With bespoke tailoring operations opening all over New York City, it’s more important than ever to separate the pros from the pretenders. Here are a few of our favorites. They represent a mix of traditional and more progressive styles, but one thing holding them together is a focus on fine fabrics and quality craftsmanship.
Michael Andrews Bespoke: From a dark alley on the fringe of Greenwich Village, in a former art gallery, the tailor Michael Andrews offers uptown service and a dash of downtown style. Red-and-gold brocade wallpaper, marble coffee tables, and a deep sofa create a clubby feeling that invites clients to linger long after their fittings are complete. Andrews, a self-proclaimed “recovering M&A lawyer,” wore a suit and tie to work every day for years and too often couldn’t find what he was looking for in a suit. He wanted something impeccably tailored and appropriate for his line of work, but also not too staid or conservative—something with that intangible edge. To make sure his customers get exactly that, Andrews meets with them individually, by appointment. “It’s not just my name on the door but my hands on the suit,” he says. “If I am not here, we don’t see clients.” (212.677.1755, www.michaelandrewsbespoke.com) Read more about Michael Andrews Bespoke.
Turnbull & Asser: The English clothier Turnbull & Asser—known for the superior shirting it has created for royalty, celebrities, and tastemakers since its inception—recently celebrated its 125th anniversary by opening a three-floor flagship store on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, where it provides a comprehensive custom shopping experience that goes well beyond shirts. In the Bespoke Room, clients can work with designers to create everything from shirts, ties, and pocket squares to socks, gloves, and even umbrellas. The store also features an impressive collection of vintage watches from Chopard, Rolex, and more, as well as antique cuff links, tie clips, and money clips, among other items. (212.752.5700, www.turnbullandasser.com) Read more about Turnbull & Asser.
Holland & Sherry: For 185 years, the Scottish company Holland & Sherry has been making exquisite fabrics and supplying Savile Row tailors and their peers around the world. Fourteen years ago, the company branched out into interior fabrics and began selling its wares to designers looking to create wall coverings, drapes, and upholstery. If you weren’t working deep in those trades, though, you might not have come in contact with the company—until now. In a cavelike space tucked semisecretly behind a sculpture gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is the world’s first Holland & Sherry retail store. And since most of us aren’t in the market for yards of fabric, the shop has flipped its approach inside out by offering customers a complete assortment of bespoke design services. (212.343.1261, www.hsbespoke.com) Read more about Holland & Sherry.
Martin Greenfield Clothiers: Most days you will find Martin Greenfield, 85, on the floor of his Bushwick, Brooklyn, factory examining garments or even pressing a suit. He’s been here since 1947—he started as a floor boy—and his dedication to creating finely tailored suits has made him New York’s dean of bespoke tailoring. Known as a behind-the-scenes tailor for decades, making suits for major department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, Greenfield now has fashion lines including Band of Outsiders, Duncan Quinn, and Rag & Bone enlisting his services. Discerning members of the suit-buying public have also begun to contact the company directly, and a willing Greenfield meets with clients on most Saturdays to fit them for made-to-measure suits. (718.497.5480, www.greenfieldclothiers.com)
