Kabbaz shirts?

[cityslicker]

Alias, I'm the ghost of Yul Brynner. I cannot wait until we get Internet access here in Heaven so I can purchase Mr. Kabbaz's shirts on EBay. The shirts "young" Mr. Kabbaz had made for me when he was a "child prodigy" are so frayed by now (heh heh). By the way, I saw Tubby Burnham II and Cary Grant this morning and when I mentioned Mr. Kabbaz, their response was, "Who?" Happy Holidays everyone.

 

[learydenis]

I read your post with sincere gratitude that you consider me worthy of such a great degree of research. Sarcastic as that may sound, I do mean it.

Before I respond to your issues, allow me to offer a bit of chastisement. Firstly, I appear here under my own name. My e-mail and telephone are available on my website which has appeared in this forum countless times. You, on the other hand, are hiding behind a pseudonym. Although it is obvious to me that you have a close connection to the clothing trade, it may not be so obvious to other members of this forum. Full disclosure is in order. Secondly, you had the extreme discourtesy to publish the telephone number of American Sember. If you are truly as familiar with them as you claim to be, you would be well aware that they are a very small family business, a wholesale operation which has neither the resources, the desire, nor the staff to answer questions from the customers of shirtmakers to whom they sell. You published Nicole's full name as well, implying a connection. Perhaps you might have shown the honesty to add that we have been divorced for more than a decade.

My approach to researching you is no different from anything else I research. Â I am not a journalist, and never looking to sensationalize my findings. Of course your name and telephone number are available - clients and prospective customers need a way to contact you. Â I hide behind a pseudonym, as do countless others. Â As for your statement that I have a close connection to the clothing trade, I have and have never had any connection whatsoever, the same with all my family and friends. This is the internet. Â I prefer, though I am not in any sense a high-profile individual who needs privacy, to remain relatively anonymous. Â Full disclosure is in order, but I have absolutely nothing to disclose. Â If I did I would certainly do so. Â You came onto this board, which I am glad for, and personally posted under your real name, but tell me this: if you posted under homer_simpson would people take you as seriously? Â Is it not a fact that people take much more seriously what they get from "the source," in this case, you? Â I do not need to be taken seriously since I am not in the trade, cite all my sources, and do not have a forum discussing my product without necessarily much firsthand knowledge of your operation. As for listing the number to American Sember, I found it in a book, as others could. Â I have not dealt with(or even called) the people at American Sember. Â All I did was include Ms. Semhon's name as I was told by a custom shirtmaker who referred my friend to American Sember for replacement shirt buttons. Â Was I supposed to know the history of your personal life? Here is the info for another wholesaler who carries many of the same mills' fabrics: Andros Imported Shirtings(Paramus, NJ) 201.262.7500 I have no particular interest in seeing your fusing machine, but maybe others will be interested. Well, would the layman be able to tell a difference between a 200/2 x 200/2 broadcloth and a 200/2 x 240/2 broadcloth? Â How much would you charge for a shirt made of this "special" fabric? Â Maybe you could clarify all that on your web site. Â While it's possible that a mill may have woven such a fabric some time ago, surely they would be able to even today. Â Today no such thing exists; the highest is 200/2 x 200/2. Â I'm sure that many posters on this board are familiar with the best shirt fabric mills. Â The only mills which weave 200/2 x 200/2 are David and John Anderson(trademark of Cotonificio Albini), Alumo, S.I.C. Tess and Carlo Riva.

If you were to go in to a fabric store to purchase 3 yards of 170's which they had purchased from American Sember, you would pay $186.30. I also use many lighter weight Lesser woolens and Dormeuil cashmeres in my shirtmaking. For the most recent two cashmere shirts I made, my cost for the fabric for the two shirts was $3000 ... but these extremes don't appear on my website.

Which retail stores would actually carry such fine fabrics? Â In the same book in which I found American Sember's phone number, it mentioned that American Sember used to have a 10-yard minimum but now just has a 10% surcharge for quantities under 10 yards. Â Any of us could buy from a wholesaler. Â All we have to do is apply for a tax ID from our respective state department of revenue. Â This can be done over then phone in 10 minutes. Â You base your claims of your costs on what someone would pay at a retail store. Â You probably do not buy from a retail store. Â As for cashmere costing what you quote, many members of this forum probably know that it costs far, far less than what you claim. Â If the cashmere cost $3000 I suppose you charged $10000 for the shirts? Â Must your woolen and cashmere shirts be dry cleaned? Yeah, but who cleans your $750 dress shirt?

Humor? What humor? You want it, I'll make it. I love a challenge. Besides, a good stock bullet-resistant vest goes for $7-800. Just think of what I could charge for a custom-made fireproof one. Since the impression you seem to have of me is as a charlatan and a rip-off, maybe I should forget about Swiss cotton and go into something really profitable like this.

Precisely. Â I like that attitude of yours, that you like a challenge. Â That was what I was referring to in my earlier post. Â I am not looking to portray you as a charlatan and a rip-off, just to clarify a few questions.

I spent a great deal of time today writing that - and there's still quite a way to go. For some reason, however, I have begun to feel that there are two distinct types of members here. There are those with an honest quest for additional knowledge regarding an arena in which they have great interest. I have great admiration for that Then there are others, a category into which I believe you fall and where I know Marc39 and Cityslicker do, who have a couple of less worthy goals. You seem quite interested in picking makers apart - towards what end I certainly cannot gather - and in showing how much you know similarly to the strut of a peacock.

Hardly true - were not most of my questions based on material which I largely found on your own web site? Â My objective is not to "show how much" I know "similarly to the strut of a peacock." Â People wondered if your shirts are worth the money - that is up to the individual, and my questions were simply meant to gather information to help some of us decide if they are.

Attention Members: I am now going to take the sage advice I've been given by a few of you and ignore any further flamebait. My next post, hopefully before the weekend is out, will be the promised synopsis of shirtmaking. Have a wonderful Christmas, Hannukka, and/or Kwaanza and, again, thank you for your interest in my craft.

What I wrote was hardly meant as flamebait. Â Did I call you names? Â Was my sole intent to insult your business? Â I hope that it does not seem to be so. Anyway, Merry Christmas/ Hanukkah /Kwaanza everyone.

 

[Alias]

Alias, I'm the ghost of Yul Brynner.  I cannot wait until we get Internet access here in Heaven so I can purchase Mr. Kabbaz's shirts on EBay.  The shirts "young" Mr. Kabbaz had made for me when he was a "child prodigy" are so frayed by now (heh heh).   By the way, I saw Tubby Burnham II and Cary Grant this morning and when I mentioned Mr. Kabbaz, their response was, "Who?"  Happy Holidays everyone.

Oh, awesome. I'm just a guy in a ski mask.

 

[Alexander Kabbaz]

Once again, a reply to a hidden identity. Should I call you Mr. City ... or just Slick? I like ebay. I consider it to be fun ... lots of fun. The excitment of bidding for items, the unbelievable variety of things up for auction, the poker-like skill and bid-timing required to win a hotly contested piece of merchandise bring the casino-like atmosphere right to one's desktop. Not for you? That's fine. I don't know what you do for fun. I might not consider it fun if I did know what it is. But I certainly wouldn't deride you for it or presume that it would be a source of embarrassment. Actually, I'm in the process of photographing about 30 fitting samples made during the years since I left Manhattan. I'm going to list them on Ebay instead of giving the outright to the Salvation Army. And I'm going to enjoy watching the bidding. Cha-ching? You must be kidding. If you consider 30 bucks a shirt to be a cash cow you must be writing from one heck of a poverty-stricken region of the world. Evidently you consider ebay to be demeaning:

But, then you are on EBay. This really tarnishes your, ahem, sterling image.

Everyone is entitled to their perspective. I assume that means I shan't be privileged to have you among my roster of presumed clients. I suppose that one of us loses because of that. Personally, I consider the Ebay toy to be fascinating and an absolute gas.

Credibility is a theme in this thread, and as was pointed out in this forum by another poster, Jon Green is noted on your Website as a "custom tailor" but as was mentioned, Mr. Green is NOT a tailor. In the interest of accuracy and credibility, you might amend that misleading item on your Website.

It is not my place to speak for Jon. However, before there was Jon, there was a fellow named Roland Meledandre. It was so long ago that I confess to no longer being sure of the spelling. Those who remember will recall that, in his day, he was the mountain to which everyone of note aspired. At the time, probably the most famous tailor in the world. There was just one thing about Roland that few were aware of: He was not a tailor. He knew suits and suitmaking better than any of his tailors. He knew how to make a suit fit better than his tailors. Most importantly, he knew how to style a suit to fit the personality, needs, and desires of his clients. Could he pick up a needle and sew as I can? I don't know ... and I don't care. The final result is what counts. And that's why I put Jon right up there at the top. The final result is what counts.

Mr. Kabbaz, here, and on your Website, you misleadingly suggest all of these people were or are "My clients". But, in your previous post, you fessed up about this issue, that in several cases they were not your clients. In the interest of accuracy, and your credibility, you'd be well-advised to not claim people as clients who are not clients.

Firstly, if memory serves, I have never had my photograph taken with a client. Given the attitudes expressed by a sad minority of members of this forum, I doubt I would post such photos even if they did exist. Secondly, I don't believe that I 'fessed up' to anything. I thought that I was simply stating the obvious. My firm has a history ... and a long one at that. The list of clients belongs to the firm, not to me personally, and will continue do belong to the firm long after I'm dead. Again, I don't think that anyone is under the impression I was making William Randolph Hearst's shirts when I was 1 year old. As for Mr. Burnham, no, I was unaware of his passing and yes, he was not one of those clients I considered close. Nick Forstmann was. Al Lerner was. And I was crushed by news of their passing in the past year. As was I by the passing of Robert Unger - a sartorially astute man who was the CEO of ... a grocery in the Hunts Point Market. But I don't suppose you've ever heard of Robert Unger. In contrast to your misquotation

so discriminating that you "rarely" take on new customers and when you do, you "interview" them in order to determine if they are worthy of your services.

here is what I actually said: "I interview potential clients to see whether a viable relationship can be had" - or words to that effect - and here's why: The relationship between a maker and a client is a very personal one. In some ways, it's like a marriage. Mutual trust and respect must develop. If it can't, then somewhere down the road there will probably be an angered parting. Then, there is a maker who has lost money ... and a client who has lost all of the time he had invested in fittings. A maker can't be all things to all people - and it is his responsibility to know his limits. That is the purpose of the initial interview and consultation. Worthiness has absolutely nothing to do with it. If credibility is your thing, then please quote accurately. I find that those who are most concerned with credibilty are willing to investigate rather than provoke. I have so far made appointments with two forum members who wish to come by in January to see the quality of my work. One of those members stated in advance that he cannot afford my prices; the other is aware that I am not seeking clients at this time. Saturday, January 17, 2004, 11am for those who are willing to make th 104 mile journey from Manhattan. Style Forum members day at the old shirt studio. Perhaps an interloper or two from Andy's as well. By advance appointment only. If what concerns you is credibility, then take me up on my offer. Come and look at what I do ... if you're appropriately sized, you can try on Mr. Brynner's last shirt. When I was young and such things mattered, I asked for it back as a souvenir.

 

[T4phage]

Originally posted by A.Kabbaz: ....I find that those who are most concerned with credibilty are willing to investigate rather than provoke. I have so far made appointments with two forum members who wish to come by in January to see the quality of my work. One of those members stated in advance that he cannot afford my prices; the other is aware that I am not seeking clients at this time. Saturday, January 17, 2004, 11am for those who are willing to make th 104 mile journey from Manhattan. Style Forum members day at the old shirt studio. Perhaps an interloper or two from Andy's as well. By advance appointment only. If what concerns you is credibility, then take me up on my offer. Come and look at what I do ... if you're appropriately sized, you can try on Mr. Brynner's last shirt. When I was young and such things mattered, I asked for it back as a souvenir.

BRAVO, BRAVO..

Welcome to the forum Mr. Kabbaz.. Your last post should end some tongues wagging. P.S: your prices match those of Battestoni. I'd love to visit, unfortunately I'm here in the Hague, surrounded by Gluhwien every-where...........if I ever find the person who invented gluhwein for the holidays I will strangle them

 

[cityslicker]

Mr. Kabbaz, how incredibly fortunate those two prospective new customers are, given that you "rarely" take on new customers. Our hearts are collectively with those two gents that they pass your rigorous interviewing process with flying colors and you decide to accept their hard-earned money. Sorry to learn of the passing of Mr. Unger, one of your more obscure clients who, with his passing, probably won't receive a place in your pantheon of clients on your Website, most of whom it turns out never actually were/are clients. Oh, by the way, your other client, Yul Brynner, passed away in 1985 in case that departure escaped your attention, too. As for noting an individual on your Website as a "custom tailor" who, in fact, is NOT a tailor, let alone a custom tailor, please don't try to pull the wool, or cashmere, over our eyes with your pitiful case for why that individual can still "act" like
a tailor---You demean those who have devoted their lives to actually "practicing" the fine art of bespoke tailoring. The more I learn about you, the more I understand why eyes roll at the mention of your name.

 

[The_Foxx]

Frankly, I'm a little embarassed that the "gentlemen" on this forum would be so critical and accusing in posting to a real shirtmaker who has taken the time to respond to our questions and comments. I think there is a good Brooks Brothers book on gentlemanly behavior that might be a good stocking stuffer for some next year....

Do I think $600 is too much for a shirt? It depends on what the annual income is, really. Is $500,000+ too much for an automobile? (ask Aston Martin if it is). I choose to buy borrelli and (soon) my first Kiton shirt, but I can't attack those who buy and sell other luxury products.

Whoever is "coming down" on ebay, give me a break. If only Brioni, Kiton, Attolini, and Oxxford knew the wonderful things that were up for bid this year for those prices. I can't wait to see the things Mr. Kabbaz puts up for bid (I think there are some zimmerli and hanro undershirts posted now, but not much under retail at the moment).

Mr. Kabbaz, thanks again for taking the time to post. I would hate for this forum to get a poor reputation that might prevent others in the trade from joining our discussions (when can we get a tailor from Brioni NYC, Oxxford, or Leonard Logsdail on the boards, huh?). Hope your holidays are as happy as mine.

 

[matadorpoeta]

mr. kabbaz, thank you for the advice you sent me. i'm about 3,000 miles away from you, but i would have loved to see how you make a shirt. the offer is appreciated.

to everyone else, do you get the feeling that marc made up two names and started posting under those?

merry christmas and happy hannukah.

 

[Alias]

Frankly, I'm a little embarassed that the "gentlemen" on this forum would be so critical and accusing in posting to a real shirtmaker who has taken the time to respond to our questions and comments.  I think there is a good Brooks Brothers book on gentlemanly behavior that might be a good stocking stuffer for some next year....

We can do a Style Forum Secret Santa.

Seriously, some people here, while offering good viewpoints, are too quick to hop aboard the bashing train. I'm able to give the benefit of the doubt, especially over something like an Internet forum. I can say that Mr. Kabbaz's efforts to answer every question and refute every accusation makes him look a hell of a lot better than his attackers. It's really too bad I can't take up his offer on visiting his store, but some of us definitely should.

matador: Highly unlikely. They both type a lot better than marc does.

 

[learydenis]

Having read a few of Naturlaut's posts, you could probably ask him how much Dormeuil cashmere costs. For two shirts(probably ~4 yards, since it's 60" width) there is no way that the cost is $3000 just for the fabric.

 

[Alexander Kabbaz]

Firstly, to: Alias, Banksmiranda, Cpal, The Foxx, Hitman009, Jcusey, AHarris, Shoefan, Thracozaag, Aybojs, AlanC, Matadorpoeta, BjornH, Bradford, and LAGuy. Thank you. While most of you have had an issue or more to address, you have done it as gentlemen and seemed to have appreciated an honest response. Secondly, to: learydenis. I'll take you completely at your word that you have no connection to the trade. In that case, I must inform you that either the fabric pricing you cited is completely erroneous or I am not very good at what I do. If there really is someone out there offering 2x2 Swiss or Italian fabrics at those prices, please do let me know who. Otherwise, realize that your numbers are approximately half - or just above half - of what the actual wholesale prices are in today's market. Were your intentions as you state in your more recent post, "I am not looking to portray you as a charlatan and a rip-off, just to clarify a few questions.", then you would not write lines such as: "This seems like the statement that Al Gore made concerning the internet." "Well, it would seem that your markup is not all that much less than 1500%." "Bear in mind that Mr. Kabbaz has to maintain expensive East Hampton digs, which is probably also a good part of what your money is going toward." and follow up with statements such as, "I have no particular interest in seeing your fusing machine..." If you had no particular interest, why was your allegation that I was speaking in the manner of Al Gore (in other words, untruthfully) the lead sentence in your first post? Many on this forum have wanted to clarify questions. Some - Alias comes to mind - have done it with an enjoyable, entertaining, sarcastic wit. I have responded with, in some cases, even more (hopefully entertaining) sarcastic wit - or a simple, factual answer. Did I receive from you, after picture-positive proof (Fusing Press), even a simple "Oh?" On the contrary, your only acknowledgement is an expression of "no particular interest". If your goal was clarification, your response belies that claim. "I do not need to be taken seriously..." If that is the case, why are you wasting others' time? I was under the impression that the purpose of this Forum was a serious discussion of men's clothing. I find your statement antithical to everyone else's efforts. On the other hand, you state that your intentions are honorable; your quest for information just, and that no animosity was meant. Therefore, in summation, if I mistook your intentions my apology is yours. Now, to finish with your questions: "Well, would the layman be able to tell a difference between a 200/2 x 200/2 broadcloth and a 200/2 x 240/2 broadcloth?" Yes. Not due solely to the yarn number, but due to the finish and the weaving style. "How much would you charge for a shirt made of this "special" fabric?" I have sold about 40 of them over the years at the price of $1000 per shirt. "Which retail stores would actually carry such fine fabrics?" The only one of whom I am certain was Jerry Brown Fabrics (57th St., NYC) which is now closed. They used to sell Alumo 36" 2x2 120's plain colors for $75 per yard. At the time, they stocked certain colors not then available except by full piece (60mt). I used to buy those colors from them. "As for cashmere costing what you quote, many members of this forum probably know that it costs far, far less than what you claim." Cashmere comes in myriad of weights and a range of qualities. The particular two colors I used were very heavy in weight and cost me $750 per yard. I did use 2 yards for each of the two shirts. "If the cashmere cost $3000 I suppose you charged $10000 for the shirts?" No. I charged $2500 for each shirt. It was quite difficult to sew due to its thickness. "Must your woolen and cashmere shirts be dry cleaned?" If desired - but the desire (dry clean vs. launder) must be expressed prior to cutting so that the cloth can be appropriately prepared. "Yeah, but who cleans your $750 dress shirt?" I do. Paraphrase of learydenis by Kabbaz: "Kabbaz, your allegations that I was trying to pick you apart..." "... Hardly true. Were not most of my questions based on material which I largely found on your own web site?" Yes. Most of your questions were based on my web site. My objection is that, rather than simply asking for an explanation or justification, you pre-supposed many answers, in some cases none too courteously, i.e.: "It's highly unlikely that they drill the holes in the buttons. You think that they actually buy shells, then drill, polish and then drill holes in the buttons? They probably get their buttons from American Sember." and "For two shirts(probably ~4 yards, since it's 60" width) there is no way that the cost is $3000 just for the fabric." and - without repeating it again here - your entire well-intentioned but ill-informed treatise regarding fabric prices. One last thing: "Of course your name and telephone number are available - clients and prospective customers need a way to contact you." Until I opened my store on Ebay some 10 months ago, my telephone number was not listed on my website. There was solely an e-mail contact address. If I am to accept you at face value as you request, then please stop refusing to understand that I am not here seeking clients. If I wanted new clients, I would not have shuttered my Madison Avenue shop. Now I shall return to my children and a father's annual nightmare, "Some Assembly Required". Have a wonderful rest of the Christmas day.

 

[cityslicker]

I'm interested in the exchange between Mr. Kabbaz and learydenis with regard to the markup of cloth as the custom tailors I have done business with over the years *do not* mark up the cost of the cloth used for the garments they make. What is the general industry practice in this regard? Although there are those tailors who do mark up the cost of cloth, my tailors frown upon such a practice as "gouging" the customer---They are comfortable with a certain profit margin built into the price of their garments. To be sure, we have a fair market system in place in which the seller has free license to establish any profit margin desired and charge any price to attain that profit margin, and to gouge the customer. The question related to this issue is whether Mr. Kabbaz is being truthful in the breakdown of his costs, especially the costs of cloth. If learydenis is correct about the actual wholesale cost of cloth, then Mr. Kabbaz is not being truthful, or is not being completely above-board at best. We certainly have determined he's been misleading about who his clients are as well as "spinning" that it's morally ok to indicate on his Website that his colleague is a tailor when he's really not a tailor, because he can essentially fake being a tailor. It all comes down to credibilty.

 

[learydenis]

Mr. Kabbaz, I didn't mean to accuse you of lying, I just thought that you probably should have used the term "made" or "modified" instead of invented. "Invented" implies an almost completely original idea. I cannot believe that you actually made a fusing machine. Maybe you modified an existing one. You may have inherited at least one from Mr. Calcagno, Denhof or one of the other companies you bought. But if you actually made a fusing machine from raw materials, that's quite remarkable. I don't doubt that you are a multi-talented individual. But haven't others(e.g. Ascot Chang, Borrelli, Lorenzini, maybe Geneva and Paris) probably been making collars(fusible or not) that don't "come apart" or shrink incessantly for quite some time?

"I do not need to be taken seriously..." If that is the case, why are you wasting others' time? I was under the impression that the purpose of this Forum was a serious discussion of men's clothing. I find your statement antithical to everyone else's efforts.
On the other hand, you state that your intentions are honorable; your quest for information just, and that no animosity was meant. Therefore, in summation, if I mistook your intentions my apology is yours.

By saying that I do not need to be taken seriously I meant that I have nothing riding on all this. I am not in the industry, and I, like most others, simply wanted to have a few questions answered or certain things clarified. I do not look to insult or slander you. Perhaps my statements were crudely worded.
Mr. Kabbaz, I wish you a joyous Christmas day - go have fun with the kids.

 

[Alexander Kabbaz]

learydenis
The kids got into Play Station 2.
Insofar as the fusing press: It was a completely original design, from the integrated power press, the raw steel & aluminum, and the remainder of the ingedients I purchased to the (at that time) unique method of operation. Happy Holiday again.

Sorry - I skipped over the rest of your question. I don't know if anyone else was fusing collars at the time. Individualized Shirts almost went out of business (credible rumor at the time) after learning that they had to take back 25% of the shirts they made in 1987. This because the collars shrunk greatly having been improperly fused. Their CEO (name escapes me) supposedly resigned in response to the entire debacle.

 

[naturlaut]

Oh my, what had happened the forum?

Anyway, just to state upfront that I am on nobody's side within the word fight and I would like to be excluded entirely (just in case someone were to quote me as a basis of another argument) from judging Mr. Kabbaz credibility, honesty, business ethics, etc.  Afterall, he is someone who genuinely runs a clothing business and I am not.  (Neither do I think he will make comments on my piano playing or on your profession.)  Also, name-dropping has no effect on me as it really doesn't say anything.  Mr. Bernstein might have done his shirts with you, but how about the other hundreds of 'famous' musicians who are not your client?  Having someone famous as your client does not prove your quality, neither does NOT having a famous client disprove your quality.  Actually, as far as I know, Mr. Bernstein had his formal shirts made by someone else.  (Though if you said Horowitz was your regular client it might have raised my eyebrow a bit.)  For all we know, any other maker from Oxxford to Kiton will boast a larger and more impressive client list --- but those are purely aim at people who do not have adequate knowledge of what they are getting.  I think a client list has no effect on this forum, as none of us goes to a shop because of its client list.  Actually, to be honest, if you were to list our forum members as your clients it might be more convincing... like Mr. Bengal Stripes shops there for his shoes or Mr. Harris gets his suits there.  So, Mr. Kabbaz, I will not judge your work based on your client list.  

My interest is purely on the shirt.

Mr. Kabbaz: I'm sorry if I hadn't read through all of what you wrote amidst the word fight (it's so tiresome), so bare with me if I am asking a question you've already acknowledged.  

1) I would love to look at a bigger picture of the fusing machine, and maybe a short paragraph of how it works.  I take it that your collars are fused on one side only.  What exactly is the fabric fused with --- any differences between yours and, say, Charvet's (and Turnbull's and Kiton's)?  Are the collars fused the same way as the cuffs (unlike, say, Hilditch)?  Do you offer a completely non-fused collar/cuffs for your clients?  As far as I know, collars used to be non-fused in the past, since when do we started fusing and why?

2) A fabric question: I noticed you use plenty of Swiss and Italian, how about the English?  Aside from the bigger mills of today (DJA, etc.) there used to be some excellent shirting fabrics from English mills that had since closed down.  How are these English fabrics compared to the Swiss and Italian?

3) An extended fabric question: From my meager knowledge and experience, English fabrics shrink more than Italian and Swiss within the first 3 washes or so.  I was under the assumption that some of the cotton is pre-washed.  If so (or not), how do you adjust to the shrinkage --- I ask because since the collar and cuffs are fused, the fabric has to shrink together with the fusing, and whose cotton shrinks the most?

4) I have noticed this for a while, as stripe shirt fabrics are always 'coarser' than solid-coloured shirts.  Why can't 200s be woven into stripes?  

5) Refurbishing: As stated in your website, you have remnants of past patterns for refurbishing an old shirt.  However, we cannot avoid washing the colours out a bit through the years, and if I were to bring a stripe shirt to you to put a new collar and cuffs, they are bound to look newer than the rest of the shirt.  I'd usually order an extra set of collar and cuffs, and as advised by a Turnbull tailor, wash the extras together with the finished shirt every time, so the colour fading (however minute) would be consistent.  Don't you have this problem?  

6) An aesthetic question: how much customization would you do for a client?  I ask this because we (among forum members) had a discussion earlier regarding house style.  I personally prefer if a tailoring house has its own style that it insists, rather than obeying everything that the client asks; that way one house is distinguished from the other, and having suits/shirts/shoes made in different houses would invariably provide my wardrobe with varieties, not to mention coherent matching (an English shirt/suit/shoe ensemble, for example).  You could pretty much spot a Neapolitan shirt or English shirt easily due to their stubborn-ness to their own style.  Are there any stylistic details that you insist or that is noticeably different from other local shirtmakers?

Thank you in advance for your expertise and patience.  Too bad I have just left New York.  If you are planning an a vacation in Hong Kong, be sure to tell me.

Naturlaut