Coronet Inside Out: Antony Buonomo & John Pearse

I’m A Tailor

Tailor and cineaste John Pearse returns to Coronet Inside Out with designer Antony Buonomo, sharing their short film I’m A Tailor.

Filmed on one day in early September 2020, with pandemic restrictions, and edited during lockdown, this is an affectionate portrait of John Pearse, London’s funkiest tailor for over 30 years, by Antony Buonomo, Emmy-winning designer.

John was co-founder of the legendary 60s boutique ‘Granny Takes a Trip’ – and is now a style fixture of London’s most interesting patch, Soho.

John has dressed, impeccably and elegantly, some of the worlds most famous and beautiful people from Jack Nicholson to Mick Jagger to Leonardo DiCaprio.

As John says in the film, he is still surviving, dispensing style and wisdom to anyone that walks through his door.

Antony has known John, and Dominique, John’s assistant, for 25 years as a client and always knew there was a film in there somewhere… John just needed to be persuaded.

Using a freewheeling editing style and using footage from some of Johns films, the film attempts to capture some of John’s mischievous and elegant style.

Director and Editor: Antony Buonomo
Director of Photography: Clair M Pie

Click here to see the other work available to watch for free on Coronet Inside Out.

John Pearse

Tailor & Cineaste John Pearse co-founded iconic 60’s Kings Road boutique “Granny Takes A Trip”.

This was followed by a trip to Rome where he stayed and became an actor, meeting everyone who was anyone in cinema from Fellini, who told him he’d make a great director, to Warhol and his superstars who made films look simple and glamorous to produce which Pearse, coming from a world of fashion, found most appealing.

Back in London after a brief spell assisting Antony Page on Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya at the Royal Court Theatre he embarked on Moviemakers, casting his friends in what would become a kind of requiem for the times and Observer critic George Melly, and was described as both accurate and knowing “its truth is to a way of life”.

After it’s premiere at London’s 1972 Film Festival Jailbird supported Tinto Brass & Bob Guccione’s movie production Caligula on general release, and maybe even screened at the Coronet through the fog of cigarette smoke back in the day…