New Suits

[Kittlemeier]

I have a problem. Every vintage suit that I try on just doesn't fit in the shoulders. I'm no bodybuilder or anything but that should be evident in my pics. I assume it's just the steroids and chemicals in our food and the human race getting larger on a whole or whatever(the whole A-2 design change and all). I love the style of vintage suits and can't stand the usual fare that's available at so-called men's shops.

I bought a vintage tux several years ago that I just fell in love with the details. I told myself it fit knowing it didn't. When the time for my wedding came around I decided to look for one like it, you can probably guess how that went. I happened upon a little shop about a block from the state capitol building in Tallahassee, FL called Nic's Toggery. They sold me on a company called Samuelsohn(listed in the Canadian section of Style and the Man for those who have it) who do made to order suits.

Basically you look through the swatches of fabric, pick out the cut and details of the suit you want, they take all the measurements a tailor would(definitely some I'd never had before), and it's made in the factory in Canada. When it comes in they do all the final alterations like cuffing and taking in(if you're on a workout program for your coming wedding) or letting out(if you've gained sympathy weight with your expecting wife) the pants. The cost is probably half what on site tailoring would be and the quality is great. Nothing compares to the fit you get out of one of these things.

I just wanted to let everyone know that the option is available and how pleased I am with the service. Everyone always seems to be looking for something specific like Rick's or Indy's dinner jackets with no luck. This is a great option in that situation. K

http://www.samuelsohn.com/index.cfm

 

[Nathan Flowers]

May I ask what the approximate cost usually is?

They have a retailer about an hour from me, in Myrtle Beach

 

[Kittlemeier]

It depends. Nic's sends out birthday cards with a 20% discount and there's also a 10% discount on referalls. The tux was $1200 but I only paid $960 with the birthday card. My best friend also bought a tux so I got 10% off the brown suit. It ended up being somewhere around a thousand. There was a charge for grosgrain lapels, fancy lining, and surgeon cuff sleeves on the tux and a charge for the vest and surgeon cuffs on the suit. It also depends on the main fabric. Some are much more expensive than others.

For reference, a dinner jacket like Rick's or Indy's would run me between six and seven hundred depending on lapel facings, skeleton lining which they call unconstructed(more expensive than regular lining as the taped seams are more labor intensive), or again surgeon cuffs. That's about what Minnesota paid if I recall. Also, I got a small rip in the brown suit pants while in Puerto Rico in January. I wasn't happy with the reweaving job and the fabric was still available so I ordered a new pair for $265 which is about what Noel charged for custom pants. So all in all it's I'd say not quite double what a good off the rack suit costs. K

 

[MisterCairo]

I wonder how he managed!