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Sydney Tailors

ZengaGent

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Originally Posted by sydney lawyer
Not very helpful ZegnaGent.

You can assume that I had already done some research, including a reasonably thorough search of the site and that I was trying to get some more information. Where in the site is there a word about Sam Finocchiaro? Where is there a comprehensive discussion of the type of instructions one might give to a tailor? Where is a there discussion of the relative merits of Sydney tailors and a comparison of prices (there is some, but you have to look long and hard to find it and there are only some clues that might enable comparison)?

Why are you trying to stomp on this?


Wow... I've seen this exact thing happen to others on the forum, but I never thought you could get flamed for offering help.

Firstly, if you feel that I was patronising, may I offer my sincere apologies.

Secondly, I never assume anything. I thought I was being helpful. Apparently, I was wrong.

Thirdly, when I wanted to know about 'bespoke suits', I found that the information on the thread (including PMs to Sator) was quite sufficient for initiating a physical search of the tailors in question. To date, I have met with Adamo, Sam Disano, and even had a suit tailored by a gent named Nick Salanitro in North Sydney.

Fourthly, I mentioned Sator because he is a) extremely knowledgeable on this subject, and b) would definitely point you in the right direction. In terms of Sydney tailors, he's probably the authority on this forum.

Fifth point: My personal experience with bespoke has led me to believe that until you try a tailor out, you cannot know whether or not he will do a good job for you.

I wasn't trying to stomp on your thread. If I were, I would not even have mentioned half the things I did. Instead, I would merely have kept silent.

A good day to you, sir!
 

ZengaGent

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Thanks to everyone else for sticking up for me. Maybe its better I stay silent from now on.
confused.gif
 

sydney lawyer

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Apologies for misunderstanding you ZengaGent. I now know a lot more than i did two days ago. I am seeing Sam Disano this afternoon.
 

meister

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Originally Posted by sydney lawyer
Apologies for misunderstanding you ZengaGent. I now know a lot more than i did two days ago. I am seeing Sam Disano this afternoon.

With any luck you will disappear now...and we can have some tone and civility around here.
 

Sator

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Originally Posted by ZengaGent
Fourthly, I mentioned Sator because he is a) extremely knowledgeable on this subject, and b) would definitely point you in the right direction. In terms of Sydney tailors, he's probably the authority on this forum.
Thank you but I would hardly call myself an authority. I have met Aus_MD in person and know that he knows at least as much as I, but posts here less than (he has children, I don't!). I think there is an army of retired or semi-retired European post-war emigrees around the place who are excellent tailors. I have heard from my shirtmaker that there are people around who will be happy to do small scale private work for you. These Italian tailors with little suburban stores are just the tip of the iceberg. These tailors do what they do because they love to do it, and would gladly make coats for people who appreciate their craft. I have even heard of some Hungarian brothers who made bespoke shoes but have never managed to find them.
 

CatsEyes

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Yes, I have the same sense about Sydney's West as Sator does about the city at large.

Years ago now I had some of my clothes altered by an elderly Italian gent in St Marys (from memory), of all places.

He ran a little tailoring business in his converted garage, with old posters framed on the walls of old-style Neapolitan tailoring, SS Napoli soccer club, etc etc. The place was a dingy little forest of old samples, half-made jackets etc.

He seemed sad and disappointed with his life, but still sticking with his craft through thick and thin.

A few years later he disappeared from the phone book, and I'd lost his card. One more who bit the dust...
 

ZengaGent

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Originally Posted by sydney lawyer
Apologies for misunderstanding you ZengaGent. I now know a lot more than i did two days ago. I am seeing Sam Disano this afternoon.

That's ok. Apology accepted.

Sam Disano's a nice guy. Didn't end up buying a suit from him, but I think someone else on the forum actually has. It looked pretty good, and the price seemed pretty reasonable.

Now that I remember, there's also a tailor called Sam Hasham in Parramatta who works beside Charles Nakhle, a popular shirtmaker on this forum. According to Charles, his work is decent, and like Disano, his prices are also reasonable.

The tailor I've used in Nth Sydney is Nick Salanitro. He works out of Salman Clothing on Wednesdays and Fridays. His work isn't bad and for a canvassed suit with working buttons in H&S or Dormueil fabric, he charges roughly $2K. Quarters are a little closed however, and if you go with him, you might want to requst open quarters so as to emphasize height.

Best Regards
ZegnaGent
 

Sator

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Originally Posted by CatsEyes
Yes, I have the same sense about Sydney's West as Sator does about the city at large.

Years ago now I had some of my clothes altered by an elderly Italian gent in St Marys (from memory), of all places.

He ran a little tailoring business in his converted garage, with old posters framed on the walls of old-style Neapolitan tailoring, SS Napoli soccer club, etc etc. The place was a dingy little forest of old samples, half-made jackets etc.

He seemed sad and disappointed with his life, but still sticking with his craft through thick and thin.

A few years later he disappeared from the phone book, and I'd lost his card. One more who bit the dust...


I think there is a generation of European tailors who Australians have sorely neglected. Certain things that Europeans brought to Australia have been taken up by the mainstream culture - often to the point that we take them for granted. However, there was a time when the Anglo-Celtic mainstream of Australians were horrified that the Italians ate "worms" (ie spaghetti) and calamari evoked similar horrified looks. Today spaghetti Bolognese is the most commonly cooked dish in Australian households. Cappuccinos were similarly unheard of.

However, the Europeans tailors who brought with them their sartorial arts have faired rather more poorly than the cooks and bakers. Whereas Aussies of Italian descent are proud that they have inherited recipes from their grandparents, nobody has bothered to learn the art of tailoring. Who has ever heard of an Aussie of Neapolitan descent brag about knowing how to make a manica camicia? What a bloody tragedy. It pains me to think what skills have been irrevocably lost...

I do believe that there is a small resurgence of interest in bespoke tailoring thanks to the internet. I only hope that it has not come too late. These old Italian gents who are happy to hand make garments from home or a small workshop must be found.
 

misterjase

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Originally Posted by Sator
These old Italian gents who are happy to hand make garments from home or a small workshop must be found.

...and supported with our business (where the tailor is good at it) rather the manafacturers/retailers who overcharge.
 

Sator

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Originally Posted by misterjase
...and supported with our business (where the tailor is good at it) rather the manafacturers/retailers who overcharge.

Indeed. You will find them quite pleasantly surprised at the sudden appearance of throngs of people who want to have Neapolitan shoulders
rolleyes.gif
and the like made up. It would be like a throng of Aussies turning up circa. 1950 to an Italian restaurant knowing all the Italian culinary terms demanding their spaghetti be done al dente to perfection. On the other hand we tend to demand that our gnocchi be hand made, so we do cause some headaches too...

You will find that every time you post the names of these tailors on the internet, they will report of sudden surge of younger customers, which will snowball if you post pictures with positive reviews. It is not unusual for our internet reports to cause a 30-50% increase in sales.

The disadvantage is that it can cause turnover times to increase. But on the other hand, it pushes tailors to produce their best work for an educated and demanding clientèle (some of you lot are bloody pushy) who want the best in everything. If only one client wants H Lesser, tailors will ignore him, but if a whole throng come in demanding Lesser, he will give in. Ditto for horn buttons, hand padded canvasses etc. And hopefully, just hopefully, it will help bespoke tailoring survive another generation.

Demanding though internet educated customers are, tailors generally prefer to be pushed to produce their best work and be appreciated rather than have their work be but pearls to swine. On the other hand there will be some internet gents they will want to throttle
laugh.gif


Shooey over at FNB says his Melbourne based tailor detests internet pseudo-cognoscenti. But I think this is an exception. Most tailors prefer a half educated client to one who knows nothing at all.
 

Sator

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Originally Posted by meister
we can have some tone and civility around here.
Talking about civility, I should probably mention the first rule about bespoke tailoring: be nice to your tailor. Bespoke tailoring comes from an old fashioned and genteel tradition where a customer needed a reference to get through the door. It was a world where the tailor and customer knew each other by name and established a long term relationship, which often extended for generations. I imagine some of Cutler's clients have been with them for a couple of generations. If you cannot get on with people, and establish a long term relationship just stick to RTW. By this virtue, there are people who should never go bespoke.
 

Journeyman

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Originally Posted by Sator
Shooey over at FNB says his Melbourne based tailor detests internet pseudo-cognoscenti.

On the one hand I can understand a tailor having such an attitude, as it may well mean that you end up with clientele that are demanding and yet relatively ignorant, which is not an ideal combination.

As you say, Sator, fora such as SF can lead to a boost in a tailor's reputation and a concomitant increase in trade - which is clearly a good thing. On the other hand, however, these fora can also lead to a form of groupthink, with every man and his dog wanting an unpadded shoulder and a "waterfall" sleevehead, regardless of whether such a style would suit their particular physique or not.

Unfortunately, Brisbane has a paucity of good tailors - at least ones of which I am aware. It would be good to unearth a few more Italians working out of their garages, so that we could have the benefit of their skills for a while yet.
 

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