Edward Sexton is famous for bringing sexy, dramatic tailoring to Savile Row in the 1960s and 1970s, as head cutter for Tommy Nutter. Mick and Bianca Jagger in white suits; The Beatles crossing Abbey Road: these are the looks we know. 

And today Edward still likes a padded shoulder, perhaps upturned at the end, together with a longer jacket with a little flare in the skirt. 

But interestingly, a double-breasted suit from Edward is not all that dramatic. Single-breasted pieces often have a lapel that is wider and more curved, setting Sexton apart. But as a DB already has much of that, the difference is smaller.  

 

 

House: Edward Sexton

Address: 26 Beauchamp Place, London

Site: www.edwardsexton.co.uk

Cutter: Edward Sexton

Price (at time of writing): £5200 (incl VAT)

 

Edward cut this flannel suit for me in 2014, and it’s become one of my favourite things to wear to lunches or events.

I find the structure of the shoulder and the sweep of the lapel distinctive, but the grey-flannel cloth subtle enough to make them things people only notice after a few minutes. 

I’m not sure the style flatters me quite as much as a drapier cut like Anderson & Sheppard, but it has real style and I hugely enjoy wearing it. Particularly with a scarf or roll neck. 

 

 

As you can see from the image above, the lapels are wide (3¼ inches) and sweeping. But as mentioned at the start, this feels less dramatic than on a single-breasted jacket. 

Compared to fellow Nutter-alumnus Joe Morgan, Edward also uses fewer flourishes or finishing details, such as lapped seams or Milanese buttonholes. 

Instead, the finishing is just very good. The suit and coat he has made for me have some of the best English finishing I’ve ever seen: extremely fine, precise buttonholes, but in a regular structure rather than Milanese. It’s a subtler overall look than many might expect from the name Edward Sexton. 

 

 

There is a little more drama elsewhere – specifically the shaping of the jacket through the waist and the small of the back, and the width of that roped sleevehead. 

Edward also likes a trouser that is fairly straight – a little narrow in the thigh and then straight to the shoe. (The effect of that can be seen in the close-up of the shoes, lower down this article.)

When that leg shape is combined with a jacket that fully covers the seat, and so the legs finish with a touch of white space between them (below), the effect is again quite striking.

(The trousers are a touch big in the waist now, and are sitting a little low – there wouldn’t normally be quite as large a break.)

 

 

Looking at the numbers, the suit is not that wide in the shoulder (5½ inches) but is extended by fairly high and thick roping in the sleevehead. 

The buttoning point isn’t that high (19¼ inches) but looks it due to the fairly long back length of the jacket (33 inches).

The vents are cut quite high (11½ inches), adding to that impression of flare in the skirt. And the sleeves taper rather from the wide starting point at the top. 

The shoulders are strongly padded, but no more than other English structured tailors like Huntsman, Dege & Skinner or Kathryn Sargent. They are, however, slightly more built up at the ends. 

 

 

In terms of the rest of the clothes, I’ve always liked a pink shirt with grey flannel, even if it does feel a little corporate. And the mid-brown is nice against pink too. 

Should have had a handkerchief that wasn’t the same pattern as the tie though. Oh well. 

The shoes, from Edward Green, are the Selwyn model on the 82 last. The slightly purplish shade is called Nightshade. 

 

 

Style breakdown

• Shoulder width: 5½ inches
• Shoulder padding: Strong, particularly on back
• Sleevehead: Roped, domette and canvas
• Sleeve: Generous, tapering to a 10¾ inch cuff
• Lapel: 4½ inches, slight round
• Gorge height: 3 inches
• Drape: Moderate
• Outbreast pocket height: 10 inches
• Buttoning point: Low, 19¼ inches
• Waist suppression: Moderate, low
• Quarters: Straight
• Length: 33 inches
• Back seam: Suppressed
• Vent height: High, 11 inches
• Trouser width at knee: 19½ inches
• Trouser width at cuff: 16¾ inches

 

DMTBeautySpot

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Simon Crompton, DMT.NEWS, DMT BeautySpot,