Rock & Row. (An article from The Financial Times)
February 1st, 2010If there is one event in the music calendar that is likely to produce fashion faux pas, it is the Grammy awards. Last year’s highlights included Katy Perry in a sequin-encrusted imitation of a fruit bowl; M.I.A’s blue bed quilt dress; and Paula Abdul’s gladiator/bright yellow Big Bird number, to name but a few.
The chances are, however, that as the male musicians take to the stage at this year’s awards on Sunday, they will escape such criticism. Take two of this year’s nominees, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z, who are likely to dress much as they did for last year’s awards: in a light grey suit, skinny black tie and crisp white shirt (Timberlake), and a slim-cut, single-breasted charcoal grey suit (Jay-Z). Such sartorial sobriety in the bling-bling world of pop may seem initially incongruous, but these male entertainers are following a long and honourable tradition: rock star as frock star.
It began in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the British tailor Edward Sexton, who, along with his business partner Tommy Nutter, Chittleborough and Morgan made suits for Mick Jagger and other rock legends. “The rest of Savile Row was very unhappy when they saw these guys coming out of our shop with their wide lapels and kipper ties,” laughs Sexton. “Mick liked his trousers extremely tight and high-waisted.”
Sexton, Nutter and Chittleborough and Morgan went on to produce the suits for the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover, and Sexton also mentored Sir Paul McCartney’s daughter, fashion designer Stella. Sexton’s clients now include musicians Pete Doherty and David Gray (prices start from £3,000 ($4,800) for a two-piece bespoke suit). He says, “You need to be 100 per cent professional and to not try and be their friend necessarily. But you do need to establish a rapport, as with any customer. We’ll just sit down and talk over a cup of tea without their agent or stylist. I see my job as interpreting their ideas.”
According to James Sleater, of up-and-coming London tailors Cad & the Dandy (who share shop space in Savile Row with Chittleborough & Morgan, suitmaker to Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts), many newer male pop stars are discovering the joys of quality British tailoring. “During the 1990s, and up to a few years ago, you found a lot of artists buying off-the-peg suits by Hugo Boss or Armani that were almost draped over them, but now they’re coming back to structured tailoring and well-fitted suits with shoulders and waists,” he says. “There’s a buzz again about English cloths and tailoring. It’s a reaction to the gangster rap bling.”
Pop star Will Young wears Kilgour suits, and soul singer Lemar is a fan of tailor Marc Wallace, who made him a one-button, single-breasted three-piece suit in petrol blue mohair and wool. “Having a suit made bespoke allows you to express your creativity as an artist – most people who are interested in music are interested in fashion,” says Lemar. “My new single has an ‘old school’ vibe about it, so I wanted to wear a good quality jacket. It’s a classic look.”
Tim Soar, a British DJ and men’s wear designer, says, “With fashion and music, one inspires the other. A collection or an album is a personal statement of creativity.”
Nick Hart, of Savile Row tailors Spencer Hart, says: “I’m not surprised that pop stars have come back to men’s tailoring,” noting that the legendary Miles Davis wore Brooks Brothers suits. “[Music stars] are offered clothes by designers as advertising, and sometimes it’s nasty, bling stuff but they prefer something that is beautifully made and has real quality.” Hart’s made-to-measure suits start at £2,500-£3,500.
Hart’s relationship with singer Robbie Williams goes back at least seven years, and he has made everything for the singer from an unstructured cotton suit for live performances to a cashmere overcoat. For next month’s Brit awards, he has made Williams a three-piece, midnight blue, mohair suit. “Midnight blue photographs better than black,” explains Hart, whose other clients include Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.
Although there is no set style for the rock star suit, it still requires certain features, according to Savile Row tailor Richard Anderson (prices from £3,560 for a bespoke suit), whose clients include singers George Michael and Bryan Ferry. “We include things such as slightly longer sleeves than normal, so that they’ll look right when the singer is holding a mic, and dress preservers, which are small pads under the arms to absorb perspiration.”
Design details aside, for the male rocker, the Savile Row suit is – along with the Rolls-Royce and the country estate – a sign of success. It’s also a witty way of subverting what is traditionally seen as the preserve of the upper classes. Guests at the opening party for Edward Sexton and Tommy Nutter’s tailoring shop in 1969, for example, included Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney – and the Duke of Bedford.z









