I`ve been looking around for about a year for another jacket,, one with all the vintage trimmings i.e. lapped seams, hooked vent, two buttons on the cuff, half-lined, but without success. As a 36s it`s difficult to find anything on e-bay or Ask Andy which fits all the requirements; in fact, I haven`t seen anything.
Given this lack of success I started thinking about mtm and went so far as getting a couple of quotations based on copying a BB camelhair I have but with some tinkering. However, I was always a bit wary about getting a British tailor to produce something in what would be, to him, an alien style.
So, a while back I was running through the merchants listed on Ivy Style and landed on Eljo`s where what seemed to be the ideal jacket was shown but not, of course, in my size. An exchange of e-mails established that one could be made for me by Southwick (now owned by BB) but at a custom price. Several e-mails later and one phone call to Charlottesville, Virginia and the order was progressing. The beauty of this process was that I was getting a standard size made but with all the vintage details I wanted because it was a one-off order, in effect bespoke but without the need for fittings.
It`s just arrived and has exceeded my expectations. Excellent fit, lovely material (lightweight tweed from W.Bill, the London fabric merchant which used to have a shop in Bond Street) Not cheap by any means but the total cost, including shipping, duty and clearance charge by the shipping co. was the same as one of the quotes I had been given for a mtm here.
So, all in all, a satisfying and satisfactory experience.
Love to see some pics Aljazz.
I remember that W Bill store on the corner of an arcade in Old Bond St. Used to buy scarves there in early 80s in their sale...
Congratulations on your jacket. Glad to hear they were able to accomdate your request.
Interesting stuff Aljazz.........like you I've been looking to get a jacket made up to. I've recently taken the plunge with a tailor who I use. He has copied some trousers I liked and done a good job so I had some more trousers made up by him and was really pleased of the job for the cost. So I've taken in a beloved Deansgate jacket from the 60's that I have. He says he can copy it (inc hook vent, lapped seams) will he...time will tell. He is a Asian tailor so he isn't steeped in a British tradition, and you really wouldn't compare him to any other Britsh tailor I've used before.
So this will either be good, or a complete disaster...hey I wanted some excitement in my life.
Would love to see some pics of the jkt Aljazz.
We have to face the sad fact that vintage jackets and suits in the 'right' configuration are 45-50 years old now. That is a long time for a garment to hold up.
/\ Its a good point Moose.......the fact they aren't around in the numbers they used to be, plus condition (plus some of the silly prices sometimes asked) what choice do we have. Whenever I venture into a vintage shop these days I'm often shocked at condition and/or price.
I know there is the net...but some of the shipping charges from the States these days are also pretty high, plus its a gamble on fit etc.
I still will buy vintage when I can if its reasonable value and good condition, but sometimes trying to get the right colour, fit etc can take forever, and I'm a 38-40'' chest, so I can understand why aljazz has gone down this route.
Pix pix pix pix
I email back and forth with Trent at Eljo's, usually on the state of the UVa football team. Nice guy, very helpful.