背広、背広、Savile Row!

(09/01/09, in the room)

• On 22nd December 2008, I took walk to Savile Row for a change. As I wrote in the introduction for this entry, its name is purportedly known as the original for a Japanese word "sebiro", which means suit. Before going out, I had got some information from Wikipedia. What I learned first there is that the English term "bespoke" ("おあつらえ" in Japanese, I suppose) is also "understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers". So I think I've also acquired a new English phrase "bespoke tailoring" through this experience. According to Wikipedia, this row is called "golden mile of tailoring" because many famous people, such as Winston Churchill, Napoleon III and Prince Charles, have had their suits made here. Reading these explanations made me feel like going to the site right away. Accordingly, next I checked where the street is. Wikipedia taught me that it "runs parallel to Regent Street between Conduit Street at the northern end and Vigo Street at the southern." I've already known the location of Conduit Street as well as Regent Street, because I often walk around the latter which is more famous. Therefore, I didn't have any difficulties in visiting Savile Row. Although I arrived there in the evening, and the shops were all closed, I could see the displays in their show windows.
  
• In Savile Row, you can see everywhere lots of suits displayed in the windows. I was really surprised at this scenery. I think I have never seen any street like this. As you can see from the pictures, many tailors are crowded in this row, indeed. Since Wikipedia tells that the offices of "The Beatles' Apple Corps were at 3 Savile Row", I took a picture of the site, too.