Dating from 1903, Turnbull & Asser’s flagship store is a temple of High Edwardiana: burnished brass, mellow wood-work and Art Nouveau details that owe more than a little tothe influence of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This is, unmistakably, the terrain of Kind Hearts and Coronets. But probe a little deeper and you’ll uncover a rich heritage that takes in Hollywood as well as St James’s, rock and pop as well as racing and polo. Come the Swinging Sixties, Turnbull & Asser was at the forefront of the Peacock Revolution, with its bold patterns and prismatic colours proving as appealing to Twiggy and David Hockney as they had to Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill. At the same time, there was a transatlantic va-et-vient that saw its unrivalled craftsmanship showcased in some of the most stylish movies of the Seventies. Ever wondered about that ‘man in London’ who sends Robert Redford’s Gatsby his shirts in Jack Clayton’s definitive adaptation of 1974? Well, he was at Turnbull & Asser.
Aside from ready-to-wear, the bespoke department, just around the corner on Bury Street, provides a level of quality and service no gentleman, be he actual or aspiring, can afford to be unaware of, even if he can’t yet afford to place an order. To rifle the pages of any one of the sample books – fabrics so soft and supple they wear like a caress – is a tactile experience that quite spoils one for any other shirtmaker.
