Getting a suit made (and other sartorial things)

[Montag]

Seems like tailoredman.com is in Calgary this week. Anyone have any first hand experience with them?

[TorqueDog]

Peter, I know where you're coming from. I used to be pretty frugal about clothes until I realized how good you feel wearing something that has been custom tailored to your exact build. Since then, paying for quality has never been a problem.

I'm not sure if he does bespoke but perhaps talk to Amadeo at Joseph's Men's Wear in Bow Valley Square. Otherwise, Supreme Men's Wear on 4th Avenue @ 3rd Street SW is another option. A friend of mine actually gets all his nicer dress shirts made bespoke from there.

[Table 5]

Peter, what did you end up having made? Curious to see.

I'd love to get a bespoke suit at some point, and totally buy into the "better quality, for the long-term" approach to buying. I just can't really justify the price right now, considering I don't wear suits that often.

Last year when I was in Italy, the women in our group dragged us to the an outlet mall. What was nice there is that instead of the usual Gap, Nike, Calvin Klein type of stores you get in North America....they had high end Italians brands. Prada, Fendi, Brioni etc.

Ended up buying myself a pretty amazing Prada suit for $500. Not a bespoke suit of course, but that thing would easily be close to 1.5-2k here.

[peter12]

I ended up getting a sort of neat, go-to-hell type sports coat. Think olive plaid, soft-shoulders. Very Ivy league.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by peter12

I ended up getting a sort of neat, go-to-hell type sports coat. Think olive plaid, soft-shoulders. Very Ivy league.

Leather elbow pads? Patch pockets? Inquiring minds want to to know.

[Timbo]

I have four suits that are high quality and IMO are timeless and fit my body very well when not in fatboy mode LOL.

What I need are shoes but that is another thread.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Leather elbow pads? Patch pockets? Inquiring minds want to to know.

Patch pockets, horn buttons, more of a sack fit.

[worth]

Let's see some pics!

Where did you get it done?

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by peter12

Patch pockets, horn buttons, more of a sack fit.

Now is it all legit patch pockets? Including the lapel pocket?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by worth

Let's see some pics!

Where did you get it done?

I got it done at O'Connors as a last pre-grad school poverty gift. I need to get the sleeves shortened a tad, but it's a beauty.

[bomber317]

Originally Posted by blankall

The things that will separate a good suit from a bad one are:

1) Materials
2) Quality of stitching
3) Cut
4) Fit

An expensive suit should be durable, made of a nice material (non-polyester looking), and have a modern cut that fits you well. It's a little hard to tell until you've had some experience wearing suits daily.

1) Materials - So 100% wool for the jacket? What about the lining? and I'm assuming the buttons shouldn't be plastic but something more durable.
2) Quality of stitching - is this something that you don't notice is good? but if you notice it, it's bad?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Timbo

What I need are shoes but that is another thread.

I got some great deals.

Allen Edmonds has a deal with their outlet stores, where you can get 2 pairs for $330 shipped to Canada. They normally sell for around $350 + tax here.

E-mail this guy and ask for a list of shoes in your size:

shoebank@allenedmonds.com

See if the sale is still going on. If possible get fitted for the size in a local store, althought their size chart is pretty accurate.

Also, just bought a pair of these:

http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/produc...fv=1&pid=90379

Got them for $88 after shipping from Shoemetro.com . If you check their clearance section, they get some high end men's shoes in at a fraction of retail. Once again, be careful with sizing.

[worth]

I buy all my shoes through the Allen Edmonds Shoe Bank.

You can ask to be put on their email list and they will send you good deals every once in a while.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by worth

I buy all my shoes through the Allen Edmonds Shoe Bank.

You can ask to be put on their email list and they will send you good deals every once in a while.

Just as I was writing that post the Canada Post guy came to my office and delivered a large box full of two pairs of shoes. Now I feel like a woman because I want to try on shoes instead of work.

I should also add that these are "factory seconds". The shoes will have minor scuffs in them sometimes. They will accept back any shoes with any defect beyond a very minor issue though.

[worth]

I guess it depends how picky you are, but to be honest I have bought 3 or 4 pairs through the shoe bank and have not had any issues whatsoever with scuffs or other defects.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by worth

I guess it depends how picky you are, but to be honest I have bought 3 or 4 pairs through the shoe bank and have not had any issues whatsoever with scuffs or other defects.

In general, they seem to be pretty good. I bought at the same time as a bunch of the guys on redflagdeals. One shoe came with a half inch cut in the leather. That person got a refund pretty promptly though. The rest seemed to be the kind of "defects" you'd get from a day's worth of wear though.

[worth]

What did you get from them today?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by worth

What did you get from them today?

2 pairs of fifth avenues. One in black and the other in walnut.

The black will be a day to day office shoe. The walnut I will wear with my brown suit, but will also double as a casual shoe. Up until now, I've been buying largely cheaper shoes, which last me 6 months tops. Hoping these ones will last 2-3 years.

They threw in two shoe trees for free too.

[worth]

Nice choice.

Those shoes should last 10-20 years really. Make sure to use the shoe tree and you can get them resoled. If it really comes down to it you can recondition them which would be cheaper than buying a new shoe altogether.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Montag

Seems like tailoredman.com is in Calgary this week. Anyone have any first hand experience with them?

I have and I'm meeting with him this week. My body does not fit an off-the-rack suit at all (looks like I'm wearing my dad's suit, way too much fabric sort of thing), so custom-made is really the only way to go for me. It's a one on one session with no pressure to buy past the price range you want. They have some good specials for shirts / suits / jackets in certain combinations; just check out the website.

The experience was very professional, and I think the clothes look fantastic. Only downside is it takes 4-6 weeks for delivery, but they offer free alterations if you are not happy with any of the products.