New York City made to measure

[larzalere]

Hi-
New to the forum, and I'm in the process of a wardrobe overhaul. I've read Antongiavanni's The Suit, Karlen & Sulavik's Guide to Men's Clothing, and Flusser's Dressing the Man, and am in the process of looking for a place or places in New York City to implement all this new knowledge. Cambridge Members is one place I visited, and they seem serious about getting as close to bespoke as made-to-measure can get, for a relatively reasonable price ($750 with a regular fabric, $1150 with fine english worsted). As I am inexperienced in these matters, I'm wondering if anyone has experience with them, or has suggestions for similar places in the city that would get me a more tailored fit and finer, harder wearing fabrics than off-the-rack. All this on a budget of course : ) Also, I looked into working with WW Chan (from Hong Kong) when they visit, but am not comfortable with a suit that is bespoke with only one fitting...any advice there? I do actually have a bespoke suit made by Henry Poole and Company some 15 years ago, and thought I could have them copy the pattern (which still fits). Finally, where can I find a book or resources that would show me a wide variety of mens suit sillouettes and fabric styles...but classic, not just this year's runway fashions. I'd like to educate myself further, as well as start to pick out styles and combinations that I think might suit my work and personality. Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[chorse123]

Check out the various threads on Mr. Ned. You'll get MTM with a couple of fittings. Price is similar to what you quote, and you can supply your own material if you wish.

 

[HelloMrFancyPants]

+1 Mr. Ned. After a thorough audition, Vahram (Ned's son) is my go-to guy for everything.

 

[zarathustra]

+ 1 for Mr. Ned. I made a friend try him out for me

. I have been throughly impressed and at the price point, I find it hard to beat.

 

[johninla]

where is Mr. Ned?

 

[chorse123]

New York. On Fifth Ave near Union Square.

 

[HelloMrFancyPants]

Mr. Ned is at 137 5th Avenue, floor 4. That's just about 20th street if I'm not mistaken. Might be worth it to call before heading over (212-924-5042).

 

[larzalere]

Thanks everyone-
I did a tour of the city today, stopping at places gleaned from the forum...LS Mens, CEGO, Mr. Ned's, Burberry, Oxxford (which was closed...I guess they're moving), Turnbull and Asser, and a couple of department stores. The winners wound up Mr. Ned's and CEGO, and I'm very happy so far--not having the clothes yet : ) Carl at CEGO and Vahram at Mr. Ned's were both extremely personable and helpful. Mr. Ned's is doing a summer weight nailhead blue Super 110 basic british suit for $850 (including functioning sleeve buttonholes...I know, an extravagance), and I'll have CEGO put together some shirts to match. Now...anyone know of a great place to get shoes? I'm thinking a dark brown suede bals, and / or brown monks...I like the brown shoe, and it sounds like they're acceptable in most situations (I'm also in a creative profession). I'd love to get that beautiful handmade english look (in brown calf or cordovan), but that may be out of range for now--not over $400, and preferably under $300. Finally, it sounds like a lot of folks get sportscoats on Ebay...I need a lightweight, darker jacket to go with jeans for summer eves (I already have a light canvas), and eventually a tweed or darker jacket for jeans for the winter (in addition to the brown corduroy I have). Any recommendations? Thanks again...so glad to have found this forum!

 

[taxgenius]

Originally Posted by larzalere

Thanks everyone-
I did a tour of the city today, stopping at places gleaned from the forum...LS Mens, CEGO, Mr. Ned's, Burberry, Oxxford (which was closed...I guess they're moving), Turnbull and Asser, and a couple of department stores. The winners wound up Mr. Ned's and CEGO, and I'm very happy so far--not having the clothes yet : ) Carl at CEGO and Vahram at Mr. Ned's were both extremely personable and helpful. Mr. Ned's is doing a summer weight nailhead blue Super 110 basic british suit for $850 (including functioning sleeve buttonholes...I know, an extravagance), and I'll have CEGO put together some shirts to match. Now...anyone know of a great place to get shoes? I'm thinking a dark brown suede bals, and / or brown monks...I like the brown shoe, and it sounds like they're acceptable in most situations (I'm also in a creative profession). I'd love to get that beautiful handmade english look (in brown calf or cordovan), but that may be out of range for now--not over $400, and preferably under $300. Finally, it sounds like a lot of folks get sportscoats on Ebay...I need a lightweight, darker jacket to go with jeans for summer eves (I already have a light canvas), and eventually a tweed or darker jacket for jeans for the winter (in addition to the brown corduroy I have). Any recommendations? Thanks again...so glad to have found this forum!

How did you decide to use Mr Ned over LS?

 

[StockwellDay]

Originally Posted by larzalere

Thanks everyone-
I did a tour of the city today, stopping at places gleaned from the forum...LS Mens, CEGO, Mr. Ned's, Burberry, Oxxford (which was closed...I guess they're moving), Turnbull and Asser, and a couple of department stores. The winners wound up Mr. Ned's and CEGO, and I'm very happy so far--not having the clothes yet : ) Carl at CEGO and Vahram at Mr. Ned's were both extremely personable and helpful. Mr. Ned's is doing a summer weight nailhead blue Super 110 basic british suit for $850 (including functioning sleeve buttonholes...I know, an extravagance), and I'll have CEGO put together some shirts to match. Now...anyone know of a great place to get shoes? I'm thinking a dark brown suede bals, and / or brown monks...I like the brown shoe, and it sounds like they're acceptable in most situations (I'm also in a creative profession). I'd love to get that beautiful handmade english look (in brown calf or cordovan), but that may be out of range for now--not over $400, and preferably under $300. Finally, it sounds like a lot of folks get sportscoats on Ebay...I need a lightweight, darker jacket to go with jeans for summer eves (I already have a light canvas), and eventually a tweed or darker jacket for jeans for the winter (in addition to the brown corduroy I have). Any recommendations? Thanks again...so glad to have found this forum!

Plal.com sounds like your best bet for the shoes you are looking for. C&J at the prices you desire.

 

[knittieguy]

what do Cego shirts go for these days?

 

[larzalere]

Hi-
I wasn't able to go to CEGO today but will go Monday...they start at $90, and for the basic (not pure bespoke) form there is no minimum. I chose Mr. Ned's because it seems well thought of on the forum, it's downtown (more convenient for me) and because another friend had recommended. I'm sure LS does nice suits, too. Went into research for shoes and that looks like a whole *other* world to get familiar with, though it sounds like C&J from P. Lal makes sense. I'd love a pair of brown suede plain toe, and maybe brown monks (again, I'm in a creative profession)...I already have some plain brown and black calf in my wardrobe. Also, I'd love some dirty bucks for the summer...is this shoe also done in a tan canvas? Just curious. Thanks again everyone for the advice and feedback.

 

[Sartorian]

I'm sorry, but I'm suffering a disconnect here. Did the OP not ask for shoes in the $400 range? And then someone recommended plal and C&J shoes? Why is it the only C&J shoes on the Plal site are listed in the $1199 range? What am I missing? Are there less costly C&J shoes available?

 

[darkoak]

The 1199 is in Malaysian ringgit.

 

[Sartorian]

Originally Posted by darkoak

The 1199 is in Malaysian ringgit.

Really?

If you're not pulling my leg, then I feel very dumb. Wow. Okay, thanks a lot for clearing that up for me. Now I understand why they're all scanned-in pages from the catalog, too.

Are you guys just using on-line currency converters to determine the actual prices? They're quite pretty shoes, no?