From KINGS to KINGSMAN

Long the go-to tailor for English aristocrats and Hollywood stars of the golden era, thanks to the Kingsman films, Huntsman of Savile Row is more relevant than ever.

- Text by JARED PAUL STERN

Men of wealth, fame, power, style, and pedigree—these have been Huntsman's clients for over 175 years.

The legendary Savile Row tailor began in 1849 by making leather riding breeches for gentlemanly equestrian pursuits and by 1886 had secured its first Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. Nearly 130 years later, their fabled premises at 11 Savile Row in London's Mayfair starred in the first Kingsman movie, sparking a franchise to rival James Bond.

The names inscribed on Huntsman’s order forms run the gamut from Gregory Peck, Clark Gable, the Duke of Windsor, and Gianni Agnelli to Brad Pitt. In her foreword to an elegant new book on the iconic tailoring house, Huntsman: Redefining Savile Row (Vendome Press) by sartorial savant Tom Chamberlin, style maven Glenda Bailey notes that, “When Winston Churchill, himself a client of Huntsman, said: “My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best,' he could have been talking about his love of bespoke tailoring.”

Like “a beautiful canvas on which you can express yourself freely,” Bailey writes, “bespoke tailoring lends a sense of quiet confidence and spontaneous individuality. Because while it might be perceived as restrictive and uptight, bespoke tailoring is the exact opposite. Imparting ease and comfort, a suit tailored to your silhouette affords complete freedom of movement and mind.”