I just joined after lurking for far too long. I wanted to share my experiences on Savile Row. Several years ago I was fortunate enough to have a fantastic year (I’m an attorney and I devoted part of my bonus to clothes, shoesand a lovely watch. I thought I’d share my experience and see what those of you who have tried Savile Row have found.
First the watch. I bought a Breguet La Tradition and it has become my go to dress watch. This one has the skeleton that is an almost exact copy of a circa 1800 Breguet pocket watch. Easily one of my favorite splurges ever.
Next, the shoes. I had George Cleverley’s make me a pair of wingtips. They were not cheap -!; it took three fittings, but they are hands down the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn.
I had these started in London. I had a business trip there and stayed on for a week vacationing and fitting shoes, shirts and suits. Before I left I made appointments at Cleverley, Emma Willis, Gieves & Hawkes, Henry Poole, Huntsman, Anderson & Sheppard and Dege & Skinner. This was the splurge of a lifetime, to put it mildly.
Emma Willis was a terrific experience. A very detailed fitting session and since I know my favorite style, picking the details was a breeze. The fabrics are Swiss and they are magnificent. It took a half hour to pick but I ended up with three very fine Egyptian cotton fabrics from which I made three solid and one subtle striped shirts. The first arrived as a perfect fit and the others arrived several weeks later, also perfect. What I loved is that they didn’t fight me about the neck size. I like a little bit of room, and they accommodated me. They have held up to repeated laundering and still look and fit perfectly. They are my go to shirt maker now.
I had a blast on Savile Row and I’ll go into more detail in a future post, but my man now is Davide Taub at Gieves & Hawkes. Really, I loved the way all of them came out. It was a close call and they are different suits (I enjoy a bit of variety), but the rapport with Davide was terrific and he knew what I wanted before I did.
I’d love to hear about others’ bespoke experiences.
First the watch. I bought a Breguet La Tradition and it has become my go to dress watch. This one has the skeleton that is an almost exact copy of a circa 1800 Breguet pocket watch. Easily one of my favorite splurges ever.
Next, the shoes. I had George Cleverley’s make me a pair of wingtips. They were not cheap -!; it took three fittings, but they are hands down the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn.
I had these started in London. I had a business trip there and stayed on for a week vacationing and fitting shoes, shirts and suits. Before I left I made appointments at Cleverley, Emma Willis, Gieves & Hawkes, Henry Poole, Huntsman, Anderson & Sheppard and Dege & Skinner. This was the splurge of a lifetime, to put it mildly.
Emma Willis was a terrific experience. A very detailed fitting session and since I know my favorite style, picking the details was a breeze. The fabrics are Swiss and they are magnificent. It took a half hour to pick but I ended up with three very fine Egyptian cotton fabrics from which I made three solid and one subtle striped shirts. The first arrived as a perfect fit and the others arrived several weeks later, also perfect. What I loved is that they didn’t fight me about the neck size. I like a little bit of room, and they accommodated me. They have held up to repeated laundering and still look and fit perfectly. They are my go to shirt maker now.
I had a blast on Savile Row and I’ll go into more detail in a future post, but my man now is Davide Taub at Gieves & Hawkes. Really, I loved the way all of them came out. It was a close call and they are different suits (I enjoy a bit of variety), but the rapport with Davide was terrific and he knew what I wanted before I did.
I’d love to hear about others’ bespoke experiences.
