Simon James Cathcart - any experiences?

[Anachronist]

I would consider myself an aficionado of menswear from the silverscreen era, which I occasionally try to emulate or pick up in my attire. Also, I truly enjoy Ethan Wong's blogs and envy him for his possibility to wear vintage clothing, alas with 6'2" I am out of range for most vintage clothing. That said, I recently stumbled over the website of Simon James Cathcart, who has a number of 1930ies inspired garments, especially his sweaters, flannel trousers and suits which kind of caught my attention (with exception of their shoes, which - no offence intended - but just come across as too gaudy for my liking). The slacks and suits are of course very "vintage" in their cut and will stick out when worn in public, but I commit to having been tempted to try out the one or other garment just for kicks and for that occasional spree. Has anyone tried their clothing or has experience with it andcan comment on things like fit, appearance in real life, quality of craftsmanship and fabric, general value for money... you name it?

Really interested to here some first hand reports (open and honest - I'm not set on this brand and just plain and simply curious ;-)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Anachronist]

I suppose it might help if I add a link to the website for those interested.

https://simonjamescathcart.com/

 

[JJ Katz]

SJC is fairly well known and, I believe, respected in the vintage-oriented CM community.

I own two garments from SJC and the quality seems good.
The sizing, based on that small sample, was "idiosyncratic" and I had to exchange items in sizes that usually work well. Make of that what you will.

The cut also tends to accentuate and emphasize 'period' features so, for instance, if you don't want trousers to actually rise ALL the way to your lower ribs then perhaps this isn't for you.

I realise this sounds like damning with faint praise but i do think they are a useful company. Their products are out of the ordinary and very retro-focused and available in taller sizes, I guess, etc.

I think there is a thread on "Fedora Lounge" with more posts, about this company.

 

[Anachronist]

Thanks for the valuable comments. I must admit, I'm still on the fence in terms of my decision to buy something from them, although I have deep respect for their efforts in reviving 1920-30ies styles. Just torn and humming and hawing if I truly will wear these garments enough to justify a purchase. I do have the guts to do so, but I lack the occasions...

 

[wumpmugg]

Thanks for the valuable comments. I must admit, I'm still on the fence in terms of my decision to buy something from them, although I have deep respect for their efforts in reviving 1920-30ies styles. Just torn and humming and hawing if I truly will wear these garments enough to justify a purchase. I do have the guts to do so, but I lack the occasions...

I'm kind of with you about purchasing a full suit from SJC (w/belted back and all the bells and whistles) for fear it might come off a little overdressed for my work environment. But I would definitely wear the trousers in a heartbeat since they are full cut and high waisted which works for my body type. I remember they used to carry a model of trousers that had a little bit of lycra or some other synthetic material blended in for durability. I liked this idea because my thighs rub together and eventually the crotch area wears thin if the trousers are made of a pure loose weave fabric like tweed. Sustainability proponents might not like this idea but I think the longer the pants last the fewer pairs you will need and that would contribute towards sustainability (?). Just my 2 cents.

 

[sajesak]

I would consider myself an aficionado of menswear from the silverscreen era, which I occasionally try to emulate or pick up in my attire. Also, I truly enjoy Ethan Wong's blogs and envy him for his possibility to wear vintage clothing, alas with 6'2" I am out of range for most vintage clothing. That said, I recently stumbled over the website of Simon James Cathcart, who has a number of 1930ies inspired garments, especially his sweaters, flannel trousers and suits which kind of caught my attention (with exception of their shoes, which - no offence intended - but just come across as too gaudy for my liking). The slacks and suits are of course very "vintage" in their cut and will stick out when worn in public, but I commit to having been tempted to try out the one or other garment just for kicks and for that occasional spree. Has anyone tried their clothing or has experience with it andcan comment on things like fit Prozentrechner, appearance in real life, quality of craftsmanship and fabric, general value for money... you name it?

Really interested to here some first hand reports (open and honest - I'm not set on this brand and just plain and simply curious ;-)

Thanks in advance!

I'm hoping to get some impressions from others, but I've been buying from Simon James Cathcart/Cathcart London for years now and recently I have not had an order without a problem.
It first started with a shirt I bought that arrived with a big hole in it. They replaced it no questions asked, but just seemed odd to me that they'd allow something that damaged to ship out.
Then a few months later I pre-ordered a work shirt and striped work trousers. They shipped it about a month late and when it arrived I discovered they sent me the wrong size shirt. They also sent me an "apology gift" for shipping it late which was a belt that had a huge glob of glue stuck to it and was clearly garbage. At first they didn't want me to exchange the shirt and asked if it fit anyway (why would it?) and finally said they didn't have any of the size that I ordered and I could pick another shirt. I was not exactly happy about this but I picked a shirt and moved on.
That brings us to March, when I ordered their (in-stock according to their website) flannel camp shirt and buckle-back jeans. They didn't ship and after a couple of weeks I asked why they haven't sent them and they said the jeans were backordered and they would ship in 2 weeks. It has now been 2 months and I haven't received them and they aren't very speedy in replying to my emails. The jeans are still available to order on their website and have no indication of a wait time or a backorder status.
It might seem foolish for me to have placed another order, but for years I never had a problem with the company and found their customer service very helpful. Has anyone else here experienced any issues? Am I just unlucky? This is kind of a complaint thread but also a warning of what others might be getting into with this company.

 

[comrade]

Their clothes seem more "working stiff" than "silver screen"
vintage. I have trouble visualizing Fred Astaire, Cary Grant,
Gary Cooper, Adophe Menjou, Leslie Howard, Noel Coward,
Maurice Chevallier, william Powell, etc wearing them.

 

[Shaggy Yeti]

I have recently bought two linen rayon shirts and a corduroy brakeman "jeans" during the winter sale. All items arrived speedily and in good condition.
I am absolutely in love with the brakeman corduroy trousers and might consider getting the denim version as my next denim purchase. Fit is pretty good. I will say, that the "belt-back" at the back seems not really suited to contain the thick corduroy and it required some finagling to get it right. But its a fun detail. Love the wide legs, as they give me (a pretty broad guy) a more balanced silhuette than most contemporary pants do.

The shirts were to small and I had to return them. Thankfully they were able to exchange them with ones a size larger, which fit. Customer service was reasonably promt and helpful. When in doubt I would recommend sizing up with cathcart as their stuff tends to run a tad small. The return process took a while but whatever.

Some notes on the shirts though: The bottle green one looks very nice, but i think that the white (mother-of-pearl?) buttons are a bit of an odd choice with such a dark colour. The green one also misses one of the two sleeve buttons on the left sleeve. Also its a shame that there are no extra buttons attached anywhere on the shirt. Beyond that the shirts are very nice and have a fun slubby feeling to them. Its hard to get long sleeved camp collar shirts these days.

Overall im happy, as the items look very nice and the quality seems decent as well. Im also eyeing the corduroy artisan "suit", if it ever comes on sale.