Best new indie shops: Best custom clothing

Get the perfect fit with bespoke shoes and clothing.

By Eva Medoff Mon Apr 11 2011

Best new indie shops 2011

  • Doyle Mueser

    Doyle Mueser

  • Doyle Mueser men's custom suiting: suits $3,250 and up, shirts $350 and up;...

    Doyle Mueser men's custom suiting: suits $3,250 and up, shirts $350 and up; both at Doyle Mueser

  • Doyle Mueser women's ready-to-wear: suits $2,350 and up, shirts $275 and up;...

    Doyle Mueser women's ready-to-wear: suits $2,350 and up, shirts $275 and up; both at Doyle Mueser

  • How to Make Boots from Your Garage

    How to Make Boots from Your Garage

  • Men's custom shoes, $400 and up, at How to Make Boots from Your Garage

    Men's custom shoes, $400 and up, at How to Make Boots from Your Garage

  • Women's custom shoes, $400 and up, at How to Make Boots from Your Garage

    Women's custom shoes, $400 and up, at How to Make Boots from Your Garage

Doyle Mueser

Doyle Mueser

Winner: Doyle Mueser
The gleaming wood interior and plush rug in this narrow boutique make it feel like a Victorian-era closet. This touch of old-world class extends to the bespoke garments, which come in the form of custom suits and shirting for both gentlemen and ladies. While the shop does stock ready-to-wear items (suits start at $2,700 and shirts at $275), the sleeves and hems are left unfinished to allow the length to be perfectly adjusted. If you'd like to conceive a polished look from start to finish, it'll certainly cost you (suits start at $3,250, shirts at $350, men's sports coats at $2,700 and tuxes at $3,500), but the expertly crafted items will last for decades. Don't have that kind of cash? The more affordable customizable ties (choose the color, pattern and width from a selection of English silk for $175) may be a worthy compromise. 19 Christopher St between Greenwich Ave and Waverly Pl (347-982-4382, doylemueser.com)

Runner-up: How to Make Boots from Your Garage
Those who value handcrafted footwear over the mass-produced, outsourced wares stocked in most stores should head to Olivier Rabbath's Brooklyn workshop. The artisan shoemaker (who has cobbled approximately 30,000 pairs over a ten-year period) claims he can create "anything you have in your mind." Order custom boots, oxfords, heels or any other style (starting at $400) and pick them up in two to four weeks. Rabbath's mission goes beyond fashioning quirky footwear (though he's turned out lace-up booties with scraps of leather resembling flickering flames in the past). His goal, he says, is to create a new class of cobblers: Sign up for a shoe-making class ($375 for 15 hours, plus the cost of materials) and before long you'll be walking miles in the footwear you designed and built yourself. 180 Hoyt St at Warren St, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (917-673-3891, howtomakebootsfromyourgarage.com)

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