Alexander S. Kabbaz / Joelle M. Kelly & Sons Fine Custom Clothiers
New York ~ East Hampton
Invalid Link Removed
Long known worldwide as one of the top two custom shirtmakers, Alexander S. Kabbaz and his wife and partner, Joelle M. Kelly, use only the finest Swiss fabrics in the construction of the 35 handmade shirts they produce each week. With such notables as Tom Wolfe, Leonard Bernstein, and the Rockefeller family amongst their unequalled list, Kabbaz and Kelly rarely take on new clients. The shirts range in price from $450 to $650. The dynamic duo can be relied upon to produce the best that can be made anywhere.
...
"At our first meeting, measurements are taken and styling determined through an intensive discussion. We then design and strike your individual paper pattern from which we cut a try-on shirt. A week or two later, faster if necessary, we meet again for you to try on this laundered sample. This is not a shirt you keep; it is merely for pattern corrections. You criticize, we criticize and pin-fit. These fitting steps are repeated and repeated if necessary. When we consider that we have accomplished our initial goals, we make the final alterations to your pattern and, a few days later, send over a real shirt. This you wear for a day or two thus insuring that you like everything about it. Once your pattern has been finalized - and only then - we cut your order.
...
We will design originals (our preference), copy your old favorites, or work from photos or sketches. In the arena of fabrics, we stock some 3000 of the best Swiss or Italian woven, Egyptian-grown cottons and the finest Silks from Europe and the Orient. Our preferred cottons are the 140 count, 170, and 200 count 2x2’s.