The English Gentleman
Savile Row’s finest used Whitehall’s War Rooms to deliver an atmospheric presentation at London Collections: MEN. Alongside Woolmark and the tailors of St. James’, British tradition was on show from the tactical hub of Winston Churchill’s wartime effort.
Anderson & Sheppard, H. Huntsman & Sons, Henry Poole & CO. and Chittleborough & Morgan were all on hand to show their AW14 lines at the forties-inspired event.
Kicked off by actor Michael Gambon, writer A.A. Gill and filmmaker David Furnish, the showcase was a nod to Britain’s former leader and the civil service.
Creative fashion director of British GQ, Jo Levin, was on hand to provide the styling. Impeccably crafted flannel, tweed and corduroy suiting sat alongside woven wool outerwear, natty accessories and plush knits in the offering. Wide-brimmed trilbies lent a sleek finishing touch and reinforced the 1940s feel.
Models stationed in darkened rooms and passageways performed the roles of government officials plotting wartime strategies. Bakelite telephones, vintage boundary maps and drams of Chivas Regal whisky aided the role-play.
Heavy belted trench coats and elegant herringbone Chesterfields provided a strong masculine edge, while models staged in bunkrooms showed a softer side, clad in silk and wool smoking jackets and velvet slippers.
Tones were muted and winter appropriate. Blacks, charcoals, navy blues, fawns, camels and bottle greens represented both wartime austerity and traditional English cold-weather clothing.
Luxury Jermyn Street labels provided the sharp shirting, accessorized with leather-ended braces, along with spotted silk, knitted and woven ties.
English shoemakers were behind the sturdy footwear, resulting in a look that was quintessentially British.
From the unique surroundings to the polished attire, the Savile Row Woolmark & St. James’s showcase was the most stylish tribute to Blitz dressing seen in modern menswear to date.
Savile Row, Woolmark & St. James’s: The English Gentleman Video
Savile Row, Woolmark & St. James’s AW13 Collections
Savile Row Bespoke Association Members
Anderson & Sheppard
32 Old Burlington St,
London,
Greater London,
W1S 3AT
Chittleborough & Morgan
12 Savile Row,
London,
W1S 3PQ,
Gieves & Hawkes
1 Savile Row,
London,
W1S 3JR
Henry Poole & Co.
15 Savile Row,
London,
W1S 3PJ
H. Huntsman & Sons
11 Savile Row,
London,
W1S 3PS
Richard James Bespoke
29 Savile Row,
London,
W1S 2EY
