Comings And Goings On Savile Row

Richard James opened his shop on Savile Row in 1992. His was the newest shop on the block. And then some. Whereas the rest of the row was old and staid, his shop was light and bright and even if it wasn't bespoke in the true Savile Row tradition (his suits were made by a variety of tailors in workshops in the area), it was a hit.

Last week, James opened his second shop. This one in the Roppongi district of Tokyo. James said in a release that over the last years, he has been working to teach the Japanese the essentials of Savile Row tailoring.

Meanwhile, back on the Row, things get curiouser and curiouser. The Anderson & Sheppard shop, which had been on the Row for 99 years when it was forced out by developers in 2005, is still empty. Abercrombie & Fitch, the most anti-Savile Row shop one can imagine, just opened around the corner (in the former Jil Sander space) and is selling jeans for the same price in pounds as they do in dollars, producing the expected outrage from the British tabloids.

At the end of April, Richard James Bespoke will open on Clifford Street (a Savile Row cross-street), selling handmade shoes and cufflilnks, one-off items and other things his team calls "Super-Luxe."

Then, of course, there's Kilgor French Stanbury, the only one of the old-school tailors to try to modernize with a new shop more Bond Street than Savile Row.

If you want to know more, much more, from where the tailors drink to who's who on the Row, there's a tailor blogger (of course!).