What is modern British men’s style? As a Savile Row brand, Hardy Amies comes from the home of tailoring and is informed by an impressive heritage. And yet, Sir Hardy himself was a new figure on the ‘Row’ in the Forties, not encumbered with years of historical baggage.
With a reputation for wicked wit and design flair, he embraced the spirit of the times and played his part in the seismic changes that were taking place after the war.
During the Sixties, a decade characterised by a cultural revolution in which the established codes of British society were challenged and blurred, Sir Hardy championed youth, saying, “As regards taste and styles, I am not sure that the young man today does not know more than his elders.” He also democratized the idea of style, promoting ready-to-wear for men; he stated: “I feel that some of the success I have achieved in designing clothes for men… is because I have been able to become a bridge between men of the established classes and those who shop in the High Street.”
In 1964, his influential ABC of Men’s Fashion was published, a style guide that established his credentials as a fashion expert and opinionated arbiter of good taste.
Although Sir Hardy is himself no longer with us, his spirit lives on in the collection that today still bears his name. And arguably, the second decade of the twenty-first century is seeing developments in British lifestyle that in many ways echo those that Sir Hardy was catering to some fifty years ago.
Today, Britain – and London in particular – is genuinely cosmopolitan in terms of the people and cultures it embraces. In terms of men’s style, there is an interplay between the generations, between town and country, between heritage and technology, between tailoring and casualwear, which means British style for men is more fluid and dynamic now than at any time before. Hardy Amies reflects this by making smart, functional menswear that is as at home in Mayfair as it is in Dalston. The look is modern and stylish, without being overtly ‘designed’.
As Sir Hardy said, “A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them.”
The Man
Sir Hardy Amies was renowned for his witty and waspish nature. And his character never diminished – even in his late-eighties, he was still renowned for his outlandish statements and cutting rebuttals.That side of him is perhaps what many associated with the house, but he was, of course, a vastly talented and passionate designer. Over his long career as London’s most successful couturier – he was dresser to HM Queen Elizabeth II from her accession in 1952 to his retirement in 1989 – his impact on fashion history has been far-reaching. Man, his 1962 catwalk show at The Savoy, was not only stylistically ground-breaking, but also served as one of the major catalysts in the big bang of British menswear.
If Hardy occasionally neglected the organisation of day-to-day responsibilities, it was simply owing to his obsession with clothing and style. His book, The ABC of Men’s Fashion, is a perfect example of the lengths he took to chaperone the men of Britain, proudly taking it upon himself to guide them away from the clutches of sartorial humiliation.
One of the founders of ready-to-wear clothing for men, he remarked that his designs looked equally good on an urban English gent or an American athlete. His customers certainly agreed, and his clothes were worn by everyone from Lord Snowdon and Peter Sellers to David Hockney and Ronald Reagan. In 1966, he designed for the winning England World Cup team – in particular, its captain Bobby Moore. In dressing Patrick Macnee as super-spy John Steed in The Avengers, he also made the bowler hat fashionable again. He had experience in espionage himself during World War II, but that’s another story.
Behind that public persona, Hardy was first and foremost a serious fashion designer. He operated on two principles. One: respect heritage. Two: steer clear of conformity and, even if it is just a case of donning a singularly stark accessory, be sure to stand out from the crowd. Simple doctrines, yes, but evidently ones that are as resonant and reliable now as they have ever been.
Austin Mutti-Mewse, curator, Hardy Amies Archive
The Book
The Sixties: fast cars, racy ladies, sharp suits, witty asides and a compelling mix of tradition and rebellion. Two names that managed, in very different ways, to encapsulate all those things were Hardy Amies and Esquire. Amies lorded over Savile Row with his talent, charisma and unerring eye for a hemline and a bon mot; while across the Atlantic Esquire was producing ground-breaking journalism and iconic cover images. It was perfectly natural that the two names should come together when Amies penned a regular style column for the magazine – eventually published as a book, The ABC of Men’s Fashion, in 1964.I’ve owned a copy of this masterpiece for years, and still turn to it for both style advice and entertainment. Hardy Amies’ writing was as inventive, astute and compelling as his approach to design. He really was the master of both arts – a rarity.
One of my favourite entries, which gives a flavour of Hardy’s writing style and also reveals something of the dress code of the day, is this: ‘Avoid sandals and shorts: Always wear a collar and tie in town, even if it’s by the sea, after six o’clock. Never wear shorts except actually on the beach or on a walking tour. All short sleeve shirts look ghastly. Sandals are hell, except on the beach where you want to take them off – or on a boat. And, worn with socks are super hell.’
While editing British Esquire a few years back, I was acutely aware of how, when it came to offering style advice and information for 21st-century men, what we were doing was no different to what Hardy had done 40 years earlier – albeit with a more tolerant attitude towards sandals. Now, as editor-in-chief of MrPorter.com, I have applied his method to the digital world: the quest to look the perfect gentleman is an enduring one. Hardy Amies’ ABC may now be a period piece of publishing, but the spirit of the man lives on in the collection that still bears his name.
Jeremy Langmead, editor-in-chief, MrPorter.com
The Film
At first glance, it seems one of the film world’s least likely collaborations – the director seeking to reinvent science fiction with visceral realism and a haute-couture designer best known for dressing Queen Elizabeth II. Yet it was Sir Hardy Amies who stamped his own style philosophy on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Indeed, as the Hardy Amies curator Austin Mutti-Mewse explains in his film Stanley Kubrick & Hardy Amies: 2001: A Space Odyssey, When Fashion and the Future Collide, the British designer possessed exactly the qualities Kubrick was looking for. While his epic project was obviously set in a period then decades ahead, the filmmaker sought a timeless aesthetic – at least compared to the tinfoil and skin-tight fabrics of earlier space operas – and found it in a tailor with a seemingly effortless classic look.Amies achieved fame in the Fifties when he became the Queen’s official designer, but proved his versatility in 1962 with his first menswear collection. ‘Hardy always said, “I’ve never been out of fashion because I’ve never been in fashion”,’ says Mutti-Mewse. ‘He was a multi-faceted guy and I think Kubrick – a great Anglophile – liked that.’ The American director was infamous for his on-set reputation as a hard taskmaster, while Amies too was a perfectionist. The archivist admits sparks flew between them. ‘Kubrick thought he was the designer and Hardy thought he was the director,’ he says. ‘Kubrick would come to Savile Row, sit in a corner and not say anything, so the pair needed a go-between to communicate.’
In the end, though, Amies’ slim-fitting suits and eye-catching space stewardess uniforms with egg-shaped helmets became key to 2001’s aesthetic. Like the film, they are integral to today’s globe-trotting Stanley Kubrick exhibition. What better way to remember a pioneering designer with respect for tradition.
Chris Mugan writes for The Independent and The Collective Review
The Monogram
The Hardy Amies ‘HA’ monogram was the brainchild of Sir Hardy’s friend William Haines. Haines had been a matinee idol during Hollywood’s silent era, but the arrival of talkies and his reluctance to toe the line at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer led him to quit motion pictures and become, instead, one of the great West Coast interior designers.He was introduced to Hardy Amies by Hardy’s first investor, Virginia, Countess of Jersey (formerly Mrs Cary Grant), and he was in the habit of occasionally visiting the designer. It was Haines who told him in 1946 to introduce an Eastern flavour to the house – and that’s when the Chinese Chippendale chairs, tables and small dressing tables came in. These are still in the house at 14 Savile Row today.
During the early Sixties, William Haines brought Nancy Reagan to visit, accompanied by Betsy Bloomingdale. Haines had just created a ‘JC’ jacquard for the movie star Joan Crawford and talked about it endlessly. Hardy loved the idea of having his initials displayed in his office space, in the salon and on all the soft furnishings, so asked the American to create something for him. He obliged and that’s how the monogram came into being in around 1969. Sixties fashion and interiors often took inspiration from the Art Deco period and quite often people mistake the decade’s designs for pieces dating from 30 years earlier. Certainly the geometric HA monogram has a Deco spirit.
The monogram was used extensively throughout the house – the gold salon chairs used to have the HA jacquard on their seats, for example – and there are still some original carpets and wallpaper that survive. This gave the current design team the idea to revive the pattern for new, 21st-century products. They like it, they say, because it is so elegant and subtle – the initials not readily apparent.
Today, then, William Haines’ design and Sir Hardy’s initials live on, reimagined on leather goods and fabrics for a whole new generation. There are even plans to upholster leather furniture in the stores in embossed hides displaying the signature motif.
Peter Howarth, Editor-in-Chief, Man About Town
The House
Most of London’s grand Georgian houses are brimming with history, but very few can claim a contemporary story that’s just as rich and as significant as their past. Today, Savile Row is shorthand for so much more than just a street, although when the elegant sweep of ‘First Rate’ façades were laid out at the start of the 18th century it was essentially an upper class barracks, providing homes for distinguished military officers. Number 14, overseen by the Burlington Estate’s architect, Henry Flitcroft, was initially occupied by one Robert Coke, before being taken over by the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan in 1813.Sheridan’s life was beset by incident and adventure, including duels, bankruptcy, a stint as an MP, owning and managing the Drury Lane Theatre and writing some of the most memorable stage plays of the era, notably The Rivals and The School for Scandal. It was said that the internal layout of No. 14 provided him with a discrete perch from which to spy on callers. Perpetually harassed by his debtors, Sheridan would lurk behind the internal oriel window located above the main staircase, ready to make a quick getaway.
Sheridan died in the house on 7 July 1816, the house stripped of furniture and described by a contemporary as being in a state of ‘filth and stench’. Worse was to follow. During the Blitz, the street suffered extensive damage and No. 14 was particularly badly hit. By this point, Savile Row had become synonymous with men’s tailoring and luxury goods, with many houses converted into workshops and offering fitting rooms and showrooms.
In 1945, Hardy Amies took possession of No. 14, a purchase funded by one of his first clients, the American actress Virginia Cherrill, later Countess of Jersey. It was a bold move, one that placed Amies at the heart of the British Establishment, giving him a milieu in which to establish his society credentials. One of the most original houses on the street, No. 14 never succumbed to the extensive alterations visited on its neighbours by their new tailoring tenants. Amies established his workshops in the basement and the attics, with the grand first floor salon acting as a fitting room and a place for presentations and receptions. The house was effectively returned to its original social structure, with tradesmen and seamstresses entering at the basement level and the imposing ground floor entrance, flanked by twin stone obelisks, reserved for clients.
Less than a year after these humble beginnings, in January 1946, Amies put on a grand opening show in the salon. Hardy Amies Ltd had arrived. Behind the scenes, the rigorous presentation standards of the man and his product were contrasted with the ad hoc restoration that took place, piece by piece, around them. Amies never filled No. 14 with great Georgian pieces, preferring to mix old and new. His main advisor was William Haines, a former matinee idol who became one of the early stars of interior design. Haines brought an Eastern influence, and this Chinoiserie has survived into the modern era.
The House, as it became known, was Amies’ personal fiefdom, a place to entertain as well as work. Serving his signature martinis – with a twist of orange, rather than lemon – he would welcome his select group of famous clients for fittings and events. Gregory Peck, David Hockney, even the Queen (who visited once or twice but preferred ‘home’ visits), would all come by, enjoying the grand sweeping staircase, the elaborate panelling and plasterwork and the unwavering attentions of Amies himself. The House endures, its heritage, warmth and character continuing to serve as the perfect backdrop for Hardy Amies Ltd.
Jonathan Bell is architecture editor for Wallpaper*
Bespoke
Today customisation is regarded as the epitome of luxury. In an age where consumer goods are infinitely available, the desire for the unique and individualised is heightened. Hardy Amies bespoke taps this desire for exclusivity by allowing the customer to assume the role of co-creator.Hardy Amies offers two in-house services: bespoke and made-to-measure.
Made-to-Measure
Unlike bespoke, made-to-measure suits are adapted from existing block
patterns. These patterns are then meticulously fitted to the body. The
suit is created with the client’s own choice of cloth, lining and
hand-finished details.Stuart Lamprell joined Hardy Amies as head cutter in 2010. Lamprell has a long history in the craft of bespoke tailoring. Having received his initial training at Gieves & Hawkes, one of the oldest establishments on Savile Row, Lamprell went on to refine his skills at Timothy Everest. Lamprell does not believe that measurements alone will determine the creation of a bespoke suit. The client’s own personality must be reflected in the process through his decisions on shape, style and detail.
Hardy Amies is a proud member of the Savile Row Bespoke Association.
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