Possibly the grandest, most uncompromising client to patronise Huntsman was Queen Victoria. 

From Huntsman’s inception in 1849, the Queen relied on the skill and quality of our tailors to outfit her household.

From the creation of royal riding clothes, to the livery of her staff, from birth to death, Huntsman was the established favourite of the crown.

This meant dressing her staff in magnificent tailored garments, not just for day-to-day life in the palace, but for also for international events, including funeral attire dated to 1900, the year her son Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Go-tha, died.

To be selected as the bespoke tailor to a woman who had her choice of the world’s distinguished craftspeople, and be a part of her legendary reign is a proud legacy Huntsman carries with honour to this day.

In the Huntsman Savile Row ledgers for June 25th, 1920 there is an entry for Princess Alexandra, Second Duchess of Fife, a shining example of a woman determined to craft her own life.

Alexandra was born in 1891, the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and fifth in line to the throne. 

Even after her marriage to Prince Arthur of Connaught, she was encouraged to nurture her interests and forge her own path in life. 

For the Princess, this path led to the field of medicine.

She wrote that:

“Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a nurse… but I never thought there would be the remotest possibility of my dream coming true…Then the war came, and opportunity beckoned.”

Indeed, as the First World War raged, Alexandra worked full time at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, and became a state registered nurse in 1919.

She excelled in matters of maternal care and surgery, and in 1925, she received the honour of the Royal Red Cross from King George the Fifth.

Princess Alexandra continued her service through the bombing of World War Two, opened a care home of her own, and published two autobiographies shortly before her death in 1959, leaving an accomplished legacy behind her.

When you hear the name “Astaire”, your first thought might be “Fred”. However, it was the sensational Adele, Fred’s older sister and dance partner for 27 years, who was just as much of a showstopper.

Adele’s vivacious on-stage personality and Fred’s precision made them stars on Broadway. In 1923 they traveled across the Atlantic to make their West End debut in the show Stop Flirting. 

Over the impressive 418-show run the effervescent Adele befriended The Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, impressing them with her quick wit and sparkling talent. 

It was during this period in London that Adele made her first bespoke order with Huntsman Savile Row. 

Consisting of a perfectly cut riding jacket and breeches, accented by a yellow tattersall waistcoat, it was just the ensemble for days in the country with the smart set.

And it was through these British society circles that she met her future husband, Lord Charles Arthur Francis Cavendish. The irrepressible Adele proposed to Charles, and after a bit of convincing of his parents: The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, they were married in 1932.

Perhaps no woman embodied the glamour and excitement of London in the beginning of the 20th century, more than the Lady Diana Cooper.

Diana was the great beauty at the centre of a group of brilliant and brazen young aristocrats who called themselves “The Coterie”, bound together by their promise to be: “unafraid of words, unshocked by drink, and unashamed of 'decadence' and gambling”.

Even the shock of World War I, and the devastating loss of many in her circle, didn’t slow Diana down.

She married in 1919, and pursued her passion for theatrics, acting both in film and on stage – playing characters ranging from Queen Elizabeth the First to the Virgin Mary. 

In fact, in November 1928, when she appears in the records of Huntsman, she was also photographed in fancy dress as the huntress Diana, at a ball given by the Royal Society of Portrait-Painters. 

Lady Diana Cooper continued being a model and muse for artists well throughout her life, and published three volumes of memoirs, which could barely contain this vibrant woman, and her story.

Today, the name Chanel is synonymous with chic fashion. But how did designer Coco Chanel develop her eye for functional, stylish womenswear?

One possible influence can be traced back to her lover, Hugh Richard Arthur Grove-ner, the 2nd Duke of Westminster.

The pair were introduced in Monte Carlo in 1923, as Coco’s fashion empire was growing.

The Duke was enthralled with the independent, ambitious Coco, and their affair would last a decade, with her frequently summering on his estate, Lochmore, in the Highlands of Scotland.

In April 1925, one month before her first visit to the estate, she placed a large bespoke order with Huntsman Savile Row.

What is particularly notable about Coco’s request was the color of the whipcord breeches and skirt she ordered. 

Rather than the typical brown or drab, she specified black – the signature Chanel color. 

The tailors at Huntsman gladly obliged, and Chanel could be seen pairing her dark trousers with oversized Scottish woolens. 

And with that, a classic look was born.

It takes a lot to stand out in a family that includes six sisters who were all famous, or infamous, but Deborah Cavendish did just that. 

Born in 1920, Debo, as she was known, was the youngest of the fascinating “Mitford Sisters”, coming of age during the Second World War and in the shadow of her notorious siblings.

Married in 1941 to Lord Andrew Cavendish, in 1944 she received the title of Marsh-en-ess of Hartington.

And it is under this title that we find Debo’s bespoke orders with Huntsman Savile Row. 

No stranger to the countryside, having grown up in Oxfordshire, her 1948 commission features a handsome tweed riding coat and jodhpurs. 

And her order the following year consists of two interesting pieces, highlighting the skill of Huntsman tailors in satisfying the unique requests of their clients.

Debo’s request for two kilts, in a mauve tweed and green check, demonstrates her feminine style incorporated into the practical needs of a capable countrywoman.

In a portrait of Debo painted in 1949, her self-assuredness radiates as she sits at a desk, wearing one of her tweed kilts, ready to get to work. Indeed, the following year she became the Duchess of Devonshire, and the chatelaine of Chatsworth House. 

The Duchess would go on to revitalize the stately home, creating jobs in the local community and revolutionizing the way heritage properties are managed, and become a best-selling author.

The fabulous Glynis Johns is among the most enduring figures of the Golden Age of cinema, with a career spanning over 60 years. 

Glynis went from strength to strength in her career, being nominated for an Academy Award in 1960, co-starring in Mary Poppins, and having the Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim compose the song Send in the Clowns especially for her. 

But it was just before she shot to fame in 1948 playing a mermaid in the box office smash Miranda, that she visited Huntsman Savile Row, ordering a classic Harris tweed hacking jacket, proving that even as her star rose in Hollywood, her heart and sartorial taste still belonged to Britain.

It was March of 1951, and one of the greatest actresses to grace Hollywood’s Silver Screen was in Yorkshire, shooting her latest film.

Bette Davis had been cast in Another Man’s Poison, and required an impeccably tailored jacket and jodhpurs to transform her into her character, a mystery novelist with a dark secret, living in the secluded countryside.

Huntsman tailors are renowned for their skill in creating the quintessential English riding ensemble, so it was no surprise when her order arrived on Savile Row.

Bette’s look was so well executed, it became emblematic of her character, highlighted in promotional images, and even the movie poster.  

During filming of the 1953 drama Mogambo, Huntsman Savile Row came to outfit not just one, but two of the stars.

Clark Gable was portraying the role of a big game hunter in Africa, and his co-star in the film was an up-and-coming actress by the name of Grace Kelly. They both required authentic safari wear, and costume designer Helen Rose turned to Huntsman to create essential pieces of their wardrobe.

Clark was so pleased with the results, he became a faithful client offscreen as well.

For Grace, the future Hitchcock blonde and Princess of Monaco, it was an early foray into what would become her signature: beautifully refined clothing. 

Of all the incredible women on Huntsman’s client list, perhaps the most formidable is the legendary actor, Katharine Hepburn.

Well known not just for her skills onscreen, Katharine is also the poster woman for flawless tailored trousers and suiting.

Her long sartorial relationship with Huntsman Savile Row is famed, but how did the partnership begin?

In 1955, Katharine had signed on to make the Cold War comedy The Iron Petticoat.

The film had been written as a starring role for her, alongside Bob Hope, and as she was playing a Russian captain, defecting to the West, she needed precision cut military garb- and Huntsman were the tailors to make it.

She can be seen in the film wearing many of her Huntsman pieces, including white silk blouses and khaki trousers.

Evidently, Katharine’s exacting standards were met, as she became a repeat client of the house, with subsequent orders on file spanning the next 30 years.

Named by Vogue as one of the world’s 10 most beautiful women, Her Highness Maharani Gah-yuh-tree Devi wasn’t content to just be a pretty face.

Born in London in 1919 as the Princess Gah-yuh-tree Devi, she was educated in England, India and Switzerland, and after her marriage relocated to Jaipur.

Gah-yuh-tree was a passionate advocate for the education of girls, and in 1943 she founded the Maharani Gah-yuh-tree Devi Girls' Public School. 

Her concern for the wellbeing of her community didn’t end there, as she entered politics in 1962, running for Parliament and winning by a landslide.

In fact, she received so many votes, her win entered the Guinness Book of World Records. 

Gah-yuh-tree’s ambition was reflected in her leisure time as well, as an avid sportswoman who championed the game of polo, playing her first match at the age of 14 in Calcutta, and becoming the chief patron of the Jaipur Riding and Polo Club. 

And of course, it was Huntsman who in 1957 tailored two pristine pairs of bespoke white gabardine polo breeches for the Maharani, a suitably refined choice for this sophisticated woman.

In London and on a break from filming, arguably the most famous woman in the world passed through Huntsman Savile Row’s doors.

Known for her jet-set lifestyle and romances as well as her acting skills, Elizabeth Taylor refused to live by anyone’s rules. She demanded the best of everything, and her bespoke order was as unique as she was.

To be delivered before Christmas, a pair of yellow “pantaloon”-style trousers.

Although not a predictable choice for the holiday season, they were in a cherished colour of Elizabeth’s, complementing her legendary “violet” eyes, and exactly what she wanted.

In the long list of trailblazing Huntsman women, one fashion renegade stands out in bold black and white. 

Daphne Guinness is the unmistakable, forward-thinking multi-hyphenate musician and artist who calls on Huntsman for her trademark monochrome suiting. 

Bringing her vivid visions to life, Huntsman’s bespoke service has combined historical references with modern fabrics to make garments that are distinctly Daphne.

This has included a cream wool gabardine suit and a black velvet version of the hussar’s jacket, and an exquisitely cut tuxedo that was part of an exhibition of her clothing at the Museum at FIT in New York City.

With Daphne’s creativity and Huntsman’s eye for detail, this relationship has produced clothing that can truly be called art.

Huntsman created this bespoke ladies suit for Nicole Kidman as host of the Women in The World Conference.

The 3 piece suit is cut in our one button house style, Huntsman helped Nicole design her own tweed, a service we now proudly offer to all of our clients. The resulting barleycorn tweed is subtle, yet rich in texture and depth of colour, a contemporary take on a classic suit made Ms Kidman, and this tweed the talk of the town. 

Superstar stylist and editor Charlotte Stockdale knows fashion. 

Sourcing cutting edge design for the likes of Harper’s Bazaar and British Vogue, through to co-founding her own accessory brand Chaos, she’s seen it all.

And Charlotte always returns to Huntsman for bespoke pieces which defy trends and set the gold standard for women’s suiting.

Her orders have included a modern driving suit and in 2016, a tuxedo she wore to the Met Gala, an eternally chic choice for one of fashion’s biggest events.

Lauren Hutton is a one-of-a-kind woman who has bucked beauty standards since she first burst onto the modelling scene in the 1960s.

In a career spanning over five decades, it isn’t just Lauren’s mega-watt smile which has become her calling card, but the unstudied and endlessly elegant way she wears her clothes.

Huntsman’s tailors provide the perfect fit on her staple garments: the blazer, trousers, a pencil skirt, and Lauren elevates them to something effortlessly glamorous. 

Look up “trailblazer” in the dictionary, and you might just find Desirée Rogers’ photo under the definition.

Hailing from New Orleans, where she grew up surrounded by the entrepreneurial women in her family, she graduated from Harvard Business School in 1985.

From there, Desirée quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of business.

Her ability to bring together the best and brightest talents was invaluable in her role in the Obama administration, where she brought a fresh vision to the position of White House Social Secretary.

During her tenure, she made her mark both by highlighting contemporary American artists at White House events, and through her impeccable style, forever changing the perception of how women working in Washington should dress.

In 2019, Huntsman welcomed her as a bespoke client, collaborating to create a tuxedo that is as polished as she is.

As she has moved into the realm of cosmetics, reviving the iconic label Black Opal, Huntsman is honoured to tailor for Desirée as she continues to nurture and inspire new generations of in-charge women.