Crittendon - Quality and Construction (lots of pics)

Thanks to Trevor at Romualdo and Critt Rawlings at Crittendon, I had the chance to take a look at the new Crittendon Hand Tailored collection today. My first impressions as to construction are very good. While I would not say that this was a "hand made" garment, I reserve that term for coats where the padding is done by hand, I would say that it is a hand finished garment of very high quality. To be more clear, as a hand finished garment, I would be comparing it to other lines such as Kiton, Borrelli, Isaia, Attolini etc, and not to a company like Oxxford.

What I found was that, similar to the above Italian brands, the shoulders seem to be hand attached, the buttonholes look to be hand done, the exterior pick stitching is obviously done by hand , and the interior pick stitching seems to be done by machine. It should be noted that the amount of hand finishing in this garment is extensive. All exterior seams, save the shoulder seam and arm inseam, are hand finished. The quality of the work is really remarkable. I tried hard to take good photos of it, but the stitching is so subtle that it was honestly quite hard to do so. In this way, it at least equals the better finished Italian brands like Kiton and Brioni. It does not have the flashy finishing of a Borrelli, but I assume that this was not the goal. Additionally, the collar is attached to the coat by hand. While the work there is very neat, it looks different than what I am used to. There are more stitches than you would find on an Italian jacket. I am not sure if that means anything, but there you have it.

As to the work done by machine, it is also extremely neat. The inside of the coat, while open, shows no signs of sloppiness, and the chest shows none of the large puckering often seen on machine padded garments.

As to the look and feel of the jacket, I have to say it is very nice. The shoulder padding is extremely soft, and very minimal. Certianly the padding is less than that of the average Kiton. The sleeve heads do have a touch of wadding. The shoulder line is quite nice, perhaps what Tony Ventresca on FNB called the modified American shoulder. The chest and body of the coat are also extremely soft, and while not weightless, it is definitely on the far end of the lighter side for RTW coats I have tried. The fabric is perfectly nice, though not something I would have chosen. The coat is slightly long for my taste.

If I were to answer the question "who is this jacket for," I would say that it is a direct competitor for many of the high end lines you will find at Neiman Marcus. When styled appropriately, it is a perfect business suit. While it may not be as flashily done as a Kiton or Borrelli, it is certainly something that the customer of these brands should consider.

I tried to take some good pictures of the jacket, but I fear that I have failed. Nevertheless, here they are. I will take some pictures later of the jacket as worn, and give some additional impressions.

Jacket:

Buttonhole:

Lapel notch and buttonhole:

Lapel, breast pocket and lapel hole:

Patch pocket for view of pick stitching:

Inside view:

Under chest:

Backside of pick stitch:

Collar attachment:

Wow. Apparently, Italy doen't have a monopoly on good handsewers afterall. This should silence all the naysayers of China's ability to produce fine goods.

Patch pockets on a rope stripe is a really strange design choice.

I agree that the work looks good, though.

Cut! Cut! Cut!

As my shirtmaker would say, "Handmade but not homemade!"

Is it really surprising as there is a very large contingent of Chinese artisans making garments in Italy so that the garments can carry the "Made in Italy" label?

The key for less expensive labor is still the person sitting at quality control.

- M

Thank you for the writeup Matt.

Regards.

Originally Posted by mmkn

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Is it really surprising as there is a very large contingent of Chinese artisans making garments in Italy so that the garments can carry the "Made in Italy" label?
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There is certainly a lot of Chinese labor in Italian clothing manufacturing, but having visited several of the "handmade" clothing factories in Italy, I can tell you that the workforce in these is nearly 100% Italian. I am not sure it is a surprise that this level of work is done in China, but it has nothing to do with the above, no matter what sort of propaganda is coming from some of the "Made in the USA" folks.

Nice, very nice.

Now, where to get the Crittendons?

And they retail for about $1K, if I remember correctly from prior posts?

Oh, and does it say "Made in China" somewhere conspicuous on the jacket? 'casue you know that's gonna turn off some people.

Where could one purchase such a fine garment?

Thanks for the review Matt

Matt, I think someone mentioned in the original thread that these coats did not have a canvass.

How would you compare it to the Borrelli Linosa/Sorrento? Stylistically, that specific model is the RTW standard bearer in odd coats for me, and that is also a canvass-less coat with a mixture of machine and hand make.

But, it is twice the price of the Crittenden.

I know that you are familiar with the Borrelli model and admire it like I do, so I would find a comparison interesting.

Thanks.

- B

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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Matt, I think someone mentioned in the original thread that these coats did not have a canvass.

How would you compare it to the Borrelli Linosa/Sorrento? Stylistically, that specific model is the RTW standard bearer in odd coats for me, and that is also a canvass-less coat with a mixture of machine and hand make.

But, it is twice the price of the Crittenden.

I know that you are familiar with the Borrelli model and admire it like I do, so I would find a comparison interesting.

Thanks.

- B
IIRC, the original Crittendon collection was made up of soft sportcoats like the Linosa line that had a lightly fused canvas. This is a regular construction suit, with a canvas, so it isn't really comparable. I think you'd need to compare this with the mainline Borrelli. While Borrelli has a bit more hand finishing in their mainline than does the Crittendon, the difference is mainly on the finishing of the lining, and not in the visible parts or in the actual construction. I am going to take some photos of how it fits in a minute, and put them in a new thread, but I think it is fair to say that I like the shoulder fit on the Crittendon more, while I prefer the higher armholes of the Borrelli.

Simply gorgeous!

Great review Matt and anyway that you look at it, it seems that these represent a solid value.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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IIRC, the original Crittendon collection was made up of soft sportcoats like the Linosa line that had a lightly fused canvas. This is a regular construction suit, with a canvas, so it isn't really comparable.

I think you'd need to compare this with the mainline Borrelli.

Ah, thanks for adding more facts.

I've never really liked mainline Borrelli jackets, primarily because of the shoulder. If the Crittenden is softer and rounder, that would be a plus in my book.

- B

Originally Posted by iammatt

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I am not sure it is a surprise that this level of work is done in China, but it has nothing to do with the above.

You're probably right. It's seems just a matter of time with handmade articles, starting now (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/op...1&oref=slogin).

This artisanal wave reminds me of a plastic surgeon I met in Vietnam on an Operation Smile trip. She was the daughter of the Chairman of the Craniofacial Surgery Deparment in HCMC (ex-Saigon). She had gone around the world (Europe, Russia, US) to pick up pointers from the Best in the World, and developed her own style of repairing cleft lips and palate. I remember all the Western plastic surgeons hovering around her (very efficient, precise, and rapid) works and continually raving about her outcome, both technically and artistically. To her, it was just another day, another child who'll grow up more or less "normally."

- M