SPIER & MACKAY - Official Affiliate Thread

[NadalRG]

Sorry for the noob question, but how does Eredi Pisano suits compare to S&M?

how about Pini Parma, their suit collection looks amazing.

thanks in advance for any insight.

Sorry, I meant to ask how do they compare quality wise, not fit wise.

thanks

 

[c.bisesar]

I've had them in a couple houses. In my experience they've held up just fine, even loaded with outerwear.

Great to know, thanks!

I have one, the big kahuna, and overall consider it a bad purchase. First the good is that it can indeed hold a surprising amount of weight. Mine's the taller variant, which allows you to hang two rows of suits/jackets if necessary. I stuff both the top and bottom rows with suits/SCs, and neither the rails nor the holes that the bars anchor into show any signs of wear. The walls themselves are also straight, not warped or buckling. Quite surprising for what's essentially a glorified cardboard box! Interestingly, I found out the hard way that the sheet of actual cardboard that makes up the back wall is actually loadbearing...Interesting... There's also a clever screw widget that allows you to compensate for a floor that isn't perfectly level, which I appreciated.

Now the bad:
You sound excited about the modules/customization. That's a trap (that I fell into). The way they price it is, the frame to get started is very cheap, but the modules are wildly overpriced, like $30 for a drawer overpriced. This project could very easily wander into $1000+ territory. Which I guess is still much better bang for buck than lots of stuff we buy, but still, something to keep in mind.

Related to that is, the more complicated modules are not great examples of engineering. Ikea seems pretty good at enabling stupid college kids to bolt together slabs of particleboard at 90° angles but not much else. The wooden parts are again serviceable, but I also went for the slide-out shoe rack and sliding doors, and those just don't work. The racks keep on drifting forward, blocking the doors from sliding along, while the doors themselves are attached to the pax frame using crude erector set style rails that you sort of force onto the frame. The tolerances of something cobbled together like this are not going to be great, and the doors refuse to slide cleanly. I'm no professional handyman, but I'm not a slouch either, and just couldn't get the doors to slide correctly.

And of course, related to the cost, you have the usual Ikea problem where these things cannot really be moved. They're kind of flimsy when not standing still, and will start warping and bending if handled; this is exacerbated by how big this thing is. The assembly is theoretically pretty reversible, but in actuality you also can't disassemble it without causing a lot of permanent damage. Mine has survived one move, significant disassembly required, and it was a doozy. It held up and I was able to put it back together, but the way an orthopedic surgeon puts a blown ACL / MCL / meniscus back together. Works but probably isn't going to be quite the same again and for my next move I am pretty sure it will be more sensible to just abandon it.


Addendum: As I was struggling with disassembly, moving, and reassembly, I couldn't stop cursing my own vanity, as none of this would have been necessary if I had actually done what #menswear guys claim to do, namely, to buy less and buy better. A guy who has one hopsack blazer, one gray flannel suit, one pair black captoes, one pair brown brogues, and a few white shirts doesn't have these problems.

Really appreciate the detailed advice! The configuration I'm going with is relatively simple - just two sections with mostly empty space to hang things and a few drawers. Comes up to about $700 bucks which isn't all that bad. Heck, I have things that I've bought from S&M that cost more than that However I can see your point about disassembly/moving being a huge pain. Mine works out to about $700 bucks so I'll look around to see what I can find around that price range. This is actually the first time I'm moving...ever, and we'll be at this new place for at least the next 4-5 years so I'll have to figuring out the balance between whether something like this is worth it and worth the struggle moving, or if $700 bucks isn't all that much to write off once we decide to move again.

 

[pickergc]

F5’ing these drops man...last year cream flannel, last year FoxBro jacket, lightweight pink uni-stripe oxford.

 

[kongmw]

Mine works out to about $700 bucks so I'll look around to see what I can find around that price range. This is actually the first time I'm moving...ever, and we'll be at this new place for at least the next 4-5 years so I'll have to figuring out the balance between whether something like this is worth it and worth the struggle moving, or if $700 bucks isn't all that much to write off once we decide to move again.

I'll just add that we bought one set last year, about the same size as the one you configured above plus a narrower unit, for about $1100. Honestly best $1100 I've spent on furniture of any kind. Compared to other customizable closet solutions, these are a bargain. Of course they will be a PITA to disassemble and/or move but it's IKEA so expected and at this price I can't really complain. Is it 100% perfect? Of course not, its $1000 for a full closet and half. It's not supposed to be. Use it for a few years and don't bother with trying to move it.
Don't know how handy you are but be sure to read and follow the manual. We live in the city so got someone on taskrabbit to help and it still took hours.

 

[c.bisesar]

I'll just add that we bought one set last year, about the same size as the one you configured above plus a narrower unit, for about $1100. Honestly best $1100 I've spent on furniture of any kind. Compared to other customizable closet solutions, these are a bargain. Of course they will be a PITA to disassemble and/or move but it's IKEA so expected and at this price I can't really complain. Is it 100% perfect? Of course not, its $1000 for a full closet and half. It's not supposed to be. Use it for a few years and don't bother with trying to move it.
Don't know how handy you are but be sure to read and follow the manual. We live in the city so got someone on taskrabbit to help and it still took hours.

I have a feeling that around $700-$1000 it's going to be hard to beat, and I can see myself just letting it go when it's time to move again because it's not a crazy cost. I'm a pretty decent handyman, but most of my buddies are much better at putting stuff together and it's sort of the norm for us to all help out with a friend setting up their new place. 4 helping hands for the cost of a case of beer isn't all that bad

 

[Beav]

I'll just add that we bought one set last year, about the same size as the one you configured above plus a narrower unit, for about $1100. Honestly best $1100 I've spent on furniture of any kind. Compared to other customizable closet solutions, these are a bargain. Of course they will be a PITA to disassemble and/or move but it's IKEA so expected and at this price I can't really complain. Is it 100% perfect? Of course not, its $1000 for a full closet and half. It's not supposed to be. Use it for a few years and don't bother with trying to move it.
Don't know how handy you are but be sure to read and follow the manual. We live in the city so got someone on taskrabbit to help and it still took hours.

Yeah I'm happy with mine, but the way I've viewed this is similar to other ikea stuff... it doesn't disassemble and reassemble that well. I've just assembled it and left it. Maybe the inside components can be moved around a bit, but even with those I just find a configuration and then leave it.

 

[DonRaphael]

And the waiting begins. Just placed an order.

• Brown Donegal Polo Coat
• SC (MTO): Marliing & Evans - Burgundy Hopsack (SKU: NETHERTON H/16934/R16-MTO-J)
• SC (MTO): Minnis - Tobacco Fresco (SKU: X30089-MTO-J)
• SC (MTO): Abraham Moon - Gray Glen Check Tweed (SKU: 3311/A01-MTO-J)

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

I have a feeling that around $700-$1000 it's going to be hard to beat, and I can see myself just letting it go when it's time to move again because it's not a crazy cost. I'm a pretty decent handyman, but most of my buddies are much better at putting stuff together and it's sort of the norm for us to all help out with a friend setting up their new place. 4 helping hands for the cost of a case of beer isn't all that bad

My layout is essentially the same as yours; note that to do the two-rails thing though I had to get the taller version, as the regular one left the tails of the jackets crumpled a bit. My jackets are about 30-31" BOC to hem. YMMV but I imagine you'll want to go this route too.

Fortunately the closet itself is actually mostly quite an easy assembly (if you have a 2nd set of hands. I had to do it myself which might have soured me a bit on it hahaha. You won't need 3rd and 4th people for this as they would probably just get in the way). The TLDR is, you need to get the 4 walls cinched together with those ikea corner-cincher screws, and then nail the backboard on. For this step it's nice to have extra hands holding the moving parts while you lock them down. After that it's just a matter of populating the insides, which is mostly just tedious Legos for adults. The sliding doors though, if you opt for those, are a different story. They are difficult to assemble because the pieces of the metal frame don't fit together well, and it's also kind of a bitch to get the rails onto the cabinet. With two people, it's fairly straightforward to hang the doors at least. That's my long whiny way of saying that if you have space for it I would suggest the hinged doors.

 

[c.bisesar]

My layout is essentially the same as yours; note that to do the two-rails thing though I had to get the taller version, as the regular one left the tails of the jackets crumpled a bit. My jackets are about 30-31" BOC to hem. YMMV but I imagine you'll want to go this route too.

Fortunately the closet itself is actually mostly quite an easy assembly (if you have a 2nd set of hands. I had to do it myself which might have soured me a bit on it hahaha. You won't need 3rd and 4th people for this as they would probably just get in the way). The TLDR is, you need to get the 4 walls cinched together with those ikea corner-cincher screws, and then nail the backboard on. For this step it's nice to have extra hands holding the moving parts while you lock them down. After that it's just a matter of populating the insides, which is mostly just tedious Legos for adults. The sliding doors though, if you opt for those, are a different story. They are difficult to assemble because the pieces of the metal frame don't fit together well, and it's also kind of a bitch to get the rails onto the cabinet. With two people, it's fairly straightforward to hang the doors at least. That's my long whiny way of saying that if you have space for it I would suggest the hinged doors.

We're going to see the place again in October where I'll grab more detailed measurements of my room so I can figure out exact dimensions. I plan on hanging Suits/SCs and trousers underneath that so I should be able to move the lower portion even lower if need be considering trousers don't need that much height when folded.

I've been on the fence about getting doors. If I were to get doors, I'd probably get the hinged mirrored ones. I've looked up a few videos and it looks like if I wanted to add hinged doors after the fact it's not that bad to do, so I might start off doorless and decide later.

 

[saskatoonjay]

Great to know, thanks!



Really appreciate the detailed advice! The configuration I'm going with is relatively simple - just two sections with mostly empty space to hang things and a few drawers. Comes up to about $700 bucks which isn't all that bad. Heck, I have things that I've bought from S&M that cost more than that However I can see your point about disassembly/moving being a huge pain. Mine works out to about $700 bucks so I'll look around to see what I can find around that price range. This is actually the first time I'm moving...ever, and we'll be at this new place for at least the next 4-5 years so I'll have to figuring out the balance between whether something like this is worth it and worth the struggle moving, or if $700 bucks isn't all that much to write off once we decide to move again.

View attachment 1469595

You’ll be very happy with it. We had a giant Pax with tinted glass sliding doors that served us over 10 years and two moves. Sturdy and gorgeous.

 

[hschrapel]

To tune in here, we're in the process of purchasing the open closet Pax Hörnegardrob (translates to corner wardrobe). Unfortunately, in my case, it's been sold out for months across the entirety of Sweden, so actually viewing one is impossible so we're resorting to doing in via the online builder. Glad to hear people chiming in with their positive experiences with the Pax system.

 

[c.bisesar]

To tune in here, we're in the process of purchasing the open closet Pax Hörnegardrob (translates to corner wardrobe). Unfortunately, in my case, it's been sold out for months across the entirety of Sweden, so actually viewing one is impossible so we're resorting to doing in via the online builder. Glad to hear people chiming in with their positive experiences with the Pax system.

I'm located in Toronto so I'm hoping they have some in stock at the North York location, however I've been pushing back my visit - trying to avoid making unnecessary outings where I can.

I've heard mixed reviews about corner units because you lose a fair amount of space.

 

[JayDee90]

So....back to S&M?

 

[Leanderthal]

Back to S&M.

 

[DonRaphael]

Back to S&M.
View attachment 1469812

Woah! This reminds me of the last two seasons' Abraham Moon & Sons tweed jackets. The first iteration had green in it, the second had navy. And now this. I have the latter. This might just be different enough to actually acquire as well.

I've already identified 3 items I want that haven't been released yet. S&M, please stop it.