For Huntsman, every suit tells a story: of taste, of elegance, and of the individuals who wear it. For over 175 years, Huntsman has dressed some of the most illustrious figures in fashion history: Coco Chanel, Gianni Agnelli, Bill Blass, and Hubert de Givenchy, to name a few. Among these luminaries stands a towering figure of American style and intellect — the inimitable André Leon Talley.
Talley, with his unmistakable presence and encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion, was not only a tastemaker but a style institution in his own right. As a Huntsman client, he brought his singular sense of drama and distinction to the tradition of bespoke tailoring. His suits, cut with precision and grandeur, were emblematic of his larger-than-life personality and his reverence for craftsmanship.
Following his passing, the stewardship of Talley's estate fell to Alexis Thomas, a lifelong friend, who employed Mr. Mason Henry Howell as fashion historian to help advise on the sale of his items. Mr. Howell acquired this piece directly from the estate after the multiple auctions, museum donations and sales took place. Among the garments in Talley’s collection was a bespoke Huntsman suit — a piece of sartorial history, cut for a man who commanded the fashion world’s attention with every stride.
Howell, recognising the honour of such a bequest, sought to continue its story, not as an artefact, but as a living garment. He brought the suit to Huntsman’s New York pied-à-terre on West 57th Street, where U.S. Director Ed Turco and Cutter Thomas-Pierre Carr undertook the delicate work of breathing new life into the piece.
The alterations were made with care and reverence, retaining the soul of the suit while adapting it to a new bearer. In Ed’s words, this project was not just about tailoring the cloth to fit a body, but about extending a legacy, allowing André’s impeccable taste and enduring influence to walk the world once more.
At Huntsman, this is the essence of bespoke. It is not only the making of something new, but the honouring of what has been — a continuum of elegance, memory, and meaning. Through Henry Howell’s considered tribute and the skilled hands of Huntsman’s tailors, one of André Leon Talley’s beloved suits lives on — a symbol of enduring style and the power of garments to carry the stories of those who wear them.