James Sherwood's Bespoke: The Men's Style of Savile Row

I’m too lazy to finish what I think would be an intriguing story and selfishly, a fun project involving the perusal of all my tomes sartorial. For I have, what I think, is a fairly comprehensive repository of books and articles on the subject.

And because I have so many volumes already. And because Google images and a few other resources provide with a mouse-click, a robust and historical visual treat, I’m not real impressed with new books that don’t add to the already well done job of documenting trad sartorial history. I don’t need another coffee table book that simply captures an aggregate of Polo Ralph Lauren prints ads from the last thirty years. No offense to Jeremy Hackett and to Ralph’s last coffee table sized survey of his journey, but I sold both those books on eBay.

But I’d say that the forty or so bucks you’ll have to pop for James Sherwood's Bespoke: The Men's Style of Savile Row is worth the dough. I’ll not offer a text rich revue of the book. It gets back to that lazy thang I mentioned. Besides, Will over at A Suitable Wardrobe has done that for us. What I will do is offer a visual treat of what I immediately liked about this very well researched and well assembled book. And if one pinned me down to a few statements regarding what is “different” about this book I’d offer this. It reoriented my appreciation for the military and pageant uniform legacy of Savile Row and it trips my trigger regarding history. I love lore and history and there’s enough here to be noticeable.

I remember walking into Poole one day and seeing ledger books from the late 1800’s open on a table. Not as a display prop … Poole back then, and probably now, was too British to show their customer ledgers in a display window. I’m thinking that a researcher or someone had been in there reviewing them. But they were kind enough to allow me to take a look. You’ll get a nice dose of that here. You’ll also get a comprehensive survey that includes all of the history and lineage in concert with the jaunty cul-de-sac (s) that British fashion pulled into over the years…the Nutter, Rock Star/Carnaby Street avenues as well as Savile Row today and hopefully, the future.

So sit back, put on your smoking hat and in typical ADG form, enjoy some blurry pictures.

I'm enjoying not only learning more about the military legacy of Savile Row but also the sprinkling of Vanity Fair prints in the book.

And of course, he's represented in the book.

The lineage.

I know he's leaning over a woman but for a frightening moment, I channeled Ned Beatty in Deliverance.

Picolo swathings like daddy's.

The one-button Masters.

More from Vanity Fair.

Savile Row and the Future? I just want the "Row" as a unique entity to survive.

The Duke and his Hawkes ledger sheet.

And that testy-ass cousin of Edward VII

The Gieves and Hawkes Archive Room at Number One Savile Row.

The Prussian customers including the Red Baron as well as Tony Biddle.

I'm still gonna do a story on Campaign-Knock Down Furniture. Someday.

Celebrities and the Row.

Andre Leon Talley...a Richard Anderson customer and native North Carolinian.

Anderson's Savile Row tome is well worth the read.

Hugh Grant, along with Stroller, was a fool.

The Nutter.

"ADG....ADG....it's Savile Row calling. We've made a corduroy coat just for you. Fuzzy out the a_s with all kinds of pockets and straps and buckles...it's YOU baby...it's you."

And there's a segment of the book focused on collateral providers of kit.

Sign me and Aunt Tootie up for this rig. Hold me.

Onward, in an eBay cashmere Ralph cable knit sweater and 501s...day old beard and a gnarly baseball cap...turned forward. But guaranteed to be better swathed for the balance of the week.

ADG, II