There’s a nickname for the upscale residential/commercial building at 130 W. 57th Street: The Tower of Tailors.
It got that name because at one point, five custom tailors operated showrooms in the building including Huntsman and the late Domenico Spano. Three remain today including Cad & The Dandy, a Savile Row tailor that set up a small shop on the fifth floor in 2018, opening an appointment-only space to better serve its American customers. Two years ago, the company relocated into the penthouse of the building and now operates out of a bright, two-level space where its in-house tailor has his own dedicated area, surrounded by works in progress and finished garments.
But this fall will mark a turning point for the company. Somewhere around September or October, Cad & The Dandy will make a move that none of the other bespoke tailors operating in New York has done: open a street-level store in the lobby of the building. The shop will be similar in look and feel to the one it operates on Savile Row — Cad & The Dandy operates both a 2,000-square-foot showroom and a 3,000-square-foot store on the famed London street.
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What makes the New York store possible is that Cad & The Dandy launched a ready-to-wear line during the pandemic, and that’s what will be sold in the shop. But if a customer wants something a little more special or is hard to fit, he can just jump in the elevator and finish his shopping at the bespoke showroom.
Although available off the rack, the ready-to-wear is still fully canvassed and handmade, but about two-thirds of the price of a fully bespoke garment. The store will sell suits, tuxedos, jackets, coats, shirts and knitwear. Sizes will run from 36 to 50.
Cad & The Dandy was founded in 2008 by Ian Meiers and James Sleater, two former bankers whose families had roots in sartorial menswear: Meiers’ mother was a tailor and Sleater’s family owned a mill. Although neither had experience in bespoke suitmaking, they believed that there was room for a younger, more modern alternative to what is often the stuffy, rigidly traditional bespoke tailors who have called Savile Row home for more than two centuries.
They started out in the city of London and moved to Savile Row in 2013 where they are now the largest — and youngest — tailoring house on the street.
“They were disruptors,” said Steve Knorsch, managing director of the U.S. for the company.
“It was ripe to be disrupted,” said Meiers. “Things on Savile Row haven’t changed in 200 years. Some of the tailors still say they made suits for Winston Churchill. Well, that’s great, but who wants to look like Winston Churchill today?”
Indeed, Cad & The Dandy’s claim to fame is its competitive pricing and a house style that is more fitted and contemporary than traditional Savile Row, with less shoulder padding and a more pronounced waist, resulting in a contemporary, modern silhouette. Even so, the bespoke products sport a full floating canvas, toile fittings and hand-finishing — one suit can take 50 hours of handwork to complete. Clients are seen several times over the course of the process, which takes eight to 10 weeks, to ensure a proper fit.
The company also digitizes its patterns and has a robust website. “We came in with a fresh approach,” Meiers said.
Prices are also less than most of the other Savile Row shops. A bespoke suit starts around $2,500 and most average $3,500 to $4,500, Knorsch said. Ready-to-wear suits are around $1,800 but can go up from there depending on the fabric.
Since its founding, this distinct aesthetic has connected with well-heeled executives, celebrities and costume designers: case in point, Will Ferrell and his team of executives in “Barbie” wore suits made by Cad & The Dandy, as did Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
Work on the 1,800-square-foot store will begin in a couple of weeks and Cad & The Dandy is hoping it will be completed by October. “We’re going to gut the space, and put our logo in gold on the outside with green tiling,” Meiers said.
There are no immediate plans open stores in other U.S. cities. Instead, the team will continue to do trunk shows in Boston; Washington, D.C.; Tampa, Fla., and other cities where they have developed a clientele.
“We’re not hell bent on growing faster than we should,” Meiers said. “We’ll just take it one step at a time.”
