchased the building on 22{{nbsp}}June for £500,000 ({{Inflation|US|500000|1968|fmt=eq|r=-5|cursign=£}}).{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=301}}{{Inflation/fn|UK}} A [[Apple Studios (recording studio)|studio was built in the basement]]; though it was poorly designed, the Beatles recorded ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]'' there before a new studio was constructed in 1971 at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fresh From Apple |url=http://applerecords.com/#!/memorabilia/FFA_VanEaton |publisher=Apple Records |access-date=27 May 2013}}</ref> Various artists, including [[Badfinger]], [[Mary Hopkin]], and [[Marc Bolan]] recorded in the basement studio until it closed in May 1975.<ref>{{cite book |first=Peter|last=Doggett |title=You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup |publisher=Random House |date=1 December 2010 |page=229 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=To957Vkn7WAC&pg=PA229|isbn=978-0-09-953236-1}}</ref> The Beatles' final live performance, known as the "[[The Beatles' rooftop concert|rooftop concert]]", was held on the roof of the building, on 30 January 1969, and was recorded for the documentary film ''[[Let It Be (1970 film)|Let It Be]]''; the last words of the band, spoken by [[John Lennon]] as the police stopped the performance, were "I hope we passed the audition."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/subhajitbanerjee/8244277/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224090936/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/subhajitbanerjee/8244277/  |archive-date=24 December 2013 |title=The Beatles Rooftop Concert: It Was 40 Years Ago Today |first=Subhajit|last=Banerjee |date=30 January 2009 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=12 December 2012}}</ref>

In 1969, [[Nutters of Savile Row]] modernised the style and approach of the traditional tailors; a modernisation which continued in the 1990s with the "New Bespoke Movement", involving the designers [[Richard James (tailor)|Richard James]], [[Ozwald Boateng]], and [[Timothy Everest]]. With increasing rents and criticisms from [[Giorgio Armani]] of falling behind the times,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0d87dc8a-1e9f-11db-9877-0000779e2340.html |title=Big Enough For The Both of Us? |first=James|last=Sherwood |date=29 July 2006 |newspaper=Financial Times |access-date=14 December 2012}}</ref> the number of tailors in Savile Row had declined to 19 in 2006, from approximately 40 in the 1950s.<ref name="BusinessWeek1">{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-10-31/savile-row-never-goes-out-of-stylebusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630064502/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2006-10-31/savile-row-never-goes-out-of-stylebusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice |archive-date=30 June 2012 |title=Savile Row Never Goes Out of Style |access-date=9 January 2009 |first=Kate|last=Norton |work=BusinessWeek |date=31 October 2006}}</ref> However, tailoring businesses have increased since 2006; as of October 2014, a local online directory listed 44 tailoring and clothing businesses on and around Savile Row.<ref name=SRT_List>{{cite web |title=Tailors in Savile Row, W1B, London Borough Of Westminster, London |publisher=Yell.com |url=http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?keywords=tailors&location=savile+row&find=Y&pageNum=1 |access-date=30 October 2014}}</ref> Some tailors had expressed concern in 2005 that an increase in commercial development in the area could lead to the death of the business locally, as tailors, many of whom traditionally manufacture their suits in their premises, in basement studios, could be priced out of the local property market.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marie|last=Jackson |title=London's Much-loved Icons at Risk |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4465191.stm |agency=BBC News |date=25 April 2005 |access-date=9 January 2009}}</ref> {{anchor|Savile Row Bespoke Association}} The Savile Row Bespoke Association was founded in 2004 to protect and develop [[bespoke tailoring]] as practised in Savile Row and the surrounding streets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.savilerowbespoke.com/about-us/objectives/ |title=Objectives |publisher=Savile Row Bespoke Association |access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref> The member tailors are typically required to put at least 50 hours of hand labour into each two-piece suit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.savilerowbespoke.com/about-us/membership-requirements/ |title=Membership Requirements |publisher=Savile Row Bespoke Association |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref> The Association, along with the owners, the Pollen Estate, is working in partnership with [[Westminster City Council|Westminster Council]] to protect the street's tailoring heritage under the Savile Row SPA (Special Policy Area).<ref name=SPA>{{cite web |url=http://transact.westminster.gov.uk/docstores/publications_store/FINAL%20SPAs%20etc.pdf |title=SPAs, Social and Community and Hotels |publisher=City Management Plan workshop briefing notes |access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref>

The Association objected to the American retailer [[Abercrombie & Fitch]]'s plan to open a children's store at 3 Savile Row, concerned that chain stores entering the street would drive up rents, and took part in, what was then, a successful protest in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2013/08/06/savile-row-tailors-battle-with-abercrombie-fitch.html|title=Savile Row tailors battle with Abercrombie & Fitch|first=Katrina|last=Bishop|date=6 August 2013|publisher=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url= https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2012/04/24/give-three-piece-a-chance-savile-row-flash-mob-fights-abercrombie-fitch/ |title=Give Three-Piece A Chance: Savile Row Flash Mob Fights Abercrombie & Fitch| author=Daniel Nye Griffiths|date=24 April 2012|journal=[[Forbes]]| access-date=3 June 2013}}</ref> However, A&F were allowed to move in and set up a children's store in 2013,<ref name=SR_AF>{{cite news |first=Maxine |last=Frith |title=Abercrombie & Fitch's plans for Savile Row branch are 'deeply flawed' |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/abercrombie--fitchs-plans-for-savile-row-branch-are-deeply-flawed-8481357.html |work=London Evening Standard |date=February 2013 |access-date=6 August 2016}}</ref> although it has since closed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.drapersonline.com/news/abercrombie-fitch-to-close-savile-row-store|title=Abercrombie & Fitch to close Savile Row store|date=25 November 2020}}</ref>

Starting in 1946,<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/7533975/Hardy-Amies-Queens-favourite-dressmaker-abandons-to-its-heritage.html ''The Daily Telegraph''] Hardy Amies: Queen's favourite dressmaker 'abandons its heritage'</ref> 14 Savile Row was the home of [[Hardy Amies (fashion house)|Hardy Amies]] which changed ownership several times over the course of its history. In 2018, the company went into administration for a second time, and was attempting to sell its assets in 2019. The Savile Row store was closed in March 2019 and the space taken over by [[Hackett London|Hackett]] in June as its flagship store.<ref>https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/06/hackett-flagship-replace-hardy-amies-londons-savile-row/, Hackett flagship to replace Hardy Amies on Savile Row</ref><ref>https://www.drapersonline.com/news/hardy-amies-savile-row-store-closes, Exclusive: Hardy Amies Savile Row store closes</ref>

==Architecture==
The original architectural plan for Savile Row is believed to have been drawn up by [[Colen Campbell]], with [[Henry Flitcroft]] as the main architect of the street, under the supervision of [[Daniel Garrett]]; though 1 and 22–23 Savile Row were designed by [[William Kent]],<ref name="Sheppard 1963 442–455">{{cite book |title=Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32 |chapter=Cork Street and Savile Row Area: Introduction |author=F.H.W. Sheppard |year=1963 |via= British History Online |publisher=London County Council |pages=442–455 |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41485 |access-date=9 January 2009}}</ref> who moved into No. 2.<ref name="Sheppard 1963 546–565">{{cite book |title=Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32 |chapter=Cork Street and Savile Row Area: Burlington Estate Lease Tables |author=F.H.W. Sheppard |year=1963 |via= British History Online |publisher=London County Council |pages=546–565 |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41493 |access-date=9 January 2009}}</ref> These architects were all under the influence of [[Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington|Burlington]]'s interpretation of [[Palladian architecture]], known as "Burlingtonian", which was to have some influence on English architecture in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://static.royalacademy.org.uk/files/south-walk-440.pdf |title=Walking Palladian London South Walk: St James's and Whitehall |first=Owen|last=Hopkin |publisher=Royal Academy of Arts |year=2009 |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0S975LKGEB4C&pg=PA65 |title=William Kent: Architect, Designer, Opportunist |page=65 |first= Timothy|last= Mowl |author-link = Timothy Mowl|publisher=Random House |date=24 April 2007 |isbn=978-1-84413-539-4 }}</ref> As tailoring moved into the street, the house frontages were altered to bring natural light into the tailors' working area with the addition of glass frontages and light wells.<ref name=SPA/> The houses have been much altered over time; the original Burlingtonian design has been mostly lost, though No. 14 still retains much of the original external features.<ref name=Sheppard/>  When the [[Royal Geographical Society]] occupied No. 1, they built a glass-roofed map-room in the courtyard, a small astronomical observatory on the roof, and a new portico – which may be the basis for the current appearance of the façade.<ref name=Sheppard>{{cite book |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41492 |title=Cork Street and Savile Row Area – Savile Row &#124; Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32 |pages=517–545 |author=F.H.W. Sheppard |via= British History Online |publisher=London County Council|year=1963 |access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref>

Several of the buildings on Savile Row are [[Listed building#England and Wales|listed]] on the [[National Heritage List for England]]; 1 Savile Row (6A Vigo Street) is listed Grade II, 3 Savile Row is listed II*, 12, 12A and 13 are listed II as a group, 14 is listed Grade II*, 17 is listed Grade II, 16 is listed Grade II, and 11 is listed II*.<ref name=NHLE1>{{NHLE|num=1236102|desc=1 Savile Row, W1, 6A Vigo Street, W1, Westminster|access-date=15 January 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name=NHLE3>{{NHLE|num=1236103|desc=3 Savile Row, W1, Westminster|access-date=15 January 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name=NHLE1212A13>{{NHLE|num=1236104|desc=12, 12A, and 13 Savile Row, W1, Westminster|access-date=15 January 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name=NHLE14>{{NHLE|num=1236105|desc=14 Savile Row, W1, Westminster|access-date=15 January 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name=NHLE17>{{NHLE|num=1236137|desc=17 Savile Row, W1, Westminster|access-date=15 January 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name=NHLE16>{{NHLE|num=1264730|desc=16 Savile Row, W1, Westminster|access-date=15 January 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name=NHLE11>{{NHLE|num=1264751|desc=11 Savile Row, W1, Westminster|access-date=15 January 2017|mode=cs2}}</ref>

==Tailoring ==
{{Main|Savile Row tailoring}}
[[File:Company logo of Bernard Weatherill Ltd.tiff|thumb|Company logo of Bernard Weatherill Ltd on 5 Savile Row]]
[[File:Savile Row- Tailoring at Henry Poole and Co., London, England, UK, 1944 D21862.jpg|thumb|A tailor pressing a pair of trousers in the workroom of [[Henry Poole & Co]] in 1944]]

Savile Row's reputation is built on [[bespoke tailoring]], where each suit is made to individually fit. The term "bespoke", which has an etymology developing from "to exclaim" through "discussed in advance" and is generally understood to mean "made to order",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7463790.stm|title=What Does 'Bespoke' Mean?|work=BBC News|date=19 June 2008}}</ref><ref name=bespoke1/> became associated with fine tailoring,<ref name="BusinessWeek1"/> with tailors claiming that the term has been in common use for tailoring since the 17th century.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BDUSOnddWUC&pg=PT8|page=8|title=Manufacturing the Bespoke|first=Bob|last=Sheil|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date= 18 October 2012|isbn=978-1-119-96912-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2150012/The-art-of-bespoke-tailoring-began-on-Savile-Row.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2150012/The-art-of-bespoke-tailoring-began-on-Savile-Row.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The art of bespoke tailoring began on Savile Row|first=Lucy|last=Cockcroft|work=The Telegraph|date=18 June 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Savile Row tailors argue that "bespoke", in relation to tailoring, is understood to mean a suit cut and made by hand;<ref name=bespoke1>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BYIXx0cQOAC&pg=PT189|pages=189–190|title=Bespoke: Savile Row Ripped and Smoothed|first= Richard|last= Anderson|publisher=Simon and Schuster|date= 29 October 2009|isbn=978-1-84737-876-7}}</ref> however, after a ruling by the [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]] in 2008, the term may now also be applied to machine sewed garments, provided they are made-to-measure.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/06/20/savile-row-bespoke-life-style-cx_vr_0620lifesavile.html |title=Savile Row Cut Down A Notch By 'Bespoke' Ruling |work=Forbes |first=Vidya|last=Ram |date=20 June 2008 |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref>

Customers of the "golden mile of tailoring" have included [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Lord Nelson]], [[Napoleon III]], [[Winston Churchill]], [[Charles III]], and [[Jude Law]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/25/arts/savile-row-s-ambassador-to-the-court-of-kings.html |url-access=subscription |title=Savile Row's Ambassador to the Court of Kings |access-date=9 January 2009 |first=Paula|last=Deitz |newspaper=The New York Times |date=25 August 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2003-04-13/the-battle-for-savile-row |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805004613/http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2003-04-13/the-battle-for-savile-row  |archive-date=5 August 2012 |url-access=subscription |title=The Battle for Savile Row |access-date=9 January 2009 |first=Bill|last=Dunn |newspaper=BusinessWeek |date=14 April 2003}}</ref> [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], the founder of [[Pakistan]], used to order his suits from Savile Row.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Narendra Singh Sarila |title=Once a Prince of Sarila: Of Palaces and Tiger Hunts, of Nehrus and Mountbattens |date=15 April 2008 |isbn=978-1-84511-707-8 |page=160|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref> Although it is sometimes reported that [[Ian Fleming]] and his character [[James Bond]] bought suits in Savile Row, there is no evidence for this in the novels;<ref name=Empire>{{cite web |url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/bond/bond-up-your-life/ |title=Empire Features |publisher=Empire |access-date=6 March 2013  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020023058/http://www.empireonline.com/features/bond/bond-up-your-life/ |archive-date=20 October 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thesuitsofjamesbond.com/?cat=52 |title=The Suits of James Bond |first=Matt|last=Spaiser |access-date=6 March 2013}}</ref> both Fleming and the Bond film character wore suits designed by non-Savile Row tailors, in particular Anthony Sinclair of nearby Conduit Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/bond/bond-up-your-life/ |title=Empire Features |author=Empire |publisher=empireonline.com |access-date=6 March 2013  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020023058/http://www.empireonline.com/features/bond/bond-up-your-life/ |archive-date=20 October 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.mensfashionmagazine.co.uk/style-icon-james-bond |title=Style Icon: James Bond |work= Mens Fashion Magazine |author=Laura Peta Ellis|access-date=6 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/product/anthony-sinclair |title=Anthony Sinclair &#124; Bond Lifestyle |work=James Bond Lifestyle |access-date=3 June 2013|date=16 January 2012}}</ref>

Tailors, attracted by the affluent and influential nature of the residents of Savile Row,<ref name=Berg/> started to open businesses in the area in the late 18th century, first in [[Cork Street]], about 1790, then by 1803 in Savile Row itself. None of those original tailors survive today, though [[Henry Poole & Co]], who through [[Edward VII]]'s patronage, helped make the street fashionable,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elegant-lifestyle.com/savile-row-suit-tailors.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050112102051/http://www.elegant-lifestyle.com/savile-row-suit-tailors.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=12 January 2005 |title=Savile Row's Best Bespoke Suit Tailors |author=Britta Beduhn-Haverkamp |publisher=elegant-lifestyle.com |access-date=14 March 2013}}</ref> still have a presence in Savile Row.<ref name="NYT"/> Poole moved the company into 32 Savile Row in 1846, following the death of his father James Poole, and the company is now at No. 15.<ref name="NYT"/> Henry Poole is credited as creator of the [[dinner jacket]], when he made a smoking jacket for the young [[Edward VII]] in 1860.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gNNJFWKP-kUC&pg=PA60 |title=Sharp Suits |page=60 |first=Eric|last=Musgrave |publisher=Anova Books |date=1 January 2010|isbn=978-1-86205-852-1}}</ref>

{{anchor|London cut}}
Tailoring was softened in the early 20th century by Dutch tailor [[Frederick Scholte]] when he developed the [[Drape suit|English drape]] for the Duke of Windsor.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.escapement.uk.com/anderson--sheppard-savile-row-tailors.html |title=Anderson & Sheppard, Savile Row Tailors |first=Angus|last=Davies|publisher=escapement.uk.com |date=21 August 2012 |access-date=3 June 2013}}</ref><ref name=Hill129>{{cite book|author=D. D. Hill|title=American Menswear: From the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century|year=2011|publisher=Texas University Press|pages=129–131}}</ref> Scholte's "dress soft" style was developed into the "London cut", the house style of Anderson & Sheppard, by Per Anderson, a protégé of Sholte.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk |title=Anderson & Sheppard |publisher=Anderson-sheppard.co.uk |access-date=22 April 2013}}</ref><ref name=MensFashions/> The "London cut" is a high small armhole with a generous upper sleeve that permits the jacket to remain close to the neck while freeing the arm to move with comfort.<ref name=MensFashions>{{cite web |url= http://www.murrayonhawaii.com/nolan/fashionhistory_1930mens.html |title=Mens Fashions of the 1930s / Thirties Fashion |first=Carol|last=Nolan |publisher=murrayonhawaii.com |year=2004 |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Gieves Hawkes 3178.JPG|thumb|left|upright|[[Gieves & Hawkes]] at 1 Savile Row]]

Though the reputation of tailoring on Savile Row is for bespoke suits, [[ready-to-wear]] clothes were introduced by [[Gieves & Hawkes]],<ref name=topman/> a company formed in 1974 by the merger of two separate businesses who both date from the late 19th century: Gieves, a [[Royal Navy]] tailor founded in Portsmouth; and Hawkes, a London-based cap-maker and tailor to the [[British Army]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/brandedmalemarke0000tung |url-access=registration |title=Branded Male |page=[https://archive.org/details/brandedmalemarke0000tung/page/53 53]|first=Mark|last=Tungate|publisher=Kogan Page Publishers|year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7494-5011-3}}</ref> [[Hardy Amies Ltd]] further broadened the scope and appeal of tailoring in Savile Row: in 1961, he staged the first men's ready-to-wear catwalk shows, at the Ritz Hotel in London,<ref name="VicAlb">{{cite web|url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/fashion_motion/amies/index.html|title=Hardy Amies|publisher=[[Victoria & Albert Museum]]|access-date=9 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504111734/http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/fashion_motion/amies/index.html|archive-date=4 May 2009}}</ref> he designed costumes for the 1966 England [[1966 FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] team,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hardy-amies-tailor-to-the-stars-faces-bankruptcy-948581.html |title=Hardy Amies, Tailor to the Stars, Faces Bankruptcy |first=James|last=Thompson |work=The Independent |date=2 October 2008 |access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> and for the 1968 film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: Space Odyssey]]'',<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RsE1f61nOdwC&pg=PA85 |title=Fashion Design |first=Elizabeth|last=Bye |page=85|publisher=Berg|date=15 November 2010|isbn=978-1-84788-267-7}}</ref> and dressed [[Elizabeth II|the Queen]], designing the gown used for the Silver Jubilee portrait in 1977.<ref name="FashEncyc"/> [[Hardy Amies]] founded the company in 1946, converting the bombed out shell of No.&nbsp;14.<ref name="FashEncyc">{{cite web|url=http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/A-Az/Amies-Sir-Hardy.html|title=Hardy Amies|publisher=Fashion Encyclopedia|access-date=8 October 2009}}</ref> Amies sold the business to the Luxury Brands Group and retired in 2001, but it went into administration in 2008 when it was bought by Fung Capital.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.retail-week.com/hardy-amies-uk-stores-to-close-following-sale-to-fung-capital/1920101.article|title=Hardy Amies UK Stores to Close Following Sale to Fung Capital|work=Retail Week|date=11 November 2008|access-date=8 October 2009}}</ref> It went back into administration in 2018 but on this occasion no buyer was found and the House was closed.

{{anchor|New bespoke movement}}
Modernisation of tailoring continued in 1969 with Nutters of Savile Row.<ref name=topman>{{cite web |url=http://magazine.topman.com/category/fashion/history-of-style-savile-row/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611212803/http://magazine.topman.com/category/fashion/history-of-style-savile-row |archive-date=11 June 2013 |title=History of Style: Savile Row |first=Daisy|last=Woodward |publisher=Topman |date=8 November 2012 |access-date=6 April 2013}}</ref> Nutters of Savile Row was opened on [[Valentine's Day]] 1969 by [[Tommy Nutter]] and [[Edward Sexton]], who had worked together at Donaldson, Williamson & Ward.<ref>{{cite news |title=An Historical Occasion, Nutter's Open Their Doors|url=http://www.edwardsexton.co.uk/presszoom.aspx?id=Tailor%20and%20cutter.jpg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320190115/http://www.edwardsexton.co.uk/presszoom.aspx?id=Tailor%20and%20cutter.jpg|archive-date=20 March 2012 |access-date=30 June 2011 |newspaper=Tailor and Cutter |date=21 February 1969}}</ref> Financially backed by [[Cilla Black]] and [[Peter Brown (music industry)|Peter Brown]] of the Beatles Apple Corps,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ftmlondon.org/ftm-exhibitions/tommy-nutter-rebel-on-the-row/ |title=Tommy Nutter – Rebel on the Row |publisher=[[Fashion and Textile Museum]] |year=2011 |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref> Nutters used bold window displays, created by the then unknown [[Simon Doonan]];<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/exquisite-pane-1-1401399 |title=Exquisite Pane |newspaper=The Scotsman |date=9 January 2005 |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref> and clients included the Beatles, [[Mick Jagger]], [[Elton John]], and [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]].<ref name=Nutter /> Nutter left the company in 1976 and went to work at Kilgour. He died in 1992.<ref name="Nutter">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-tommy-nutter-1541027.html |title=Obituary: Tommy Nutter |newspaper=The Independent |date=18 August 1992 |author=[[Meredith Etherington-Smith]]}}</ref> However, Terry Haste, cutter at Tommy Nutter, continues with John Kent (holder of the Royal Warrant for the Duke of Edinburgh) nearby at 7 Sackville Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kenthaste.co.uk/ |title=Home - Kent & Haste}}</ref>

Modernisation had slowed by the early 1990s; Savile Row tailors were "struggling to find relevance with an audience that had grown increasingly disassociated".<ref>{{cite journal |first=Wei|last=Koh |year=2010 |title=A Note From Our Founder |journal=[[The Rake]] |volume=3 |issue=9 |page=36}}</ref> Three tailors, [[Ozwald Boateng]], [[Timothy Everest]] (an apprentice of Nutter's), and [[Richard James (tailor)|Richard James]], then became known for revitalising the bespoke style for the modern market—having each broken away independently from the Savile Row mould.<ref>{{cite web |title=The New Generation of Modern Tailoring |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/britishstylegenius/content/21811.shtml |publisher=BBC British Style Genius |access-date=28 May 2013}}</ref> Public relations professional Alison Hargreaves coined the term "New Bespoke Movement" to describe collectively the work of this "new generation" of tailors.<ref name="arbuturian.com">{{cite web |title=Tinker, Tailor, Timothy Everest |url=http://www.arbuturian.com/2010/timothy-everest |publisher=The Arbuturian |access-date=28 May 2013 |author=Ash Lipkin|date=30 April 2010}}</ref> Interest reached a peak in 1997 when the three were featured together in ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]''.<ref name="arbuturian.com"/> The newcomers altered their shop fronts and used marketing and publicity to their advantage;<ref name="Beazley, Mitchell 2002 p40, 44">{{cite book |first=Catherine|last=McDermott |title=Made in Britain |year=2002 |publisher=Mitchell Beazley |pages=40, 44–48}}</ref> challenging the traditional Savile Row styling, they brought twists and "a fine sense of colour to bespoke suits."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/john-walsh-his-dark-materials-777624.html |title=John Walsh: His Dark Materials |first=John|last=Walsh |work=The Independent |date=4 February 2008 |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref> They were seen to "push the envelope of modern suit making and bespoke active wear, creating more contemporary silhouettes with bolder fabrics,"<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8cDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80 |title=London Calling: Riding Around a British Tailor's Bespoke World|page=80 |first=Michael|last=Slenske |journal=Best Life |date=October 2008}}</ref> and set out to attract celebrity clients, sell their clothing via supermarket chains, and attract wider national and international custom, raising the profile of their new tailoring style.<ref name="Beazley, Mitchell 2002 p40, 44"/><!-- The [[Financial crisis of 2007–08|financial crash of 2008]] led to concerns from tailors,<ref name="AutoFV-46"/> though the impact of the crash and resulting recession was not as severe as expected.<ref name="AutoFV-47"/> -->

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*Anderson, Richard, (2009). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=9BYIXx0cQOAC Bespoke: Savile Row Ripped and Smoothed]''. Simon and Schuster. {{ISBN|1847378765}}
*Black, Barbara  (2012). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=-cDaIELSXtgC A Room of His Own: A Literary-Cultural Study of Victorian Clubland]''. Ohio University Press. {{ISBN|0821444352}}
* Bye, Elizabeth, (2010). ''Fashion Design''. Berg. 
* Doggett, Peter,  (2010). ''You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup''. Random House. 
*Glinga, Werner, (1986). ''Legacy of Empire: A Journey Through British Society''. Manchester University Press
* Hill, D. D., (2011). ''American Menswear: From the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century''. Texas University Press
*King, P.S., (1928). ''Indication of Houses of Historical Interest in London: Volume 4''. Jas. Truscott Press / London County Council
*Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge, (1925). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=OgQ4AAAAIAAJ The Early History of Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Soho, & Their Neighbourhood]''. London Topographical Society
*McDermott, Catherine, (2002). ''Made in Britain''. Mitchell Beazley. {{ISBN|1840005459}}
* {{cite book |last1=Miles |first1=Barry |author1-link=Barry Miles |title=The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years |date=2001 |publisher=[[Omnibus Press]] |location=London |isbn=978-0-7119-8308-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=trRB-lo4qR8C}}
* [[Mowl, Timothy]], (2007). ''William Kent: Architect, Designer, Opportunist''. Random House
*Musgrave, Eric, (2010). ''Sharp Suits''. Anova Books
*Sheil, Bob, (2012). ''Manufacturing the Bespoke''. John Wiley & Sons
*Sheppard, F.H.W., ed. (1963). "[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols31-2/pt2/pp517-545 Cork Street and Savile Row Area: Savile Row]". ''Survey of London: vol. 31 and 32, St James Westminster, part 2''. London: London County Council
*Slenske, Michael,  (2008). ''London Calling: Riding Around a British Tailor's Bespoke World''. Best Life
*Steele, Valerie  (2010). ''The Berg Companion to Fashion''. Berg
*Tungate, Mark, (2008). ''Branded Male''. Kogan Page Publishers
*Ben Weinreb, Christopher Hibbert (1983). The London Encyclopaedia. Macmillan
* Piet Schreuders, Adam Smith, Mark Lewisohn (30 June 2008). Beatles London: The Ultimate Guide to Over 400 Beatles Sites in and Around London. Anova Books
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
* {{Commons-inline}}

{{The Beatles}}

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