For over two hundred years the historic London street known as Savile Row has been home to the world’s most exclusive tailors, creators of unique bespoke suits for exceptional men and women. The master tailors of Savile Row have dressed the famous and infamous from all over the world, satisfying demand for the Row’s touch of elegance and eccentricity. Icons of Savile Row’s past include Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Windsor, Sir Winston Churchill, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant and John Lennon. Customers today demonstrate the Row’s spectacular diversity: the Princes William and Harry, Mick Jagger, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Pete Doherty to name a few.
The book, written by James Sherwood—the first in English for twenty years—is a portrait of modern Savile Row, and contains detailed information on London’s premier tailors, including images of Savile Row past and present.
The book presents both the style and story of a street that continues to inspire fashion: Ralph Lauren, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford have all walked the Row while Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen were trained here.

James Sherwood is style writer for Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, The Independent, and fashion critic at Royal Ascot for the BBC.

Mode is a project by Fondazione Pitti Discovery directed by Maria Luisa Frisa and devoted to the ideas and figures of the fashion world.