Australian Members

I've had a good look at MJ Bale recently. Very nice stuff, would be my choice if shopping locally.

Originally Posted by Jimbosaurus

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I'm 6'3" and 100kg. At one point in my life I was the same height and 63kg. I'd like to be halfway between those 2 points. No idea what jacket size that would leave me with.
Sounds a lot like me, only I never got as low as 63kg. I'm 6'3" and currently at 91kg and 42L. The worst part is I bought a number of suits when I was 104kg and 44L. I don't want to go much lower than, say, 85kg. Once I'm < 85kg (lowest 77kg), I look emaciated. All the best with the weight loss, mate.

Originally Posted by TheWraith

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I've had a good look at MJ Bale recently. Very nice stuff, would be my choice if shopping locally.

Made in Japan, with nice lapel roll yet MJ Bale is still pricey at full price. I like the store's concept though, classic and stylish.
Herringbone suits, I believe, are now made in Van Lack supplier's factory. The same with the shirts.

How often does MJ Bale have significant sales?

I see at the moment they have a bunch of shirts on sale (pretty cheap too), but don't appear to have anything significant on sale (suits, trousers, knitwear).

Just going off the website...

Originally Posted by kickstart

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How often does MJ Bale have significant sales?

I see at the moment they have a bunch of shirts on sale (pretty cheap too), but don't appear to have anything significant on sale (suits, trousers, knitwear).

Just going off the website...

They have a 20% sales in shops at the moment for suits. See my comment above.

When comparing retail between HB/MJ Bale to a MTM P Johnson, we are talking about an extra 20% on average for a suit that will fit better & have far superior cloth. & this is not factoring the cost of tailoring a OTR HB/MJ which closes the difference. Also the tailoring is only as good as the sales person which 90% of the time has no actual tailoring experience or sartorial knowledge. My HB suits have served very well & I still wear them as I was very fortunate to have had the sharp eye of Ethan to help with the tailoring which IMO no one else will be able to provide at HB/MJB or many other retail operations in Australia. The more I wear my MTM P Johnson, the harder it is for me to wear my HB suits. Sure they are not the same as my bespoke suits, but the price & convenience is very hard to beat in Australia. We come to SF to learn from other's, yet there is this constant chater to find bargains when in the end you will not be satisfied. Even more so the more knowledge we gain from SF. I understand that we all come from different socio economic backgrounds, but the point of SF & forums is to learn from others. So why don't you? I find it interesting that no one has yet to post a suit from MJB. FWIW I have tried MJB a few times with Ethan & the consensus is the cut is not the same as the "Osaka" block from HB. Sure there is some common details, but there is something missing. This constant chatter about being MiJ - this means nothing is the fit is not there. Just my POV

The Economist

Originally Posted by The Economist

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HAPPY THE COUNTRY that never makes the front pages of foreign newspapers. Australia is one such. Only a dozen economies are bigger, and only six nations are richer"”of which Switzerland alone has even a third as many people. Australia is rich, tranquil and mostly overlooked, yet it has a story to tell. Its current prosperity was far from inevitable. Twenty-five years ago Paul Keating, the country's treasurer (finance minister), declared that if Australia failed to reform it would become a banana republic. Barely five years later, after a nasty recession, the country began a period of uninterrupted economic expansion matched by no other rich country. It continues to this day. This special report will explain how this has come about and ask whether it can last.

Those with a passing acquaintance of Australia will attribute its success to its luck in having such an abundance of minerals that its booming Asian neighbours want to buy. That is certainly part of the story. Yet Australia was not dragged down when a financial crisis struck Asia in 1997. And commodity exports have not always been fashionable. In the 1990s many thought they were evidence of an incorrigibly "old", low-tech economy doomed to decline. Australia's terms of trade"”the ratio of its export prices to its import prices"”seemed stuck at unfavourably low levels. Not until 2003 did minerals begin to boom again, though by then Australia had escaped both the Asian crisis and the recession that hit America in 2001. Five years later came the GFC, Oz-speak for global financial crisis. Yet that, too, failed to drive Australia into recession. Someone, other than Lady Luck, must have been doing something right.

.....

By 2003 the effective rate of protection in manufacturing had fallen from about 35% in the 1970s to 5%. Foreign banks had been allowed to compete. Airlines, shipping and telecoms had been deregulated. The labour market had been largely freed, with centralised wage-fixing replaced by enterprise bargaining. State-owned firms had been privatised. A capital-gains tax and a valued-added tax had been brought in, and the double taxation of dividends ended. Corporate and income taxes had both been cut.

These reforms have done much more to transform the Australian economy than the recent improvement in the terms of trade. They have also transformed the country.

Read More: http://www.economist.com/node/18719530

Originally Posted by Phat Guido

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When comparing retail between HB/MJ Bale to a MTM P Johnson, we are talking about an extra 20% on average for a suit that will fit better & have far superior cloth.

& this is not factoring the cost of tailoring a OTR HB/MJ which closes the difference. Also the tailoring is only as good as the sales person which 90% of the time has no actual tailoring experience or sartorial knowledge.

My HB suits have served very well & I still wear them as I was very fortunate to have had the sharp eye of Ethan to help with the tailoring which IMO no one else will be able to provide at HB/MJB or many other retail operations in Australia.

The more I wear my MTM P Johnson, the harder it is for me to wear my HB suits. Sure they are not the same as my bespoke suits, but the price & convenience is very hard to beat in Australia.

We come to SF to learn from other's, yet there is this constant chater to find bargains when in the end you will not be satisfied. Even more so the more knowledge we gain from SF.

I understand that we all come from different socio economic backgrounds, but the point of SF & forums is to learn from others. So why don't you?

I find it interesting that no one has yet to post a suit from MJB.

FWIW I have tried MJB a few times with Ethan & the consensus is the cut is not the same as the "Osaka" block from HB. Sure there is some common details, but there is something missing.

This constant chatter about being MiJ - this means nothing is the fit is not there.

Just my POV

This is very true, at RRP, there's no reason not to go with PJ as the value he is offering is unbeatable. However, HB and MJBale are easily had at $500 a suit - it appears that Van Laack have alot more lax discounting, and thus I would never pay full retail anymore. So it really becomes a comparison between a $1400 M2M or $5-600 OTR which both represent superior value over any of sydney's other offerings.

Originally Posted by Phat Guido

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We come to SF to learn from other's, yet there is this constant chater to find bargains when in the end you will not be satisfied. Even more so the more knowledge we gain from SF.

I understand that we all come from different socio economic backgrounds, but the point of SF & forums is to learn from others. So why don't you?

I find it interesting that no one has yet to post a suit from MJB.

FWIW I have tried MJB a few times with Ethan & the consensus is the cut is not the same as the "Osaka" block from HB. Sure there is some common details, but there is something missing.

This constant chatter about being MiJ - this means nothing is the fit is not there.

Just my POV


Bargains can be had, as long as you are satisfied with what you are getting. By being on styleforum members should generally be more informed of the relative value and utility of what they're buying.

With regards to the fit of MJB, it does appear a bit boxier than the older HB osaka cut.

Originally Posted by JTA

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Made in Japan, with nice lapel roll yet MJ Bale is still pricey at full price. I like the store's concept though, classic and stylish.
Herringbone suits, I believe, are now made in Van Lack supplier's factory. The same with the shirts.

Naturally, buy when on sale, unless buying full price is not an issue for you.

Originally Posted by AriGold

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This is very true, at RRP, there's no reason not to go with PJ as the value he is offering is unbeatable. However, HB and MJBale are easily had at $500 a suit - it appears that Van Laack have alot more lax discounting, and thus I would never pay full retail anymore. So it really becomes a comparison between a $1400 M2M or $5-600 OTR which both represent superior value over any of sydney's other offerings.


Bargains can be had, as long as you are satisfied with what you are getting. By being on styleforum members should generally be more informed of the relative value and utility of what they're buying.

I agree with your comments Ari. While I am still keen to trial MTM from Patrick Johnson, in circumstances where Herringbone are willing to heavily discount their suits, it is hard to pass up the opportunity to purchase, particuarly as I am familiar with the cut and know, from past experience, that I can get them adjusted to fit me relatively well.

I also agree with PG's comment that, at full price, PJ is a better value proposition than HB or MJ Bale.

Originally Posted by merkur

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Sounds like a blazer. No idea about original cost but likely to have been very expensive if we're talking JH Cutler. I personally avoid buying bespoke items secondhand if I can't try them on first as, by definition, bespoke items usually only fit the person for whom they were made. Personally I think AS navy blazers are good enough for everday use.
Yes we are talking JH Cutler navy blazer and yes i avoid buying someone else's bespoke as well but this was given to me and its probably the best quality I have ever seen (comparing to high end Italian, US, UK) etc) and absolutely MINT, so if anyone is interested to get measurements ball park 40-42 long, PM me. I would list on buying and selling but I guess only Aussies would know Cutler?

Originally Posted by labravajazz

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Yes we are talking JH Cutler navy blazer and yes i avoid buying someone else's bespoke as well but this was given to me and its probably the best quality I have ever seen (comparing to high end Italian, US, UK) etc) and absolutely MINT, so if anyone is interested to get measurements ball park 40-42 long, PM me. I would list on buying and selling but I guess only Aussies would know Cutler?

Throw some photos up.

I'm going to grab a PJ suit later this year, as soon as i thin out my other suits.

Not much point have 11 suits when I work in advertising and my uniform is jeans and a tee

Originally Posted by jaypee

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Throw some photos up.

I'm going to grab a PJ suit later this year, as soon as i thin out my other suits.

Not much point have 11 suits when I work in advertising and my uniform is jeans and a tee

Same thing is happening to me...looked the other day...too many suits. At one stage it saved dry cleaning bills but now...taking up space. Cleaned out unwanted ties and still have about 100. How many worn this week? Nullo Nada...

Originally Posted by meister

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Same thing is happening to me...looked the other day...too many suits. At one stage it saved dry cleaning bills but now...taking up space. Cleaned out unwanted ties and still have about 100. How many worn this week? Nullo Nada...
Sometimes i fiend to wear my Vass, EGs, CJs etc, but have no reason too. Maybe a huge closet cull is imminent

I'm still looking for quality than price... I value quality that much...