Gieves and Hawkes

Although receiveing criticism for going a bit too mainstream (setting up outlets in the Far East) and becoming a bit less exclusive, they remain excellent clothiers who make traditional, finely cut suits. The suits are very good, and very, very expensive. To see if you can afford one read on (hint: a bespoke suit from G&H is the same value as 12 of one of cheap my average suits).

The company didn't just spring up on Savile Row - it was a convergence of two other businesses: Gieves was founded in 1785 and Hawkes in 1771.

In 1809 they got their first Royal Warrant to King George III and since then they have Royal Warrants of Appointment to HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales, which is pretty impresssive. They claim "200 years of unbroken service to successive Monarchs."

There's even an anecdote about this - Thomas Hawkes secured the custom and a Royal Warrant from George III and the Queen in 1809, as velvet cap maker. The Prince Regent was also a customer and once, on a Sunday, the Prince sent a messenger to Hawkes asking him to come immediately. Yet the cap maker was a religious man, and promptly sent the messenger back saying, "Tell His Royal Highness that for six days I serve my King, on the seventh day I serve my God." Witty chap.

Gieves and Hawkes later supplied the British Army with their unforms and in the latter years of the 19th century, the fame of Gieves as the leading Naval Tailor was so great that in W. S. Gilbert (he of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) in 1878 sought the advice of the company on all aspects of correct dress for his first joint production of their opera "HMS Pinafore" with Sir Arthur Sullivan. You can still buy military uniforms from Gieves and hawkes, although given the cost I would have thought it's less popular.

Only in 1926 did ready to wear clothing (like off-the-rack suits) appear in Gieves and Hawkes - before this, if you wanted a suit you had to get measured for it.

No. 1 Savile Row, the company's headquarters and flagship store was built in 1732 as the town house for the Fairfax family with ownership passed to the Royal Geographical Society in 1871. Gieves & Hawkes then moved in in 1912 and built up Savile Row's reputation as the centre for tailoring excellence.

Later in the 20th century bespoke tailoring enjoyed a renaissance, with the Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII) recognised internationally as a style icon. He wore bespoke suits almost exclusively and very traditional ones at that.

Later, Fred Astaire (who bought many of his suits from Kilgour French Stanbury - the famous white one from that film of his being one) and Frank Sinatra were known as fans of bespoke tailoring but the popularity of this waned as sartorial traditions were relaxed in the 1990s with the advent of dress-down days.

Nowadays Gieves and Hawkes (as mentioned) has expanded, although it has got some criticism from the more tradional chaps on the Row for becoming too commercial. There is more competition on Savile Row from newcomers like Ozwald Boateng or Richard James, and Gieves and Hawkes are on the 'old guard' which means they have probably forgone the celebrity endorsements that Richard James gets (Sir Elton John wears his suits) but kept the 'right sort' of clientele - the Prince of Wales, for example, and other more upmarket figures.

But how much does a bespoke suit cost? Brace yourself:

"The ultimate sartorial investment.

Beware: once you have commissioned and worn a bespoke suit, nothing else will do. The comfort that comes from perfect cut has something to do with it. The confidence of knowing that nobody in the room is better dressed than you. The pleasure of owning a work of supreme craftsmanship, made by hand with no regard for time. A fashion original, made only for you.

So put yourself in the hands of our master tailors and cutters. Resign yourself to waiting around eight weeks, enduring several fittings, and spending upwards of £ 2,350.

When you finally step out of Number One Savile Row, you'll admit that Gieves & Hawkes are actually offering a couture garment of phenomenal value."

Phenomenal value is a bit hyperbolic, to say the least, but I can understand the allure.

Armani is to Gieves and Hawkes what Ferrari is to Bentley. It projects a different sort of image, yet it's very exclusive and stylish.

I mean if you wear an Armani suit you might wear a Versace tie, Gucci loafers, a Valentino shirt and Cavalli socks. If you wear a Gieves and Hawkes suit then you'll be the type who wears a shirt from Turnbull & Asser, Oxfords from Church's and a tie from Kilgour French Stanbury. Gieves and Hawkes are all about tradition and history. Their clothes are more conservatively cut, more British.

One day, when I have enough money, I'll walk into Gieves and Hawkes, and ask for a cashmere single breasted suit with gold pinstripes and a platinum lining.

Suit you sir, ooh!

Sources: http://www.gievesandhawkes.com/welcome.html