I picked up the completed two piece suit today and took a shot of the storefront before I left. Harold clearly takes pride in his work. The lapel has a nice belly and fullness to its shape (My sense is that he’d make a superb looking shawl collared dinner jacket). On the trousers, he adds small stitching details – what I would call ‘knotted’ pick stitching – on the trouser pocket edge and the flyfront face. A somewhat unusual detail or at least one that I haven’t seen on other trousers. He invited me to wear the suit for a few weeks so that it can settle in and come back with any adjustments.
A couple of additional details for those interested in trying Novex. If I order another jacket or suit, I’ll request a couple of changes. First, a straight buttonhole on the lapel. He makes a keyhole button as standard but said he would accommodate my request. Second I’ll ask for a slightly smaller (or shallower) notch. The notch is cut a little bit deeper into the lapel than my other jackets – a la the cran Necker notch style of the Parisian cutter Francesco Smalto. This London Lounge thread illustrates and discusses the cran Necker notch style. It’s a distinctive look but I think it works better for larger framed customers.
July 2007 update: On a recent visit, I learned that Harold spent a year in Rome training with a tailor named Santorelli (back in 1969). So his grounding is in the Roman cut. Good to get confirmation of my initial impression of his cutting style, which I described as Roman/Continental. The other interesting tidbit is that he makes suits for the manager of the Beverly Hills Turnbull & Asser shop. When I visited, I was wearing a Kilgour sports coat and Harold was curious to take a closer look at it. I obliged him and he was favorably impressed with the cut (esp. the shoulders and sleeves) but pointed out the somewhat closed front quarters, which I conceded could be more open. Perhaps not surprisingly, in his opinion, the English make the best cloths, but the Italians are the better tailors.
Can you post some images of the suit?