november-2010

do,” says Sherwood. “And most actors don’t expect to pay
for clothes themselves. So they don’t really have a personal
style.” Exceptions of note include Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law,
George Clooney, Daniel Day-Lewis and Brad Pitt.
Although Savile Row survived the style revolts of the
1960s, largely thanks to Tommy Nutter’s fl amboyant Nutters
of Savile Row, bankrolled by Cilla Black and numbering
Elton John, Mick Jagger and the Beatles as clients, it
struggled in the 1980s. “It was the absolute pits,” says
Sherwood. “That was down to Armani and the ready-towear
Italian designers. But Ozwald Boateng, Timothy
Everest and Richard James gave it an incredible fi llip in the
1990s. Ozwald is brilliant at promotion and he grabbed the
spotlight and turned it fi rmly back on to Savile Row.”
Mark Henderson, vice-chairman of Gieves & Hawkes
and chair of the Savile Row Bespoke Association, agrees:
“I think a lot needed changing and a lot has changed.
The pride in bespoke is still there.”
Sherwood thinks the future is bright. “There’s been a turn
back towards the English country ethic in men’s fashion,”
he says. “That’s partly because Italian suits don’t last. They
are beautiful but they are too lightweight. So we’re seeing
a new generation in their 20s and 30s who are incredibly
fi t, incredibly good looking and want what Savile Row has
to offer and can afford it. They know that if you want to
get off a plane and look fantastic, it’s not the lightweight
unlined coat that’s going to do it for you. It’s Savile Row.”
Savile Row: The Master Tailors of British Bespoke by James
Sherwood is published by Thames & Hudson, £45
“Boateng led the new tailoring establishment in the 90s”
pour la réalisation de la pochette d’Abbey Road –
les années 1980 s’avérèrent une décennie diffi cile.
« Tout partait à vau-l’eau, raconte James Sherwood,
à cause de la concurrence d’Armani et des marques de
prêt-à-porter italiennes. Mais Ozwald Boateng, Timothy
Everest et Richard James ont redonné un vrai coup de
fouet dans les années 1990. Ozwald, génie du marketing, a
su replacer Savile Row sous les feux des projecteurs. »
Mark Henderson, Vice-Président de Gieves & Hawkes et
président de la Savile Row Bespoke Association, acquiesce :
« Beaucoup de choses devaient changer et ont changé,
mais la fi erté du sur mesure demeure. »
L’avenir s’annonce radieux, selon James Sherwood :
« Le style campagne anglaise revient en force dans
la mode masculine, en partie parce que les costumes
italiens, beaux mais trop légers, ne tiennent pas. Nous
voyons arriver une nouvelle génération d’hommes
jeunes, très beaux, très bien bâtis, qui veulent du
Savile Row et en ont les moyens. Ils savent qu’après
des heures d’avion la veste de Savile Row sera toujours
impeccable… à l’inverse du veston léger non-doublé. »
Savile Row, les maîtres tailleurs du sur mesure britannique
(parution novembre, 59,95 €, chez L’Éditeur)
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