A Most Unique Adventure . . . In Fine Old-world Craftsmanship

To Alexander S. Kabbaz and his wife & partner Joelle M. Kelly, shirts are their art ... though she might arguably claim a 'multi-art-talentedness' lacking in Kabbaz by offering to also hand-knit you a sweater. Each a creation of pride; no two ever quite alike. Every creation is a child of painstaking labor. That's why your order is accompanied by detailed instructions for proper laundering and pressing. Concern for these children does not stop at our workroom door but continues long after they leave our shop. That's why, when you bring our shirt 'home' years from now for new collar, new cuffs, and a bit of tender encouragement from Mom & Pop, the result will be virtually a new shirt. That's why, some 60 years after his grandmother rendered her first shirting design for Sulka, Alex still creates fewer than a dozen shirts each week. That's why, when you come here for the first time, we'll fit you two, four, six times... whatever is necessary to attain the perfect fit. To quote Kabbaz, "The only client I wish to serve is a client for life. And that's why we offer the simplest of guarantees: If it is not 'perfect', we shall make it so!"

'A Most Unique Adventure...'

No, this isn't a reference to an African Safari, notwithstanding that we send you off on one stylishly and functionally attired. Nor are we speaking of flying your private jet, competing at martial arts, or going off to war... although we have dressed clients for all of these and many more. The Adventure begins with our depth of insight. Why? Attire speaks before you've had the chance to utter even your first word. Your appearance is the window through which you are first viewed by your peers. The most important result of our initial consultation lies not in the extensive series of measures we place in your file, but in what we garner about your personality, your profession, your taste, and your station in life. Important is not that particular fabric which offers us the greatest profit. Important is the suitability of your wardrobe. This can be considered only if we gain a comprehensive understanding of who you are. Important lies not only in our complimenting your wiser selections and in offering you others from which to choose, but also in having the temerity to suggest that something you might want would be entirely inappropriate for you. The image you should portray is the responsibility we wish to accept.

'...Fine Old-world Craftsmanship'

How do we do all of this and remain successful? It's quite simple, actually. Our charges are set from a viewpoint which allows us to concentrate our efforts solely on the caliber of our work. Truthfully, pricing is the easy part. Difficult is when we sit down and carefully consider each one of the more than 25,000 individual stitches we make in some 12 miles of Egyptian-grown, Swiss-woven long staple cotton yarn, to which we hand-sew 14-20 New Zealand-grown Mother-of-Pearl buttons. Add seven or eight hours of tailoring, a hefty dose of creativity, a lifetime of pride and you get...one shirt! We could go on for pages about our complete individual pattern, an entirely hand-cut and sewn garment, the magnifying loupe through which we inspect the fabric we shrink as necessary before cutting, and the many hundreds of other techniques we use to insure the perfection of our craft. However, we consider this not only proprietary but also firmly believe that this is our responsibility. Suffice it to say, thanks to our many loyal clients, we are happy to have the ability to direct our skill and attention solely toward the quality of our shirts. Please feel free to come in and watch us work... any time.

Previous Clients - Reorders

Before your place a subsequent order, I'd like to see you in the shirt you've found most pleasing. Fine cotton tends, over time, to shape and adapt itself to the wearer. It is only after that has been accomplished that I can make the final little nips and tucks to your permanent pattern. This, by the way, remains an ongoing process. Should more than four or five years pass between your actual visits to the shop, I would rather not make any more shirts until I see you in a recent creation! After all, our only advertising is the answer you give to the question, "Where did you get that shirt?"

For subsequent orders, you can either call to have us send current fabric samples for your perusal or to instruct us to repeat previous shirt selections, or you can stop by any time. Be sure to inform us if any changes are necessary and your order will be crafted from your permanently filed pattern. Reorders normally require four to ten weeks. Quickest deliveries are made in January, February, and September.