The London Lounge

I happen to need a pair of summer-weight trousers. I just wanted to share my latest "experiment." I bought 1.5 yards of Barberis fabric at Rosenthal's, which is apparently the largest "jobber" in the country (I did not know this). This cost 65 dollars. Centofanti would charge $250 dollars to make this into trousers. This is very reasonable I think. But I am not going to him, just so that I can try something. I am going to send the fabric to my father-in-law in Romania (postage $15 we think). He will bribe the postman so there won't be duty (this is the norm there). He will drop this off, with $40, to the tailor Negrila (I could just as well use Marinescu, but Negrila's shop is right on the street and makes for an even easier drive-by. He will pick up the finished product and send it back to me ($10 we think). If this works out, I might try it with jacket fabric or overcoating. By the way, I changed the buttons on the linen suit to cream-colored bone buttons and it looks much better. And I avoided balck calf shoes, and this was another improvement.

Jut two points to be very clear: Centofanti's prices are very reasonable and as everyone knows, his workmanship is outstanding. I am not sending the fabric to the Romanian tailors to save money, but to experiment to see what I can get away with them. Remember, we are talking about people who do not even have bank accounts, let alone accept credit cards.

re update, how did this turn out?

Fabulous. I am awaiting a pair of Smith whipcord trousers. Negrila has made a whole bunch of stuff for me, all very nice. Only a Holland and Sherry sharkskin jacket could use a little adjustment because (I think) the cloth is not very forgiving and so it feels snug in the shoulders. I think the suits with fabric are about $700 with finest material from for example Smith, postage, and the tailor's fee. I highly recommend those whose taste exceeds their wallet to make comparable arrangements if they can.

brescd01 wrote: Remember, we are talking about people who do not even have bank accounts, let alone accept credit cards.

So how do you pay Negrila? Do you give him some sort of payment in kind, Doctor?

Is going through this whole gyration worth it to save a couple hundred bucks and to avoid using a tailor who you have said that you like?

It is all very easy for me and if I were not happy with the result, I would not do it. Recall I did not travel specially to Bucharest to find the tailor and get fittings. I had to be in Bucharest for a wedding and I profited from the opportunity. By the way, while I love Centofanti and I do not think his prices unfair, I am not sure how you can call the difference between $700 and $2600 "a few hundred dollars."

Besides the savings, Centofanti ain't getting any younger. Maybe Doc's just looking ahead....

You guys are relentless. Not everything can be reduced to an internet post. Centofanti keeps weird hours (for my schedule) and is difficult to get to during the week. He does not have the Smith books, which I love. Ordering a Smith sample involves my lazily phoning Donald Graham, receiving his spectacular swatches, and then ordering fabric, which I have my wife post to Romania. Eventually it comes back a finished garment. It is very easy for me and the garments give me a lot of pleasure. If I had not found my Romanian tailor I would have a Indian one to do the same thing with. To keep both one expensive tailor and one cheap tailor, works well for my taste and income.

great result. well done.

About a week ago when I dropped by Mr. Negrila's workshop for a fitting he was sewing away at a grey pair of trousers for dr. Bresch. He made me a beautiful "paletot" winter overcoat in a blanket-thick grey wool cloth - the thing weighs 3 kgs and is, in my opinion, exceptionally well tailored. I couldn't help the paddock-style front with the trapeze button stance and I think it turned out quite well (not as dramatic as I feared it might be, as it doesn't have a cut at the waist, thus looking somewhat more "contemporary"; or I just love it too much to realize how much out of the ordinary it is). I really think he is a very good cutter working with a fine team of tailors. Dr. Bresch's wardrobe is in good hands - no second-hand tailoring or compromises in terms of craftsmanship!

It seems you gentlemen have found one of the arduously sought for 'hidden gems'. Congratulations!

So David, will you go for the full Romanian and get some Saint Crispin's shoes to go with your bespoke Negrila?

Can you tell me anything about this brand?