This isn’t just any bespoke tailoring appointment you’re making. You’re in the company of Mr. Abdul Butt, outfitter of Tony Blair & a host of British High Commissioners.
Gentleman Tailors Since 1842
By brownpaperbag.in | edwards-scissorhands-savileroy-bespoke-tailoring |
The scene is set at Polo View Market in Srinagar. The year is 1842. The Maharaja of Kashmir is playing at the adjacent grounds, and milling around are diplomats, lords, ladies and higher-ups of the regiment, most of whom have made their way to a particular studio in the market, or requested a houseboat call from its proprietor. The street hosts several establishments including Honest India, Zubana Tailors and Fashion House, but they’re all visiting the one and only A Salama.
We know this because the owner and tailor-in-charge at A Salama, Mr. Abdul Salam, happens to be the great grandfather of the person currently pouring hot kahva and feeding us sugar biscuits. Says Mr Abdul Majid Butt, “It was my great-grandfather who suggested we change the name to Savileroy. Most of our clients were foreigners, and we wanted something that sounded familiar to them.” Mr. Butt is now keeper of the family’s bespoke tailoring tradition, operating out of Delhi.
Post re-christening, Mr Butt goes on to explains, Savileroy began cutting their suits according to a “floating canvas”, a technique their counterparts on Savile Row are known for. A floating canvas, as opposed to a fused suit, is created with a layer of camel hair under the fabric (from Germany, quips Mr. Butt). The canvas provides a foundation for the suit, preventing it from sagging or bubbling. Back in Mr Butt’s grandfather’s time, suits took a good three months to create, over four or five fittings. “Today’s generation wants everything quickly, in three weeks or less, and they all opt for Italian cuts and slim-fit tailoring,” says Mr. Butt.
Mr. Butt has worked with every past (and present) British High Commissioner, as well as American, Canadian, Australian, French and German diplomats, regularly making house calls to their embassies.
In the 1930s, Mr. Butt’s grandfather and his family would travel to Sialkot (now in Pakistan) from November to March every year, to make suits for regiments and foreign officials. As their fame grew, embassies in Delhi began clamouring for the famous tailor, so visits were regularly made, which means that when they finally moved here in 1955, they had a well-established clientele. “Everyone was waiting for us,” beams Mr Butt.
Suit Up
We are currently chatting in Mr Butt’s Jangpura studio and home, where his family has lived for 60 years. Should you visit, we advise you to get directions beforehand and once you arrive, don’t leave without flipping through Mr Butt’s album, which seems like any old family compendium but look, it’s Tony and Cherie Blair, the English cricket team and Chelsea Clinton!
Mr. Butt has worked with every past (and present) British High Commissioner, as well as American, Canadian, Australian, French and German diplomats, regularly making house calls to their embassies. Sir Rob Young, the High Commissioner from 1999, was a steady customer, followed by Sir Michael Arthur, Sir Richard Stagg (who Mr. Butt calls Dickie Stagg) and the current Brit-in-residence, Sir James Bevan. “They don’t follow fashion, because they have real style,” enthuses Mr. Butt. Shyam Benegal, Suhel Seth and Karan Thapar are owners of custom-made Savileroy suits as well. Mr. Thapar, possibly due to his ties with Mr. Butt’s beloved England, is a great favourite, earning compliments like, “He’s got a great sense of dressing and goes for the very best. He studied in England, isn’t it?”
It was Sir Michael Arthur who introduced Mr Butt to the Blairs back in the early 2000s. The whole arrangement was very hush-hush, but Cherie Blair arrived in India a month before the official visit. “There were strict instructions to keep it quiet, and I created some dresses for her and gave her a pashmina shawl,” says Mr. Butt. Tony brought a suit from Gieves & Hawkes (from Savile Row, incidentally), as a sample. The ensuing photographs show two very happy customers.
So we guess that nothing’s changed since 1842.
Getting There: Savileroy, 2/9, Jungpura A, New Delhi. Call 9811426261. www.savileroy.com. Suits stars at Rs 6,000 and go onwards of Rs. 25,000 according to the fabric.
Gentleman Tailors Since 1842
By brownpaperbag.in | edwards-scissorhands-savileroy-bespoke-tailoring |
The scene is set at Polo View Market in Srinagar. The year is 1842. The Maharaja of Kashmir is playing at the adjacent grounds, and milling around are diplomats, lords, ladies and higher-ups of the regiment, most of whom have made their way to a particular studio in the market, or requested a houseboat call from its proprietor. The street hosts several establishments including Honest India, Zubana Tailors and Fashion House, but they’re all visiting the one and only A Salama.
We know this because the owner and tailor-in-charge at A Salama, Mr. Abdul Salam, happens to be the great grandfather of the person currently pouring hot kahva and feeding us sugar biscuits. Says Mr Abdul Majid Butt, “It was my great-grandfather who suggested we change the name to Savileroy. Most of our clients were foreigners, and we wanted something that sounded familiar to them.” Mr. Butt is now keeper of the family’s bespoke tailoring tradition, operating out of Delhi.
Post re-christening, Mr Butt goes on to explains, Savileroy began cutting their suits according to a “floating canvas”, a technique their counterparts on Savile Row are known for. A floating canvas, as opposed to a fused suit, is created with a layer of camel hair under the fabric (from Germany, quips Mr. Butt). The canvas provides a foundation for the suit, preventing it from sagging or bubbling. Back in Mr Butt’s grandfather’s time, suits took a good three months to create, over four or five fittings. “Today’s generation wants everything quickly, in three weeks or less, and they all opt for Italian cuts and slim-fit tailoring,” says Mr. Butt.
Mr. Butt has worked with every past (and present) British High Commissioner, as well as American, Canadian, Australian, French and German diplomats, regularly making house calls to their embassies.
In the 1930s, Mr. Butt’s grandfather and his family would travel to Sialkot (now in Pakistan) from November to March every year, to make suits for regiments and foreign officials. As their fame grew, embassies in Delhi began clamouring for the famous tailor, so visits were regularly made, which means that when they finally moved here in 1955, they had a well-established clientele. “Everyone was waiting for us,” beams Mr Butt.
Suit Up
We are currently chatting in Mr Butt’s Jangpura studio and home, where his family has lived for 60 years. Should you visit, we advise you to get directions beforehand and once you arrive, don’t leave without flipping through Mr Butt’s album, which seems like any old family compendium but look, it’s Tony and Cherie Blair, the English cricket team and Chelsea Clinton!
Mr. Butt has worked with every past (and present) British High Commissioner, as well as American, Canadian, Australian, French and German diplomats, regularly making house calls to their embassies. Sir Rob Young, the High Commissioner from 1999, was a steady customer, followed by Sir Michael Arthur, Sir Richard Stagg (who Mr. Butt calls Dickie Stagg) and the current Brit-in-residence, Sir James Bevan. “They don’t follow fashion, because they have real style,” enthuses Mr. Butt. Shyam Benegal, Suhel Seth and Karan Thapar are owners of custom-made Savileroy suits as well. Mr. Thapar, possibly due to his ties with Mr. Butt’s beloved England, is a great favourite, earning compliments like, “He’s got a great sense of dressing and goes for the very best. He studied in England, isn’t it?”
It was Sir Michael Arthur who introduced Mr Butt to the Blairs back in the early 2000s. The whole arrangement was very hush-hush, but Cherie Blair arrived in India a month before the official visit. “There were strict instructions to keep it quiet, and I created some dresses for her and gave her a pashmina shawl,” says Mr. Butt. Tony brought a suit from Gieves & Hawkes (from Savile Row, incidentally), as a sample. The ensuing photographs show two very happy customers.
So we guess that nothing’s changed since 1842.
Getting There: Savileroy, 2/9, Jungpura A, New Delhi. Call 9811426261. www.savileroy.com. Suits stars at Rs 6,000 and go onwards of Rs. 25,000 according to the fabric.
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