Sleevehead: The small world of Los Angeles men's haberdashery                                                          

The small world of Los Angeles men's haberdashery

    Yesterday I drove to Brooks Brothers in Beverly Hills to pick up some made-to-measure garments that needed adjustments. Naturally I got into a conversation with Victor, the salesman I work with at the store, and we started talking about bench tailors in Los Angeles. I mentioned that I only knew of two bespoke tailors in the LA area and that I had visited one of them - Jack Taylor - a few weeks ago.

It turns out Victor moved out to California from the East Coast to work with Jack. Things didn't work out and Victor went to work elsewhere. That in itself was mildly interesting but even more remarkable is the relationship he has with the only other well-known bespoke tailor in LA - Giacomo Trabalza. Victor mentioned that he knew a tailor working out on La Cienega and I immediately thought of Trabalza. As it turns out, Mr. Trabalza is Victor's uncle.

The world of high end Los Angeles tailors and haberdashers is fairly small and they all know each other - Victor also knows Jack Sepetjian of Anto's Shirtmakers, the well-known shirtmakers profiled in Flusser's Style and the Man. And Trabalza and Taylor certainly know each other.

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