Photographs by David Nutter, reproduced with permission: 1, 11, 12 (four), 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 (four), 33 (three), 34 (four), 35, 40 (two), 43, 44, 47, 48, 49 (two), 50, 52, 53, 54, 62, 63, 65, 67 (four), 68, 71, 73, 74.1, 74.2 (three), 75.1, 75.2 (three), 76.1, 76.2, 77.1, 77.2, 79, 80, 81, 84, 102.
Photographs, sketches, and clippings from the Nutter family archive, courtesy of David Nutter: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (two), 21, 24, 38, 39, 41, 45, 46, 60, 72, 78, 83, 86, 91, 93, 97, 100, 101.
Photograph courtesy of Louise Aron: 22.
Photograph © Jane Bown/TopFoto/The Image Works, reproduced with permission: 27.
Photograph courtesy of Edward Sexton: 28.
Photographs and sketches courtesy of Christopher Tarling: 36, 55, 59.
Photographs © Getty Images, reproduced with permission: 37 (Jones/Evening Standard), 57 (Keystone/Hulton Archive), 58 (Syndication International).
Photograph of LP sleeve © Alamy, reproduced with permission: 42.
Cover of Oz magazine, held in the archives of the University of Wollongong, Australia: 51.
Photograph by Justin de Villeneuve, reproduced with permission from Iconic Images: 61.
Photograph reproduced with permission from the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu: 64.
Clipping from Record World, reproduced with permission from Bruce Elrod: 66.
Photograph by Bob Gothard, reproduced with permission from the photographer: 69.
Photographs © Robin Platzer, reproduced with permission from the photographer/Twin Images: 70, 82.
Photograph courtesy of Tatler: 79.
Print advertisement reproduced with permission from Austin Reed: 85.
Print advertisement reproduced with permission from Kilgour: 87.
Photographs, sketches and print advertisement © J&J Crombie Limited, reproduced with permission: 88, 89, 90, 92, 94, 95, 96. On the print advertisement (this page), TOMMY NUTTER is a registered trademark.
Photograph courtesy of Robert Leach: 98.
Painting by Bernard Buffet, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris, reproduced with permission: 99.
Photographs courtesy of the author: 15, 103.
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This book exists only because Rebecca Cubitt, my great friend, intuited an untold story behind the figure of Tommy Nutter. Bec was right, and I’m grateful to her for letting me be the one to tell it.
This book exists in its current state only because David Nutter agreed to speak to me about his brother and then opened the gates to his ramshackle memory palace so I could wander around for a few years, during which time I discovered that things were far stranger and more interesting than anyone could have guessed. I feel privileged to call him a friend.
My thanks go to every person who spoke to me during my research period, particularly Robert Leach, who let me bounce ideas off him all hours of the day and night; Peter Brown, who gave me some crucial early encouragement; David Brescia, who helped me access the J&J Crombie Limited Archive; and Bert Keeter, Tommy and David’s second cousin, who lent me his lovely apartment in Grotte di Castro, Italy, where I wrote the first chapter.
My enormous gratitude to Edward Sexton for being so open about the history of Nutters of Savile Row, both the high times and the low. He remains the best cutter working in London today. Thank you also to Dominic Sebag-Montefiore, Edward’s business partner, for some invaluable insight into the tailoring trade.
In addition to Grotte di Castro, this book was written in Berlin, London, New York, rural Australia, and (briefly) a Botswana game reserve. My gratitude to the best international pit crew ever: Daniel Stone, Elmo Keep, Nicholas Fonseca, Nikita Polikanov, Tony Stewart, Pip Cummings, Laura Smith, Julie Miller, Caitlin Furlong, Melissa Gluck, Timothy Stewart-Winter, Charlie Serotoff, and Benoit Denizet-Lewis. In various ways, you all kept me going. My gratitude also to Robert Boynton, who several years ago accepted me into the Literary Reportage program at NYU, a twist that ultimately led to all of this. Katie Roiphe, my mentor, pushed me further than I knew I could go as a writer. Brooke Kroeger gave me unflagging, unconditional support and introduced me to the sharpest agent anyone could hope to find: Flip Brophy.
My wonderful editor, Tricia Boczkowski, offered constant enthusiasm, lucid advice, and a pitch-perfect sensibility, which got me through some existential patches. Bouquets of roses to her, Aubrey Martinson, and the whole team at Crown Archetype. I am also grateful to Clara Farmer and the lovely people at Chatto & Windus—and to Szilvia Molnar for making that happen.
My family—Donna, Murray, Amy, Dwayne, Clancy, Rianne, Emmett, Kaylee, Gloria, and Wal (much missed)—makes everything worth it.
My other family—Bryan Lowder, Cam McDonald, Charles Kaiser, Joseph Stouter, Rick Whitaker, and Chris Davies—has made my New York years the best of my life.
Elizabeth Flock, your voicemails are my Desert Island Discs.
And Theo Milonopoulos, last but most: I love you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LANCE RICHARDSON has written for numerous publications, including The Guardian, The Atlantic, The New Yorker (online), and several international iterations of GQ. Originally from Australia, he now lives in New York.
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House of Nutter_The Rebel Tailor of Savile Row Page 36