Oy Vey!
Josh needs a suit. I had done the Brooks Brothers routine a few years back. It wasn’t him. I thought about Hickey Freeman but the suits seem ridiculously overpriced. I have been to Syms where I bought Josh a tuxedo for $40 to wear on New Years. Not bad but the fabric was 100% polyester and the poor kid was sweating like a pig. I was stumped on where to go.
I asked Emily’s friend where he got his suit for his Bar Mitzvah. He told me about a place in Brooklyn and his mother was nice enough to send me an email and give me the lowdown. Thank you because now I’m hooked.
Jessica, Josh and me drove over to Williamsburg this morning in search of Boys Italian Suits. The majority of their business is supposedly done on line. We found the address. It was a store front that looked like an old fashioned Mom and Pop girls clothing store. We walked in and went to the back of the store where there is an unmarked door which we went through. In the alleyway, where we were now standing, is another door. Hmmm, we opened and low and behold, inside is Boys Italian Suits. What a place. This place is like a secret that has existed for years. It is reminiscent of the Lower East Side in the 50’s.
A small group of Jewish men are the owners. They know their inventory. They also know their customers size with a quick look up and down. The customers are basically Hasidim woman shopping for their boys, very Conservative Jewish men with their families or the Soprano family. What a combo. It was one of the best New York experiences. The Sopranos were shouting at their young kid, Anthony, about trying on a suit. The Jewish woman were negotiating prices (hey, I’m jewish so I’m allowed ). Jess and Josh loved it.
We got Josh a fantastic suit. Italian fabrics that are almost as nice as Zegnas ( they dropped that name a few times which I thought was hilarious ). 2 shirts and 1 tie and a belt. Total cost was half of what I had spent at Brooks Brothers. It was 100% Italian wool vs. 100% polyester. The kid won’t be sweating like a fountain.
If you are looking for a boys suit, this is the place. The sizes go all the way through the late teens. Believe me, we will be back. They also have dress pants. The best part is the whole experience. It is one that you just have to have.
Comments (Archived):
And if you’re not a boy anymore? You’re supposed to just go ahead and pay for Ermenegildo’s nice clothes? 🙂
-david
As a grandmother I remember those times when the boys needed suits. It was hell. Nothing ever fit properly and the materials were horrendous. The alteration cost more than the suit. Then came the shoes. There was no Prada for kids then. Thanks for the wonderful advice and I will pass it along to the daughters-in-law.
I was 18 before I realized that all of my dress clothes were “bespoke” suits. Bespoke is the term used by Saville Row tailors to describe suits that are made– not tailored– to your specifications.
I still remember what seemed like endless fittings and the model manequin my mothder used for my suits. As she got older, I went commercial, but I never bought a suit that fit as good as the ones my mom made, and that includes custom USMC uniforms from Brooks Brothers.
I mentioned casually to my mom when I turned 42 that I had never had a suit as good as the ones she made for me growing up. Out came the tape, and pretty soon the manequin had been fleshed out to my adult size. Afterthat MaForbes and I went to downtown LA to look at material. I picked out and Irish tweed and she went to work– she was then 73. I love my bespoke Irish tweed suit and all five of the wild chinese brocaid silk vests she made for me when I producd Demo and appeared on stage. Every manchild should be luck enough to have a great looking bespoke suit.
Jim Forbes
from Escondido, CA