NYC fabric stores

[dah328]

Any recommendations for NYC fabric stores that carry suiting woolens? I've seen a few mentioned here before, but a search doesn't turn them up.

dan

 

[Manton]

Beckenstein's on 39th between 7th and 8th. Other stores on that same block, but Beckenstein's is the best.

A few friends have recently been to Tip Top in Brooklyn (675 Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint) and report that it's even better. I couldn't make the trip, but I was impressed by what they bought.

 

[dah328]

Thanks, Manton. I stopped by Tip Top this afternoon and they seemed to have a pretty reasonable selection. Lots of brand-name stuff (Dormeuil, Zegna, Vitale Barberis) and no-name stuff. I'm not that good at evaluating the quality of fabrics from feel, so I can't really comment on the value they offer. Almost everything they have is between $50 and $75 per yard, so that doesn't sound too bad. I'm trying to figure out if it's more cost-effective to supply fabric for CMT or just buy the fabric from the tailor.

dan

 

[Manton]

As with all things, it depends. I have recently been looking for mohairs. All the decent stuff in the books was near $200 per yard. That's before the tailor's mark-up (though the guy I'm using doesn't charge a mark-up on the cloth). Tip Top had a lot of good mohairs for $40 per yard. Big difference.

On the other hand, you are limited to what's available. In some cases, the fabric stores will have great stuff. In others, you may just have your heart set on a Lesser nailhead that can't be got anywhere but through the distributor.