Where is the best place to find cloth in New York?

[mrwynn]

I'm going to take advantage of a trip I have coming up this summer to Sicily to have a suit or two made. I've heard that the Sicilian tailors often have pretty limited cloth selections so I'm planning on bringing my own. Do any of you have a good recommendation for a cloth merchant in New York who sells to the public? I was sure this information would be somewhere on the site, but after three or four search attempts I couldn't find anything.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Mark Seitelman]

I recommend Tip Top Fabric in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. It is a short cab ride or subway ride from midtown.

It is a very large store which is actually two stores joined together. It is about 7,000 square feet, and it is stocked from floor to ceiling with bolts and pieces. The staff is very accommodating and will pull down cloth and spread it out on tables.

It specializes in buying end bolts, end runs, and closeouts. Therefore, although the selection is wide, do not expect to see a cloth merchant's full line represented. You will see one of a kind cloths. You will find selections of Maxon, Scabal, Zegna, Carlo Barbera, Reid & Taylor, Taylor & Lodge, Charles Clayton, Loro Piana, and Barberis.

In Manhattan there are Beckenstein and Moods. I have never visited them. Beckenstein is an authorized representative of either Scabal or another recognized merchant. Moods has both mens and womens cloths which are end bolts, end runs, etc.

Loro Piana's retail store on Madison Avenue sells cloth at full retail and a high price.

Good luck.

[couch]

As usual, I second Mark's comments. Two observations:

1. At Tip Top, inspect the pieces you want cut fully and carefully before committing to the purchase. I've bought some of my very best cloth here, but irregulars occasionally get mixed in or weaving flaws appear near the end of a run. Early on I had one piece made up that had a subtle weaving flaw along one warp; I didn't inspect carefully so didn't see it until the trousers were made.

2. I've purchased cottons and my best linen from Beckenstein, but can't comment on the wool cloths. The linen was a single piece in the basement, shelved alongside some upholstery cloths. That was a few years back.

[alden]

I have been to Becksteins and frankly found nothing there I would offer to a craftsman. I have not been to Tip Top but I am quite suspicious of "jobbers" in general: factory seconds, damaged goods? Give these to a skilled tailor? I would not.

If you are going to go to the trouble of having clothes made, use the very best materials you can find. The incremental cost of a superb fabric is absolutely insignificant.

Cheers

[Kayak81]

You might want to contact Isles Textile Group in Farmingdale. They're importers who sell most of the standard British cloths to tailors in the U.S. Although they sell mostly to tailors, they will sell to individuals who aren't having a suit made by one of their clients. You have to know the fabric that you want, as Isles won't send you swatch books. Occasionally they have some leftover cloth that they'll sell to you at a discount.

I haven't talked to anyone at Isles in a few years, so things might have changed since then. Personally I've found that a much better strategy is to stock up on LL cloths so it will be available when you're ready to move forward with a new suit or jacket.

[couch]

I have been to Becksteins and frankly found nothing there I would offer to a craftsman. I have not been to Tip Top but I am quite suspicious of "jobbers" in general: factory seconds, damaged goods? Give these to a skilled tailor? I would not.

If you are going to go to the trouble of having clothes made, use the very best materials you can find. The incremental cost of a superb fabric is absolutely insignificant.

Cheers

No argument there, Michael. As you have often said, one needs to learn to judge the quality for oneself. At Tip Top, the selvages are there to identify the source (last time I was there, several English producers in addition to those Mark mentions), and it's up to the buyer to judge the guts and finish of the cloth, and to spot any flaws. I can attest that many current and former LL members have a number of garments from Tip Top cloths that have been quite pleasing to very skilled tailors and to themselves, pictured here and elsewhere. Poole has made two suits for me from Tip Top-sourced cloth and Philip and Alex were perfectly happy to work with it (if you know Philip, you know he would have chucked it back at me if not up to scratch!). Most of my Tip Top finds, though, including the Scabal fine-gauge cavalry twills, and various whipcords and flannels, have been for odd trousers made by Dario Rodriguez, who is basically a slightly more artisanal made-to-measure trouser maker. My one flawed purchase was an early mistake. Even so, the cloth was so amazingly gutsy that had I spotted the flaw, I could have simply bought an extra meter and had Dario cut around it.

In any case, that was before the Cloth Club was going full steam, and before the LL Fox flannels, and the tailored clothing revival with some improved offerings in the books. So I have not been back in some time. As Kayak81 says, I've been happy to stock up on CC cloths and a couple of others of high quality that you have alerted me to, Michael, for jackets and suits made, in progress, and yet to commission.

But the original poster asked about sources in New York, and Tip Top is one--if for the confidently adventurous.

[Mark Seitelman]

With Tip Top there is the element of chance. I have always viewed the cloth before it is cut. Generally, flaws are marked by a white string.

I have never bought a bad cloth there.

Tip Top's advantage is the large inventory and variety of cloths for comparison. Do you want a grey flannel? There will be 30 in differing weights and shades and colors from both England and Italy. Also, they get one of a kind cloths that you will not see in your usual cloth book.

The advantage of buying your cloth from a merchant, such as Isles Textiles or Jodek or Gladson, is that you are assured of first quality goods that were inspected being shipped to you. Isles cloths are pre-shrunk and ready for the needle.

Isles is in Farmingdale on the Nassau-Suffolk Counties borders. It is a bit of a ride from Manhattan. I know them, and they are good people. They do not like to sell to the public because they do not want to undercut their customers, the tailors. However, you present a special situation.

Another possibility is Gladson, a cloth merchant in Secaucus, New Jersey which is a short ride from midtown. It is not a store, but I belive that it will allow a retail customer.

As a last recommendation, JJ Minnis and John Hardy sell to the public through their website. Its cloth is impeccable. Perhaps they will provide swatches?

[aston]

Has anybody else understood that Mark's comment regarding "...white string.." is the origin of the phrase "no strings attached"?

[andreyb]

As a last recommendation, JJ Minnis and John Hardy sell to the public through their website. Its cloth is impeccable. Perhaps they will provide swatches?

They did sent swatches for me -- even though I said from the very start that I'm going to get cloth through my tailors.

Dugdales as well.

Andrey