Suiting Up: Threads: Boris: New York

As you probably know by now, we here at W4 have very high standards when it comes to personal apparel. The proper cut is something which seemingly fewer and fewer designers seem to understand. Prada, Gucci, and Jil Sander are obviously for middle management and not nearly up to par unless you do the door at a nightclub on West 27th Street. Borrelli is still the benchmark and a classic for suits as their's is a beautiful Napolitan cut, slim but not too slim trousers, and perfectly tailored jackets without the traditional American shoulder pads. However much we may love Borrelli and we assure you we do, and that many of our team members purchase suits from there, their look is a little too old-fashioned. So we ventured elsewhere, and what we've found did not disappoint.

On a quiet strip of Lexington Avenue on the second floor of a run-down brownstone, there lies the shop of one of the most talented and also most innovative suitmakers we've found to date. Bruce Cameron Clark, a mildly eccentric shaggy-haired bespectacled English gent who used to practice his craft on Saville Row at Nutter's among other locales, creates bespoke suits for the who's who of New York and elsewhere. The cut is perfect and his extreme attention to detail is what makes the experience so worthwhile. He carries all sorts of both old-school and new wave/wacky fabrics. Our late night correspondent Boris was spotted contemplating the purchase of a sequin dinner jacket at Mr. Clark's shop (we all know of Boris' admiration for the late great Liberace). Mr. Clark also will custom-make shirts, trousers, and overcoats. One of our favorite get-ups was a three-piece plaid suit with matching overcoat--achter chic! Additionally for his faithful patrons, Mr. Clark will take badly-cut pieces one may have purchased elsewhere and recut them.

Make sure you look smart (and don't smoke beforehand, he hates cigarettes – which is a valid stance but quite odd coming from a European from the still smoky Booze Island if we must say) and go see this talented man who will keep you perfectly clothed and maybe just make you a little more crazy.

+Previous W4: Boris.
+Bruce Cameron Clark Bespoke Clothier, 968 Lexington Avenue New York, New York +1 212 772-7701.
+Liberace Museum, 1775 E Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, +1 702 798-5595.