Mr Start

My husband relocated along with me to London.
And as such… he now must wear suits. Nice suits.
I had walked by Mr Start several times in jaunts around Shoreditch, and on a late Saturday afternoon we made our way in jonesin’ for menswear with red lines (on sale) as advertised by the large January signs. Luckily, we scored Ruki (sp?) as our assistant, and she is a gem. Ask for her by name. Low pressure, knows her stuff, and quite pleasant and stylish… made the whole affair enjoyable.
She helped my fashion-​backward husband find a surprisingly affordable suit in a dark charcoal… with just enough trim and fit to squeeze him into the London crowd. Throw in a fitted white shirt, some cologne… and we’ve got a new man on our hands.
Even with the sales, this place is not going to be cheap… but a suit (and the details) are quite a good investment. They do take care of the tailoring, and his new suit was ready to pick up in about 5 days.
All smiles from my Mr for Mr Start. (and from me! he looks nice).

Start is like discovering a mini-​Saville Row in hipster Shoreditch. It really is a great high-​end suit and dress shirt store. Spread over 2 small floors, expect to find a nice selection of tailored shirts, suits, and ties. They also sell a selection of custom made Crockett & Jones shoes.
They seem to regularly offer «secret» sales with discounts up to 50% off so best to ask! With the secret discount, the prices are more competitive. Otherwise expect to pay between 100 – 150 for a shirt and 300+ for shoes. Don’t worry the quality and stitching match the prices.

When my brother asked for a new tie for Christmas I thought it would be really easy to find. I was wrong. Quickly I realised I know absolutely nothing about men’s tailoring or what looks good with what. After a few unsuccessful shopping trips I was quite tempted to throw in the towel and buy one of those novelty Bug’s Bunny ones instead. But then I found Start’s suit store in Shoreditch and everything became a little easier.
When I walked in the shop I was greeted by a man who fulfilled every one of my tailor stereotypes. He was fairly camp, balding, fully suited up and wearing a measuring tape round his neck like it was a fashion statement. Helpfully he pulled out hundreds of ties for me and placed them over different coloured shirts so that I could get a good idea of how it would look on. However, his hard sell didn’t impress me much. When I couldn’t decide between a red and a blue tie, his serious suggestion was that I buy them both. As I was walking to the till, he told me that a tie simply wasn’t worth buying without a matching handkerchief. I didn’t like this attitude especially since I’d already outlined my budget to him. Fortunately I managed to hold my own and I’m very happy with the tie I bought, especially since there was a 40% reduction on it! Start is well worth a visit if you’re after the bespoke tailoring treatment but if your service is at all like that which I received, make sure you set a budget and stick to it. These guys are here to make you spend more!