Hickey freeman suits

Originally Posted by dieselman89

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I just saw one at nordstrom rack. HF limited collection navy originally $995 for $495. Thoughts?

Pass it by. HF Limited is made for the Rack. Half-canvassed. Still made in Rochester, just not to the regular HF full-canvassed standards.

Originally Posted by Fred H.

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I'm not in agreement with this statement at all. I am almost a PERFECT 46L. The HF Madison fits me extremely well, with only minor modifications. The suits are very well made and can often be found at very generous discounts. Now if you are NOT near a standard size, then your opinion makes sense. But for many of the rest of us it does not.

Oh, and BTW, I placed THREE orders with one of those "dirt-cheap" tailors in Asia for custom shirts and was exceedingly disappointed. You'd think after my repeated (four) face-to-face meetings with their tailor they could make me a shirt that fits. Nope. What a waste of time/money.

There is no such thing as a standard size. Even your own body is not perfectly proportioned on each side, so why would you think that a mass-produced garment intended for a pattern that doesn't exist in reality could fit better or even equally well as a garment that is tailored just for you. A made-to-measure suit, particularly one purchased from an American concern, is going to fit better than any OTR suit. That's not opinion that's fact.

Originally Posted by Felix Krull

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My opinion is that any OTR suit is crap! With access to dirt-cheap tailors in Asia, not to mention the quality (but pricey) tailoring available here in the States, you can get a made-to-measure suit for less than or equal to OTR that will be far superior to any mass-produced OTR product.

When people buy OTR they do so because they a) care more about the label than anything else or b) want to justify their previous behavior by continuing to do what they've always done.

Hickey Freeman, Canali, Armani, Brioni, or ravioli are just labels produced for the masses who value goods by price and not worth.


Total crap.

Originally Posted by Felix Krull

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My opinion is that any OTR suit is crap! With access to dirt-cheap tailors in Asia, not to mention the quality (but pricey) tailoring available here in the States, you can get a made-to-measure suit for less than or equal to OTR that will be far superior to any mass-produced OTR product.

When people buy OTR they do so because they a) care more about the label than anything else or b) want to justify their previous behavior by continuing to do what they've always done.

Hickey Freeman, Canali, Armani, Brioni, or ravioli are just labels produced for the masses who value goods by price and not worth.


I agree with you in principle. However, MTM is not necessarily the perfect choice either. I blew $2K on an MTM ************* before (I was in Paris for 2 weeks and got carried away with my spending).

Reality, if you cant find a good MTM tailor, then your probably better off with an OTR suit. A good MTM tailor - thats a different matter! Finding this good tailor is also another matter! OTR is convienient for the masses - is that not what our society is about? Convenience?

Originally Posted by Dinky89484

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Are Brooks Brother suits on par with HF suits or is one far in away better than the other?

The Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece is roughly on par with a HF suit.

I think their suits are great quality and they can be had for quite cheap if you know where to look. You can usually find them for much less than Brooks and they are equal to, if not better than the Golden Fleece line, IMO. Outside of Oxxford, and English American, I don't think you will find better USA made suits than HF or BB GF's.

I have a Vanguard line that I got off the B/S section, it is charcoal, 130's Loro Piana with a ticket pocket, and working cuffs, flat front pants and a fantastic overall fit. I only had to have the pants let out a touch and taken up a tad for "no break". The suit had never been worn and I had it for $300. I get more positive responses for that suit than any other I own. I actually had it on when I visited the HF store on Madison Ave and Richard (the manager) loved it, he told me it was one of the best HF's he has seen. If I died tomorrow, I would be buried in it.

The Rack usually has a good amount if you catch it on the right time of year, I picked up a Madison glen plaid from there that was down to $750 with another 50% off that due to a clearance.

Gilt also has HF on there at least 4 times a year, they always look like the Vanguard line as they are flat front and trimmer looking. They usually go for $300-$400ish on there and they are not the LTD line, which is the outlet brand (even still not a bad suit for $300 compared to what you see at retail "sales&quot.

How are HF suits compared to Ralph lauren polo label ? (made in italy)

Quality of PRL may be a bit lower than HF (fused vs canvassed and so on). But PRL fit is awesome! and HF fit is rather boring...

Originally Posted by intfxdx

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How are HF suits compared to Ralph lauren polo label ? (made in italy)

To my untrained eye HF silhouette is almost similar to Canali - strong shoulders and not too slim. With the similar quality HF will be cheaper.

Originally Posted by BigRed

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I've been thinking about buying a Canali suit but just recently took a look at a Hickey Freeman. So I was kind of curious as to how these two lines compare to each other...

Originally Posted by Fred H.

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Pass it by. HF Limited is made for the Rack. Half-canvassed. Still made in Rochester, just not to the regular HF full-canvassed standards.

+1 Thanks! I had a feeling it was too good to be true.

Originally Posted by Felix Krull

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There is no such thing as a standard size.
You're right. I misspoke. What I meant to say was that 46L in HF Madison fits ME as if made for me. Other brands in an identical size fit differently.

Originally Posted by Grigory

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To my untrained eye HF silhouette is almost similar to Canali - strong shoulders and not too slim. With the similar quality HF will be cheaper.

HF has a variety of cuts.

Good to see this thread. In the past, on this bored, I have seen HF listed on various "best bargain" or "most underrated" lists, which I think sells them quite short. Having handled dozens of their products, I always felt they were very high quality and better than a lot of the stuff that is constantly hyped.

It is also interesting what jefferyd says about their new designer ... I have recently seen them make some VERY interesting (and slimmer cut) garments under the "Tailored Sport," "Sporty Look," "Tailored Look" and "Modern Madison" lines. The two "Platinum" line SC's I have listed for sale ( ) are borderline radical for HF. Stuff like that used to be confined to their Hickey line - which I also thought was VERY good. I know it's dissolved, but as I understand it, they will continue with similar product under a new name.

It seems that the company is working at evolving, without losing their roots and identity or settling.

Originally Posted by gregaz

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It seems that the company is working at evolving, without losing their roots and identity or settling.

FWIW, there are quite a number of new people at the company. The article mentions Joseph Abboud, but also Mike Cohen, former president of Oxxford and Doug Williams, former president of Polo Ralph Lauren. If nothing else one might infer that it is anything but same-old, same-old...

Originally Posted by jefferyd

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FWIW, there are quite a number of new people at the company. The article mentions Joseph Abboud, but also Mike Cohen, former president of Oxxford and Doug Williams, former president of Polo Ralph Lauren. If nothing else one might infer that it is anything but same-old, same-old...

Very cool!