Savile Row
A street in London's Mayfair district that has been the centre of British bespoke tailoring since the 18th century, and a metonym for the highest standard of men's tailored clothing.
Savile Row is a short, unassuming street in London's Mayfair. It runs for approximately 200 metres between Vigo Street and Boyle Street. It has no remarkable architecture, no fashionable restaurants, and no particular scenic distinction. What it has — and has had since the late 18th century — is the greatest concentration of skilled tailors in the world, and the cultural authority that comes from dressing generals, statesmen, aristocrats, and kings for over 200 years.
The History
The street was laid out in the 1730s as part of the Burlington Estate development. Military officers were among the earliest clients — the proximity to the army's headquarters at the Horse Guards in Whitehall made Mayfair a natural gathering point for the tailors who dressed them. By the mid-Victorian era, the Row had consolidated its reputation as the address for serious tailoring.
The great houses established themselves in succession: Henry Poole (1806), Gieves & Hawkes (1785, though not on the Row until 1912), Anderson & Sheppard (1906), Huntsman (1849), Kilgour (1882). Each developed a distinct house style that continues to define the Savile Row tradition.
The Savile Row Style
The canonical Savile Row cut is characterised by:
A structured, roped shoulder. Unlike the soft, natural shoulder of Neapolitan tailoring, the Savile Row jacket builds the shoulder with a pad and a slightly extended sleeve head, creating a clean, sharp line at the shoulder point. The sleeve is "roped" — set with a slight ridge at the seam — projecting an impression of formality and authority.
Suppressed waist. The jacket is taken in at the waist, following the body's contour without clinging. The chest is expanded relative to the waist, creating a masculine, triangular silhouette.
A long, lean front. The jacket front runs close to the body with minimal excess fabric. The lapels are typically moderate in width, cut on a slightly high gorge.
Heavy hand labour. The defining characteristic is the quantity of work done by hand: the padded chest canvas, the hand-set collar, the working buttonholes, the felling of the lining — each operation performed by a craftsperson rather than a machine.
The Houses
Each house maintains a distinct identity:
Anderson & Sheppard is celebrated for its soft, draped cut — paradoxically the least "British-looking" of the Row's traditions, favouring a more Continental ease of line.
Huntsman produces perhaps the most structured and architectural cut on the Row — a single-breasted jacket of almost sculptural formality.
Henry Poole occupies a middle ground: military in heritage, conservative in proportion, impeccable in execution.
Kilgour has historically dressed the film and entertainment world; its cuts tend toward a slightly more contemporary silhouette.
Dege & Skinner specialises in military and ceremonial tailoring alongside civilian commissions.
The Savile Row Bespoke Association
Founded in 2004, the Savile Row Bespoke Association exists to define and protect the term "bespoke" as applied to tailoring on and around the Row. Its definition requires that a bespoke garment be cut on the premises from an individual pattern and require at least one fitting before completion. This standard distinguishes genuine bespoke from the made-to-measure programmes increasingly offered by fashion houses that have acquired addresses on the Row.
FAQs
Do I need to visit in person? Yes. The bespoke process requires physical presence for the initial measurement, the baste fitting, and the forward fitting. Some houses conduct trunk shows in major international cities for clients who cannot travel to London.
What is the current entry price? A single bespoke suit commission at the leading houses currently ranges from approximately £5,000 to £9,000 for the cloth and making. First-time clients typically pay somewhat more, as the pattern cost is embedded in the commission.