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Rory Duffy Bespoke - A Savile Row master tailor in NYC - Page 3

post #31 of 91
3/14/13 at 3:19pm
David:
That explanation makes sense. I don't think anyone believed you were promoting an association with someone that you weren't actually working with at the time.

Montauk: Do you know what happens to your suit after it came back from Ireland the first time? Does it go back there for all adjustments or does Duffy do all the alterations himself once it hits a certain phase? Does it even go to Ireland before the first fitting or does Duffy baste it together himself for the first look at the pattern?
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post #32 of 91
3/14/13 at 3:42pm
$5k does seem a bit high, given all the circumstances. obviously, I can't speak to the value proposition. I don't think I would describe that pricing as much lower than the prices of the finest savile row shops.
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post #33 of 91
3/15/13 at 9:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dopey View Post

David:
That explanation makes sense. I don't think anyone believed you were promoting an association with someone that you weren't actually working with at the time.

Montauk: Do you know what happens to your suit after it came back from Ireland the first time? Does it go back there for all adjustments or does Duffy do all the alterations himself once it hits a certain phase? Does it even go to Ireland before the first fitting or does Duffy baste it together himself for the first look at the pattern?

Rory's making my coat entirely himself for the camera. This is a mode of construction he feels most people aren't willing to pay for, but he wants people to see what goes into a handcraft garment, and understand why it's there.

Re the stuff made in Ireland--Rory sends them the drafted pattern, receives back the basted fitting, sends that back with adjustments, and gets the coat back to make 2nd fitting adjustments himself (and beyond, if necessary). Finishing is done in Ireland.
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post #34 of 91
3/15/13 at 10:36am

I am with ghermann about the pricing. If it is the best suit available on the planet, then a bargain, I guess.

It is more than fully priced given his overhead, etc. If it is surely superior, no worries.

Maybe Logsdail is more but as pointed out, even some British tailors of a high enough rep are similar.

New bloke, no expenses(which is fine), not so much of a reason in most peoples' minds to view his service as certainly superior =

5kUS is not a screaming bargain.

 

And to Montauk, I am a bit torn about your posting about Duffy. I think first off, you make no mention of how/why you came upon him in the first place. You state he does x,y, z and are making the video and that is all great. But are you his friend, did you spot his work by chance somewhere, what was the initial mechanism to put you in his studio for your bespoke suit?

 

I believe I have the same overall feeling as many or most others about it. Almost seems like you are praising someone you have no connection to just because of the work but not quite and there is some connection that was not mentioned. I think I read most of the posts in the thread(and saw it when near the starting point) and what I would like to know to push me one way or the other is not available. Openness is best in this case. 

 

"My friend Johnny Mychum has set up a bespoke operation in NYC. I think his work is fantastic, he has done A,B, worked in shop D, blah blah. I am making a video about the whole process to show off his skill and process. I think it would behoove anyone in the area looking for bespoke to have a consultation with Rory."

 

That would be fine.If it is not the case, please disclose what is the situation.

Even as you stated, you hadn't posted and then just pop up with a completely gushing review. Take a peak from the other side and I hope you can see how it comes off.

 

Perhaps they do some great work in the shop he uses in Ireland but even if that is the case, I would think it is a bit difficult to oversee it as smoothly and with as much of a hard eye as someone on location. 

And I for one do not care if he is 30 or 3. If you come out of the womb and can cut, fit, sew, etc., fantastic. I will pay a fair sum in Similak, Gerber's, mush and Pampers for the services. Beats the pants off of 6500. Sorry, that includes pants.

 

In the end, preferable if your praise is spot on because as was said by a previous poster, who would not prefer more quality options?

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post #35 of 91
3/15/13 at 10:53am
I live in NYC. If you factor in NY tax and deduct VAT, then a bespoke suit from Rory would cost me more than what I pay Huntsman for most of what I buy there (i.e., any suit from basic cloth).
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post #36 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:06am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gambit50 View Post

I am with ghermann about the pricing. If it is the best suit available on the planet, then a bargain, I guess.
It is more than fully priced given his overhead, etc. If it is surely superior, no worries.
Maybe Logsdail is more but as pointed out, even some British tailors of a high enough rep are similar.
New bloke, no expenses(which is fine), not so much of a reason in most peoples' minds to view his service as certainly superior =
5kUS is not a screaming bargain.

And to Montauk, I am a bit torn about your posting about Duffy. I think first off, you make no mention of how/why you came upon him in the first place. You state he does x,y, z and are making the video and that is all great. But are you his friend, did you spot his work by chance somewhere, what was the initial mechanism to put you in his studio for your bespoke suit?

I believe I have the same overall feeling as many or most others about it. Almost seems like you are praising someone you have no connection to just because of the work but not quite and there is some connection that was not mentioned. I think I read most of the posts in the thread(and saw it when near the starting point) and what I would like to know to push me one way or the other is not available. Openness is best in this case. 

"My friend Johnny Mychum has set up a bespoke operation in NYC. I think his work is fantastic, he has done A,B, worked in shop D, blah blah. I am making a video about the whole process to show off his skill and process. I think it would behoove anyone in the area looking for bespoke to have a consultation with Rory."

That would be fine.If it is not the case, please disclose what is the situation.
Even as you stated, you hadn't posted and then just pop up with a completely gushing review. Take a peak from the other side and I hope you can see how it comes off.

Perhaps they do some great work in the shop he uses in Ireland but even if that is the case, I would think it is a bit difficult to oversee it as smoothly and with as much of a hard eye as someone on location. 
And I for one do not care if he is 30 or 3. If you come out of the womb and can cut, fit, sew, etc., fantastic. I will pay a fair sum in Similak, Gerber's, mush and Pampers for the services. Beats the pants off of 6500. Sorry, that includes pants.

In the end, preferable if your praise is spot on because as was said by a previous poster, who would not prefer more quality options?

Good grief.

May it please the jury, I met Rory last year at a party. Turns out I'd read about him years ago after he won the Golden Shears and we hit it off. Like most people here here, I'm a menswear dork and was excited to meet someone who (unlike most menwear dorks) really knows what they the hell they're talking about. After seeing the quality of his work, I commissioned him to make me a discounted sportcoat--the construction of which I'm documenting with a series of videos produced for both Rory's own promotional purposes and general #menswear interest. (Full disclosure: I'm a filmmaker who's previously done stuff for Put This On and A Suitable Wardrobe.)

Rory has nothing to hide, and neither do I. On the contrary, our whole idea was simply to create a detailed look into the process of handcraft bespoke tailoring--for both those who might be interested in actually having Rory make them something, and a more general audience (like myself) who are generally happy to look on from the cheap seats. If you think he charges too much, don't be in the first category. All I said in the first place is that this guy's here in NYC, that he's good, and that he'd be happy to meet with anyone interested in a Savile Savile Row standard of bespoke. Be your own judge of his clothes, not my freaking SF threads. Sniffing around for sinister motivations is a tedious waste of everyone's time and goodwill.
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post #37 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:23am

It is good to have another option in the City.

 

Any thoughts on the trade-offs on having most of the work done in Ireland and then shipped here?  Do the Savile Row guys in London outsource their work similarly?

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post #38 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Montauk View Post

It's also worth mentioning that Rory's training as a master tailor, if relatively fresh, was also more in-depth than anyone here (Logsdail, for instance, was trained as a cutter) and most on the Row. This is a very rare bird we're talking about here...
Will someone pls. correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the cutter's skills that are most important and rare in the construction of a tailored garment?
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post #39 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:30am
Montauk -
I think if you'd said at the outset that you were getting a discounted product in exchange for doing promotional work, you wouldn't have seen all these questions (although they would have taken your post with a grain of salt).
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post #40 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ennius View Post

It is good to have another option in the City.

Any thoughts on the trade-offs on having most of the work done in Ireland and then shipped here?  Do the Savile Row guys in London outsource their work similarly?

I can't speak as to every house on the Row, but at that price point, I would expect all of the work to do be done in house. Kilgour used to offer Hong Kong bespoke service that was outsourced as was significantly less expensive.
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post #41 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ennius View Post

It is good to have another option in the City.

Any thoughts on the trade-offs on having most of the work done in Ireland and then shipped here?  Do the Savile Row guys in London outsource their work similarly?
Savile Row uses a mix and it varies from firm to firm. Most do a combination of sending stuff out to coatmakers and having alterations tailors and some coatmaking done in house. Some have their own finishers and some send out. Bigger firms are more likely to have more capability in-house, but may still send-out to deal with overflow.
In all likelihood, the tailors in Ireland are as good if not better than Rory, since they are probably more experienced. The main problem is it add potential problems and delays to the process (like a tailor in Ireland vanishes with your coat because he wasn't paid (or because he didn't pay his own landlord)). But the biggest problem - that you can't just walk in and get stuff adjusted because the tailors aren't onsite - probably doesn't exist because Rory can do stuff himself if need be.
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post #42 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by agjiffy View Post

I can't speak as to every house on the Row, but at that price point, I would expect all of the work to do be done in house. Kilgour used to offer Hong Kong bespoke service that was outsourced as was significantly less expensive.
Do you know if Huntsman does everything in-house? I never asked. They used to be famous for not only doing everything in-house, but having specialists for specific parts of the suit, kind of like a retrograde assembly line. That is no longer the case. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent stuff out once in a while, but I don't know. I do know that everything they have done for me has been well made.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Montauk View Post

Rory's making my coat entirely himself for the camera. This is a mode of construction he feels most people aren't willing to pay for, but he wants people to see what goes into a handcraft garment, and understand why it's there.

Re the stuff made in Ireland--Rory sends them the drafted pattern, receives back the basted fitting, sends that back with adjustments, and gets the coat back to make 2nd fitting adjustments himself (and beyond, if necessary). Finishing is done in Ireland.
Thanks. It will certainly make for an interesting video. I look forward to seeing it, though it seems your coat isn't really going to be representative of what normal customers would get as yours is made in-house and most people's clothes will be made elsewhere by different tailors. I hope you explain that on the video. It will actually be interesting because it will show that Rory can do everything himself, so people needn't worry that they will be stuck having to wait for fedex packages to travel across the ocean after every stage. It isn't a bad system, but people will be pissed if they feel misled.
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post #43 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:49am

There is nothing tedious about it. Your praise was effusive and all. It was not only I who thought it a bit much without more detail into your relationship.

If you can't see that, fine. Most are not objective and have no empathy. You are friends. You should have just said that. Why you are friends(because you think he is a great person and tailor)is irrelevant. 

There were many others asking questions, not sure why you singled me out besides that I explicitly had the stones to tell you to just state the case and be done with it. Then, no more questions.

And if you want to go on about how he is a fantastic bargain, I can't argue with someone who won't read the multiple other posts explaining how it is hardly at the low end of bespoke options. 

And I said, perhaps he is best so then it is. So paint me as the bad person because you wanted to schmooze the board about how your mate who is doing a coat for you at a discount and you, in turn, give him exposure is the best around. There is something in it for both of you and if you were just honest and open, I (and probably most others) would not have an issue with it.

It does not change his work so why not say it? 

 

"All I said in the first place is that this guy's here in NYC, that he's good, and that he'd be happy to meet with anyone interested in a Savile Savile Row standard of bespoke."

 

That was hardly all you said but it is what you should have said. I'm sure the responses you received would have been quite different if so.

Read your own OP and tell me you just made a simple statement akin to the above. Then again, I find most people are biased and see everything they do and say as completely neutral.

It was a bit rich with no disclosure from a neutral's vantage point, that's the simple truth. Toned down and open, then people can inquire further if they so choose.

 

Which part of there are other tailors with more established reps, higher op costs, etc. that charge similar or less do you not understand such that you are lambasting me about it?

Perhaps numbers are not your game. Or since, in your mind, he is better than any NYC tailors, the number is low. I repeat, if he is surely better, then a bargain. Why am I repeating myself? Oh, because you are indignant due to having to fill in some blanks.

 

I think using 'tedious' twice in a sentence is tedium personified.

 

Friends with someone/something you are promoting is not quite sinister but it is an extra motivation,no? Especially when you don't mention it.

 

And if I was so out of line, why did you finally answer the question? 

 

"He's passionate about his work, with a missionary zeal about raising awareness of handcraft tailoring, and young enough (30) to be that lifelong tailor we all dream of having."

 

That is typical Billyburg hyperbole. It smacks of the usual denizen of the area who acts as if they invented butchering whole animals, cooking food that isn't commercial grade awful and pretty much any skill that has been done for a very long time before them and was and is currently done better elsewhere. And most of them have some bloody attitude to boot. I am not saying Rory is one of them. Maybe this was all your doing. He might be the greatest bespoke option in NYC and elsewhere and a humble man .And perhaps you were just a bit too enthusiastic and lost sight of how it comes off. So, now it is all there, people may visit him and if they do, I hope they report their thoughts.

 

For me, honest people will give you the downside and potholes while stating the upside plainly, openly and confidently.

Salesman type 'pie in the sky' stuff creates skepticism for me and anyone who is not a fool. Fortunately, there are many fools who take what was said as gospel.

 

And attacking me for asking an obvious question does not fortify your position in any way. 

 

Looking forward to additional reports and the video.

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post #44 of 91
3/15/13 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dopey View Post

Do you know if Huntsman does everything in-house? I never asked. They used to be famous for not only doing everything in-house, but having specialists for specific parts of the suit, kind of like a retrograde assembly line. That is no longer the case. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent stuff out once in a while, but I don't know. I do know that everything they have done for me has been well made.

Dopey -
It was always my understanding that everything was done in house (and I know that they have the capability to do everything in house). Your point about overflow being send outside is interesting. I'm visiting Huntsman next month and will ask the question.
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post #45 of 91
3/15/13 at 12:18pm
5K USD + NYC Tax is priced at the upper end of the spectrum.

I suspect that his product will be hard to sell.
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