Bryan Ferry, a man who has been fitted for more Savile Row suits than most of us have had hot dinners, described Richard Anderson’s style as “the traditions of Savile Row with a modern twist”. The traditions come from Anderson’s time at Huntsman where he was trained by the legendary head cutter Colin Hammick and worked with clients such as Stewart Granger (very sweary), Rex Harrison (very demanding) and Katharine Hepburn (very wonderful). Hammick taught Anderson the importance of perfection, measuring everything to within a sixteenth of an inch. As Anderson wrote in his memoir Bespoke: Savile Row Ripped And Smoothed, “Show me a lobotomist who can work to a sixteenth of an inch using ten-inch shears.”
Anderson opened his own establishment in 2001 with co-director and fellow Huntsman alumnus Brian Lishak and the duo soon won a reputation for their exuberant take on tailoring in often brilliant colours.
What’s on offer
Each tailor in the team had his own role; one attaching the collar, another the sleeves, another the lining and so on, to form a (very high-end) production line.
House style
Between them the tailors at Richard Anderson have over 100 years of experience and the house style has been specifically designed to improve clients’ profile, extenuate the chest and elongate the body. The one-button house style features a neat structured shoulder with no rope to the sleeve head. Arm holes are cut high for ease of movement and to create extra length through the side seam. The chest is continuously hand-padded and shaped to create a form-fitting silhouette and the side seams are waisted with a slight flare over the hips with the pockets and vents all kept a little higher than the norm.
Entry-level price for a two-piece bespoke suit?
Around £5,400.
How long does it take to make a bespoke suit?
Roughly six to eight weeks, depending on the customer’s availability for fittings.
Where are bespoke suits made?
All bespoke is on-site.
Famous customers?
Bryan Ferry, André Leon Talley, George Michael
What you didn’t know
Richard Anderson offers a range of denim jeans and raincoats created using Ventile. This fabric was created in the Thirties and supplied to the RAF to protect pilots and is still used by NATO today.
Richard Anderson, 13 Savile Row, London W1S 3PH / +44 (0) 20 7734 0001 / richardandersonltd.com
