The London Lounge

For this, my inaugural post, I wanted to ask whether any members have ordered bespoke from Rizzo in Cambridge, Mass. His prices are lower than travelling SR tailors, and that he's dressed some minor local celebrities -- John Kerry, various Kennedys, Alan Dershowitz (definitely not a model, as far I'm concerned). I've used him successfully for some fairly complicated alterations jobs, and in addition to advantages of price, I like the idea of patronizing local artisans. But I'd be grateful to get some idea of his overall quality and style before committing.

Quality is commensurate with price-- probably better than that in the case of jackets. Trousers don't have a lot of handwork if any, and are priced fairly at around $500.

Cut is a matter of taste. Having tried a tweed jacket (basically successful) and a suit (OK if you like it), I'd have to say that I shall likely stick with London makers for now. But you might like different.

His house style-- and he makes no bones about having a preference-- is for light canvassed construction, moderate shoulder padding that can be made more or less natural, and a very clean front. It is the clean front and the lower-than-optimal armholes that make his jackets not quite to my taste. If I were built like John Kerry I might be bothered less by this.

As you know from his alterations work, Joe is an excellent guy to deal with and doesn't promise more than he can deliver.

That's about what I figured, thanks. Probably I'll go over see if I can talk him into cutting higher armholes -- the clean front bothers me less, but I'm not 6'4" either. I really wouldn't expect equivalence to London given the location and cost. But since Joe's in town and I'm just a poor scholar, it might be the thing for my next project.