A visit to Astor & Black

[ancdmd]

Why wasn't the suit just remade, if it needed $500 worth of alterations? Also are you referring to the canvas material or the lining itself? And when you say "construction", are you referring to the stitching and build quality or just the materials quality? I personally think the canvass should be kinda flimsy so the jacket drapes well and molds to the body better. I hate stiff suits

 

[bigtimebuck4]

I don't know why he didn't have it remade, I didn't speak to the owner directly.

Regarding the lining, I don't remember specifically. It was not the canvassing though. This was basically tissue paper in the lapels I believe. I am not a tailor (obviously) so I can't speak too specifically. What I can tell you is my tailor, who has been doing this for 40+ years and knows the owner fo the company, thinks it is a terrible product.

 

[taxgenius]

$500 may be worth it if the fabric is really high end and this tailor can reconstruct the suit.

 

[PGD1848]

Real glad I cam across this thread. Ive been shopping around for a suit with a better fit than OTR stuff and the A&B site caught my eye. Flashy advertising can do wonders.

 

[Styled]

I purchased a 3 suits Scabal package from A/B with the shirts and ties. What a huge disappointment. All 3 suits were off, I could really explain it but they were just off. The shirts were a complete joke and I doubt you could make a worse shirt. The ties were ok. First off, there is nothing bespoke about A/B - its a glorified made to measure program with the suits mass produced in Hong Kong. Made is HK = "we can still make money off of our customers", so don't buy into the nonsense that A/B only makes $40 profit on a suit. I had to take the suits to my tailor for alterations. My tailor immediately recognized that something was off and asked if he could open up on of the suits to see how it was constructed. Upon inspection, he pointed out that the workmanship was sub par (i.e. cheaply done). He did his best to make the jackets look better but still was not satisfied with the results. The pants were too long and baggy so he took them in as much as possible to make them look a bit more fitted and not look like jeans. The shirts might as well be made from cardboard - not comfortable and did not fit well. In addition, there were loose strings hanging off the bottom of the shirts which is another example of poor quality. Overall, I would not recommend A/B to any of my friends. I would rather pay more and settle on getting 1 or 2 new suits a year instead of getting 3-6 suits that look and fit poorly. Buyers beware.

 

[dragon8]



I purchased a 3 suits Scabal package from A/B with the shirts and ties. What a huge disappointment. All 3 suits were off, I could really explain it but they were just off. The shirts were a complete joke and I doubt you could make a worse shirt. The ties were ok. First off, there is nothing bespoke about A/B - its a glorified made to measure program with the suits mass produced in Hong Kong. Made is HK  = "we can still make money off of our customers", so don't buy into the nonsense that A/B only makes $40 profit on a suit. I had to take the suits to my tailor for alterations. My tailor immediately recognized that something was off and asked if he could open up on of the suits to see how it was constructed. Upon inspection, he pointed out that the workmanship was sub par (i.e. cheaply done). He did his best to make the jackets look better but still was not satisfied with the results. The pants were too long and baggy so he took them in as much as possible to make them look a bit more fitted and not look like jeans. The shirts might as well be made from cardboard - not comfortable and did not fit well. In addition, there were loose strings hanging off the bottom of the shirts which is another example of poor quality. Overall, I would not recommend A/B to any of my friends. I would rather pay more and settle on getting 1 or 2 new suits a year instead of getting 3-6 suits that look and fit poorly. Buyers beware. 

This seems to be the general consensus on AB

 

[ShayaEXQT]

Interesting first post!!

 

[allaboutshoes]



Interesting first post!!

Basically AB=crap

 

[curzon]

If the Jonas Bothers rely on Astor & Black Schottenstein to "take it to the next level" I think we can all be assured we'll be taken too.

 

[lostron]

I have never ordered from them before but have certainly seen their ads & social marketing efforts which made me consider them in the past. However, check out their Yelp ratings (and the filtered reviews), they seem to really crack down on negative reviews and offer to remake their suits/clothing to get better rating. I have done some research in the past and in summary, they use cheaper fabric, tailoring, and lower than expected job of communicating with their sales/measurement reps & their tailors. When I think bespoke or custom, I want a higher level of service and product but think A&B is more of a made to measure service that mass produces. Yet, I have seen lots of great MTM services that I was very pleased with the work. They just have to get their operations in order because (clearly) what they have done on the marketing side is working...

Again, this was based on my past research and for all I know they might have changed. Maybe someday I will give them a try and provide a detailed summary (with pics & analysis) of their service...

 

[ShayaEXQT]

The only experience I have is that I spoke with one of their "clothiers" he tried to convince me that their product was the best thing in the world. I made it clear to him, I will never buy one of your suits, I don't care that you use Zegna fabric! haha.

 

[PASstudy]

Just decided to dip toe in the water yesterday. Heard about A&B through SF. The threads had a lot of bad things to report and not many positives. But they are one of the few places in my area (North NJ) w/o having to go into NY that I could find. Ordered a sportcoat & shirt as a way to try em out. Wanted to sample a bit and I have the time. Will post pics when they come (as I have not seen many in this thread or other A&B threads). Funny thing is the sales/measurement guy had no idea of SF or A&B's rep on the site. I guess whomever used to patrol or out bad customers or whatever it was they were doing is not around. Although avoiding a site known for savvy customers and people who know good work doesn't augur well either.

Wish me luck!

 

[CousinDonuts]



Just decided to dip toe in the water yesterday. Heard about A&B through SF. The threads had a lot of bad things to report and not many positives. But they are one of the few places in my area (North NJ) w/o having to go into NY that I could find. Ordered a sportcoat & shirt as a way to try em out. Wanted to sample a bit and I have the time.  Will post pics when they come (as I have not seen many in this thread or other A&B threads). Funny thing is the sales/measurement guy had no idea of SF or A&B's rep on the site. I guess whomever used to patrol or out bad customers or whatever it was they were doing is not around. Although avoiding a site known for savvy customers and people who know good work doesn't augur well either.

Wish me luck!

Ask your guy if he follows ANY clothing forums, blogs, or tumblrs. Most of them seem to be raised as stylists, but they act like some contrast stitching on the bottom button is this way cool bespoke item that only Lapo Elkann and Luca Rubinacci can do, and you should be gracious that they'll do the same. Makes me curious about how they follow trends.

 

[PASstudy]

Follow up. Was quoted ~$700 for a Super 100's worsted wool sportcoat. Was offered a full suit & free shirt for 895 only if the fabric was the same as the coat but decided against it. They have a binder of standard "fits" that one can choose or adjust. CousinD, the rep did push and call much attn to, coincedentally the contrast stitching on the lapel/sleeve buttons (functional by default) and an inner patch with my name on it (gasp!). Measuring seemed competent but we'll see in 4-5 weeks when I get the coat. Will post pics.

 

[curzon]

^ Well... your avatar sums it up. Perfectly.