The world of men's classic fashion, gastronomy and the oldest perfume boutique

One of the first shops on this street (if you walk from Piccadilly Circus) is Sunspel, founded back in 1860. Sunspel became famous for its knitwear for men, namely three legendary men's attributes. Sunspel was one of the first to make shirts from the most expensive and rare sort of cotton, sea island, from the Caribbean islands. You'll pay £115 or more for a classic white T-shirt made from that cotton blend in Sunspel. Christian Bale wears Sunspel in one of the Batman movies. The second famous piece from Sunspel is the navy blue polo shirt that made history thanks to James Bond, played by Daniel Craig ('Casino Royale'). Finally, a third weighty contribution to the history of British fashion by Sunspel is boxer shorts, which the company first introduced in 1947. Prior to that, such briefs had been worn only in the USA.

Nearby is Rowley's, a traditional British restaurant with an interesting interior. We suggest stopping here for lunch. The history of the place goes back to 1790 when Richard Walls became an assistant butcher in St James's Market. In 1807 the shop passed into his hands. Grandsons Thomas and Frederick, who inherited the business, even graced the attention of kings, George IV and Edward VII. In 1976 T.Walls & Sons opened Rowley's restaurant, famous for its steaks, on the place of the butcher's shop.

Did you know that Waterstones Piccadilly, the current flagship bookstore, was one of the oldest Simpsons menswear department stores until 1990? In 1936 Alexander Simpson opened the store with more than a thousand square meters in a beautiful Art Deco building (architect Joseph Emberton). The thing is that Alexander's father Simeon Simpson founded his own production of high-quality men's clothing as far back as 1894. Simeon developed innovative ways of production for that time, including, for example, mechanized buttonholes. His son Alexander joined his father's company at the age of 15 and in 1930 developed trousers which later became world famous under the brand DAKS.
The innovation was that these trousers themselves were held at the waist without suspenders. Simpson opened a department store with the sole purpose of selling his trousers to the London aristocracy and wealthy foreign visitors in the heart of London. During the Second World War Simpson's was commissioned by the government to provide clothing for about seven million troops. Later the department store was famous for its rich selection of the finest brands, such as Mary Quant and Christian Dior.
In 1990 the management decided to close the department store and focus exclusively on DAKS and its individual stores. In 1999 Waterstones moved into the historic building.

Opposite and to the left of Waterstones is Church's shoe store, whose history dates back to as far back as 1675. Two centuries later, in 1880, a descendant of the founder William Church developed a revolutionary for that time concept of producing an "adapted model" - separately right and left shoes. Before that the shoes had no "sides" and no distinctive curves. William's development allowed making the shoes much more comfortable. It is known that Prime Minister Tony Blair wore "happy" shoes from Church's every Wednesday for ten years when he reported to the Parliament.

The famous Hawes & Curtis brand of men's office shirts is also located on Jermyn Street. The atelier of Ralph Hawes and George Curtis appeared in Piccadilly Arcade in 1913 and immediately gained popularity among the aristocracy and even the Hollywood elite. Notable buyers included Clark Gable and Frank Sinatra. In 1923 the tailors introduced the world's first evening vest for men without a back. It was much more comfortable than the classic vest and fitted perfectly under a trench coat. In 2002 the tailoring firm was bought by famous Turkish entrepreneur Tuker Suleyman for £1, turning Hawes & Curtis into an international brand of affordable office wear, and even launched a line of women's classic shirts.

Among the clothes shops is Paxton & Whitfield, a cheese boutique founded in 1797. Here you can buy cheeses of all tastes and colours, crackers and chutneys to go with them, as well as cheese knives and other accessories. The shop is especially popular with Americans because it sells unpasteurized cheeses, which are illegal in the United States. Be sure to take a look inside.

Next door is Floris, a perfume shop founded by Juan Famenias Floris in 1730. Among the famous clients of the salon were, for example, Marilyn Monroe and Oscar Wilde. All the fragrances by Floris are numbered. The most famous of them is number 89, according to the house number, in which the store is located. It is the fragrance used by author Ian Fleming, as well as the hero of his books James Bond. No. 127 was specially designed for Count Orlov, and later it was loved by Winston Churchill.
Anyone can mix their own Floris fragrance. A cheaper option (£450 for two hours) involves blending from an existing fragrance. If you want the ultimate fragrance couture, for £4500 over six months Floris perfumers will select a unique fragrance especially for you, which will be "tailored" for you in two subsequent fragrance try-ins. In both cases your unique fragrance will be added to the special database, and no one in the world will be able to purchase the same one. It is worth mentioning that the next bottles will cost you much cheaper.

The late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Britain were the era of the dandies, who brought fashion to Britain from Italy and France. Dandies sought to emulate aristocrats. One of the most famous dandies of the time was George "Bo" Brammel, whose statue can be found near the back entrance of the Fortnum & Mason department store. Brammel is known for introducing scarves, tight leggings, distinctive high boots with tassels, and a top hat, and is considered the father of the classic modern men's suit.

Turnbull & Asser is by no means the only, but most famous, shirt shop on the street. The atelier was founded in 1885 and made a splash in modern history when Sean Connery (and then three other Bonds) wore Turnbull & Asser shirts. Turnbull & Asser's regular customer is Prince Charles and on previous occasions Princess Diana came in for personalised shirts and sleepwear for her children. Prices for bespoke shirts start at £255 with a minimum order of six shirts.

Next door to Turnbull & Asser is the first men's shirt shop of its kind opened by a woman - Emma Willis. Emma used to work at Turnbull & Asser but left and opened her own exclusively female shop in 1999. Emma prides herself on the fact that most of her shirts are made from premium Sea Island cotton. In the shop windows, the sleeves of the shirts are specially twisted to demonstrate the quality of the materials and how smoothly the fabric folds.

The last and most impressive stop is John Lobb Shoe Shop. It is not quite on Jermyn street, but within walking distance, on St James Street. John Lobb's retail stores were bought out by the Hermes group in 1976, but the workshop has remained in family hands. Since 1849 the most famous politicians, writers and celebrities of all magnitudes have made footwear here.
The founder of the workshop started in Australia, where during the gold rush he made special shoes with a hollow heel, in which gold could be hidden. John Lobb is also famous for making the famous Wellington boots for Edward VII. That was followed by the company becoming the official supplier to the Royal Court. Today the fifth generation of the Lobb family is making their own shoes. One of John Lobb's clients was Guy Burgess who defected from Britain to the USSR in 1951. Being in Moscow, Guy could not come to London, so he asked an Australian acquaintance to drop in at his favourite shoemaker and order him new shoes using the existing stocks. The thing is that the shop keeps all the measurements and pads of the clients, so the trail of the spy (literally and figuratively) can still be seen in John Lobb today.
Pads of the clients are stored in the shop for life. What's more, John Lobb retains the rights to the pads, so customers don't pay for making them.

End the day at Wiltons Restaurant. It will especially appeal to those who love oysters. Incidentally, Wiltons were official suppliers to the Royal Court until 1938!