March 07, 2008
When WHYY's Jonathan Menjivar got ready to buy his first suit, he was nearly 30. It was for his wedding. Menjivar explores his adult experience with this classic adolescent rite of passage with Scott Sternberg, the owner and designer of Band of Outsiders. It all comes together at the Martin Greenfield factory in Brooklyn, where that perfect British-invasion throwback suit is made.
What a kick ass piece! This brings back memories of suit shopping with my husband at a grungy warehouse style store in South Philly called Torre. After trying on a number of ensembles, my husband came out of the dressing room. The salesman, in a laryngectomy tinged voice, hissed, "Sharp! You look very sharp!"
Mr's. Mejivar and Sternberg kind of missed the point. Suits are supposed to be comfortable and they're supposed to complament the shape of your body. There are many styling alternatives out there that don't make you look nerdy or whatever. The idea of paying $1500 for an off the rack suit is insane; I don't care who designed it. There are some fitting issues that cannot be resolved by altering an off the rack garment. I can give them at least three tailors in Brooklyn who will design and make suits for them for under $700 with sewn in, not fused, interfacings. Contrary to what their expert said, it does make a difference. If nothing else, sewn interfacings do not delaminate like glued ones are apt to and they are softer and afer a few wearing will begin to mold the the wearer's body.
Curt Anderson said to check out studio360.org to see Jonathan M's suit...I didn't see any pix like that in the slideshow, unless he was one of the people in a group shot? I wanted to see his wedding suit, since that's what the piece was about! Fun piece overall tho.
Too hip to live.
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