History/fashion
Henry Poole & Co: The first Tailor of Savile Row James Sherwood (Thames & Hudson, £35)
EVERY EVENING THAT you step out in a dinner jacket and catch a glance of your sharp silhouette reflected in a window, you have Henry Poole & Co to thank for your stylish appearance. In 1865, the tailor devised the garment in a celestial-blue for the then Prince of Wales to wear at Sandringham, as the Prince fancied something casual in which to escape from the sartorial protocol of the Court.
Recognised as the founding tailor of Savile Row, Poole’s, as it’s known to its customers, has spent the past 200 years dressing the world’s most influential people, from King Boris of Bulgaria to Buffalo Bill. Throughout that period, the Poole and Cundey families have kept meticulous ledgers that document the orders and expenditure of everyone who has passed through its doors.
This elegant book by fashion journalist James Sherwood is a history of London’s most famous tailor, written after the author was granted special access to delve into the firm’s rich archives. The result provides an intricate exploration of the tastes, wealth and affiliations of those who shaped the 19th and 20th centuries.
There is a strong sense that Poole’s is looking to the future, with Alex Cooke, the head cutter, commenting that he feels new demographics are discovering bespoke. However, it is impossible to flick through the illustrations and photographs without yearning for a time when white tie was the order of an evening at the opera and men wore their best frock coat to face the firing squad. Patrick Galbraith