Who Really Made John Lennon's White Suit seen on the Cover of Abbey Road?

Fashioning The Beatles is the first book to provide an in-depth analysis of the sartorial impact and legacy of the Fab Four, which of course sparked the attention and admiration of yet another generation with the 2021 release of the Get Back documentary.

More than 50 years after The Beatles' break-up, their style -- the haircuts, the suits, the paisleys, the trousers, the boots -- continues to inspire and animate the collections of some of the world's leading designers, including Thom Browne, John Varvatos, Anna Sui, Rei Kawakubo, Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele and yes, Stella McCartney.

"Not much has been written about how The Beatles' look permeated contemporary culture much like their music," writes 'All You Need Is Love' director Tony Palmer in the book's introduction. "It’s a subject worthy of an attentive, detailed and intelligent study and Deirdre Kelly has risen to the challenge. Her magnificent book is both broad and deep, offering an unparalleled survey and analysis of the Beatles as the enduring epitome of pop style."

Speaking to Peter Brooker on the From Tailors With Love podcast the author Deirdre Kelly spoke about the infamous Abbey Road cover and offered her insights on interview on why George Harrison wore his denim jumpsuit and blows the lid on who made the real White John Lennon suit.

Why did George Harrison wear a denim jumpsuit on the cover of Abbey Road?

I can speculate what was happening at that time. George was getting quite immersed in country rock. He was dabbling with Delaney and Bonnie and he went on tour and played in the back row anonymously and dressing Americana.  He was always the dandiest of The Beatles. He was leading the way, as he does with all Beatles style manifestations. After this the rest of the Beatles follow suit in their denims and wears them with their bespoke jackets as George does on the cover of Hey Jude.

He was deeply influenced by the The Band and Dylan became a close friend. Dylan in the early 60s starts dressing like the Beatles, and they start emulating his looks. Quite a symbiotic relationship. George could have worn the suit but didn't. 3 of 4 Beatles dressed alike, in the same designer, Tommy Nutter. The master cutter was Edward Sexton.

So who really did make the white suit for John Lennon on the cover of Abbey Road?

“I spoke to Edward before he passed, and we together looked at the suits and he gave me a blow by blow analysis. It was important. There is a misunderstanding re: John’s white suit. Its erroneous and I’m correcting it, some people think it’s by Ted Lapidus. It’s not. It’s Edward Sexton for Tommy Nutter. A white suit was put on the auction block and it was erroneously attributed to Abbey Road. The mistake was repeated at the V&A, and there was a Beatles expert on the staff, and they did some sleuthing. Yoko Ono (who still has the white suit) was contacted in New York, and the lawyers got back to the V&A and said it was Edward Sexton for Tommy Nutter. They corrected it on the placard on the collection, but there is a book that accompanies and the first edition is wrong, it’s right in the 2nd edition.

People have played fast and loose with some of the facts. These clothes become collectibles and their impact on pop culture is enormous. It’s important to know the provenance.” – Deirdre Kelly.

Fashioning the Beatles: The Looks that Shook the World is now available to buy on Amazon.

 Photo by Ray on Unsplash