LEGENDARY TAILOR TOMMY NUTTER AND THE RESURRECTION OF SAVILE ROW
A simple street in Central London’s Mayfair district, Savile Row has been synonymous with the heights of men's tailoring since Henry Poole’s No. 32 tailoring premises in 1846. The decades to follow would see many rise and fall, but it was Nutters of Savile Row who, in 1969, modernized the traditional tailoring approach, and throughout the ’70s brought a radical new energy to the storied street, paving the way for a new generation of tailors.
In the short span of Tommy Nutter’s career, he achieved far more than one could hope to in an entire lifetime. For just over two decades, Nutter contributed to many of the most iconic images that defined the style of Swinging Sixties London. His rise to success was unlikely, yet he crashed through the barricades that protected the traditional idea of English tailoring, managing to acquire the most sought after clientele while redefining the boundaries of London’s Savile Row.
Nutter’s formative years were spent in northern London. His father was a cafe owner that served labor workers. It was improbable that he would stray far from his blue-collar upbringing. However, after a brief period studying plumbing, his imagination eventually steered him in a different direction. At the age of 19, Nutter attended the Tailor and Cutter Academy before honing his cutting skills as an apprentice at Donaldson, Williamson & Ward, where he would stay for seven years.
The stuffy, expensive atmosphere of Savile Row did not lend itself to the rule-bending narrative of sixties counterculture. That is until February 14th, 1969, the day Nutter alongside partner, Edward Sexton, opened the doors to Nutters of Savile Row. The company was partially backed by Peter Brown and pop star Cecilia Black, whom Nutter called a close friend. It wasn’t long before the peacocks of music’s aristocracy came flocking. Nutter was known for his bold, imaginative creations, over-the-top window displays, and champagne-fueled appointments that attracted the likes of Bianca and Mick Jagger, The Beatles, and Elton John, among others.
LEGENDARY TAILOR TOMMY NUTTER AND THE RESURRECTION OF SAVILE ROW
The suiting and the experience was far from typical and led to a splendid array of outstanding fashion moments. Nutter, unpredictable in behavior, indulged his clients with irreverent criticism and playful humor, often ending his conversation with the expression, “But who am I to talk?” Some of Nutter’s most recognizable commissions include Mick Jagger’s three-piece wedding suit with extra wide lapels (a Nutter signature) and John Lennon’s slim wedding suit for his marriage to Yoko Ono.
Apart from a penchant for outfitting celebrity nuptials, Nutter also suited three of the four Beatles for their famous Abbey Road album cover in 1969. Bianca Jagger was an ongoing client which Mick begrudgingly allowed. She preferred the tailoring of a men’s suit and Nutter crafted an iconic wide-leg trouser variation, the photographs of which are widely referenced. Another devoted client was Elton John, whom Nutter designed an endless selection of flamboyant suits for, one standout being the contrasting black-and-white tailed ensemble he wore at Wembley Stadium in 1984.
At first glance Nutter’s influence on fashion, albeit substantial, seems to have dissipated as quickly as the spirit of the ‘60s itself. After a series of unfortunate events, including losing his business (he would regain it later) and the emotional toll of his brother’s drug use and depression, he found himself on the other side of two decades, in many ways, defeated.
However, his meaningful influence on men’s fashion is undeniable. He was one of the great craftsmen of his time, infusing Savile Row with a tangible freedom of expression that it so desperately needed. Today his spirit survives through John Galliano, Tom Ford, and other designers who attribute stylistic decisions directly to his work. Nutter died in 1992 from complications of AIDS yet he lives on through countless designs and images that tell the story of an audacious era delightfully rich in unabashed complexities.