Where to get the perfect bespoke suit: A brief history of Savile Row

London's most famous sartorial address may be synonymous with tradition, but it's been reinventing suits for the past 110 years

Henry Poole & Co.

Est. 1806n 

15 Savile Row

The original house, the one that built the street, remains a family-run business. It started as a specialist in military uniforms — including the ones the British army wore to Waterloo — and invented the tuxedo in 1865 at the request of the future King Edward VII. It’s since expanded east with four shops in Japan and two in China

Anderson & Sheppard

Est. 1906n 

32 Old Burlington St.

Originally at 30 Savile Row and now one block west, the house loosened up the Victorian stiffness of its neighbours by introducing the English drape, which allowed fabric to ripple generously around the swinging arms of Fred Astaire and the curves of Marlene Dietrich. It’s the choice for seriously fashionable suit shoppers, including Tom Ford and Calvin Klein

Cad & the Dandy

Est. 2008n 

13 Savile Row

The millennial’s choice, thanks to a strong web presence and suits that start at about $1,200. This nimble house once made bespoke garage togs for the hosts of Top Gear. Founded by two bankers who lost their jobs in the 2008 financial crisis, it’s too small to fail

Ozwald Boateng

Est. 1995n 

30 Savile Row

An heir to the Nutter’s tradition of expanding a client base in striking ways. Like his peers Richard James and Timothy Everest of the New Bespoke Movement, Boateng used bold fabrics and innovative advertising to give tailoring’s golden mile a 21st-century shine

Chittleborough & Morgan at Nutter’s

Est. 1969n 

12 Savile Row

Better known simply and boldly as Nutter’s, after founder Tommy Nutter, the “rebel tailor” caught the sartorial beat of swinging London, with vast lapels, nipped waists, and far-out window displays. Nutter’s dressed the Beatles for the cover of Abbey Road (except for George, who preferred jeans)