This review has kindly been provided by craft author Juliet Bawden, you can find more of her reviews on her blog www.creativesalvage.com
Tommy Nutter Rebel on the Row
Juliet Bawden visits the Fashion and Textile museum to see the Tommy Nutter exhibition www.ftmlondon.org 20th May –22nd October 2011
No, I have not made up the name, Tommy Nutter really existed and was the driving force behind the rise of the dandy during the nineteen sixties. The Kinks in their ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ song were singing of the young men who wore the clothes that Tommy Nutter sold from his Savile Row shop. Tommy is credited with re-invigorating Savile Row when it needed an injection of cool.
Savile Row was established in 1840 by Henry Poole. ‘The Row’ as it became known was home to over 100 Tailors. It and the surrounding St. James area supplied all a ‘gentleman’ could desire, shirts, shoes and grooming equipment. Discretion was the key and behind closed doors the select wealthy few had their beautiful handcrafted and fitted suits and shirts made. That is until on Valentines day1969 when, with financial backing from Cilla Black and James Vallance White, Tommy Nutter opened a very different style of Men’s tailors. The shop windows were large, well lit and opened up onto the selling space behind. The shop was filled with architectural salvage, mirrored walls and antique furniture, so common today but not then!
Tommy Nutter is
still highly regarded more than two decades after his death. The original cutters at Nutters Edward Sexton and Morgan still continue to produce beautiful tailored suits with the essence of Nutter style.
Tommy’s clients included Cilla black, Mick and Bianca Jagger, The Beatles, Charlie Watts, Neil Sedaka, and Twiggy. He dressed many of these famous clients both off and on stage.
The highlights of the ‘Nutter Look’ were notched lapels, sharp shoulders, wide oxford bag style trousers. He used fabrics unheard of in men’s tailoring for years. Silks, velvet, satin, as well as unusual weaves and colours would be mixed together. Tommy would come up with the ideas and they would be translated and transformed into immaculately crafted clothes by Edward and his team. A small but interesting show well worth visiting.
To find out more about the exhibition please visit www.ftmlondon.org. Edward Sexton is also running a series of lectures and workshops at the Fashion & Textile museum, Juliet has reviewed one here on the Time & Leisure website.
