Are Huntsman prices fully justified?

Originally Posted by iammatt

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Do the people at Huntsman smile?
If they think it will make you a client ... yes.

Originally Posted by RSS

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If they think it will make you a client ... yes.

is that how they roped you into the fold, originally?

I was expecting them to be uber formal but Johnny Allen is quite friendly...
I hate formality in general and especially when I go to my tailor....
I don't expect them to be my friends like in any commercial relationship but a good laugh is always appreciated...

Originally Posted by alebrady

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is that how they roped you into the fold, originally?

Richard Anderson & Brian Lishak brought me into the fold ... and, yes, they did smile ... after they realized I liked what they were showing me. Later, when they left Huntsman, I followed them as soon as I knew where they went ... to Chez Richard.

But just to be upfront ... while some might consider me sartorially savvy by American standards ... I certainly don't think of myself that way. I was introduced to my first tailor by my father ... not because of any particular interest in clothing. And ... until I began frequenting AskA in my days before discovering Style Forum ... I wasn't even aware of many bespoke alternatives outside of the established names on Savile Row and in Italy.

Interestingly, the first London tailoring alternative to whom I was introduced ... uhhh ... how do I put this ... well ... he turned out to be a petit-madoff of the tailoring world ... so I made the decision to stick with a more established tailor ... or two ... or three.

When a friend and I were stumbling around the Row trying to find cufflinks last fall, we dropped into Huntsman to see if they had any (they didn't), and found the person who helped us (a tall man with a beard) to be friendly and helpful, giving us suggestions for nearby places that carried what we were looking for. We certainly were not dressed up or otherwise appeared to be anything but lost tourists. The SR houses we visited were all quite friendly.

--Andre

Originally Posted by RSS

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Richard Anderson & Brian Lishak brought me into the fold ... and, yes, they did smile ... after they realized I liked what they were showing me. Later, when they left Huntsman, I followed them as soon as I knew where they went ... to Chez Richard.

But just to be upfront ... while some might consider me sartorially savvy by American standards ... I certainly don't think of myself that way. I was introduced to my first tailor by my father ... not because of any particular interest in clothing. And ... until I began frequenting AskA in my days before discovering Style Forum ... I wasn't even aware of many bespoke alternatives outside of the established names on Savile Row and in Italy.

Interestingly, the first London tailoring alternative to whom I was introduced ... uhhh ... how do I put this ... well ... he turned out to be a petit-madoff of the tailoring world ... so I made the decision to stick with a more established tailor ... or two ... or three.

just giving you a bit of a poke - having dealt with richard and brian myself I can easily see why you followed to lucky #13.

I seem to recall that you may have still had 1 or two jackets done with huntsman house tweeds after richard left? was terry your cutter for those, or is my chronology (and memory) faulty?

Originally Posted by alebrady

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I seem to recall that you may have still had 1 or two jackets done with huntsman house tweeds after richard left? was terry your cutter for those, or is my chronology (and memory) faulty?

You have it right ... I do have a couple of house tweeds ... I just like those big bold checks that so many on here can't seem to comprehend. Of course, it took me a while to warm up to them ... I started with some of the A&S tweed checks ... which aren't nearly as bold. To paraphrase Alan Flusser ... they are so sophisticated, they'd end up in the bargain basement at most stores.

You also have the cutter and chronology correct. Terry was the cutter for the bespoke one ... another (2002 I think) is MTM (but don't tell anyone).

Originally Posted by RSS

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... another (2002 I think) is MTM (but don't tell anyone).

shocking, positively shocking. How did the MTM turn out, particularly wrt the bespoke from Huntsman?

I wonder, you seem to be in a unique position...I am sure you have heard the notion that Richard is more Huntsman than Huntsman these days...what do you think of the accuracy of this? Do you find Richard to cut more classicaly Huntsman or do you find him more 'fashionable' than Huntsman.

Originally Posted by alebrady

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I wonder, you seem to be in a unique position...I am sure you have heard the notion that Richard is more Huntsman than Huntsman these days...what do you think of the accuracy of this? Do you find Richard to cut more classicaly Huntsman or do you find him more 'fashionable' than Huntsman.

I can really only comment about my own clothing and experience.

Is Richard more Huntsman than Huntsman? Well, Richard is more Richard than Huntsman ... that's for certain.

There are differences. For example, the coats I have from Richard post Huntsman are somewhat smoother in the shoulder to arm transition than are those of Huntsman post Richard. Also, Richard's single button closure is slightly lower. Still, they are quite similar.

Is Richard more fashionable than Huntsman? Richard has certainly made some items that one might think to be fashionable. Personally, I think he did them for the challenge of doing them well ... from a tailoring point of view.

In my personal experience, Richard and Brian enjoy clothing as much as anyone I know. Of course, I don't know everyone.

RSS, sorry to interrupt your thread but the point you were making is quite intesresting...
I went to see Richard Anderson before opting for Huntsman and I nearly took the plunge after talking to Brian...
He is a real gentleman .
I'm now with Lee Webb at Huntsman and I'm still thinking about the difference in cut between the 2 houses...
Johnny Allen told me that Richard is really a Huntsman man at heart..

Originally Posted by lasbar

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RSS, sorry to interrupt your thread but the point you were making is quite intesresting...
I went to see Richard Anderson before opting for Huntsman and I nearly took the plunge after talking to Brian...
He is a real gentleman .
I'm now with Lee Webb at Huntsman and I'm still thinking about the difference in cut between the 2 houses...
Johnny Allen told me that Richard is really a Huntsman man at heart..

If I am not mistaken, the current head cutter, Patrick Murphy, trained at Dege under Michael Skinner (like Alan Bennett of Davies). Given the stylistic sympathiesbetween the two houses, that is not surprising. RSS - you used Dege and Huntsman when RA was at Huntsman and MS was running Dege. How different did you find the two?

Originally Posted by dopey

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If I am not mistaken, the current head cutter, Patrick Murphy, trained at Dege under Michael Skinner (like Alan Bennett of Davies). Given the stylistic sympathiesbetween the two houses, that is not surprising. RSS - you used Dege and Huntsman when RA was at Huntsman and MS was running Dege. How different did you find the two?

ill of course eagerly await RSS' response.

i do remember (or think i do) a post from long ago where he struck the same pose in a dege, Huntsman and RA coat. I thought they were great representations of the house styles (or at least what I think of when I think of those respective house styles). The dege seemed classic military with more chest swell and hourglass shape. the RA and Huntsman were striking in their similarities, but I recall the RA being sharper or more fitted - though that could be due to any number of factors I suppose.

Having one person with such a varied set of exepriences and the willingness to share their personal observations is such a great benefit for these fora - thanks RSS!

Originally Posted by alebrady

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Having one person with such a varied set of exepriences and the willingness to share their personal observations is such a great benefit for these fora - thanks RSS!

Moo has showcased Borrelli and Rubinacci. Don't forget him.


- B

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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Moo has showcased Borrelli and Rubinacci. Don't forget him.


- B

good point vox, i happen to be anglo-biased so it is often easy to forget the beautiful italian cardigans that are splendidly presented by matt and foo

actually, i dont recall ever seeing foo in borrelli - perhaps before my time?

Originally Posted by A Y

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When a friend and I were stumbling around the Row trying to find cufflinks last fall, we dropped into Huntsman to see if they had any (they didn't), and found the person who helped us (a tall man with a beard) to be friendly and helpful, giving us suggestions for nearby places that carried what we were looking for. We certainly were not dressed up or otherwise appeared to be anything but lost tourists. The SR houses we visited were all quite friendly.

In my experience, the nicest shops tend to be the least snobby and the most friendly. Snobby salespeople seem to universally inhabit stores that know they aren't at the top of the food chain.