A French history ending in late 19th C.
I hope this will be a repeating series but you never know.
Back in the '50s, there were 300-400 bespoke tailors in NYC. Today -- there might be 30. It's an amazing thing to find workrooms like these in a high rise. But Steven Salen and Anthony Maurizio are still at it - although very much off the beaten path. I don't think the boys from Esquire or GQ have ever been here.
Men's apparel has been invaded with moneyed Wall Street types who recently decided they always wanted to open a men's shop. Made to Measure, mostly in China, is doled out to the unsuspecting for $1,200 and up. The mark up would astound you hence the attraction to Wall Street.
Tony and Steven do it here. All of it. On the 11th floor of 509 Madison Avenue. And I have no idea how much longer they'll be here. They don't have a web site. They're sure as hell don't have any marketing savvy. Steven can't even figure out his phone. But they can build you a suit. In fact, they build suits for a lotta shops in NYC who claim to build their own. In that respect, these two men are the source and you get what you pay for (they ain't cheap).
My hope is to find more tailors in NYC. I have some leads on a few. Many don't want or need the exposure. But it's hard to know what you're getting today. You stand in the mirror. You get chalked up. And then what? Where does your suit go? China? Mexico? Turkey? Or, to the 11th floor of an office building in midtown Manhattan. To those scissors. That thread. Those linings. These men.
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