If you liked Reagan, now you can dress like him.

Originally Posted by Dewey

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I clicked on this thread expecting to find Conne comparing Reagan and Poppy Bush.

:disappointment:

For some reason, I thought Conne was a Democrat? N'est-ce pas?

Originally Posted by edmorel

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While some will disagree, from a marketing perspective, having a luxury product coming out of Rochester, NY is a non-starter. I know that to the type of people that frequent these forums, the quality is more important than the image, but it's not the way the world works. Kiton is Napoli, soft clothing, laid back understated luxury and all that other crap. Brioni is "Roma Style", structured, kick your ass if you get out of line, more formal elegance.

HF is....................... Rochester.

When you are selling that type of product, you are not simply selling the product on it's merits, you are selling an image. As great as the suit may be, it is being made in a factory that spits out inexpensive dept store suits also. They need to have a separate workshop for those suits. Maybe pull a Thom Browne and have a factory in LIC make them and label them "Hand Made in NYC", they has a hell of a lot more marketing currency than made in Rochester. Also, have some shirts and ties made under the HF label (by someone who knows what they are doing) that would be worthy of the suit, not that Marshall's quality stuff they sell now. Lastly, do a boutique within the store that is exclusively this higher end stuff, with the salesmen wearing it head to toe (and maybe have them adopt some Italian accents). Just because the suit is well made does not mean that it will be perceived as such. Get the high end male shopper thinking about HF and it'll benefit the other HF lines.
I see where you're coming from but I think the opinion is based on a lot more knowledge than the target consumer has.

If your average well to do businessman even knows the name Brioni or Kiton all he knows is that they're expensive and therefore worth buying (not which one is soft and which one is sharp).

I think you also underestimate the hold that Brooks has on older businessmen. If Brooks itself isn't exactly the standard anymore, the style still is.

I think they could do very well with a Made in the USA product in a very American cut / style as long as they price it below Oxxford and don't try to be a lifestyle brand since in the latter category, they'll always be behind the Italians.

Good on you guys to kickstart in your shores a bespoke operation on a bigger scale...

I always try to use guys that i do share something with....
National pride is good if it doesn't lead to xenophobia as seen so many times around the world..

The know-how is not proper to one culture or one nationality...We can find great cutters from Milan,London ,Paris ,Berlin or New-York or somewhere else....

The most important thing is skill and know-how even if traditions are also important...

Skilled and experienced cutters are the most important thing than a national tag...
Most big brands are cheaply made abroad even if this brand is representing a certain culture or country (Burberry's for example)...

Originally Posted by farfisa23

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File under bleh!

Handmade Tale
BY BRENNER THOMAS
Jan. 28, 2008
Hickey Freeman is out to prove that Italians do not have a monopoly on handmade tailored clothing. The heritage brand's latest model, the timely named Presidential, seen in an exclusive preview to DNR, is an entirely hand-sewn garment made from premium textiles that marks the company's first push into super-luxe and highlights its continued commitment to dress America's power brokers.

"Few [tailored clothing] brands can produce at this level. It was time that we show our customer what Hickey Freeman can really do," said Paulette Garafalo, president of Hartmarx's luxury group.

Ranging from $3,000 to $4,000, a 50 percent premium over the brand's core collection, Presidential suits will be made in the company's factory in Rochester, N.Y., and will require some 203 steps to produce, 45 more than a typical Hickey Freeman garment.

The edited swatch book, with only 55 fabrics, is the most high-end the company has produced, and will include Italian and English cashmeres, flannels and worsteds ranging from super 150s to super 200s.
Garafalo said the line, which enters a market occupied by well-known brands like Kiton and Oxxford, may not be a cash cow but will elevate the brand. "It's not like there's a hole in the market at this level, but it will allow our customer to trade up."

Hickey Freeman has long been a favored brand of the American establishment. The Made-in-America suits have graced the backs of President Eisenhower, President Johnson and President George H.W. Bush in addition to those of countless other politicians and captains of industry. It's no surprise, then, that the Presidential Collection is modeled after the style of one of the country's most dapper commanders-in-chief, Ronald Reagan. "We have a photo of President Reagan at a press conference wearing a true power suit, which we used for the inspiration for this collection," said Bruno Castagna, the company's executive vice-president of design and longtime master tailor.

Available both off-the-rack and custom, the Presidential Collection will be sold to select accounts for fall delivery and will be stocked in Hickey Freeman stores this spring.
My current bos dresses exactly like Reagan and has made it clear he prefers the men in our department to dress the same way.

Reagan was notable for HUGE Full-Windsors and really WIDE-spread collars. Wasn't he also the last president to be sworn-in wearing full Morning Dress?

Originally Posted by MrDaniels

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Reagan was notable for HUGE Full-Windsors and really WIDE-spread collars. Wasn't he also the last president to be sworn-in wearing full Morning Dress?
In 80s fashion those skinny ties made small full windsor knots.

Reagan never wore skinny ties!

I always liked Reagan's suits. Here's an excerpt from a '82 Time article I found:

"Reagan's glen plaid has good lineage. The fabric was manufactured by the British firm of Illingworth, Morris & Co. Ltd., which also furnishes the interiors of Rolls-Royce autos, the Pope's vestments and the covers for the tennis balls used at Wimbledon. White House Aide Morgan Mason (son of Actor James Mason) used to be executive director of Illingworth, Morris, and when Friend Nancy Reagan wanted some new suiting for her husband, Mason hustled over some swatches from which the glen plaid was chosen.

"The bolt of cloth was sent along to Beverly Hills Tailor Frank Mariani, who makes all of Reagan's suits. He went to work with the quiet confidence that comes from knowing his customer's taste: two-button coat, medium-width lapels, pleated trousers and six buttons on the fly. For $1,200 the suit was a beauty, and Mariani suspected back then that it might be destined for fame. "The President likes his clothes," explains Mariani. "He builds a fondness for them."

Emperors and their clothes remain an important area of presidential lore that has only been skimpily researched. It was a given back in Dwight Eisenhower's time that when the President was spied coming down the corridor in the morning in a brown suit, he was in a bad mood. Aide Tom Stephens flashed the word all through the White House to beware. GQ's Haber insists that Kennedy's fondness for a two-button coat began a trend that drove three-button models out of the market. Kennedy also put the last nail in the coffin of the men's hat industry. He was proud of his bushy hair and refused to wear a hat, despite the pleadings of the industry. Gerald Ford's too-short striped pants worn for a Tokyo reception obliterated the news of the trade talks."

Originally Posted by farfisa23

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We need someone to cut one open...

Also, now that the country is swinging left again (Obama!!!) is it the right time to bring out a Reagan-esque suit? It sounds like an Audacity of Hope on HF's part.
Barack is pretty sharply dressed. I met him yesterday at the endorsement and decided to evaluate the clothes.
Nicely cut 2b with high armholes and a subdued tie - it struck me as an updated version of JFK's style.

The heritage brand's latest model, the timely named Presidential, seen in an exclusive preview to DNR, is an entirely hand-sewn garment made from premium textiles

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Like Kiton?

Originally Posted by MrDaniels

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Reagan never wore skinny ties!
He wore the 2-3 inch 80s ties (as did I at the time).
Full windsor does not have the same effect it did with the 4-5 inch 70s ties

I was too young to get involved with skinny ties....My brother had a leather one....Plain awful...

Do you remember the leather black and white keyboard keys ones? They used to be common in Hall&Oates videos...

"Private Eyes... I'm watching you, missing your every move..."

And the infamous "Maneater"...I can imagine Socal moving to that tune...

So much for H-F's great marketing . . .

Yesterday I dropped-in the H-F store in downtown NYC to inquire about the new line. The store is in my office building.

The sales lady did not know whether her store will carry it. The store did not have any swatch books. She said that it definitely will be offered at the H-F store on Fifth Avenue. She also said that it's essentially the "Hand Tailored" line. It also appears that the downtown store no longer carries "Hand Tailored."