Let’s say you’ve got $1,000 for a new suit. Maybe it’s your first real suit, for a job interview you’ve got lined up after graduation; maybe it’s your 15th, for your buddy’s second wedding. Doesn’t really matter. Where are you going to spend that money? At the mall, probably, where you’ll get a perfectly fine, mass-produced suit. But what if I told you that for the same price—maybe less—you could own a striking and singular ensemble fashioned by one of the world’s finest tailoring houses? That’s the magic of vintage tailoring.
Shopping vintage is by no means an easier route to finding a suit—there are all the typical secondhand pitfalls to contend with, from spotty sizing to unmendable damage. (You’ll absolutely want to have your measurements on hand if you’re trawling eBay and the like.) But the value proposition is indisputable: If you’re willing to hunt a little, there are graceful ’90s Armani joints and avant-garde ’80s Comme des Garçons specimens for the taking, all at wallet-happy prices. And if you’re wanting something a little more traditional—a tweedy Brooks Brothers number, say, or a chalk-striped Savile Row affair—and happen to be in New York, then the spot to visit is Crowley Vintage in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood, helmed by former Ralph Lauren designer Sean Crowley.
“It’s luxury on a budget,” Crowley says. “Most of the suits I sell are handmade. A lot of them are Savile Row. That’s an $8,000 to $10,000 suit, and I’m selling it for $500 to $800. And then there’s the simple fact that it’s fucking cool. You’re getting something other people don’t have, and it has a story—whether it was made in 1920 or 1980, there’s something behind it.”
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