Dress for success with the help of a local haberdasher
Jeff Collins outfits Seattle men with wardrobes that last a lifetime
By Natalie Bow
NWsource shopping columnist
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RSS for Daily FindWhen I hear the term "haberdasher," I envision dapper old British men on Saville Row. But I discovered recently that Seattle has its very own haberdasher in Jeff Collins, and he is neither British nor old. The 36-year-old Mill Creek native has been designing men's custom and ready-to-wear attire for the past decade.
Collins will travel to a client's home or office and work with him to create a complete wardrobe intended to last for years. His clients consist mainly of executives and CEOs in search of business attire. His custom suits cost between $795 and $3,000, depending on the fabric.
"Contrary to the belief that Seattle is a casual town, I sell a lot of suits," he says. He encourages his clients to select a "transitional suit," which is typically striped, textured or patterned and can be worn with or without a tie, making it the perfect suit to transition between daytime and nighttime activities.
If suits are the meat of Collins' operation, then his custom shirts are the bread and butter. For about the same price one might pay at a department store ($85-$200), a man can own a custom-designed shirt based on at least 16 independent measurements, and have input into countless features such as pockets, cuffs and collars.
For those willing to spend more (up to $395), Collins will design a shirt using the same luxurious multi-ply cottons used by prominent European menswear designers such as Loro Piana and Thomas Mason.
Collins can also help Seattle men stretch beyond their fashion comfort zone, with checked, striped and plaid trousers, and colored shirts. "Pink is popular, but not all men have the confidence to pull it off," he says. "Lavender is an easy compromise and their confidence is bolstered when compliments start coming their way."
If you have a shop, sale, event or great product tip you'd like to share, e-mail seattleshopping@nwsource.com.
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Comments
Post a commentIt's good to know fashion thrives in Seattle. We get a bad rep sometimes and it sounds like Jeff Collins goes a long way to help us gain the respect we deserve. This was an excellent article; I'm going to send it to a couple of my better dressed associates. They need to know about him.
I've spent tons of money at stores on their shirts, etc. but nothing is quite like the custom stuff I have bought. If you pick a stunning fabric but the shirt has all this extra fabric you have to try to tuck in the back you might as well have had it made for you for about the same price or maybe a little more. At least it will fit like it should and you will enjoy wearing it. That's my two cents.
This is cool. Who would have known there were still haberdashers out there & in Seattle, nonetheless. I love it. Nice website too.
The thing about style is that if you have confidence in what you wear it will flow over to those around you. Having an expert tell you what is best for your body style, color, etc. can help give you the confidence you need to pull off outfits you never thought you'd wear. And it's when something about you is different that people are drawn in to you.
Sometimes at the store I get sick of them telling me everything looks good on me just to fill up my shopping bag & send me on my way. Unless it's a beautiful woman of course. Then I will buy until my credit limit is reached ;-)
It's not that I enjoy shopping for my husband as much as knowing that if I didn't do it then it wouldn't get done at all. Having someone take care of it for me would take a load off me. We will have to look into this. I am assuming I could have him take my husband's measurements and keep them for future reference in case we want to make repeat purchases. Nice idea.
I cannot believe that a person like this exists! I really like to look nice but know that I need someone like this to steer me in the correct direction in terms of fashion and building a proper wardrobe.
I am a real estate broker and need to know what a 25 year old guy should be wearing when meeting clients and also when I go to various networking events. This sounds like a great service.
So I can buy custom made clothing for the same price as I spend at Nordstroms without going to the mall, wading through all of the out of school teenagers. Not bad, not bad at all.
I've always liked being able to try things on to see if they fit, but have run into the problem that nothing fits quite right. Shirts are the worst for me because of my athletic build. I could see the benefit of having more than my neck & sleeve size determine how the body of the shirt comes out. At least nowadays some stores have athletic fit. It's not perfect but it is a start. I'll have to give custom a try.
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