I stopped by Novex today for my second fitting. All in all, the fit was extremely good – Harold breezed through the standard ‘punch list’ for a jacket fitting – collar fit, front and back balance, jacket length, sleeve pitch, button stance and gorge. The admirable characteristics I noted in my earlier entry remain – […]
Novex: The second fitting Read More »
Giacomo Trabalza and Jack Taylor are the two preeminent bespoke tailors in Los Angeles. I have long been wondering if there might be a third in the city of their caliber and reputation. There just might be and the tailor’s shop is called Novex. In this AskAndy thread on Novex, Panzeraxe describes running across it
LA’s tailoring triumvirate complete? Enter Novex Read More »
For the more visually inclined, this article on bespoke shoes provides an excellent primer on the constituent parts of a traditionally constructed men’s dress shoe. The article also introduces two well-known shoemakers, Lobb and Cleverley. Thanks to toniok on StyleForum for posting this. The same website also has another article providing a nice peek inside
Goldarth’s article on bespoke shoes, Lobb and Cleverley Read More »
Blogs can provide short-term sales spikes and perhaps even smooth out the seasonality of sales in the bespoke tailoring business and provide a predictable demand curve. Of course, the most well-known and successful example of this is Thomas Mahon and his blog the English Cut. Beyond simply sustaining a business, he actually grew and expanded
For tailors: Managing/shaping demand through blogs Read More »
During my summer visit to London, I dropped by Foster & Son (incorporating Henry Maxwell) to take a look at their shoes. I spoke to a friendly gentleman named Peter and we got into a wideranging conversation about Foster & Son’s new direction and the shoe market. Foster went through a recent management change as
Foster & Son: Jermyn St shoemaker Read More »
I became aware of Freddy through an AskAndy post by Carl of Cego Shirts. Freddy is a Belgian-born shirtmaker living and working in Los Angeles (Studio City to be precise). His process is fully bespoke since he both cuts and sews the shirts himself. Freddy has diplomas from Art et Metier (Belgium) and Academie Darroux
Freddy Vandecasteele: A bespoke shirtmaker Read More »
Courtesy of harrybee in this AskAndy thread, I came across a brief video interview of Brian Lishak of Richard Anderson. This is a brief but wonderful introduction to what makes a successful tailor (even if you stumble into the trade by accident as Lishak did).
“Accidental” tailoring at its best: Brian Lishak interview Read More »
This AskAndy thread contains some excellent analysis and brainstorming on the economics of tailoring today. Essentially there are two options: demand stimulation (e.g. better marketing and branding) and supply chain efficiencies (e.g. outsourcing or automation). An example of both would be Kilgour, which has rebranded itself as a luxury apparel brand and introduced a more
The future of tailors Read More »
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