I caught the last part of the coronation on Saturday, with the working royals accompanying the King and Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. I wrote about the former Prince of Wale’s personal style in an earlier article, but as I watched the drone cameras capturing the surrounding neighborhood from above, I was reminded of an area of London that I know very well and that has been a major influence in men’s tailoring and style for centuries from Beau Brummell and George IV to James Bond and The Beatles.
The zones and neighborhoods of London are relatively small, making them easily walkable, that is, of course, if you can navigate the unforgiving British weather. Starting in Saville Row, nestled between Regent Street and Old Bond Street, the shopfronts along here are actually what the French would label “Maison” (houses). Each storefront window on street level is a small part of an upstairs and downstairs tailoring brand with showrooms and workshops where bespoke suits are being made around the clock for discerning clients. Some of these brands have expanded quite cleverly to become known around the world with global clients patronizing these establishments. They have been delivering tailoring excellence since the beginning of the 1800’s and the rise of Regency “Dandyism”. Over many of the doorways of Saville Row and the surrounding area of Mayfair, you will see a Royal Coats of Arms, symbolizing a personal royal endorsement of past and present. This simply means that Royals shop here, a kind of clever early advertisement to set a brand above others. Wondering down Saville row, you can peek into the basement workshops and see many tailors arduously continuing their art which has been the basis for today’s modern tailoring techniques that we use in menswear on industrial levels. Whilst machinery has been introduced to assist in many parts of the manufacturing process, some parts are still done by hand, even at an industrial level, and the eye of the expert can define quality, making thorough training a very important part of the modern day setup.
At the south end of Saville Row, you will find the Royal Academy of Arts, which usually hosts some of London’s best exhibitions. Between the academy and Bond Street is the Burlington Arcade, arguably the world’s first shopping mall, where you are transported to another time with luxurious storefronts selling everything from vintage silver to freshly baked French pastries. Keeping south and crossing to the other side of Piccadilly, you find Fortnum and Mason, another Royally endorsed establishment though mostly for delicious provisions. At the East side of F&M you continue to another arcade, the Piccadilly Arcade, sometimes known as the Prince’s Arcade (you can begin to see the royal pattern here), which brings you onto Jermyn Street. This “back street” to Piccadilly isn’t very impressive, but the reason I brought you here is that this narrow passage is where to find a lot of hidden shopping gems for menswear, including footwear, neckwear, grooming, accessories, and somewhere I love to include in my walking itinerary when visiting London. It’s just a few streets north of Buckingham Palace and St. James, where the Royal families reside in London, so I imagine the patronage of the King will continue to make this neighborhood a menswear mecca for global Sartorialists.
