We’ve all heard the saying, “clothes make the man.” David Shockley would no doubt agree. Savile Row, his custom clothing shop in Clayton, is celebrating 30 years of providing St. Louisans with one-of-a-kind garments.
Shockley, who studied fashion merchandising and business at California State University, Long Beach in southern California, always had a goal of returning to St. Louis to open a men’s retail store. “When I came back after college, it just seemed like a large project to undertake, so I began working as an image consultant,” he says. For two-and-a-half years, Shockley presented seminars to employees at large corporations in town on how to dress well for business. He became interested in the custom clothing industry and traveled to New York for an intensive training program on everything from fabrics to measuring and styling.
“After I got back, I contacted a couple of places for fabric and then just started calling people I knew, and that’s how it all began,” he says. Turning Savile Row into the nationally recognized storefront it is today was a gradual process. Shockley started in a 500-square-foot space in the basement of a Clayton building, and when he got enough clients, moved to a street-level storefront on Bemiston Avenue and then to Ladue Marketplace for 17 years. “We had a really good run there,” he notes. “But when I found this neat location on Maryland Avenue, I thought it would be fun to move back to Clayton, where it all started.”
Touted by Town & Country magazine as ‘One of America’s Top Tailors’ and featured in other national publications like Cigar Aficionado and The Wall Street Journal, Shockley believes in the service he provides to men and women looking for quality pieces. “We have two different types of customers, and they range in age from their late 20s into their 70s,” he says. “Some come in just for a specific piece, and others want to build an entire wardrobe, which is where we really shine.” Shockley started a program called The Wardrobe Management Solution that assists customers with the process. “We find out what clients already own, what they do for a living, and what their lifestyle is like,” he explains. “Then we make constructive suggestions and propose a number of suits, sport coats, pants and shirts.” Once measurements are taken and fabrics selected at the store, orders are sent to a clothing company to be made. “In about four weeks, we get the finished piece back, and I have two tailors who help with final fittings,” Shockley says.
Savile Row also offers custom jackets, skirts, trousers and blouses for women, along with men’s furnishings and accessories, like custom belts and neckwear. Shockley says there are definite advantages to custom clothing, the most obvious being the fit. “Every garment is made just for the individual,” he says. “But we also can offer clients a bigger selection because we carry hundreds of swatches in various colors and patterns. And you can style the piece any way you want.” The store keeps a file for each client with every fabric swatch of what they’ve ordered. “That way we can pick things that complement pieces they already own,” Shockley says.
He proudly notes that the past two years have been the most successful since Savile Row opened its doors. “People realize they can buy a custom suit for close to what they’re paying for comparable quality off the rack,” he says. “A lot of people are surprised that they can get what they want for less than they thought.”
Pictured: Owner David Shockley
Photo: Bill Barrett