Reconstructing History: Any opinions?

[Deleted member 16736]

I like the 30's gangster and 40's Hollywood suits. Anybody else have experience with them?

http://store.reconstructinghistory.com/historical-clothing/20th-century.html

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

[huh] Without proper pictures I won't spend 5 bucks on anything.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Ah' laks thar' britches

 

[Brevetti]

Right, I think it was Marc Chevalier who said that he would never do business with an internet tailor that does not show real pictures of their products.

Reconstructing History depicts a lot of suits from movies, and a lot of pictures that are also used by MyCustomTailor, and other such companies. Their "1920s Jazz Suit" looks incorrect.

The descriptions of their suits do sound very good and vintage, though, so maybe the pictures are a bad indicator.

If you're looking for an internet tailor that makes suits that appeal to the Fedora Lounge's members, you ought to read the Hong Kong Tailors Thread - http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?62912-Hong-Kong-Tailors

 

[Methuselah]

Would I buy from a company that thinks this is a good representation of their products? NO!

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Kudos for their laconic product description: "Another 1920s Classic Suit" :yo:

 

[reetpleat]

I find it hard to imagine that anyone would pay this kind of money for a suit they have not at least seen pictures of. I also find it hard to imagine a company would try to get this price without pics, descriptions, or at least illustrations and detailoed descriptions. I would be fascinated to know if they actually sell any.

 

[Gene]

Something tells me this site is less of a serious tailor's and more that of reenactment clothing, think pioneer villages and whatnot. I would venture a guess that their clothing is for show and not so much quality or substance.

 

[scotrace]

So much guessing. Anyone have actual experience?

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Sorry if you feel like we are unfair to this business. But J.Peterman and LVC make the same mistake (no proper pictures, just drawings) and we also criticize it. [huh]
The difference is that the are new and you can't compare the quality (like you do with levis stuff you see in the stores.)
It would be to their own best to make the afford, pay a photographer, get a good model, make good fitting garments for this model and get the thing rolling. Yes, it is expensive and will make some work but I am sure it will pay out in the end. That's the way other labels work too.

 

[scotrace]

Peterman does a land office business with drawings. And their product offerings, in the main, are well made. As a comparison, it's apples and oranges, as Peterman uses original drawings. Still, the use od drawings itself does not automatically signify a lesser product.

 

[R P Davis]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My name is Bob and I'm one of the two people who own and operate Reconstructing History. My wife Kass is the Chief Cook, and I'm the Bottle-Washer and all-rounder.

We thank you for your comments! Let me tell you the story.

We are aware of the shortcomings of our website. Selling suits online is a new venture for us after many years of participating in this period as living historians, and we're working hard to meet everyone's expectations. We built our reputation on unstinting historical accuracy in our products. One of our driving missions is to provide our customers with the assurance that you won't have to ask if something is historically appropriate; we've already done that work for you.

The photos referenced are, shall we say, indeed sub-optimal. We wanted to promote our custom suit business. But I am not a model. So we looked and looked for a guy who had modeling experience who was a size 42. (I am many things, but a model I am NOT.) Then our assistant told us that her fiance's best friend was an actor who'd done some modelling and he happened to wear a size 42. So we hired the venue and the photographer and scheduled the shoot. And this guy shows up and he's a size 42... short. He's about 5'5" tall and I'm 5'11". He looked like he was playing dress up in his daddy's closet. But we already paid the photographer and the venue, so we couldn't cancel. We're a two-person business. We can't afford to throw good money after bad. And he was such a great model -- making up different characters for each outfit he put on -- that we couldn't just not do the shoot. So we went with it. And the clothes don't fit him.

If you want real knowledge of how well our suits fit and their historical accuracy, read the reviews on the pages that have stars under the photos. If you read the reviews for the products, you'll find satisfied customers - fit, finish and historical accuracy are top of the charts in each. And we don't censor bad reviews! Or you can ask us for references and we'll connect you with some of our repeat customers. They always remark upon how our suits are the best fitting suits they've ever worn.

Short answer: It's not that our suits didn't fit the model. It's that our model didn't fit the suit. Please don't hold it against a small business that we couldn't throw away money on another photo shoot. As for the spliced-in photos, you should see the ones that hit the cutting-room floor!

We're not a Great Big Company trying to exploit a niche market. We're a couple of historical enthusiasts with a tiny little USA-based business who, like everyone, is scrambling like hell to make ends meet in a terrible economy. So we have to do the best we can with what we've got.

Give us a try. You won't be disappointed!

Sincerely,

Bob & Kass
www.reconstructinghistory.com

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Hello Bob & Kass;

thank your for your clarification. I hope you didn't see my comments as off-putting. Since my girlfriend also runs a fashion label I know how hard it is. Your experience with the model and the photographer sounds rather frustrating. My honest advice would be: give it another try with another model. If you can't afford it...make pictures on dress forms. Anything is better than a cataloge scan. People just won't believe you could make them that way.

Good luck with your business.

Florian

 

[R P Davis]

Far from it, Florian! I merely wished to address the concerns in this thread.

We do plan to re-shoot the clothing. It's a matter of time - day in, day out I'm a one-armed paperhanger trying to kick arse with only one leg! And Kass's day is no different. But rest assured we're working on it.

Cheers!

Bob