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Henry Poole vs WW Chan

sellahi22

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Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley
The Zegna Trofeo flannels are top-notch imo.

Really? I thought it was a lightweight Super 150s. Curious about how that would perform in flannel. Patrick from Chan likes it.
 

Despos

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
This talk of 'upgrading' is wrongheaded. The 15milmil15 is not necessarily better than the Trofeo--it is merely more expensive. A $6,000 suit is not necessarily more expensive than a $2,000 suit merely due to construction or material quality.

Agree with your premise Foo. Op should investigate more options, educate yourself on identifying silhouettes and suit construction and the benefits of each as it applies to your way of dressing. Decide on what you want and who provides it and then interview those tailors.
To clarify, determine how you would change the look of the suits you now wear. Do you want a more structured shoulder, softer shoulder, soft chest, firm chest, chiseled waist, flared skirt, trim chest, draped cut etc. Learn what is best for your physique. When you have a picture of what styling works for you find out which tailors aesthetic matches what you want. Then pick a cloth that will aid in expressing the look you want. If you want a very sculpted suit, don't use a 15mil cloth or a very soft cloth. If you want a slouchy, soft look, don't use a heavy worsted. If you want a softly constructed jacket you may want to investigate some Italian firms like NSM.
Don't know what cut you get from Chan but unless you are specifying a style it is somewhat generic. What I have seen of Poole it is somewhat the same. If Poole wants to cut you a draped jacket and it is not flattering on you, you will be disappointed. Get familiar with all the options and how they work or don't work for you the decide on what you want. Just going to a tailor with a reputation doesn't make it more special or right for you, it could turn out all wrong.
 

Slewfoot

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Originally Posted by Despos
Agree with your premise Foo. Op should investigate more options, educate yourself on identifying silhouettes and suit construction and the benefits of each as it applies to your way of dressing. Decide on what you want and who provides it and then interview those tailors.
To clarify, determine how you would change the look of the suits you now wear. Do you want a more structured shoulder, softer shoulder, soft chest, firm chest, chiseled waist, flared skirt, trim chest, draped cut etc. Learn what is best for your physique. When you have a picture of what styling works for you find out which tailors aesthetic matches what you want. Then pick a cloth that will aid in expressing the look you want. If you want a very sculpted suit, don't use a 15mil cloth or a very soft cloth. If you want a slouchy, soft look, don't use a heavy worsted. If you want a softly constructed jacket you may want to investigate some Italian firms like NSM.
Don't know what cut you get from Chan but unless you are specifying a style it is somewhat generic. What I have seen of Poole it is somewhat the same. If Poole wants to cut you a draped jacket and it is not flattering on you, you will be disappointed. Get familiar with all the options and how they work or don't work for you the decide on what you want. Just going to a tailor with a reputation doesn't make it more special or right for you, it could turn out all wrong.


Wise words.
 

greger

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Originally Posted by Despos
Agree with your premise Foo. Op should investigate more options, educate yourself on identifying silhouettes and suit construction and the benefits of each as it applies to your way of dressing. Decide on what you want and who provides it and then interview those tailors.
To clarify, determine how you would change the look of the suits you now wear. Do you want a more structured shoulder, softer shoulder, soft chest, firm chest, chiseled waist, flared skirt, trim chest, draped cut etc. Learn what is best for your physique. When you have a picture of what styling works for you find out which tailors aesthetic matches what you want. Then pick a cloth that will aid in expressing the look you want. If you want a very sculpted suit, don't use a 15mil cloth or a very soft cloth. If you want a slouchy, soft look, don't use a heavy worsted. If you want a softly constructed jacket you may want to investigate some Italian firms like NSM.
Don't know what cut you get from Chan but unless you are specifying a style it is somewhat generic. What I have seen of Poole it is somewhat the same. If Poole wants to cut you a draped jacket and it is not flattering on you, you will be disappointed. Get familiar with all the options and how they work or don't work for you the decide on what you want. Just going to a tailor with a reputation doesn't make it more special or right for you, it could turn out all wrong.


I couldn't disagree more. That defies what tailoring is. You have reduced it to a factory cut, or paint by number, which no fine artist would do, and tailoring is under the title- ART. The skill of the artist is to pull all the factors together (for tailors at the fittings). If he can't do that then he is not an artist nor tailor. Chef's are artist; they make food taste good and in most cases look good, which is why it is art. The tailors art is fit, but also the visual, so it looks good and hides the not so good or distracts from it making the person look splendid or if the person wants normal- normal. To leave a person looking bad is otr work. You must not have woke up yet today.
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No doubt some tailors have a better foundation to work off of for some body forms, if they work off a foundation at all, but the persons character also needs to show through which is another element. Instead of commercial art where millions of the same are made tailoring is a fine art- one off. Being one off gives great latitude in what one can do.
 

greger

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Originally Posted by m063264
I agree that SR tailors may be gentle in their criticism of a customer's other suits, but if in doing so Henry Poole forwent an opportunity to explain why their product is better construction wise, they missed an opportunity to pick up a new customer. Before showing him my WW Chan suit, the Poole representative said, "I don't like to say anything bad about other suits." I replied, "Please be honest. Your company charges more than WW Chan, and if I am going to switch tailors, I need to know why your suits are better."

He proceeded to check the canvassing, the button work, and finishing, said it was good canvassing, and complimented the finishing.


That can be deceptive and lousy sells man ship. I tend to think Poole is worth more, but how much more?
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by greger
...
What you are saying is akin to suggesting that I should go to Nobu if I am in the mood for French and if he is unable to satisfy me, he is a hack. You are wrong.
 

Despos

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
What you are saying is akin to suggesting that I should go to Nobu if I am in the mood for French and if he is unable to satisfy me, he is a hack. You are wrong.

I get what you are saying, have you had the pepperoni pizza at Nobu?
 

greger

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
Being a labor-intensive product, the higher price point probably indicates a higher cost of labor rather than time in the making. We know that cutters on the Row can make six figures, what do the tailors, finishers and management make? How does this compare to what they earn in China?

Yes, and you went into rtw and for why? So many tailors went to m2m for the $. And, of course, tailoring is a luxury, which by default cost more. What is a reasonable price? No doubt the cost of living is more in Europe and those who make luxury would live in nicer homes because their skill and knowledge is worth something. Some people say many tailors under price themselves and don't even know it. And what is best for the customer? If you send all of your work over seas then you limit the money flow here, because where the work goes so does the money flow. If you limit the money flow here you have less customers here to buy because your would be customers are making to low of a wage. It is not a good idea to reduce the wealth of a nation down to cheap. The old tug a war of what to pay wages and goods.
 

greger

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
What you are saying is akin to suggesting that I should go to Nobu if I am in the mood for French and if he is unable to satisfy me, he is a hack. You are wrong.

I did say some have a better foundation for some body types. Yes you are right to a certain extent, but the guy already picked out Poole.
 

Geezer

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greger

I just don't get where you are coming from.

SR tailors and their off-Row cousins tend not to slag each other off because it's a small world and they are something of a closed fraternity.

If there is one thing I have learned from 25 years of being a bespoke customer of at least half a dozen tailors of differing price and fame, it is don't ask your tailor to step too far out of his comfort zone. As you build a relationship, you can explore his limits - but don't go beyond them. People are best at doing what they like doing and know how to do, and do a lot.

Your artist parallel is off. Perhaps Leonardo De Vinci or Michaelangelo could work across disciplines (painting, sculpture, science). But that's why they are famous geniuses. You wouldn't ask Sir Christopher Wren to paint a watercolour. Or Edward Green to make you a pair of state of the art climbing boots. Or Ferrari a family hatchback.

The reason for going to Poole ought simply to be that the OP has seen what they do, and likes it.
 

greger

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Maybe I misunderstood what Despos said. I got the impression that he said some highend tailors don't make good for some body types, while I think they all make fair or better. Therefore, Poole should be able to make fair on just about anybody. There is no doubt A&S think very different than Poole as each are different form each other and it wouldn't be wise to go to Poole for an A&S coat or visa-versa.
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by Despos
I get what you are saying, have you had the pepperoni pizza at Nobu?

I did. It was undercooked.
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