The London Lounge

Hi All:

I am looking to have made several cotton summer suits. I don't want to use either of my usual tailors (Nicolosi, A&S) because it seems something of a waste to spend that much money on something I won't be wearing more than two months a year and that is sure to fade upon cleaning. Any suggestions on people who do good work at a lower price point would be most appreciated.

One person I was considering is Eva DeVescery. In the past, she has done excellent alterations for me, some great custom stuff for my wife and she says she can do a man's suit. Her price point is about 1/2 A&S's or Nicolosi's. Anyone have any experience with her?

I don't know which cities Hong Kong's W.W. Chan visits in the US, but have you considered them?

Most of the top Savile Row houses and their alumni (especially LL certified artisans) visit New York regularly. Edwin Du Boise of Steed is a member here (aka The Doctor) and visits NYC. If you can afford his prices, Leonard Logsdail (another LL artisan and member) is based in New York.

I believe that Logsdail's prices are higher than A&S's, so that good as he is, he might not be quite the thing for this assignment.

Steed and Steven Hitchcock will save you something like $1,000 from A&S in list price and customs duty. They also come more often to NY. Hitchcock did a heavy unlined linen suit for me that I like very much in the summer.

Kilgour's Chinese solution was once excellent value, and the structured shoulder does well with the flimsy summer fabric. They're now almost as expensive as the cheaper Savile Row guys, though.

For still lower prices, names that keep coming up are Mr. Ned, Saint Laurie, et al. Maybe a little R&D on your wife's tailor would be a good investment over the long run.

Thank you all for your recommendations/advice!

I can recommend Winston tailors. They do buggy lined summer suits for me and I am happy with them. Their "MTM" product is really factory made bespoke as they cut the cloth from their pattern for you and bundle it with trimmings and send it off to be made. They then do as many fittings as necessary, though you are dealing with a mostly made garment by then so it is really more like alterations. Paul Winston is not fond of making cotton suits as he thinks it is a waste of money and will pressure you to go to Press or Brooks Brothers for that, but he will do it if you insist. I have avoided that fight by getting frescos in cotton-suit colors. He will also do full bespoke if you insist, but thinks it a waste of money and reserves it either for very hard to fit people or things that can't be done in the factory, like an overcoat (I recently saw a tailcoat in progress and then being fitted, but I don't know if that was his bespoke or "MTM").

I'd forgotten about Winston. They'll have fantastic guidance on cloth, and if they get your cut right you should find fair value. They're also nice people there.

Interesting that they don't push bespoke anymore. They used to do a lot back in the late 80s, but their Trinidadian tailor retired and I guess they went through a number of substitutes. It may be that they are too small in scale now to make a serious commitment to that service.

Paul Winston also says that his profit margin is higher in MTM than bespoke. My MTM's from him are super.

doccol91 wrote: Any suggestions?

My experience with my bespoke maker in NYC is that cotton just does not shape and drape as well as wool [or even linen] with the bespoke and hand sewn process. There are RTW manufacturers who can wield more prowesses in terms of beating the cotton into submission to get the desired shape - if their aesthetic fits your taste.

Either that or the cotton garments come out somewhat flimsy.


- M

Irish linen or a very light wool is better than cotton for summer suits. Cotton, in my experience, wears out and loses it colour quickly.

beckensteins is a fabric store on west 39st that now does shirts in house-great fabrics and a good deal and suits made in china but fitted here, the suits are very well made, the salesman really knows how to measure and its very good value-they have all colors of seersucker and linen in stock so its easy to get the fabric.