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Tom Mahon: An Englishcut in New York

aportnoy

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Originally Posted by Despos
My card,

Mel Johnson

Internet Sartorial Psychotherapist


accurately diagnose your propensity to drape, unpadded shoulders and even 2" cuffs.


You taking to me, Mel?
 

Svenn

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Originally Posted by Sator
This is complete and utter drivel. In fact, looking at that coat draft, it looks like it is more true of Mahon's own frightfully archaic looking crooked coats (CPG perhaps?) than those he points the accusing finger at. A textbook example of "projection".

I'm just curious to know which tailor Sator, or Jefferyd for that matter, thinks is not completely incompetent and awful. I hear a lot of severe criticisms on the internets about every elite tailor imaginable from Savile Row to Naples on down, yet very rarely any positive comments or recommendations. Steed seems to have the least amount of criticisms, or at least a reputation for being very flexible and fixing mistakes... are they the holy grail??
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by Svenn
I'm just curious to know which tailor Sator, or Jefferyd for that matter, thinks is not completely incompetent and awful.

I don't recall ever having called anyone incompetent or awful. Do refresh my memory please.
 

Svenn

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
I don't recall ever having called anyone incompetent or awful. Do refresh my memory please.
I didn't say you did, just the tone on occasion of Sator's comments seem to imply that
smile.gif
I enjoy reading your blog jefferyd because it's actually nonbiased and informs the reader... the vast majority of other 'knowledgable' posters on the internet just bash and criticize in two or three sentence quips then disappear. I read a lot of "any good tailor could...", "any tailor worth his salt..." etc, but never any specific mention of names of tailors who can do it! Savile Row is torn down as shell of the past, Naples is called no better than MTM... it just leaves me wondering, who are you guys using as your tailor?? Would you care to share?
 

TRINI

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Originally Posted by Svenn
I read a lot of "any good tailor could...", "any tailor worth his salt..." etc, but never any specific mention of names of tailors who can do it! Savile Row is torn down as shell of the past, Naples is called no better than MTM... it just leaves me wondering, who are you guys using as your tailor?? Would you care to share?

What are you talking about?
 

Redwoood

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Svenn, since content people tend to be quiet, whereas disappointed people tend to be vocal, it's not surprising that you can read a lot of negative opinions here on SF.
But there are a lot of positive examples as well, just see the A&S expat thread.

Also, criticism is usually specific, drawing a lot of responses, which tends to draw a lot of attention towards the criticism. Praise, on the other hand, is usually of general nature, and thus, less likely to draw attention.

As for 'any tailor imaginable'... well, I can imagine quite a few tailors. Andrew Ramroop, for example. Never read anything negative about him, other that he's expensive and can't cut a shirt pattern. So there you go, he's the one, the perfect tailor.
I'm kidding, of course, but you made such an awfully general statement...
 

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When I have seen things I liked I have said so but I wouldn't go so far as endorsing any particular tailor in the sense that I think you are looking for because it all boils down to taste, budget, and rapport. Finding a tailor whose style you like, who is able to interpret what you want at a price you can afford is very personal. What works for one will not work for another.

На вкус, на цвет това́рищей нет.
 

voxsartoria

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Originally Posted by Redwoood
Who's your custom knife maker?

The best ones are electric, so I'm afraidy knife is RTW. The design dates back to a time when pumpkins were smaller but tougher.

- B
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by academe
How different is the pattern making made for the UK high street compared the higher-end RTW market in the US and on continental Europe, etc.?

This varies from maker to maker and depends on the skill of the pattern maker. I, personally, have different bodies, or cuts, for eastern Canada and for Western Canada, as well as for the coastal US vs the midwest and the southern states. Within those different areas I will offer different cuts. I can't think off hand of exactly how many different fits I have in the system right now, but it's between 15 and 20. In each fit, or body, we will maintain all the different button, lapel, pocket and vent configurations so we are talking about massive numbers of pattern pieces. And these are all reviewed every season.

How well a designer (I use the term in the traditional sense, not to indicate what we would call a stylist) is able to know and interpret the needs of his target customer is what distinguishes good designers from less good ones. Some designers are also more technically competent than others. Salaries can be very elevated for good ones so they tend to go to companies who can afford those salaries and who care to pay them. I happen to think that there is a greater concentration of good designers in Europe because, for a long time, designers in the US tended to hoard their secrets for fear of losing their lofty positions and salaries while in Europe there was a greater focus on education.
 

LA Guy

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
Yes, I am, and I think I was being as polite as was warranted, under the circumstances. One might say that Mahon threw the first punch by ******** on RTW with a laughable assertion.

Patterns are revised and sometimes remade entirely every season, demographic and sizing data is analyzed constantly, and new grade rules are developed to reflect changing morphology within different market segments.

So, no, we most certainly do not use old patterns drafted when people stood differently. Take shots at RTW for the areas in which it fails and I will happily accept them. Just don't make **** up in order to sell your product.


I'm not in the RTW business, but I have definitely seen this in action. I've seen designers work with patternmakers to create patterns from scratch, or at least dramatically alter existing patterns.

I'm not sure where Tom got his information from. I'm guessing that he heard the story somewhere, and repeated it as fact. Happens to all of us.
 

Svenn

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Originally Posted by jefferyd
When I have seen things I liked I have said so but I wouldn't go so far as endorsing any particular tailor in the sense that I think you are looking for because it all boils down to taste, budget, and rapport. Finding a tailor whose style you like, who is able to interpret what you want at a price you can afford is very personal. What works for one will not work for another.

На вкус, на цвет това́рищей нет.


Understandable... and I'm glad you state that instead of saying everyone except for your personal tailor is utterly incompetent. I do like the style of few coats I've seen you post... obviously you don't have to make a formal recommendation, like you say, but I am just curious who you generally use?

Originally Posted by Redwoood
Svenn, since content people tend to be quiet, whereas disappointed people tend to be vocal, it's not surprising that you can read a lot of negative opinions here on SF.
But there are a lot of positive examples as well, just see the A&S expat thread.

Also, criticism is usually specific, drawing a lot of responses, which tends to draw a lot of attention towards the criticism. Praise, on the other hand, is usually of general nature, and thus, less likely to draw attention.


It's not as simple as that, I'm not talking about predictable subjective criticisms being thrown around like you would naturally expect from any public business... rather if you look on film noir buff, londonlounge, or cutter and tailor forums, you'll see very knowledgeable posters ripping apart the fundamental competency of very esteemed tailors to even make a basic coat. You see it on here with Mahon, on FNB with Steven Hitchcock, and basically any Savile Row tailor except for Henry Poole on londonlounge. I just get frustrated sometimes and wonder who the hell all these critics are using for their tailor.
 

jefferyd

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Originally Posted by Svenn
Understandable... and I'm glad you state that instead of saying everyone except for your personal tailor is utterly incompetent. I do like the style of few coats I've seen you post... obviously you don't have to make a formal recommendation, like you say, but I am just curious who you generally use?


I use me. But only because I give me a discount.
 

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