Anderson & Sheppard is a legend of English tailoring and the epitome of Savile Row’s style. Founded in 1906 by Peter Gustav Anderson at 13 Savile Row as Per Anderson, it became over the years a renowned tailoring house. However, it was with the addition of tailor and cutter Frederik Scholte, another Savile Row tailor (working from 7 Savile Row at the time), that the house truly earned its iconic style: the drape cut.
Created as a reaction to the Victorian and Edwardian style common with English tailoring (tight waist and chest, narrow lapels, high-rise and tapered trousers, mostly inspired by military dress), the drape cut could be defined in one word: movement. The chest has a fuller cut, while the small high armhole and natural shoulders maintain the collar on the wearer’s neck.
This “soft tailoring”, almost anathema to Savile Row military tradition, obtained an important patronage early on: the Prince of Wales, later Duke of Windsor.
With another addition, trouser cutter Sydney Horatio Sheppard, the house became Anderson & Sheppard and in 1927 moved to a bigger shop on 30 Savile Row, where it would stay for almost 80 years.
The 1930s were a golden era for Anderson & Sheppard. Many artists flocked to its doors, including many Hollywood actors. The most notable are Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Gary Cooper, Laurence Olivier, George Gershwin, and of course Fred Astaire.
After WW2, Anderson & Sheppard maintained their reputation as one of the best tailors in the world. From a rebellious tailor, it was seen by the 1960’s as an institution on par with older names such as Henry Poole, Davies & Son, and Huntsman. Only the arrival of Tommy Nutter and Edward Sexton rocked the overall quiet of the Row. Anderson & Sheppard continued on and gained the patronage of another Prince of Wales, Charles, today’s King Charles III, who remained a devoted client.
However, that doesn’t mean Anderson & Sheppard didn’t move with the times. The famous cutter John Hitchcock, trained by the legendary Charles Bryant, modernised their cut to fit the taste of a younger clientele while keeping its style. In 1983, Mr. Hitchcock became managing director and earned a Royal Warrant by 1989. New clients included director Martin Scorsese, French industrialist and art patron Pierre Bergé, and writer Fran Leibowitz. Fran Leibowitz was only the second woman to have the right to commission a bespoke jacket at Anderson & Sheppard in the 2000’s, after Marlene Dietrich.
By 2005, almost a century after its founding, Anderson & Sheppard moved to another address, 32 Old Burlington Street, only a few meters away from their former location. Its style and cut remain the same since. In 2012, Anderson & Sheppard decided to open a haberdashery at 17 Clifford Street, to offer new items such as shirts, knitwear, ties and trousers (ready-to-wear and made-to-order), for clients who wants more casual clothing to complement their best suits and jackets.
I'm proposing a striking example of their work: a grey tweed blazer with a beautiful herringbone pattern. Made in 1979, it is a classic 3 roll 2 jacket that can be paired with a variety of trousers (corduroy, cotton, denim, wool) in almost every colour (white, charcoal grey, beige, navy, yellow, green, etc.). It features suede shoulder patches for a more casual look.
As always with Anderson & Sheppard it is fully handmade, from the lining to the buttonholes, from the shoulder to the collar. The conditions is overall good, but has a frayed collar and wrists (not visible when worn), a small hole on the bottom of the lapel, and a few pulled threads (quite discreet, see photos). Coat hanger is not included.
The jacket is best fitted for someone with a 36UK/36FR size, around 1m75.
Here are the measurements:
Shoulders: 43,5cm
Sleeve length: 59cm (with 6cm of fabric to let out)
Chest: 49,5cm
Waist at button: 49cm
Jacket length: 78cm (collar included, with 5cm of fabric to let out)
Lapels: 10cm
Quality similar to the following bespoke houses:
- In France: Camps de Luca, Cifonelli, Francesco Smalto, Claude Rousseau, Arnys, Lanvin Mesure, Henri Urban, Max Evzeline, Opelka, Kenjiro Suzuki
- In Italy: Caraceni (Augusto or Domenico), Rubinacci, Dalcuore, Panico
- In England: Henry Poole, Huntsman & Sons, Nutters of Savile Row, Chittleborough & Morgan, Richard Anderson, Meyer & Mortimer
Possible to try it in Paris 15th Arrondissement.