Vienna

[smoothjazzone]

Part 1

I just returned from an extended European vacation which included a stop in the city of a million melodies (could someone pls tell Bertie Wooster). In the little time I had by myself, I did manage to see a few of the bespoke artisans in the city.

The Knize (Ka - knee -- zha) store was right next to the hotel we were staying at. The first time I visited Mr. Nedersuess (the owner and the cutter) was away. A really friendly sales person that showed me around -- the store is simply enormous -- really six separate stores in one -- two store fronts on Graben (one RTW and one accesories), one on the side street (outerwear, mainly a brand called "Fay"), a bespoke area, a MTM area (with more RTW suits and coats) and a shoe store that is totally hidden from the outside. The store does bespoke work in-house. They also have MTM programs with Brioni and Kiton to Knize specs and also have a Knize MTM program that is made in Italy.

I finally did meet Mr. Nedersuess a couple of days later and was able to see a few of their bespoke garments which were very well made. The prices -- are well -- high at the current US dollar exchange rate. However, Knize quotes its prices including VAT which foreigners can reclaim at the airport. The jackets have very little padding, reasonably soft in construction, with high armholes and with a lower notch than what I prefer. The trousers while considerably fuller than Italian trousers are still narrower than standard issue AA trousers. The worksmanship seemed very good -- one POW suit with a blue paisley lining ready to be picked up looked stunning. The mid-grey suit Mr. Nedersuess had on also looked very good.

to be continued . . .

[bry2000]

Thank you for the post. I really just want to know how badly you hurt yourself. And I want the gory details.

[smoothjazzone]

Part 2

In its glory days, Knize used to have five stores -- the Vienna store is the only store they have now left. Surprising, at least to me, the bespoke business is a very small part of Knize's revenues and profits. In the past, Mr. Nedersuess was supported by his son (who also took trips to NY to serve their US clients). The son has now left the family business and started his own venture. Mr. Nedersuess is in his 70s but still looks and acts much younger. One of my Austrian friends described Knize's clientele as a mix of the upper crust of Viennese society (mainly an older crowd) that tourists.

www.knize.at

To answer Bry's request, in part, the one place in Vienna I did end up placing an order was Netousek. I stumbled into Netousek quite by chance -- it is practically right next to Cafe Sperl in the sixth district. I was walking over to the Cafe and noticed a tailor shop -- walked in and was greeted by father and son. They are both quite warm-hearted and generous with their time without being the least bit pushy. The garments bore amazing similarity to Knize and both father and son were quick to complement the quality of Knize's bespoke program and to some extent defend Knize's "international prices" given its brand name and square footage right in the heart of Vienna.

Not looking to order any regular suits or jackets, and being quite taken with some traditional Austrian clothing, I inquired as to their ability to produce a disticntly traditional Austrian garment. We then went through several drawings and photographs of classical Austrian designs and settled on a short (to mid-thigh) loden hunting jacket. The choices of fabric for the coat were a very mottled grey loden (~580gms) or a very mottled beige-brown loden (same weight). We ultimately settled on the brown loden with a drark brown flannel trim (the more classical option would have been the grey loden with a green trim). The brown was ultimately a better color for me and quite frankly a little less likely to look like a costume.

www.netousek.at

to be continued . . .

[Richard3]

and to some extent defend Knize's "international prices" given its brand name and square footage right in the heart of Vienna.

They are nearly on Huntsman level in terms of pricing.

Did you visit Jungmann & Neffe?

The in-store-tailor from Bratilava made me a suit this year I am quite happy with.

@Netousek:

I have never visited them but Bernhard Roetzel recommended them to me and I badly need a competent tailor for the LL triple check....

[smoothjazzone]

Did you visit Jungmann & Neffe?

@Netousek:

I have never visited them but Bernhard Roetzel recommended them to me and I badly need a competent tailor for the LL triple check....

Did not visit J&N -- quite frankly never heard of them either. I was in Vienna for a wholly different reason and the "bespoke adventures" were more of a sidelight.

My visit to Netousek was completely by chance as they are right next to Cafe Sperl where I was to meet a friend. Netousek seems quite competent from what I could see. Visually, the suit has many elements similar to Knize. Their prices too were very modest. I believe 2pc suits suits start at 1700-2000 euros (their fabric). I decided to get a traditional Austrian garment from them because off-the-rack versions at Loden-Plankl did not fit very well. Most of these garments have deep back center pleats -- the version at L-P (and also at Loden Frey in Munich) -- opens up and gaps in the most unseemly way.

[Richard3]

Did not visit J&N -- quite frankly never heard of them either.

What?

They are one of the most famous and beautiful old shops in Vienna and probably one of the world`s biggest fabric stores. They are in business for over 170 years.

Look and suffer:

[smoothjazzone]

Part 3

Knize and Netousek were the only two tailors I visited in Vienna. After visiting Knize, I stopped by Scheer, a bespoke shoemaker right around the corner. The windows had two men's shoes that looked like some of the best British shoes I have seen. Inside was dark and the doors were locked. There was a sign to call and make an appointment but I decided to leave that for some other trip.

www.scheer.at

I did visit three other cobblers -- Maftei, Materna and Balint.

Maftei has two shops -- one in city center, right around the hotel where we stayed, and one in the fourth district. The city center store is run by son and daughter and the main store is run by dad, mom and other siblings. The first pair is 660 Euros and each subsequent pair is ~100-125 Euros lower. Construction quality is decent and the lead time to make the first pair is approx. 6 weeks and the subsequent pair approx. 4 weeks. They also have RTW shoes that start around 525 Euros. Majority of the clientele is local.

www.maftei.at

Materna is run by Georg Materna, a large, proud and incredibly friendly man with a ready smile. The shoe samples in the store were exquisitely made. All work is done in house. Mr. Materna gave me a tour of the work rooms (no pics, my apologies). The measuring process is more extensive than Maftei and Mr. Materna specializes in orthotics as well as other elements of shoe construction. Custom shoes start at 1050 Euros or thereabouts with extras for leather, orthotics, etc. detailed in Mr. Materna's price list available for your perusal. Materna does not sell RTW shoes. Majority of the clientele is local but does have a following in Japan.

http://www.schuhe.at/materna/

[smoothjazzone]

Richard -- I think its a good thing I did not know about this store -- given that I am already storing over 175 fabrics in three continents, my wife would have killed me had I bought even one more!

Did not visit J&N -- quite frankly never heard of them either.

What?

They are one of the most famous and beautiful old shops in Vienna and probably one of the world`s biggest fabric stores. They are in business for over 170 years.

Look and suffer:

[Cufflink79]

Dear Smoothjazz:

It sounds like you had a nice time. Thanks for sharing the web links as well.

What is Vienna like for food and of course CUFF LINKS?

would love to see some photos if possible.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[RWS]

. . . . I stopped by Scheer . . . . but I decided to leave that for some other trip. . . .

May you return to Vienna soon! I'd dearly love to hear more about Scheer (thanks to Rolf for some details already hungrily read; thanks to the firm's website for designs so beautiful that I used prints to show Casa Fagliano, just outside Buenos Aires, what I'd like in the shoes they're making for me). Perhaps you'd even commission a pair of shoes . . . .

[smoothjazzone]

Part 4

Balint is run by a family from Romania that defected in the 1980s and are now settled in Vienna for 25 years. They have three lines -- RTW, half measure (standard lasts with some slight modifications) and full measure. Don't quote me -- but I believe the RTW and the half measure start at around 650 Euros (there is an upcharge if they need to make a modified last for you). The full measure shoes start at around 1550 Euros for the first pair (subsequent pairs are approximately 500 Euros less as they do not need to remake a last for you). The first pair takes 5-6 months and the subsequent pairs 4-6 weeks.

The full measure shoes involve a very detailed measuring process (for which you need an advance appointment) that takes between 1.0-1.5 hours. During this process, they measure various things such as the distance from knees to the foot and distance between hips and the foot to make sure both legs are equal length. Various traces of your foot are made -- with socks sitting, with socks standing and without socks. They also make several traces of the foot on the vertical plane including the bone structure. The foot is felt all over for any deformaties or deviation from the norm to make as accurate a replica of your foot as possible. They are also experts at incorporating orthotics if needed.

Like Materna, Balint has a price list with costs for all services. Unlike Materna and Maftei, however, Balint does not offer a trial fitting -- the goal with such an extensive measurement process is to produce a perfect fitting shoe the first time. According to Balint -- 99/100 shoes fit perfectly the first time and even for their Viennese clients, they have not typically needed tweaks to the shoes or the last. The 1/100 times their is an issue, they are able to make minor corrections. They have never needed to remake the shoes -- but would gladly do so if needed. Nearly 20% of Balint's full measure clientele is local and 80% is foreign -- accuracy in measurement and execution minimizes the costs and frustations for both parties that result from a bespoke product not fitting well.

www.balint.at

to be continued . . .

[smoothjazzone]

Cl -- had a great time. Thanks. No pictures as I mentioned before. Will cover the rest of the requested info in subsequent posts.

Dear Smoothjazz:

It sounds like you had a nice time. Thanks for sharing the web links as well.

What is Vienna like for food and of course CUFF LINKS?

would love to see some photos if possible.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[smoothjazzone]

I would gladly move to Vienna permanently if I could find something to do there! Will definately stop by Scheer the next time I am there.

. . . . I stopped by Scheer . . . . but I decided to leave that for some other trip. . . .

May you return to Vienna soon! I'd dearly love to hear more about Scheer (thanks to Rolf for some details already hungrily read; thanks to the firm's website for designs so beautiful that I used prints to show Casa Fagliano, just outside Buenos Aires, what I'd like in the shoes they're making for me). Perhaps you'd even commission a pair of shoes . . . .

[smoothjazzone]

Part 5

I was very impressed with all the bespoke artisans I met in Vienna. The one that really stood out of the pack was Balint. Balint is more expensive than Materna who is more expensive than Maftei -- but with each, the level of service and care does seem to justify the price difference.

Of interest to some members maybe that there is now a store in District 1 that sells Vass shoes. The store is run by an immigrant family who do speak some english but do not take credit cards or have tax forms for the return of the VAT. The store is new or purchased from a previous owner. For Vass they carry mainly the Budapest and 3636 lasts. All Vass shoes at 499 Euros. They also carry another Brand called Abba. In fact the name of the store is Abba Shoes. Its on Wollzeile (No. 13?) -- I can get the exact address if anyone is intererested. I would not recommend people call the store and ask them to ship as Abba is not (yet) set up to do anything other than you walking in, paying cash and walking out.

to be continued . . .

[smoothjazzone]

I just found this link that may shed some more light on Abba:

http://www.abbaschuhe.at