They come from a tradition of quality over fashion. Yet, it remains one of the finest suitmakers in the world when it comes to quality. Hickey Freeman never achieved true luxury status as a brand. Luxury brands manipulate emotion to convince you to overpay for quality. In another post, I talk about the difference between luxury and quality. My Hickey Freeman Canterbury after removal of excess shoulder padding. The finished jacket after this alteration is shown below. Now, the jacket drapes much better with the light shoulder padding in place. It took less than ten minutes to remove the added padding, leaving behind the default padding the jacket was manufactured with. I opened up the lining seam below the shoulders and discovered that the extra shoulder padding had been stitched into the jacket after manufacture. I was able to remove the added padding quite easily. You will notice in the top two photos that the shoulders of this jacket are heavily padded, a popular fad in the 1980s. I can say that it is the nicest blazer I have ever owned. However, it fits me beautifully with no alterations needed. It is at least twenty-years-old and has the generous shoulder pads to prove it (my only complaint about this jacket). My jacket appeared to have been made-to-measure for its original owner. This blue blazer is fully canvassed, uses excellent wool fabrics, and has tailoring details such as high armholes that contribute to a great fit. The Canterbury line represented one of Hickey Freeman’s most luxurious collections. That risk paid off! Here is the photo from the eBay listing for this jacket. I took the risk that the jacket was much nicer than the photos suggested. Three decades of experience thrift shopping has taught me to look beyond bad photos. The poor quality of the photos and description of this jacket in the eBay listing made it easy to overlook. Normally, the Hickey Freeman brand commands a higher price on the second-hand market. I purchased this Hickey Freeman Canterbury Blazer (shown above) second-hand on eBay for only $14.00 (including shipping). They had a masculine silhouette but were also very comfortable. I could wear clothes from this era every day. Bank silk cream colored slacks and Cremieux vintage silk tie. I like to call this my ‘Ricky Ricardo’ (from television sitcom “I Love Lucy”) blazer as it has the high broad shoulders and slim hips characteristic of 1960s suits and sportcoats. Their expertise and excellence in suitmaking make them one of the very best American menswear manufacturers today. They have been making high-quality suits and sportcoats in Rochester, New York since 1899. Hickey Freeman is one of my favorite menswear brands to seek when thrift shopping for suits and sportcoats. Thrifting Finds: Hickey Freeman Canterbury Blazer
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