(Since my last post about menswear elicited such a good response, I'm going to try it again.)
An ugly pissing match (or a "row," as our British friends would say) has erupted over some nasty arrogant comments made by fashion king Giorgio Armani about Savile Row tailors. Armani compared traditional British tailoiring to "a bad English comedy" and plans to open -- this month -- a new made-to-measure suit service:
Each suit will be hand-made in Armani’s new men’s studio in Milan and hand-fitted either there or in one of his select Giorgio Armani boutiques. No man will choose an identical combination of fabric, silhouette and detail, so no two suits will be the same. The label of each will be signed by Armani and bear the customer’s name. The starting price will be about £5,000, but could rise to £30,000. “If the customer wants a particularly luxurious, rare fabric, say a double cashmere with a particular wash, and a specially dyed silk lining, he can have it — provided he can afford it,” said Armani.
Customers will also be able to order hand-made shirts and ties and bespoke gold, crystal and sapphire cufflinks. There will be customised watches and aftershaves, made from Madagascan pepper, bergamot, Virginia cedar and bourbon vanilla.
The Times article goes on to state that George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson and David Beckham have already requested the suits.
Bully for them. But with a starting price of about $10,000CAN, I don't think Armani can expect folks to be breaking down the door for his new suits. You can get a great new custom-made suit on Savile Row for less than half that.
I also find it a sad reflection on current nouveau riche attitudes that Armani is openly boasting about his courting of the "snob" market for these new wears. Acording to Armani himself, “A bespoke Armani suit goes with a limited-edition watch, a vintage Maserati or a house on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia.”
As the (clearly ticked-off) tailor Tom Mahon put in on his blog:
We English tailors have been offering the complete sartorial package on the Row for over two hundred years, advising our customers on shoe makers, shirts, ties and jewelry. The difference is between us and Armani is, we direct them to other professionals in their particular field, we don’t pretend to be the best at everything. That way we help maintain the crafts, and also our clients get real authoritative service from the people who matter. We do it for reasons of heritage and tradition, we do not do it for the opportunity to be part of the "snob" group of customers that Mr. Armani so desperately desires. "Snob" by the way, is Mr. Armani’s word choice, not mine.
We will have to see where all this goes. I'm sure Armani will do well, at least at the start when it will become faddish to own one. But in the end, I hope the Savile Row guys clean Armani's arrogant clock. If and when I can ever afford a bespoke suit, I will head to one of the old Row shops -- even if it's the last one operating -- before I go to Armani.
