The company was founded in 1955 and is now run by the founder’s kids. I met the original Martin’s son in a resale shop, while I was trying on a gorgeous Hickey Freeman Loro Piana suit with the rediculous price of $10.00. He was there shopping for himself, and as I slipped the jacket on, he turned to me, with the practiced eye of an expert born to the work, and said: “Good fit! Needs to come in on the sides, but otherwise perfect.” I could tell he knew what he was talking about, and we started chatting. I need to add that he wasn’t looking for work: Later when I went to his shop, the place was packed with a three-week waiting list.

The suit had a hole on the inboard edge of the lapel, and rather than weave it, he simply reset the fold and it was gorgeous.

Later, I brought him a brand new Hickey navy blazer that looked like a cat had climbed the sleeve while it was hanging in the closet. He fixed it for about $40, and I couldn’t find anyone who could see the repair. It was solid navy, but still an impeccable job.

Departing from Martin’s skill for a moment, I need to disclose that I sell quality used clothing, and bring up an ethical issue:

Resellers need to disclose these repairs, no matter how perfect, because shoddy dry-cleaning and pressing can make the repair stand out over time.

I’ve looked at a lot of clothes, and have seen weaves on suits that were expertly done, but when over-pressed, stood out.

A good natural fabric suit rarely needs to be cleaned. Air them, brush them, and they will last for years without dry-cleaning. Commercial dry-cleaning, in the way it’s done today, will shorten the life of a quality suit.

Shine on suits can result from wear and rubbing, but in most of the clothing I see it is literally burned from pressing.

An excellent alternative to cleaning is a product called “Dry Cleaners Secret” made by Woolite. It’s a moist dryer sheet, and you can tumble two suits for a cost of about $2 in a cool dryer for 20 minutes, and get damage-free deoderizing. Hang it up immediately, and you’ll see no wrinkles.

I’ve found and sold 20 or even 30-year-old Oxxford, Canali, Brioni and other quality suits with a current replacement value of $4,000 or more in literally mint condition because of the care they were given.

In short, a cheap department store suit – even those with famous names and “Super” thread counts may only last a few years, but quality, conservatively styled expensive suits will be wearable for decades with minimal care.