Vintage Business Wear Newbie

s_crumb said:

Billyspew:

What do the second hand Savile Row suits generally go for over there? I recently picked up several Savile Row suits for $60 a piece. I was wondering if those were typical prices? Seems crazy people would spend $3000 dollars or more on a suit and they would get sold so cheaply.

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The reason you spend that much on a suit is the fact that it's a perfect bespoke suit. If you buy it second hand, it is not bespoke for you. It might fit quite well, but it won't fit as well as if it were made _for_ you. That's why second hand Savile Row suits sell so cheap.

I'd forgotten about Hornets, or I'd have mentioned them earlier. When I visited, the suits were around £150-£200 each. London is expensive, and everybody buying suits there knows what Savile Row means, which adds more premium.

Thunderbolt said:

Also, take a look at magnoliclothiers.com
He's one of "our guys" out in New Zealand. A bit pricey, but everything's bespoke with top materials. But if your in Britain, you might as well go Savil Rowe(sp)?

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A basic Savile Row suit is around £2000 ($3200 US). A slight price difference vs. Magnoli. Also, to be pedantic, Magnoli are made to measure, not bespoke.

Lokar said:

Also, to be pedantic, Magnoli are made to measure, not bespoke.

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Not pedantic at all. That is a point that needs constant defining.

s_crumb said:

Billyspew:

What do the second hand Savile Row suits generally go for over there? I recently picked up several Savile Row suits for $60 a piece. I was wondering if those were typical prices? Seems crazy people would spend $3000 dollars or more on a suit and they would get sold so cheaply.

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Roughly what Lokar said - about £200.
Yes, while not fitted for you, they will fit as well as (if not better) a £200 suit from other places.

billyspew said:

Roughly what Lokar said - about £200.
Yes, while not fitted for you, they will fit as well as (if not better) a £200 suit from other places.

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I'd say definitely better - high armholes alone are non-existent at new products at the £200 range in my experience.

Bespoken = Be-broken

s_crumb said:

Billyspew:

What do the second hand Savile Row suits generally go for over there? I recently picked up several Savile Row suits for $60 a piece. I was wondering if those were typical prices? Seems crazy people would spend $3000 dollars or more on a suit and they would get sold so cheaply.

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I admit envy for those who can afford a bespoke suit. On the other hand, it's lucky many of us can get a good result with made-to-measure suits or even the altered 'off the rack' if we are fortunate enough to have the shape for them.
The costs of a bespoke suit should help many of us rationalize the purchase of good vintage suits which, while not inexpensive, are usually less than $3200 and can, by definition, never be 'bespoke' for us!

Thanks for the names of the shops guys, I'll check 'em out.

Def don't have the money for a bespoke Saville Row... :lol:

I can recommend Hornets as well. I bought an excellent suit there the first time I went, but unfortunately the second time all the suits were too large for me. Very friendly staff as well.

A place I've never been, but only heard of is Old Hat. I think near Chelsea, but I'm not too sure. Has anyone been there?

I've not been there yet, but I've heard Old Hat well recommended. I've heard it said you can get a nice fifties suit there for £150 or so. Seems a bit compared to what's on the 'Bay sometimes, but when you compare the durability of a decent fifties suit to what you'd get for that money now.... (Last new suit I bought was from Next, back in 03...I got three or four good years out of it. Nice, well cut, suit.... but nothing on the vintage stuff I've bought since.

billyspew said:

There's also a couple of stores on Chalk Farm Road (between Camden & Chalk Farm), but it's mostly horrible 70's ones with the odd gem.

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Yeah... Camden is basically dead now. Long, slow death, basically from 2004 or whenever exactly they started building that ghastly concrete monstrosity that houses that Gilgamesh restaurant, which is.... well, I've never heard anything about the food, but plenty about various ladette pop stars fallin' out of it drunk...

For vintage wear, I'd recommend more the East End markets - Spitalfields, Brick Lane, that generic area.... Some of the vintage stores are very pricey, but there are gems to be found (Beyond Retro on Cheshire Street is recommended; avoid Absolute Vintage, however - it would be better renamed Absolute Eighties Tat). There's a lot of eighties tat around.... that's what the Shoreditch kids are into nowadays, I suppose... but that has a benefit in a couple of ways... For one, there's no incentive to pass it off as something earlier.... and for two, there was a lot of stuff back in the 80s that was a revival of fifties trends (the fleck jackets, I remember). This does mean that, with care, you can pick up a few pieces that look right for the fifties vibe a bit cheaper.

Unicorn Designs:

http://www.unicorn-50s-designs.co.uk/

(I can't get the site to come up tonight, but I'm sure they're still in business). These folks specialise in retro fifties rock and roll wear. Much of it (teddy boy, bowling shirts, etc) isn't going to work for what you want, but... they do do a reasonably nice pair of (poly-cotton mix, but they feel nice, not poly-feeling at all, if you follow) pegged trousers. I have them in black, nice for regular wear. I'd hazard a guess at them being fairly late fifties in cut... slimmer cut than my early-mid 50s (original) suit, really nice to wear. I'd prefer them just a touch higher in the waist, but then I like that typically 30s/40s high waist thing...

I've also had great luck with dear old eBay... it's a matter of scouring the listings as regularly as you can bring yourself to - no searching just trawl the full vintage area listing.... Of course, you have to watch out for sizings: it's ridiculous how many people out there seem to be under the impression that if the jacket measures 42" around the chest, then it's a size 42.... a lot of folks don't want to move while wearing their clothes, I suppose. [huh] Knowing what actual underarm space you require in a jacket can be useful too.... while a modern 42R is grand on me, with vintage I often need a 44 to have the space across the shoulders (and, eh.... a touch further south, too).

With suits, as I'm sure you're already discovered, you have to watch the trousers too.... if you're prepared to invest a few more quid in alterations, check also whether the seller knows (often, dealers anyhow, give it out in the auction) if there is sufficient cloth in there to take the waist out an inch or two, or lengthen the legs.... all too many suits, though, have been shortened for Little Johnny at some time in their history, and you'll have to be on the smaller side to fit 'em.

Oh... and old man clothes shops like Marksies can often turn up trumps for basics like chinos that have the right general look and fit right into the outfit.



(I've been told you were trying to PM me a while back; now you're over the 15 posts that should work...)