Folklore is not exactly in short supply on London’s Savile Row. This is, after all, the street on which Winston Churchill reportedly ordered a coat made to conceal a revolver; where The Beatles gave their final live performance—an impromptu rooftop gig atop their Apple Corps building at Number 3 in January 1969; and where Fred Astaire would dance around the fitting room of Anderson & Sheppard, checking in the surrounding mirrors to ensure his coat collar sat flush against his shirt as he performed. It’s a place where the same artisans might craft military regalia for actual royalty in the morning and, by afternoon, design stage-wear with hidden compartments for illicit substances fit for showbiz royalty.
Origins of the Tuxedo
Beyond its storied craftsmanship and illustrious clientele, Savile Row also holds a particularly tasty nugget of trivia: the invention of what we now call the tuxedo. The story begins in 1865 when Edward VII entered Henry Poole at Number 15—still the house’s residence today—and requested a less formal alternative to tails for a dinner at Sandringham Estate. Simon Cundey—a seventh-generation member of Henry Poole’s founding family and the establishment’s Managing Director—recounts the story: “Soon after, his friend James Potter came from the States, admired it, ordered one too, then wore it at the Autumn Ball of private country club Tuxedo Park in Orange County, New York. His friends there at dinner all said: ‘What the hell are you wearing?’ He replied, ‘Well this is what The King wears in London.’ So they all went and had them made as well.”
Henry Poole remains the cornerstone of evening wear to this day, a legacy shaped by that pivotal moment. “Customers come from all over the world—including the States and Japan—specifically to have a tux made at Poole,” says Cundey to Anatoly & Sons, in high spirits as his establishment celebrates the renewal of its Royal Warrant, held since 1869, by King Charles III. “There’s nothing better than choosing something with an origin story, then when you’re sitting for dinner with people, you can tell its story. When someone says, ‘That’s a really nice dinner suit,’ you can start a conversation about the origin of the tuxedo.”
What Makes a Classic Tuxedo?
Interestingly, the game-changing garment commissioned within these walls by Edward VII wasn’t even black. “It was celestial blue, or something like what we call midnight blue today,” Cundey explains. “It’s a color that, in natural evening light, looks blacker than black fabric—which can go a bit dusty gray when photographed. It’s a much better, richer hue for evening wear.”

As such, being proud traditionalists, Cundey and his team try and steer customers towards midnight blue, in keeping with the tuxedo’s famous prototype (“around 70 percent” of customers follow their advice, he says), while many also embrace at least some elements of the original tuxedo design. “The barathea weave was traditionally the weave of choice for tuxedos – a very tight prunelle weave with a good recovery to it— but of course, cloths are getting lighter, so you need more of a plain weave,” Cundey says. “Around the 1920s, people started blending fabrics—putting in more mohair and wool to make the cloth a lighter weight, and for a sharp, snappy look which was even slightly on the shinier side. The more mohair, the shinier, which is more showbiz friendly—hence the Beatles’ mohair suits.”
How Is the Modern Tuxedo Different?
Cundey concedes that there is much more flexibility with the tuxedo today than ever before. “I would say there are tolerances now that would have been faux pas 30 years ago,” he says. “Having a vented tux, either two slits or one in the center—that used to be a no-no, because it was all about the silhouette: you were flaunting your body, just as the ladies were with their ball gowns. There were never pocket flaps, as these were seen as unsightly. We tolerate vents but dissuade customers from flaps.”

Beyond these hallowed walls, the rules loosen considerably. Double-breasted coats are as acceptable as single-breasted, and color choices have expanded. James Bond’s white dinner jacket in Diamonds Are Forever proves that straying from classic black can be timeless, while bold dressers can pull off tuxedos in burgundy, lime, or even tartan—so long as the cut is sharp and the ensemble doesn’t turn sprezzatura into forced eccentricity.
A&S Tuxedo Collection
Anatoly & Sons’ tuxedo collection reflects both Cundey’s insights and the broader freedom modern sartorial culture grants discerning dressers. Those receiving an invitation marked “black tie” and leaning toward tradition might opt for our Black Shawl Tuxedo Jacket—a one-button, half-canvas piece designed for comfort in the often warm settings of celebratory events.

For those embracing a more peacock-like approach, the Grey Stripe Tuxedo Jacket, crafted from a mid-weight English wool and cashmere blend, offers a striking alternative. Its subtle pinstripes and bold, shoulder-framing black peak lapels ensure the wearer stands out among other revelers.
Conclusion
If you're still debating whether to invest in a tuxedo—a piece that will never be part of your everyday wardrobe—consider Cundey’s closing words: "At some point in life, we all need to reward ourselves and have something really nice to wear on special occasions, rather than always succumbing to hiring.”
And if that doesn’t convince you, consider the tux’s dazzling silver screen appearances over the years—from every incarnate of James Bond, to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible, Marlin Brando’s Don Corleone in The Godfather, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jay Gatsby. But we’ll leave it to a singer, Dean Martin, rather than an actor, for the last word on the ultimate garment-for-life: “In regular clothes, I’m a nobody,” the ultra-dandy rat-packer once remarked. “In a tuxedo, I’m a star.”