New York is a strange town for menswear. It doesn’t have the same traditional shops as Europe and bespoke is substantially undermined by visitors from Savile Row. If there is a tradition, it’s for value and department stores: low-priced suits at one extreme and glorified shop-in-shops at the other.
So where does the crafted, sartorial menswear we love fit in? Around the edges. In places like the Armoury, online showrooms like No Man Walks Alone, and multi-brand shops that have established with their own local following, such as Leffot or CHCM.
It’s also great for vintage, with far more than London. And there is a growing number of good casual or workwear shops. The biggest change since this list was last updated in 2015 is that department stores have become increasingly irrelevant, and shops like Stoffa, Wythe and Buck Mason have opened.
This guide is the part of a series on Permanent Style. You can see the rest here. It’s worth reiterating the general rules we use for inclusion:
- The guides are to quality clothing. Only shops producing at a high grade are included
- We only cover menswear, with a significant leaning towards sartorial menswear
- We lean heavily towards shops that are unique to the city. So big chains are excluded, while some with a small number of locations are admitted
- The list doesn’t pretend to be comprehensive. It expands every time it’s reviewed, but is still more about the places we know than a list of all of them
TAILORING AND BESPOKE
The Armoury
thearmoury.com
168 Duane St and 13 E69th St
The shop founded in Hong Kong now has two branches in New York, one in Tribeca and a new one uptown. Responsible bringing in brands like Ring Jacket, St Crispin’s and Carmina over the years, plus a regular series of bespoke artisans, and retains an excellent range of RTW and MTM tailoring in various different styles.
J Mueser
jmueser.com
19 Christopher St
The other obvious option for tailoring, down on Christopher St in the West Village. A great atmosphere and perhaps a younger offering, the Mueser boys have some RTW, different MTM options and even a full bespoke (benchmade) option. Also shirt, knits, accessories.
Paul Stuart
www.paulstuart.com
354 Madison Ave
Paul Stuart has always been one of our favourite stores. It’s set up how big menswear stores should be: chock full of well-made, classically styled clothing and accessories, with free alterations and knowledgeable staff. The sock selection alone is worth a visit.
New York bespoke: Paolo Martorano and Leonard Logsdail
www.paolostyle.com
130 W57th St
leonardlogsdail.com
9 E 53rd St
The two bespoke tailors in New York I know and would certainly recommend. Paolo makes a softer coat, Len a more structured one, but both are real bespoke and do what they say they will. I’ve covered Paolo rather more, and you can see a full review here.
There are various other smaller tailors, none of whom we have tried, but we did cover in some detail here. The comments on that piece are as useful as the article. Although I haven’t experienced it myself, Alan Flusser’s made-to-measure is worth mentioning for anyone that’s a fan of his writing.
Foreign bespoke: Huntsman, Cad & The Dandy, Thom Sweeney
Huntsman and Cad are both in the building at 130 W 57th St
www.huntsmansavilerow.com
www.cadandthedandy.co.uk
Thom Sweeney are in Soho, at 362 W Broadway
thomsweeney.com
A significant addition since the last version of this guide is physical locations of English bespoke offerings. You felt it was going to happen eventually, given how much easier it is to travel round the US from New York, and have a permanent base that US customers can visit at any time. Of these, Huntsman is the Savile Row stalwart and the most expensive; Thom Sweeney is a younger style, though also getting more expensive these days.
Of course, many tailors and other craftspeople visit New York very often, but this guide is for those based in the city, which you’re more likely to be travelling to see.
Shirtmakers: Geneva and Cego
genevacustomshirts.com, 65 W 55th St
www.cego.com, 10 E 23rd St
Geneva is round the corner from that W 57th St address with all the tailors. Not a glamorous shop, but a real workroom where Eugene makes his own patterns and cuts on-site. Not something you see in midtown Manhattan much these days.
Cego is a bigger business, making some shirts in-house but also sending others to a factory over the river in New Jersey. Popular as a an entry-level option, they also do a lot of TV and film work (as does Geneva).
OTHER SARTORIAL CLOTHING
Leffot
leffot.com
10 Christopher St
Top here only because it was first. I still remember clearly walking into Leffot the week it opened, and thinking what a breath of fresh air it was. Years later, it remains the best shoe shop in New York.
Belgian Shoes
belgianshoes.com
110 E55th St
The Belgian Loafers shop is not large or especially impressive, but it remains pretty much the only place you can buy the soft-made shoes with the little bows, which have something of a cult following. They’ve gone up considerably in price in recent years, perhaps as a reflection of that following.
JJ Hat Center and Worth & Worth
www.jjhatcenter.com
310 5th Avenue
www.hatshop.com
263 Bowery
There isn’t a plethora of hat shops in New York, but two deserve mention. The first is JJ Hat Center, as it has history on its side (in New York since 1911) and has the best range of fine men’s hats in the city – felts, straws etc. The other is Worth & Worth, which is a little more fashion-led, with designs by Orlando Palacios. A lot of the hats are made in the workshop on site.
J Press (and Pennant Label)
Jpressonline.com
51 East 44th Street
J Press has a reputation for being a little stuffy and old-fashioned, but the quality of the products is good and consistent, so all that really needs adding is some personal style. There are great Aran knits, made in Ireland, and not too traditional/boxy a fit. The ‘Shaggy Dog’ shetlands are not only super-soft, but in some quite contemporary colours. And the tailoring is obviously soft and unstructured, which feels rather contemporary today.
They recently opened a dedicated store for the trimmer, cheaper line ‘Pennant Label’, which is at 501 Madison Avenue.
Ralph Lauren Rhinelander Mansion
www.ralphlauren.com
867 Madison Avenue
In rather the same vein as we included Giorgio Armani in Milan, the Rhinelander Mansion has to be mentioned in New York. There are millions of Ralph Lauren shops, but none of them are quite like this one. I particularly like the Purple Label floor with more expansive tailoring than London, and the upper floors often have previews of upcoming seasons.
Sid Mashburn and Todd Snyder
www.toddsnyder.com, 25 E 26th St (flagship)
shopmashburn.com, 926 Madison Avenue
Both menswear brands with stores elsewhere, but not outside the US, so for non-Americans these are interesting places to visit for a range of classic and slightly more casual clothing. Mashburn has a tendency to the slim and short, but the taste level is solid. Snyder is often best for its collaborations with various heritage brands.
Alden Madison Avenue
aldenmadison.com
340 Madison Avenue
Alden shoes have become increasingly popular as styles trended towards the casual. It’s got so bad that stock often takes months to arrive at stockists, and prices have risen inexorably. For fans of Alden then, the flagship store on Madison Avenue is worth a visit, as it has the biggest range of styles of any stockist, with the one key exception coming next…
Moulded Shoe
www.mouldedshoeny.com
10 E 39th St
An old-fashioned shoe store that focuses on comfort and orthopaedic requirements. Not the kind of place PS would normally head to, were it not for the fact that it is one of very few places in the world that sells Alden shoes on their modified last. And the other major one, Anatomica in Paris, has rather particular ideas of how the shoes should fit. Dedicated PS article here.
CASUAL CLOTHING
No Man Walks Alone
www.nomanwalksalone.com
336 W 37th St
No Man Walks Alone is an online retailer, rather than a store, but anyone can contact the guys and make an appointment to visit their warehouse on 37th street, and over the years this has become more customer-facing. The clothing has is trending more casual, but it’s a great one for small European and Japanese brands.
Stoffa
stoffa.co
125 Grand St
Long a PS favourite, Stoffa has just opened its first physical shopfront, having started with trunk shows and for the past few years operated from an upper-floor showroom. The clothing is well-made and craft-focused, loose and comfortable. The style is distinctive, plain and tonal. See PS reviews and coverage of Stoffa on their brand page here.
CHCM
Chcmshop.com
2 Bond Street
CHCM is a little store on a lower ground floor in Noho, and easy to miss. Run by Englishman Sweetu Patel, it’s a bit of an institution and arguably the best multi-brand store in New York. There’s LEJ, Paraboot and Arpenteur, but also Veilance, MAN-TLE and Auralee. The white-box atmosphere might put some readers off initially, but it’s worth taking the time to browse and look a little deeper.
Buck Mason
www.buckmason.com
170 5th Avenue (Flat Iron store)
Based in California, Buck Mason has expanded in recent years (now 30 stores across the US), ratcheted up its quality and made it’s style more classic. It’s now a good option for any PS reader that wants a really solid T-shirt, a great pair of chinos, a good-value pair of jeans. The colour palette is deliberately narrow, making everything wearable and versatile – great for casualwear staples.
Wythe
wythenewyork.com
59 Orchard St
Another recent addition to the PS world. Wythe is a western-inspired brand making at a slightly lower quality level than brands like Bryceland’s or The Real McCoy’s, but often with a great taste level, particularly around colour. Particularly recommended are the flannel shirts and sweats. Like RRL, but better value and probably more interesting.
Colbo
colbo.nyc
51 Orchard St
Just down the road from Wythe is an interesting multi-brand store, Colbo, that also houses a small cafe, a vinyl selection, and a rack of two of vintage clothing. Most of the clothing will be a little too fashion-led for PS readers, but it’s worth popping in if you’re already visiting Wythe, Bode, or Desert Vintage.
Standard & Strange
standardandstrange.com
238 Mulberry St
Recently opened, Standard & Strange is one of the best locations in New York now for Japanese workwear brands, and in particular for The Real McCoy’s. Also noteworthy is the range from Freenote and the boot selection. Aimé Leon Dore is across the street, which is also worth a walk round. It’s a little hype-driven and the value isn’t great as a result, but the style is always interesting.
Blue in Green
www.blueingreensoho.com
8 Greene St
The longer standing home of quality workwear in New York, having blazed the trail back in 2006. Best known for their denim, Blue in Green is good for Full Count and Buzz Rickson, and has a smattering of more fashion-forward brands like Kapital. In recent years they’ve evolved into doing a little under their own name.
Self Edge
www.selfedge.com
157 Orchard St
The other good location for denim and quality workwear is the San Francisco-headquartered Self Edge, which started at the same time as Blue in Green back in 2006 (remember the great heritage revival?) and now has four stores in the US as well as one in Mexico. It’s also not far from Wythe and Colbo, on the Lower East Side.
VINTAGE
New York, and in particular Brooklyn, has a strong range of vintage shops – better than anywhere in Europe that we know. Here are our favourites, and there is a dedicated story about New York vintage shopping here.
10ft Single by Stella Dallas
@10ftSingleByStellaDallas
285 N 6th St, Brooklyn
Big, with a front room that is more recent, cheaper vintage and a back room that is the older, better stuff. A real range from military to sportswear. Always the first place to go.
Stella Dallas Living
@StellaDallasLiving
281 N 6th St, Brooklyn
The original shop, selling fabric and haberdashery items. You might think it’s not that relevant, but actually there’s often boro fabric, Hudson’s Bay blankets, Pendleton, Chimayo etc, as well as buttons and other fabrics.
Raggedy Threads
www.raggedythreads.com
602 Grand Street, Brooklyn
Not far away in Brooklyn, the partner to the original LA shop. Focused a little more on historical or original garments (rather like Stock Vintage in Manhattan) and sometimes things are a little too raggedy, but there are some gems too.
Front General Store
frontgeneralstore.com
143 Front Street, Brooklyn
A shop on the ground floor of Dumbo with an interesting display of vintage: new pieces at the front, curated racks of second-hand clothing next (eg all 90s Wrangler shirts), followed by more precious vintage. Then, upstairs, a new shop called FGS Outpost that has a great selection of designer vintage alongside some of their own-brand accessories.
Crowley Vintage
@crowley_vintage
68 Jay St, Suite 303, Brooklyn (open Saturday, appointment only Tues-Fri)
Round the corner from Front General, on the third floor of a warehouse-style building, is Sean Crowley’s collection of old Ralph Lauren and everything that inspires that style – from Savile Row tailoring and polo coats to original madras shirts and riding boots. Probably my favourite vintage store in New York. Crowley was planning on moving at the time of writing, but with no confirmed date. Dedicated article here.
Stock Vintage
@StockVintageNYC
143 East 13th Street
Back in Manhattan, a charming small store run by Melissa Howard, who makes most of her money from designers looking for inspiration. Indeed, she’s toyed with closing the retail shop, and keeps the door closed most of the time (the shop is open, but the metal frames and closed door mean passers-by don’t just wander in). The stock tends to the older end of the vintage spectrum, mostly twenties to fifties, with some very old. Prices are relatively high as a result.
Church Street Surplus
churchstreetsurplus.com
327 Church Street
Just off Canal Street, a ramshackle place but with a wide range of military vintage. Go in knowing what you’re looking for and you’ll find a dozen examples somewhere on the long double-height racks.
Sri Threads
www.srithreads.com
18 Eckford Street, #2A, Brooklyn (appointment only)
A specialist in Japanese fabrics and related items. Niche therefore, but really beautiful – the kind of place that makes you fall in love with the way that indigo fabric fades. See dedicated PS article here.
Simon, it is an excellent guide and has introduced me to some new clothiers.
New York has lost many traditional and old line clothiers, but there are still less known places here and there. For example, there are custom tailors dotting the Upper East Side serving the local population. For example, my friend had an overcoat made-up by a Ralph Lauren alumnus in Greenpoint (Brooklyn). These places span from florescent lit stores to fancy showrooms.
Here are some establishments that rate honorable mention:
Martin Greenfield Clothers, Brooklyn, NY. Mr. Greenfield, the suit maker to Presidents and a legend, died a couple of months ago. His business is being continued by his sons, Jay and Tod, who have been running it for the last 15+ years. It is a MTM factory, and it does much film and television work. It used to provide RTW and MTM for Brooks Brothers (Golden Fleece line) and other private labels. It is a no frills factory.LS Mens Clothes, New York, West 45th Street, NY. Not to be confused with a separate business, L & S Custom Tailors which is across from Bloomingdales and which I understand has a fine reputation. LS specializes in MTM made by English American Tailoring, Coppley, and Rochester Tailoring Company (formerly the Hickey Freeman factor in Rochester). It very reasonably priced. I have been a customer for 35 years. It also is a no frills establishment.Bruce Cameron Clark Bespoke Clothier, Lexington Avenue between East 70th and 71st Streets. Bruce is a veteran of Savile Row. He has other tailors and small workshops make his clothing. His clothes have a certain flair. Expensive.Seigo, Madison Avenue and 90th Street, New York. I think that it is New York’s only free-standing tie and accessory shop. Mr. Seigo features his own designs amongst classics. His ties and pocket squares are beautifully made in Japan and are reasonably priced. E.g., the ties are about $90.
Thank you Mark, very helpful.
What’s always left off these lists are the direct MTM men, like me, who bring their point of view and patterns to gentleman in New York and cities throughout the country. A few of us use the same factories as the names mentioned in the above article. All of us bring passion and love to our work.
Thanks Harris. As I’m sure you’d expect from this site, I’d always prioritise bespoke over MTM. And we are celebrating those companies that still invest in retail for us to visit
Tell me more , Harris .(with Simon’s permission of course)
My budget is for good MTM so bespoke is often out of reach .
Sadly, Harris Reiss passed away in early 2020.
He was an independent clothier who visited clients’ homes and offices. His pricing was moderate. He used the same factories used by luxury department stores and specialty shops and tailors.
There are still independents around. Tom James is a similar model in that its salesmen visit the customers’ homes and offices, and they offer a wide range of products and prices.
There is also good MTM in the $1,000 to $1,500 range. You have to look and explore.
Great list Simon. Epaulet, the Armoury and NMWA are always top of my list when I’m in New York. For shirts, I can also recommend Kamakura; particularly the buttondowns and semi-spreads. Good construction and a large range of sizes – certainly decent value for money. Indeed, one of the bespoke shirt makers on your list was amazed at how Kamakura could possibly sell the shirts at the price they did.
Didn’t Kamakura close their NYC shop? I agree their shirts are excellent and came in a great range of sizes for RTW. Love my two blue OCBDs in their New York fit.
James, keep an eye on the age of some of these comments – the ones from the original post are still there, from 8 years ago. Kamakura was open then I think
Yes, Kamakura closed both NYC shops. One can still purchase online, though the high level of Japanese personal service is missing.
Honourable mention for the honourable Lord Willy’s, Mott St.
Dear Simon, firstly, I just wanted to say that I’m a huge admirer of the work you do. Keep it up!! Um, my question is not related to this post, but I’m thinking of investing in a bespoke leather jacket (as outerwear). Would be great to get your advise here and know the best option there is. I remember the bespoke jacket you commissioned from Gieves & Hawkes, but I’m looking for something really different, where there are no limitations in terms of design and color options. I was thinking Cifonelli, but you’re the expert. My budget is around 7000-8000 euros. Thank you so much.
What a wonderful project to have.
There would be no limit to design and colour at Gieves, with Davide. Or indeed with Cifonelli.
From my experience so far, I would go to Cifonelli for something more like a standard jacket, but in leather, and Davide for something that requires more design. You will likely also get a higher level of finish at Cifonelli.
Also, it’s worth having something that is fairly fitted. If all you want is a loose blouson, there’s much less point having it bespoke.
I hope that’s helpful. Good luck!
Simon
What about Richard Anderson?
He has made good leather jackets.
What about Cromford leather who specialises in them?
Keep an eye on the age of some of these comments Lindsay – the ones from the original post are still there, from 8 years ago.
I haven’t tried Richard Anderson’s leather jackets, I don’t know much about them, though to be honest I don’t like that much of his on the casual side.
Cromford are great but less dressy, more casual and rugged
Sorry about that Simon, that was an oversight on my part.
No problem at all, easily missed
Hi Simon. Thank you again for compiling this list. For bespoke/MTM operations, I would recommend David Reeves in NYC and Franco Ercole in Brooklyn. They produce impressive work.
Very nice list. Leffot, Paul Stuart and Armoury are my personal favorites. NMWA has an impressive range, awfully slow website.
Agree on the shirtmaker issue. RTW unfortunately is better in some ways than some of the MTM guys, though with less selection. CEGO is ok, but a block over from Paul Stuart is the Japanese Kamakura – nice selection of shirts, ties, and squares.
The classic Brooks Brothers is still a store to visit, but really only the one on Madison.
Bergdorf has some fantastic luxury items, but the selection is no where near as intelligent and edited as Barneys. Its a personal favorite as far as the big B (the former + Bloomingdales) stores go.
New York is a strange town, period.
Anon and Chirag, Kamakura shirts are beautifully made, but the store is the US outpost of a Japanese brand with many locations in other cities, so wouldn’t be eligible for this list. I also find them to be very, very slim fitting, so not great if you’re not blessed with a waif-like figure…
I have never worked with CEGO but I have worked extensively with Geneva. They can make good shirts, and are very patient, but in my experience they have moved slightly towards a production line and away from a small workshop: the extent of the customization is somewhat limited, sometimes quality is inconsistent or details are missed, and most importantly, you don’t deal directly with the pattern maker. Atam Sahmanian’s Paris Custom Shirtmakers is slightly more expensive, but if you want truly bespoke in terms of experience, personal relationship with cutter, superlative quality of materials (including range of vintage and dead stock), and infinite customization, it is my choice in NYC. I have never tried Alexander Kabbaz.
Bespoke NYC – Anon here. My understanding is that Kamakura only has two overseas stores, both in NYC, so it’s something of a rarity outside of Japan. Agreed the shirts are slim fitting.
Anon – you’re absolutely right, although they have about 25 stores in Japan so I’d still describe it more as an overseas outpost, rather than an exclusively NY shopping experience (much like the Turnbull & Asser or John Lobb stores are outposts of their London operations, rather than distinct destinations in their own right.) And of course none of that detracts from the benefits of not having to go overseas to buy their products!
I believe there are quite a few luxury brands whose only overseas location is here, so it is pretty remarkable to have access to such a variety of menswear stores all in one city (even if they are not entirely exclusive to NYC.)
Simon.
No mention of Elliott’s. Madison and Lexington. Very cool.
Yes. Peter Elliot is a fantastic shop, which many clothes made especially for them. I have some of their trousers made by Hertling in New York. Too bad they had to move one of their shops to a much smaller space across the street.
Interesting.
I worked in NYC for ten years and only returned to Blighty in 2010.
I love the place to bits but next to London, it is and remains a sartorial desert.
I spent a couple of nights there on business a fortnight ago. Anticipating autumnal weather I’d packed a flannel suit and a 14oz wool three piece for daywear. Huge mistake. The weather was similar to the UK in midsummer and the humidity was oppressive. I salute anyone that manages to maintain even the vestiges of sartorial standards in such a climate. If I had to live there then I’m sure I’d spend at least 10 months of the year in fresco and linen.
Great article! “Film Noir Buff” sometime ago mentioned another custom shirt maker that only does custom work and does not farm out any work. All work is done in house, and they are located on West 32nd St, I believe on the 6th floor. It is called Paris Custom Shirts. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, they do not have a website. P. S. DO NOT CONFUSE WITH LISTE ROUGE, who are located also in NYC, and are also pretty good. However, Paris Custom Shirts are MUCH better!
BespokeNYC, Anon – Agreed the shirts are on the slimmer side and for that matter not a NYC store.
My exuberance is due to the the NY Slim fitting just about perfectly on my frame. The regular NY cut is reasonably generous, but definitely not a BB Madison.
Also, I forgot to mention the coolness/casual factor of Gentry – relatively new, but oh so comfy. Not as sophisticated as NMWA, but geared for a younger and somewhat edgier crowd.
Simon, one name that is often overlooked is Saint Laurie Merchant Tailor. They are the oldest shop in Manhattan having been around since 1913 and do very good work. Fully canvassed, hand stitched, and made in their workshop on the same floor as the showroom in midtown. They also have one of the best selections of vintage fabrics I’ve seen. Andy, the current, third generation owner, is very keen on the Scottish mills.
They also own a dedicated shirt factory in New Jersey where they exclusively do their shirtmaking.
Cheers Conrad
We know some of these names, but I’m looking forward to our next trip states-side to check the others out!
you new yourk guide is absolutely fine. finally something new to discover. the sad is to see how rare and rarefact is craftmanship in u.s.a. it seems none of the old good names of the new world survived. names like sulka & co., kauffman & sons – just to mention two – are either disappeared or transformed into shabby shops. it’s a shame, cause the quality of american garments and accesories was among the very best. sometimes unique.
You may consider including Warren Edwards. Offers hand made shoes of his own design, excellent quality and known for using exotic skins. Was half of ’80’s famous team Susan Bennis/Warren Edwards.
If you like Alden shoes, as I do, then their store on Madison Avenue is worth a look.
I do, but I’ve never felt their Madison Avenue shop adds much to buying elsewhere
I agree, it’s a bit staid, but they do often have otherwise difficult to find make-ups such as the natural chromexcel Indy boots I have on my feet right now!
I think any discussion of New York style purveyors for men has to include Barneys. They’ve fallen a bit from their perch at the very top of the heap, but this is the store that introduced Giorgio Armani to America. They also do a strong trade in made-to-measure from a number of English and Italian brands. It’s not Savile Row, but that’s why there’s Savile Row.
True, but then I wouldn’t recommend Giorgio Armani. The problem with any department store though is that they are increasingly shop-in-shops, where those shops wouldn’t get into this list because they are not unique to the city (indeed, often there are even bigger standalone stores in the city itself). Barneys is worse that the other big Bs in New York in this respect
i was in barneys last year. The actual menswear section was awful. i could not wait to get out of there. – think the worst parts of selfridges, harrods and HN rolled into one. The ground floor however i found great. An great selection of fragrance, and i have someone very helpful at the counter assisting me, great eye wear (not just your usual Rayban and Gucci everywhere) and also a lovely selection of vintage watches. Its like liberty downstairs and Zoolander’s closet upstairs.
If you like the style on this site, you would not like the runway show, high end style that Barneys sell. BUT if you actually like Yamamoto or Prada, then Barneys is the best one-stop shop in America. And the staff are pretty helpful too.
Of the names mentioned there are quite a few that I can speak to. Barneys is WAY too fashion orientated (albeit you can find a few items here and there) plus once they left Chelsea it was over for me and Barneys : ( Bergdorfs is definitely less fashion orientated though they seem to be heading in that direction as well. I agree Polo’s Rhinelander Mansion is exquisite and their MTM is quite good although the prices are creeping up towards bespoke. Paul Stuart got a boost with the Phineas Cole line and is still quite nice for finding classic menswear accessories but they seem to lack in their collection of top shelf products. Leffot and the Armoury are definitely the cream of the crop while Freeman’s Sporting Club and Epaulet are on the decline towards uninspired ready to wear. NMWA doesn’t seem like a retail spot as Simon said but I do like some of their selections. Unfortunately, the lack of dedicated retail space holds me back in giving a full ‘thumbs up’ them. Franco Ercole (mentioned above in the comments) does very nice work but their lack of attention to details and poor communication can be tiresome. Finally, Miller’s Oath is a great space and they have a great selection of Fox Brothers cloth at the ready but I too have not taken the plunge and had anything bespoke made there. Hopefully soon. In closing, I would say that while there is nothing else close to the sartorial selections offered elsewhere in the USA I am thankful that the bespoke Neopolitans, Londoners, Japanese, etc. are still making regular visits to ‘Gotham’.
Secomd the honourable mention of Lord Willy’s. Years since I’ve been to NYC and LW, however it was a great experience.
Matt, don’t forget that, while the summers are hotter and more humid here, the winters are much colder and longer than in London. Please don’t wear linen and fresco if you come any time between November and April or you’ll freeze!
It would be interesting to see what you would recommend for San Francisco/Bay Area. We have Self Edge and Levi’s. It’s just so casual here. Will, from A Suitable Wardrobe, may have something different to say. Bespoke business casual is what I’m looking for I guess, so not quite suit and tie and not blue dress shirt and khakis.
Jacket and chinos I’d guess is what id say. Maybe smart knitwear. It’s the in-between wardrobe that I write about so much on PS. And some tailors do come to San Fran…
Rebron, have Anderson & Sheppard make you a single breasted suit in in needle cord mid blue. It will be perfect for SF in terms of both style and climate and you can pair it with flannel shirts and or knitwear. Think Bryan Ferry meets Steve McQueen in Bullitt 2 the sartorial sequel!
I’m good, just curious. I have a pretty good (A&S alum) tailor and I think we’ve worked out a pretty good wardrobe over the last several years in the formal/casual range. People here dress poorly even those who think they’re dressing well, so no matter what I’m usually overdressed. I think the knitwear comment is right. It’s the warm weather (but not tropical!) plus casual lifestyle that makes it more of a challenge.
Thank you so much!
I guess the next post New Yorkers would be hungry for would be a comprehensive list of the visiting tailors.
The New York guide is terrific. Ditto the London guide. Have you the same type of guide for Paris? If not, I would be much obliged if you could reel off the first dozen places that come to mind. Many thanks.
Coming soon
Have you been to Seigo neckwear on the upper west side? If not, it’s worth a visit next time you’re in New York.
Agree about Paul Stuart. Last time I was in NYC I stopped in there and purchased a few ties and socks – modest as these things go. The next week I received a hand-written note from the salesman.
Great piece.
Simon, readers, any advice/recommendations on bespoke tailors in Washington, DC?
Hello Simon,
A question only vaguely related to this particular post. I’m holidaying in Japan in August, and am not having much luck uncovering where the good, classic menswear shops in Tokyo are. I know Dunhill in the Ginza district is worth a look, with a bar and barbershop as part of the offering, and Brycelands I’ve heard of, but I was wondering if you had picked up any other names from the people that you meet in your travels to Pitti and the like?
Cheers,
Nick.
I’m planning a city guide on it soon, but not until I go again I’m afraid. There are lots of shops though – Beams, Isetan, United Arrows, Tomorrowland etc.
Thanks Simon, if I stumble across anything special I’ll be sure to let you know.
Nick.
Hello Simon. What happened to your most recent guide to NYC tailoring? I found it very useful and was using it as a reference piece.
Hi Gerry – it’s being republished in an updated version tomorrow.
Simon – do you have a sartorial guide to Tokyo?
Coming up….
Alex Kabbaz does custom shirts in new york
Hi Simon,
Love your blog and truly enjoy all of the advice and photos.
I’m a fourth generation New Yorker and have luckily never had to buy a suit. So many of my grandfather’s bespoke suits fit me very well that I have never had the reason to go out and procure one until recently.
I’d very much like to get a bespoke suit done here in the city. I know that Huntsman has opened up a shop on 57th Street, but I was wondering if you know of any other bespoke suitmakers here in NYC?
Please Adivse.
Best,
Frank
In that tradition, there’s Leonard Logsdail who is good and lots and lots of English tailors that visit – in fact pretty much everyone on or around Savile Row. If you don’t mind waiting a little for fittings, they’re worth contacting
Hi Simon,
“…the establishment that is Martin Greenfield” seems tongue in cheek. Did you list Greenfield out of obligation to his NYC longevity and/or interesting backstory – or his sartorial skills? Understand he’s MTM and not bespoke – but what is your purpose of listing him?
Thanks for the great work that you do!
An update: I received my Martin Greenfield suit the other day in the mail. I did two visits to his Brooklyn, NY shop: first visit to pick cloth, discuss style, get measured, then second visit was two months later to do the fitting. Then they mailed the suit to me. The 3-piece suit fits nicely, if snug, somewhat British look. That’s what I wanted. Total price $2,232. Additional expense – Had to fly from Charlotte, North Carolina to NYC twice for the two visits. But I believe this was still a very fair deal.
Epaulet as left NYC for the West coast!
Thanks, yes this guide is in need of an update. Independent stores come and go so fast….
Cheo Park, mentored under Len Logsdail is the Cheo I mentioned to you some time ago when you listed NYC bespoke tailors without mentioning him.
Would love to see an update on this list, seeing that it’s 2019 and Barney’s for one may not be long for this world…It would also be nice if you could add specialty makers like Carla Dawn Behrle (in NYC) – she does custom made leather, in all categories from tailored suits to outerwear and jeans – her men’s wear is completely bespoke. I think her women’s wear is both bespoke and MTM. I’ve had several jackets made and they are my #1 go to pieces. She has a tremendous range as far as design goes…linking to her bespoke work…
Hi Simon, any update planned on this guide? It would be much appreciated, especially since PS now covers more casual clothing, and I’m sure NYC has a lot to offer in this category.
It is planned, I just haven’t gotten around to it. Sorry Robert, I will try and do so soon
Coming back to this again as I’m going to NYC in a month. Any recommendations for vintage stores, particularly vintage denim?
Stock Vintage, Raggedy Threads, Church Street surplus, 10 Ft Single, Stella Dallas
Thank you!
Hi Simon, will you doing the pop up in NY again this fall? Trying to line up my fall travel plans.
We will, yes, probably the week of October 16th. Should confirm within a week or so
Hi Simon,
Quick question. What is a “ white-box atmosphere”?
Thanks
Yeah, I can see that isn’t necessarily clear. Some shops are described as white boxes, because there is minimal decoration and colour – it’s white walls, racks, hangers, not much else. It’s not the kind of thing most PS readers would take to, I think, but I wanted to make the point that there are still some great products there nestled along the racks
Hi, thanks. A point worth making. I wasn’t familiar with the term, whilst I am with that type of shop. I quite like them myself and the minimalism certainly doesn’t put me off, on the contrary they can / as per your point / be interesting.
Thanks again.
A bit surprised not to see J Fitzpatrick for shoes in SOHO. Not all his styles are to my liking, but he makes a serious effort at designing and making fully-lasted, high quality shoes at relatively modest prices.
If you’re into casual clothes visit CHCM and Front General Store for vintage and save yourself the trouble.
Any particular reason why Ascott Chang did not make the list? They make beautiful bespoke shirts.
No, and good point. They probably should have done
Eric Jensen is now the tailor-in-residence at the new Stefano Bemer location at 475 Park Avenue. Eric is the cutter and offers a full bespoke product. While I have not commissioned anything from Eric (yet), I’ve seen his work up close and it is beautiful stuff.
There’s an interesting store downtown called FE Castleberry – slightly eccentric but very tailoring orientated, think they do MTM
This guy? https://nypost.com/2022/12/09/nyc-luxury-designer-fred-castleberry-jailed-over-child-support/
Hi Simon,
I suppose another shirtmaker in NYC is Ascot Chang – I used them quite a lot prior to the pandemic…
Yes, thanks Vik, just mentioned by a reader above
Simon,
You may have covered this topic in another post, in which case apologies and if you simply point to it that would be appreciated.
I am curious as to why New York does not have a greater number of quality menswear stores; Is it prohibitively expensive retail space costs, the number of visiting tailoring houses or something else?
For such a vibrant city it seems a strange gap in its make up.
So, in some ways it does have a big range. It has more independent stores than London, for example, because the rents are not controlled by big estates.
What it lacks is a tradition of formal menswear, and all the makers that come with that history. That’s the only reason London has more of them.
On the bespoke side, the US just always had a much smaller tailoring scene. There is a great article on the tailors that did exist here, but they dropped off as tailoring everywhere got smaller (including in the UK – the number of tailors and they’re size have both dropped dramatically)
Does anyone have an idea what (taupe?) cloth the jacket on the mannequin in the Armoury-picture next to Simon might be? I could be mistaken, but I‘d say the jacket itself is made by Orazio Luciano.
I’m seeing comments from 8 years ago.
It’s not just you JC. The article was originally written 8 years ago, and when we update these pieces we keep the comments. Some of them are out of date as a result, but there are also lots that are useful and we don’t want to get rid of
What about drakes?
Well, they have the much bigger store in London. I guess if you’re visiting NYC from the rest of the US it’s good to know it’s there, but less so for anyone from Europe
Oh got it it ok that makes sense. Thanks for putting this up I am actually going to nyc just for a day for another fitting with Anglo Italian crew who is visiting. I am excited to use this list to plot my course for the rest of my day. I am on the hunt for a some ecru denim. The drakes wasn’t high rise enough and the natalino are perfect but I think a tad too snug. So hoping this guide will lead me to a pair, another great piece of writing thanks!
Oh good, and pleased it helps. Say hello to the Anglo guys for me
Will do! I saw that Andrew was at the cocktail party. I actually found them first through PS last year and now have visited London and NYC for some pieces and they have been great. It’s hard not spending all the budgets in one place but they are just such a solid brand and group of guys.
Hi simon, while im reading this and other articles i cant help but notice the mention of increase in prices across most Stores/tailors. I feel it very acutely as a menswear consumer in the past few years. Brands like drakes have increased their price multifold and even newer brands like rubato have increased their prices so quickly within a short span of time. I recall i picked up their chino in 2022 and loved it only to discover to my horror that the price has close to doubled now. This leaves the question what brands/stores can we still find honest good products at a price that is still value for money or is this a concept that is dying? I know there is the usual justification of rising cost/prices but from a layman, i feel priced out and now almost exclusively thrift and buy second hand. Perhaps menswear is now mainly targeted for the rich and wealthy
Well Shem, there are a few different aspects to that:
1. Yes, prices have gone up everywhere. It’s related to Covid, to labour shortages, to barriers to trade, to scarce resources. This doesn’t have any implications necessarily on the honesty or integrity of any brand. We find the same on PS.
2. Drake’s is a particular example, as they’ve really changed business model in the past few years, in going more casual, buying from different places etc. I would say their price increases are unusual, not the norm.
3. Rubato for some foreign customers is also a specific example, as they’re trying to work out the best way to charge all foreign costs. I don’t think they’re being dishonest at all either – in fact I know they’re not.
So overall, I would caution against lumping brands together. Particularly designer ones who have increased prices more than anyone. Also, bear in mind that we have just gone through a period where clothing has been by far the cheapest it ever has in our history, and that’s caused lots of damage to the world. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if people bought a little less (and indeed, bought more second hand)
Another brand whose prices seemed to have almost doubled is Turnbull and Asser, RTW shirts are nearly £400 when only a few years ago RTW were just under £200 and MTM shirts were £225. I’m not sure what their bespoke prices would be if that’s what they are charging for RTW.
I do wonder if some brands get a small increase in costs and decide to absorb it rather than pass it on to the customer and repeat this until it’s unsustainable. Rather than a few small increases over time the customer sees a massive price increase that came out of nowhere.
That certainly does happen, yes. One of the issues with a lot of traditional companies is they’re not very actively managed, and there is a tendency to drift along on your heritage, then all of a sudden realise you’re out of touch and most of your customers have died off. Then there’s a bit of a panic, or sale, as there has been at T&A
Hi Simon,
I think that Alden’s best shoes are sold at Leather Soul,
John
Thanks John. I’ve never been to Leather Soul. Out of interest which ones do you think are better?
This one: https://leathersoul.com/category/brands/alden/
See these boots among others:
https://leathersoul.com/2020/06/12/alden-shoe-sc-tanker-boot-restock-mail-order/
Thank you. Those Tankers are nice – more so than the lace-ups, which I never liked so much from Alden (too round/chunky)
I agree!
Simon can you share which shops the first image is from? Cheers
It’s the new Stoffa store – nice, isn’t it?
I’ve visited NYC at least a dozen times and think the shopping for men is some of the best in the world. In addition to the stores mentioned it also has English outposts – Turnbull & Asser and Crockett & Jones as well as a shop from Carmina, the Spanish shoe maker. However I was recently visiting London from California and the shopping there blows NYC out of the water. I had the opportunity to attend the PS cocktail party and meet Simon personally and that was a real treat. One of the highlights of the trip!
Thank you Robert, it was lovely to meet you too.
Hi simon i happened to chance upon buck mason recently and they had some items like their Parachute jackets which are unstructured like the drakes games. So you have any experience with thr brand and what are your thoughts ? It seems very reasonably priced
I’m planning to write something Shem, so will hold off til then if that’s ok
no Crockett and Jones?
No, just because they are more broadly available in other cities and sellers
Great article but don’t forget RRL and Paul Smith. For shoes, you could also add Meermin, Velasco and Crockett & Jones. Bergdorf & Goodman and Saks are also great as a “one stop shop” department stores.
Thanks. We don’t include chains, or usually places to can buy in multiple other cities. (As it says at the top)
Department stores like those I personally find a little sad these days – there’s no personality there any more
I’d add Knickerbocker and Drake’s to the list. Quality menswear that is not trend obsessed.
Do you have any info about businesses that will make a 3 piece Harris Tweed suit with specific style, color, and fit that I may contact? I live in Los Angeles but am ok to order directly.
Probably not Alan, as in all the places we recommend would have something of their own view on style, and would want to meet in person
The open-minded PS reader could likely find things to appreciate at Hotoveli in Williamsburg or IF in Soho.
Thank you Ben
I would add Peter Elliott for the style flair and design and of course being helped by Elliot…
I was not that impressed by Buck Mason when I first tried their tees and denim 8 or 9 years ago, but they have really elevated their quality and style. Nice to see a new RTW menswear company recalibrate and thrive.