Vicuna and Edward Green

[Lint Brush]

For those of you in NYC, I stopped in Saks tonight and they have vicuna topcoats for sale---for a cool $15K. According to the salesman (Frank), Saks acquired the material and had Hickey Freeman (Black Label) make the coats. Very soft. Interesting Isaia overcoats as well.

I also admired their Edward Green collection, but as blasphemous as it sounds, I preferred the John Lobb's--but perhaps only because Saks only displays the 202 and a couple of 606 models. Not that Green needs defenders, but Jay Kos has the Westminster on the 888 left over from their Green trunk show, and it's incredible. They also leave out the Green leather samples, which are fun to peruse.

 

[Jill]

You can get the Vicuna coats in Milan for E9-11K, which is approx $11,700 (Zegna)-14,300 (Tincate), and still have some left over for plane tix and dinner. I'm just sayin'.......

 

[Lynch Bages]

At what price is Jay Kos offering the Westminster?

 

[kabert]

Speaking of vicuna, I see Paul Stuart is offering vicuna lined peccary gloves for a mere $367 or so. Lined instead w/alpaca, the price drops to a more reasonable $180ish. Interestingly, the Filene's near me is selling peccary gloves for $99.95....

 

[johnapril]

You'd be a fool to sew vicuna into a topcoat.

 

[Kaga]

You'd be a fool to sew vicuna into a topcoat.

Really? Can you explain why? I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just curious.

 

[johnapril]

Quote:

(johnapril @ 19 Nov. 2004, 3:51) You'd be a fool to sew vicuna into a topcoat.
Really? Can you explain why? I'm not being sarcastic, I'm just curious.
Kaga, to be fair in my response, let me put myself into context. Where I come from, a topcoat is a battlecoat worn by footsoldiers who must charge the salt, slush, rain, and sides of cars coated in all of the above. In such a hostile environment, I'd sooner vicuna stay on the animals and my topcoat be made of something less precious. That level of wool belongs someplace that is at least a measure protected. I can see it in a suit worn right around the same time that I'd be wearing suede shoes: dry, cool, pretty weather. Bright, sunny days with leaves in multicolor. But a topcoat begs to be less worrisome, charcoal gray, forced into action when the weather is so crappy and cold you want a felt blanket wrapped around you. A topcoat here is a friend. A topcoat here doesn't make me worry about it. A topcoat here protects me and doesn't ask me to worry about it. All that said, I'd be a happy vicuna topcoat wearing fool if I lived in San Francisco...

 

[STYLESTUDENT]

Kaga, to be fair in my response, let me put myself into context.  Where I come from, a topcoat is a battlecoat worn by footsoldiers who must charge the salt, slush, rain, and sides of cars coated in all of the above.  In such a hostile environment, I'd sooner vicuna stay on the animals and my topcoat be made of something less precious.

While I formerly wore camel colored cashmere overcoats in winter, the tendency of the cashmere to abrade and to pick up dirt have let me to subsitute more durable covert and loden fabrics. I don't mind the contrast between these rougher fabrics and, say, a super 120s suit worn underneath. I'd rather own the coat than have the coat own me.

 

[Lint Brush]

I don't think the Westminster had a marked price at Jay Kos--but, if past practice holds it will be somewhere north of $900.

Saw the Berluti display at Barneys--impressive in that they probably had at least two dozen on display. Expensive, of course--$1290 for the Club or Ultima lines, 850 for the more modest models. Actually the nicest shoes I've seen recently have been the Kiton models at the Kiton store--course they're at least $1800.

 

[daytrader]

I don't think the Westminster had a marked price at Jay Kos--but, if past practice holds it will be somewhere north of $900.

Saw the Berluti display at Barneys--impressive in that they probably had at least two dozen on display.  Expensive, of course--$1290 for the Club or Ultima lines, 850 for the more modest models.  Actually the nicest shoes I've seen recently have been the Kiton models at the Kiton store--course they're at least $1800.

Lint Brush, did they have the Berluti scalpel-engraved shoes and leather goods?