A handmade bespoke suit from Savile Row in London for the gentleman can be regarded as the equivalent to an haute couture outfit for the lady from Paris: it is simply the ultimate indulgence and style. The bespoke Savile Row suit has a classic slim silhouette and nipped waist. The real bespoke Savile Row suit is handmade on the premises from a pattern after a trained craftsman has taken your measurements. A bespoke suit from London's Savile Row used to be a very elite affair in Edwardian England as you had to be introduced to the tailor by a friend - luckily this is not the case anymore. King Edward VII (1841-1910) and his entourage made Savile Row fashionable around the turn of the last century. His favourite tailor was Henry Poole, who was the first tailor who opened a shop in Savile Row in 1806. King Edward VII's grandson Edward VIII, and later Duke of Windsor (1894-1972), gave Savile Row its international cachet. The Duke of Windsor, who abdicated in 1936 in order to marry the American Mrs. Wallis Simpson, introduced film stars such as Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Cary Grant to Savile Row. Through this a loyal American clientele was established. Since then, Savile Row has always been popular amongst those in the know. 

Over the past couple of years Savile Row is seeing an amazing revival. Celebrities such as Sean Connery, Brian Ferry, Michael Caine, Charlie Watts and Tom Cruise all have joined the client lists of some of the most exclusive tailors on Savile Row. Elegant-Lifestyle has therefore visited Savile Row for its readers and has compiled a comprehensive and informative list of the most established names for the famous bespoke Savile Row suit. 

There are thousands of different patterns to choose from and the cloth weight can range between 8 and 18 ounces with 11 ounces being a perfect choice for an all-year-round business suit. Most customers prefer being able to undo the sleeve buttons and the real test for the Savile Row suit is the thread below the buttonhole on the back of the suit's lapel, which is there to hold the boutonniere (fresh flower) upright, which you might put into your lapel for a special occasion. Some dandies, of course, might even wear a boutonniere every day to make a personal statement of unrivaled style and elegance.

The personal tailoring of your bespoke suit will require about 3 fittings and take four to twelve weeks. Prices start at £1,500 to £3,000 for the more famous names and can go up £10,000 for very exclusive materials. The addition of a waistcoat, which elevates the two-piece suit to an elegant three-piece suit will add another £200 to £500. Although all of the addresses listed below do the classic bespoke Savile Row suit, which is handmade, some of the tailors also offer a more affordable alternative: the made-to-measure or made-to-order suit, which is also called personal tailoring. This type of suit starts off with a normal standard size, which is then altered according to your specifications and then manufactured in a factory. 

Last but not least, most tailors listed here do regular visits to the US as well as the European Continent. This means if you cannot come to Savile Row, Savile Row will come to you. 

Please note that, in 2007, £1 (British pound) is about 1.5 euros or 2 US dollars and VAT (value added tax) is 17.5%, which does not apply to overseas customers. Also, two good books on suits are  'Gentleman - A Timeless Fashion' or 'A Well-Dressed Gentleman's Pocket Guide'.
 

Anderson & Sheppard (established in 1873) Anderson and Sheppard are clearly one of the top names in Savile Row, with prominent customers such as Prince Philip, Valentino and Brian Ferry. Their vast number of patterns to choose from also includes those uniquely made for Anderson and Sheppard; Price range: average price for a handmade two-piece bespoke suit is about £1,960 incl. VAT (a three-piece bespoke suit is about £2,250 incl. VAT); Time taken: eight to twelve weeks; Appointment advised for the time between noon and 2pm, but otherwise not necessary. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 1420; Fax: +44-20-7734 1721; 30 Savile Row; London W1X 1AG; e-mail: office@anderson-sheppard.co.uk; website: www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk

Chester Barrie (established in 1935) Chester Barrie has its name from its factory located in Crewe near Chester and was founded by Americans in 1935. Next to made-to-order suits from Chester, Chester Barrie caters to the customer requiring hand sewn bespoke suits and had Sir Winston Churchill on its client list; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit will start from £1,350 incl. VAT with £200 extra for a waistcoat, a made-to-order two piece suit will cost about £995 incl. VAT with £200 extra for a waistcoat; Time taken: six to twelve weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-1pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 4733; Fax: +44-20-7287 6303; 32 Savile Row; London W1X 1AG; e-mail: handtailoring@chesterbarrie.co.uk; website: www.chesterbarrie.co.uk

Dege & Skinner (established in 1865) Dege and Skinner cater not only for the Queen but also for the Sultan of Oman. Dege and Skinner have a few hundred pattern lengths on show and thousands of patterns in cloth books. Dege and Skinner make visits to the US, Arabia and Europe about 3-4 times a year; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit starts from £1,969 incl. VAT and goes up to £2,600 incl. VAT (a three-piece suit starts from £2,345 incl. VAT); Time taken: nine to twelve weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9.15am-5.15pm, Sat 9.30-12.30am; Tel: +44-20-7287 2941; Fax: +44-20-7734 8794; 10 Savile Row; London W1X 1AF; e-mail: info@dege-skinner.co.uk; website: www.dege-skinner.co.uk

Ede & Ravenscroft (established in 1689) Ede and Ravenscroft is the oldest tailor in London with Royal Warrants from each member of the Royal Family. Ede and Ravenscroft is located at the South end of Savile Row. There are more than a thousand different patterns on offer ranging from 9 to 15 ounces; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit will cost about £1,800 incl. VAT (£1,650 to £2,500) with £400 extra for a waistcoat, a made-to-order two piece suit will cost about £750 incl. VAT (£595 to £1,100) with £225 extra for a waistcoat; Time taken: six to eight weeks; Appointment is only needed for made-to-order. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 5450; Fax: +44-20- 7344 2041; 8 Burlington Gardens; London W1X 1LG; e-mail: michael.stevens@edeandravenscroft.co.uk; website: www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk

Gieves & Hawkes (established in 1786) Gieves and Hawkes has many Royal Warrants and has had clients in the past such as Admiral Nelson (1758-1805), who won Trafalgar in 1805, and the Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), who won Waterloo in 1815, the choice of cloth comprises 40,000 different patterns. Should this not be sufficient, they will get you anything you like; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit starts from £2,250 incl. VAT with an average of £2,400 incl. VAT (three-piece suit for an average of £2,700 incl. VAT), personal tailoring (made-to-measure) starts from £595 incl. VAT; Time taken: around eight weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Thu 9.30am-6.30pm, Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm; Tel: +44-20-7434 2001; Fax: +44-20-7437 1092; 1 Savile Row; London W1X 2JR; e-mail: gieves@gievesandhawkes.com; website: www.gievesandhawkes.com

Hardy Amies (established in 1946) Hardy Amies himself is the personal tailor to the Queen and has a high standard that is only comparable with haute-couture houses in Paris. He is also at ease with people who want to give their Savile Row suit a more trendy slant - if you are able to afford it; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit will start from £3,000 plus VAT and a three-piece suit from £3,500 plus VAT; Time taken: six to twelve weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 2436; Fax: +44-20-7439 7116; 14 Savile Row; London W1X 2JN; e-mail: office@hardyamies.co.uk; website: www.hardyamies.co.uk

Henry Poole & Co. (established in 1806) Henry Poole was the first tailor in Savile Row in 1806 and has been crowned by a long history of royal patronage such as King Edward VII (1841-1910), Henry Poole makes regular visits to the European Continent and the US and also has outlets in Japan; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit starts from around £2,000 plus VAT and a waistcoat will add another £200 plus VAT for a three-piece suit, silk lining is an option for another £150-200 plus VAT; Time taken: nine to twelve weeks; Appointment during lunch-hour preferred, but appointment also possible outside normal business hours. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5.15pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 5985; Fax: +44-20-7287 2161; 15 Savile Row; London W1X 1AE; e-mail: office@henrypoole.com; website: www.henrypoole.com

Huntsman & Sons (established in 1849) Huntsman and Sons boasts a number of Royal Warrants from past English Kings and Queens. Huntsman has a couple of thousand patterns to choose from, also many woollen patterns that are especially made for Huntsman. They are also strong in hunting coats.  Huntsman visits clients in the US and in Paris up to three times a year; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit comes to around £3,000 incl. VAT, which is the top of the range for an old name in Savile Row, and a waistcoat will add another £300 for a three-piece suit; Time taken: ten to twelve weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am to 5.30pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 7441; Fax: +44-20-7287 2937; 11 Savile Row; London W1X 2PS; e-mail: mail@h-huntsman.com; website: www.h-huntsman.com

Kilgour French Stanbury (established in 1870) Kilgour, French and Stanbury are a name to reckon with in Savile Row and their offering of fabrics goes into the hundreds. Their elegant premises with their gallery like art window display shows a tailor with more than 130 years of experience. They visit New York and the US 3-4 times a year; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit will cost about £2,200 plus VAT, a made-to-order two-piece suit will cost about £890 plus VAT; Time taken: six to eight weeks; Appointment is not needed. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am-6.30pm, Sat 10.30am-4.30pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 6905; Fax: +44-20-7287 8147; 8 Savile Row; London W1X 1AF; e-mail: enquiries@kilgour.eu; website: www.kilgour.eu

Maurice Sedwell (established in 1938) Maurice Sedwell is proud of its well established reputation which is an integral part of their philosophy “It carries no banner nor labels adorn, but speaks for itself once it is worn.” Customers can choose from an unlimited collection of the world’s finest fabrics. Head tailor, Andrew Ramroop, visits clients in more than 20 countries – a Savile Row record; Price range: handmade two-piece bespoke suit starts from £2,820 plus VAT (for waistcoats add £480 plus VAT). Made-to-measure suits from £1,500 plus VAT; Time taken: six to twelve weeks; Appointment is desirable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 0824; Fax: +44-20-7437 0529; 19 Savile Row; London W1X 1AE; e-mail: mauricesedwell@btclick.com; website:  www.savilerowtailor.com

Norton & Sons (established in 1821) Norton and Sons offer about a thousand types of cloth and is especially strong in tweed for hunting and shooting, which is sometimes even handmade. Norton and Sons do regular visits to the US (ex-president George Bush is a client), the European Continent and Asia; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit starts from £2,300 plus VAT; Time taken: four to eight weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm; Tel: +44-20-7437 0829; Fax: +44-20-7287 4764; 16 Savile Row; London W1X 1AE; e-mail: enquiries@nortonandsons.co.uk; website: www.nortonandsons.co.uk

Ozwald Boateng (established in 1992) Ozwald Boateng, located at the South end of Savile Row, caters for fashion and media clients. Ozwald Boateng combines the unique Savile Row style with very trendy coloured cloths, some of them silk and wool combinations; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit will come to around £2,200 plus VAT; Time taken: four to six weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm; Tel: +44-20-7734 6868; Fax: +44-20-7734 3737; 9 Vigo Street; London W1X 1AL; e-mail: tailors@bespokecotureltd.co.uk; website: www.ozwaldboateng.co.uk

Richard James (established in 1992)
Richard James started in Savile Row in 1992 with the mission to create a classic but modern interpretation of the traditional British suit and his fashion awards show that he has achieved this. The large choice of fabrics also include exclusive fabrics to Richard James; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit will cost around £1,800 plus VAT and a three-piece suit from £2,185 plus VAT; Time taken: ten to twelve weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm; Tel: +44-20-7434 0605; Fax: +44-20-7287 2265; 29 Savile Row; London W1X 1AF; e-mail: mail@richardjames.co.uk; website: www.richardjames.co.uk

William Hunt (established in 1988)
William Hunt is one of the of the newer addresses in Savile Row, but offers all types of cloth Savile Row merchants have to offer, also silk and a new own range from autumn 2001 onwards. If the shop in Savile Row is too busy there is another premise in Covent Garden; Price range: a handmade two-piece bespoke suit costs about £1,500 incl. VAT (three-piece suit for about £1,850 incl. VAT), a personal tailoring (made-to-measure) suit cost about £950 incl. VAT with £350 incl. VAT for an additional waistcoat; Time taken: five to six weeks; Appointment is advisable. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm; Tel: +44-20-7439 1921; Fax: +44-20-7240 3427; 41 Savile Row; London W1X 1AG; e-mail: e-mail not available yet; website: website not available yet