Other tidbits from my visit on the Row this month. I dropped by Anderson & Sheppard to check on a suit and was wearing a two-piece suit made by an American tailor. The managing director Mr. Hitchcock took note of it, requested to take a closer look and said it was the “best looking suit from America I’ve seen so far.” Considering I liked my suit as well, I said it was not bad. “Not bad?”, he exclaimed, “it’s very good!” I will refrain from naming the tailor as I do think America has several world-class tailors from coast to coast (including my mystery bespoke American tailor or MBAT). Let the guessing games begin!
In other news, Kilgour recently announced to customers that they are no longer offering the entry level bespoke service, which I had written about in 2006 and 2007. The entry level description is still up on the Kilgour website but the email I received was quite clear about its discontinuation. It’s a pity since I think it was an excellent value and was very pleased with the results.
Would love to know if MBAT (or someone else of comparable ability) is anywhere near San Francisco… 🙂
The only bespoke suit that you've blogged about is from Novex, if I remember correctly. Would it be that one?
Is there going to be a reveal?
Adam – I've heard good things about visiting tailors. One of them is Johnathan Behr. He's listed under the labels on the left side of my blog. If you click on his name, you'll see the relevant entries and links to where he's discussed in the discussion fora. The other tailor is Thomas Mahon, though I'm not sure if he is taking new customers.
Rob – Although I may not have written about them in my blog, I actually have bespoke and MTM suits and jackets from a bunch of tailors…but the MBAT is not Novex (though I still wear his suits)! I suppose the mystery tailor in question would love to be revealed but, in all fairness to Mr. Hitchcock, he probably assumed he was not going to be quoted. Hence, his candidness and hence my partial reveal.
I've used Johnathan Behr twice now. I can recommend him. He likes British style of tailoring. My brief to Johnathan was for a "classic timeless" style. I'm happy with the result.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Johnathan Behr. Glad to hear you've had good results.
William Field II is the MBAT
Field Tailors is an excellent guess (but still a guess!).
I guessed Field as you are on of the few sartorial bloggers that have mentioned him. I'd like very much to see a proper review of Field's work. There are many threads that compliment his alteration skill. Is he a true bespoke tailor who cuts a paper pattern for each client? Is he the cutter? I visited his shop and saw many bolts of nice fabrics. He is a really nice fellow but is he a bespoke tailor by Savile Row definition.
Yes, William Field is a bespoke tailor. I did a brief write-up on my blog (search for field tailors for the entry). You can also search Styleforum and AskAndy for mentions of his work.
By a strict definition, he is not a Savile Row tailor since he is based in the US. But he certainly has English and Savile Row influences, starting with his father.
If you are really looking for a classic Savile Row look and have specific questions for Will, I would encourage you to visit and engage him in a friendly conversation – see a coat in progress, a sample pattern.
See also my entry on picking and choosing a tailor, which may be helpful.