When I were a young lad, I’m sure 3-button suits were everywhere, even Marks & Spencers had a few knocking about and I don’t think it was that hard to find one in other high street shops. Ted Baker, TM Lewin or something like that would always have something in there for a young Mod.
Now, nothing. Ben Sherman doesn’t even do them. Ben Sherman, the brand most associated with Mod and sixties fashion (so far as such a thing goes) does not stock 3-button suits. Merc has closed its shop on Carnaby too, so that’s out. We can go to a tailor of course, and while many may prefer this from a purity point of view, it is expensive. The choices in the shops for the average Joe are limited.
So who will answer to the 3-button demand? We have of course, a whole series of prospects, from Adaptor (by far the best for price/quality balance), to Adam of London, to Brighton’s Jump The Gun and of course Atom Retro for a slightly chuck-out-esque, discount service (If I’ve missed any here, please let me know, but these are my top ones for now).
But what’s that, four places? And for the London lad I am, I have to order online most of the time. Don’t get me wrong I find online ordering great and I’ve never been dissatisfied with these guys’ products.
But aside from this, am I really right in thinking 3-button suits are now rarer than ever?