Lord Fairhaven's Wine-Coloured Velvet Huntsman Smoking Suit
Huntsman and Son
Category
Costume
Date
23 Jan 1962 - 6 Apr 1962
Materials
Textile; Metal
Measurements
1220 mm (Width); 804 mm (Length); 1168 mm (Length)
Order this imageCollection
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
NT 516924
Caption
Established in 1849, Huntsman & Sons is known as one of the oldest and most expensive tailors on Savile Row, London. By the 1950s the firm was dressing some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, from Clark Gable to Katharine Hepburn. This sumptuous wine-coloured velvet smoking suit was made bespoke for Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven (1896–1966), in 1962 by Huntsman’s Head Cutter, Colin Hammick (1928–2008). Hammick ensured the suit fitted Fairhaven’s unique form and sense of style. The finished suit represents the work of at least eight people and over 80 hours’ labour. The smoking suit was born out of the smoking jacket, which men wore to prevent their dinner jackets from smelling of after-dinner cigars. The fabric was cut so that the nap (pile) runs up the garment, making the suit appear darker and richer. By 1900 smoking jackets began to be worn throughout the evening for informal occasions at home. This outfit complements Fairhaven’s preference for smaller gatherings when entertaining. He completed the look with a white carnation buttonhole. Roisin Semple
Summary
Double-breasted wine-coloured velvet smoking suit made bespoke for Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven (1896–1966) in 1962 by Colin Hammick (1928– 2008), Head Cutter of Savile Row tailors H. Huntsman & Sons (1849–present). Silk linings and lapels, with a buttonhole on the wearer’s left. Four covered buttons on front of jacket and four covered buttons on each sleeve. Two jetted side pockets and one out-breast pocket. Huntsman’s signature sleeve-lining of cream and lilac striped silk has been used in the jacket sleeves and the waistband of the trousers. Huntsman-branded buttons on trousers for braces. The buggy label (tailor’s label) can be found stitched onto the inside pocket. There is no buggy label in the trousers.
Full description
Established in 1849, H. Huntsman & Sons has a reputation as being one of the oldest and most expensive tailors on Savile Row, London. By the 1950s the firm was dressing some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, from Clark Gable to Katharine Hepburn. Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven (1896–1966), was known as a stylish dresser and regularly featured in society magazines, like ‘Tatler’, in the 1930s. Fairhaven placed orders for suits and riding breeches from Huntsman up until the year he died. He ordered a blue velvet smoking suit (NT 517182) in 1959 and another in wine-coloured velvet in 1962. The suit was cut so that the nap of the velvet runs up the garment, making it appear darker in contrast to the silk lapels. It was quite unusual to have a whole suit made of velvet in the early 1960s. Velvet suits are more commonly associated with the ‘peacocks’ of the late 1960s and 70s, when they featured wide lapels and flares. Fairhaven ordered the smoking jacket first, with a note in the company ledger recording that he might order the trousers later. Fairhaven’s gardeners supplied him with at least two carnations a day, which were grown in glasshouses on the estate: a coloured carnation for daywear and a white carnation for eveningwear. The lapel of the jacket has a buttonhole with a flower loop behind it, to secure the flower stem, although buttonholes are not traditionally worn with eveningwear. A buggy ticket (tailor’s label) stitched into the inside pocket is printed with Huntsman’s address, followed by typewritten information about the customer and garment: H. Huntsman & Sons Ltd. 11 Savile Row London W1 LORD FAIRHAVEN 285F 23.1.62 1701/1 CH MADE IN ENGLAND ‘285 F’ is Fairhaven’s customer number. The suit was ordered on 23rd January 1962. ‘1701/1’ is the pattern number. The number after the forward slash indicates the garment type. ‘1’ is a coat (jacket) and ‘3’ is trousers (‘2’ a waistcoat, ‘4’ an overcoat). ‘CH’ stands for Colin Hammick (1928–2008). Huntsman's ledger book shows the suit was ordered on 23rd January 1962 and despatched on 4th April 1962. There is a note: 'Query at T/O [time of order] whether he has decided to order velvet trs [trousers] off same piece'. Colin Hammick (1928– 2008) started at Huntsman as a 14-year-old apprentice and was Head Cutter in the 1960s. Hammick’s customers included Hollywood star Gregory Peck (1916–2003) and the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein (1934–67). He was voted the “Best-Dressed Man of the Year” by the trade magazine ‘Tailor and Cutter’ in 1971, making him something of a celebrity in his own right. He acted as Fairhaven’s cutter; his initials appear against orders in the company ledger and are found on the labels of other Huntsman suits in the collection.
Provenance
Gift of Lord and Lady Fairhaven (2005).
Makers and roles
Huntsman and Son, tailor
References
Antrobus and Slocombe 2025: Helen Antrobus and Emma Slocombe, 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the collections of the National Trust, National Trust 2025, pp. 192-193. Semple 2025: Roisin Semple, ‘Sartorial Maverick: Lord Fairhaven’s Menswear Collection at Anglesey Abbey’, National Trust Cultural Heritage Magazine, (Spring/Summer 2025), pp. 12-21.