The Perfect Gentleman: The Pursuit of Timeless Elegance and Style in London

Discover the makers and marques behind the world’s most enduring objects of desire

This is the perfect book for the man who has everything. It celebrates the gentleman’s search for the perfect sartorial detail, the ideal accessory, or beautiful gift for a loved one.

Presented through the eyes of a connoisseur looking for quality and bespoke goods in London’s key stylistic historic periods, it tells the stories of the personalities, shop-keepers and master craftsmen who have animated the business of luxury goods for centuries. The book is arranged chronologically in six chapters, each followed by three or four profiles of British luxury marques. A reference section presents the London gentleman’s social world, from the shopping arcades to classic hotels and the member’s clubs and antiquarians in between.

Contents List:

1. Restoration London: Monarchy, Gallantry & Debauchery (1660–1789) • 2. Regency London: Fashion, Revolution & Social Ascent (1789–1837) • 3. Victorian London: Empire, Affluence & Ingenuity (1837–80) • 4. Edwardian London: Pleasure, Excess & Ostentation (1880–1914) • 5. London Between Two Wars: Modernism, Frivolity & Chic (1914–45) • 6. London’s New Elizabethan Age: Austerity, Optimism & Energy (1940 – Today)

About the Author:

James Sherwood is a London-based style journalist, and has been described as ‘the guardian of Savile Row’ by The Rake magazine. He is the author of Savile Row, Fashion at Royal Ascot, James Sherwood’s discriminating Guide to London and Jewelry for Gentleman, all published by Thames & Hudson.

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The pursuit of elegance inevitably leads a gentleman to London’s historic West End. Since 1666 Mayfair, Piccadilly and St. James’s have been colonized by hatters, shoemakers, jewellers, shirtmakers, perfumers and hosiers.

Today, this enclave of excellence has the highest concentration of firms trading in luxury goods for the well-appointed male. Here the modern gentleman who values quality and craftsmanship can still walk in the footsteps of such as Beau Brummell, Edward VII, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill, the Duke of Windsor, Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Prince Charles and, latterly, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

James Sherwood has been given access to private archives and unpublished material, and has commissioned new photography to provide a rich insight into the companies and their crafts today. The London gentleman’s social world, 
from shopping arcades and hotels to members’ clubs and dining rooms, is brought to life through vivid texts, intimate portraits and lavish images.

The Perfect Gentleman showcases the historic houses and the great patrons who have upheld the highest standards for hundreds of years alongside a new generation of craftsmen and -women who are keepers of the flame.