Q: I’m looking for the perfect retro sixties pants, but I’m not really into thrift stores. Any affordable suggestions?
A: Why not try custom-made? Lionel Custom Pants in Greenpoint (by appointment only; 917-202-4011) takes its inspiration from Carnaby Street circa 1968, but the craftsmanship is pure Savile Row—without the price tag. (Back then, the pants were called Lionel Blairs, from the Cockney rhyming slang for “flares.”) Now owner Bonnie Barton—a Texas transplant—crafts flares, stovepipe pants, and custom jeans for Brooklyn hipsters and discerning clients like the New York band the Witnesses. “Each pair is unique,” says Barton. “We design around the person’s figure and what they want to look like.” Pick a fabric, or let the tailors choose for you; they even make house calls. The whole process takes about five hours, including detailed measurements and two fittings, but after those are completed and put on file, you’ll be well on your way to an entire wardrobe of one-of-a-kind, impeccably tailored pants. ($36 per hour; about $150 per pair; allow two to four weeks.)
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