other services

Alteration Services

Over the life of a suit, normal wear and tear create the need for refurbishment. Many customers will also need to have the sizes adjusted competently. Top Shelf’s workroom has an established reputation as the best quality tailor shop in the Twin Cities. This is one of the ways we differentiate ourselves from the growing legions of “direct sellers” in the custom clothing business, who sell primarily in office settings. At the core, we are still tailors. In addition to our own suits, we work with other great suits of the world, including Brioni, Kiton, Oxxford, Canali, Hickey Freeman and others.

To come prepared for a good alteration experience, we ask that you wear appropriate clothing to be fitted, like a typical dress shirt, preferably long sleeves. It is very important to be bring shoes very close to what you want to wear with the garment. And it is also much appreciated that the articles you bring in to be worked on be cleaned, especially pants having more than just the hem done. Your alterations will take much longer, and a lot more work is created for us if we have to fit you and then send your clothing to be cleaned before we can put it in the workroom. If there is concern about the cost of a job, please ask for an estimate before we get going.

Remember-Please bring clothing clean for alteration, and bring the shoes you will be wearing to eliminate guesswork and costly mistakes.

Accessories

Top Shelf’s clientele has come to expect our help in coordinating and integrating high quality neckwear with the beautiful custom suits and shirts we create. Despite our small size, we have developed an almost cult-like following for our distinctive tie lines, which often fly in the face of mass-market department style offerings.

We are very proud of our representation of the limited edition concepts of the following:

Neckwear, Hosiery, Shoes, Belts, Cufflinks, Watches, Formal Wear Accessories, Magnetic Collar Stays, Suit and Pant Hangers

Neckwear

Tino Cosma
Founded in 1946 by Vittorio Cosma, and taken over in 1968 by his oldest son, Tino, the company started by using fabric that was originally intended for tablecloths, and turned it into ties. The ties were then delivered by bicycles. From these humble origins, the company has evolved into a global presence, with 3 flagship stores, Milan, Naples and New York. The ties have always had a loyal following for the exclusivity of their patterns. Cut in one central location in Motta de Livenza. IT, every tie is labeled with the name of the master tie maker who has hand-sewed the cravatte.
In 2006, Top Shelf owners John and Pat Meegan were given tours of the silk factories in Como where some of the woven silks used in Tino Cosma production are made. It was an unforgettable experience to witness the miracle of weaving that goes from silk worm to bolts of fabric, and the design history and library of patterns used at the mills.

Hubert
If Tino Cosma is Top Shelf’s “classico” neckwear, then Hubert has always represented our cutting edge, modern aspect. In Milan, Tino Cosma and Hubert have long been considered rivals, but with different approaches. Latex dripped ties, krinkled and pleated silks, cravattes blanketed with lace. Hubert has not been a tie line for the masses, but for the most imaginative free thinkers.

Mila Schon
Mila Schon is new to the Top Shelf lineup but her designs have re-emerged with a freshness that has been a signature of her Milanese design career over the last 40 years. Her signature statement is to maintain printed silk borders around the edges of her ties which define the patterns and frame the knot of the ties in a most unique statement.

Gallieni
In our return to retro narrow tie widths, the return of the square bottom “rooster” ties has many old clients scratching their heads. “Why did I ever throw those away?” they moan. But make no mistake, whether in wool or silk, the distinctiveness of these ties seem fresh again, and for most clients under the age of 30, these ties are a new pheonomena to be enjoyed all over again. In addition to the “roosters” Galliani has invigorated the tie market with many fetching plaids in wool, cashmere and silk blends.

Zegna, Holland and Sherry, Dormeuil, Leonard of Paris
From each of these brands, we have very selectively picked assortments of what we consider our CEO collections. Most of these ties are created with very conservative and dressy colors and patterns well suited to the boardroom. They are simply designed to be rich and understated. The Leonard of Paris prints are world famous for the artistry of design in conversational prints.

Sweaters by Piacenzo. We carry a unique collection of cashmere sweaters in varying plys, from 4 ply cashmere donegals, to resort color single-ply waterproof cashmeres. We have sweatshirt styled cashmeres, full length zip fronts, and a range of resort cotton sweaters by Piacenzo, as well as silk and cotton blends from Tulliani.

Shoes by Allen Edmonds and Zelli. We are proud to be authorized dealers for two of the best quality shoes money can buy. The Allen Edmond customer can select and if neccessary special order any model in production through us. We display the newest and most popular models from their line, and make recommendations for pairing with our suit and sport creations. Zelli is known as one of the best values in exotic skins like crocodile, ostrich, and peccary, built with extreme comfort in mind for the wearer. Made in Italy on classic lasts developed for other high end shoe makers, and utilizing popular features like the unique “super flex” sole make this shoe line a popular one for the fashion oriented man.

For any questions please contact John Meegan via email at :: john@topshelfinc.com