Getting a suit made (and other sartorial things)

[Flames89]

This guy is a standby for business guys who can't get to Asia for cheap made to measure/custom suits. Pick you fabric, get measured. Bam.
Tours all the cities several times a year.
http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/

It makes sense to try them out, regardless of price. Either way, go to high end bespoke places and get an idea what to look/ask for. I am sure some are honest enough that you could say "hey, I am going to asia for a trip and plan on getting a made to measure suit, as I can't afford one here, can you give me some tips of what to look and ask for?".

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by peter12

Made to Measure is paying for the brand, not the work.

As for the Asian suits, the cuts are normally not very... good in my experience unless you are paying $500 to $1000 for Hong Kong or Shanghai suits. The Thailand specials aren't my thing.

Oh yeah, I'm a snob. I should have said that earlier. I'm not in this for a deal, I know why I'm paying and what I'm getting. I just wanted some discussion on the process and cuts.

They are Hong Kong suits and the cut was up to me. I could have it made any way I wanted and I had a full choice of materials. Then again, I am an asian person and none of the suits I can buy off the rack in Canada will fit me either. They are all too big and loose. I am in the same situation as you in the opposite direction maybe.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

They are Hong Kong suits and the cut was up to me. I could have it made any way I wanted and I had a full choice of materials. Then again, I am an asian person and none of the suits I can buy off the rack in Canada will fit me either. They are all too big and loose. I am in the same situation as you in the opposite direction maybe.

Asian men are lucky as they are only race on the planet able to pull off a black suit and not look like a mortician.

[Flames89]

Maxwell's does have mixed reviews though.
Heard this guy does bespoke:
Giovanni-the Tailor Shop
1906 37 Street SW

[Flames89]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

They are Hong Kong suits and the cut was up to me. I could have it made any way I wanted and I had a full choice of materials. Then again, I am an asian person and none of the suits I can buy off the rack in Canada will fit me either. They are all too big and loose. I am in the same situation as you in the opposite direction maybe.

Tried Zenga? Certain Hugo Boss lines?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Flames89

Tried Zenga? Certain Hugo Boss lines?

Don't get Boss. It's all fused. At least Brooks Brothers half-canvasses their jackets.

[jdso]

I had a suit made by Giovanni at the Tailor Shop. He does great work!

Here is someone's bespoke experience from Style Forum. Lots of useless posts to filter through though.

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=198356

I hated my Maxwell's suit experience. The suit fitted poorly and I find it hard to pick out a good material from such a small sample.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Flames89

This guy is a standby for business guys who can't get to Asia for cheap made to measure/custom suits. Pick you fabric, get measured. Bam.
Tours all the cities several times a year.
http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/

It makes sense to try them out, regardless of price. Either way, go to high end bespoke places and get an idea what to look/ask for. I am sure some are honest enough that you could say "hey, I am going to asia for a trip and plan on getting a made to measure suit, as I can't afford one here, can you give me some tips of what to look and ask for?".

I have a suit from them, which is great. Solid materials and god cut. He shirts are also great value at 3/$150.00.

If you're willing to spend $2,000-$3,000 then obviously these will not be of that standard. However, they are considerably better than any suit or shirts you would pay twice the price for at retail stores. Basically, you are paying $600-$700 for a suit you'd have to pay at least $1,200-$1,500 in store.

[mykalberta]

Isnt there a Hong Kong tailor that comes to Calgary every Spring? Anyone know if he has a website or when he will be here this year?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Isnt there a Hong Kong tailor that comes to Calgary every Spring? Anyone know if he has a website or when he will be here this year?

Look in the post above.

[socktape]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Isnt there a Hong Kong tailor that comes to Calgary every Spring? Anyone know if he has a website or when he will be here this year?

That would be the guy in my post above. He was just here in November, would expect a return in feb-April sometime.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by peter12

Don't get Boss. It's all fused. At least Brooks Brothers half-canvasses their jackets.

Depending how much you wear a suit, does fused vs canvased matter to most people?
I know it's frowned upon by the fashion crowd, but I love the cut and fit of Boss suits. I couldn't care less if they're canvased, because I don't wear them everyday and when I do they look good.

[Clarkey]

Anybody who judges you based on whether your suit is fused or canvased (whatever that even means) is probably not someone worth trying to impress.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by peter12

Alright, I know I will get flamed for this, but I'm feeling kind of masochistic today, plus I want some advice.

My work attire is normally "high-end" business casual. Navy blazer or cotton, soft-shouldered jacket with chinos + tie. I hate buying suits off the rack, I have large shoulders, no ass, and a back that's 10 feet long. I'm not the guy that can go Banana Republic special and look like George Clooney. So awhile ago, after my last disastrous suit purchase, I made a commitment to only do bespoke work for suits for the rest of my life. The problem is, that they cost $3000 and up, but I've had a bit of a windfall lately, basically grant money, and I've decided to go a bit dandy and get a suit made.

That said, anyone have any experience in this sort of thing? Any suggestions for a first bespoke suit? I was thinking of something a bit "out there." I've got a bit of an image with my friends, co-workers as a bit of a sartorial eccentric, so I am pretty sure I will not be getting your basic charcoal or navy number. I was even thinking of getting something in a maroon or burgundy, maybe a tweed.

Anyway, this thread probably won't go anywhere beyond the usual catcalls, which is okay, but I know worth and some others have a thing for clothing etc...

I haven't done bespoke but I did get a made-to-order suit from Henry Singer. The tailor told me that my proportions were pretty much perfect for buying off the rack with just a few adjustments, so the next suit I bought was off the rack and it did fit perfectly. Both are Ermenegildo Zegnas and in fit and quality, there's very little difference between my off-the-rack and my made-to-fit. That said, I do hope to get a Montreal-made bespoke suit for my next one.

My advice would be to make sure that even if you're going for something more sartorially adventurous, make sure you have a few different ideas on how you're going to use it. Sometimes, a more neutral fabric has more sartorial possibilities simply because it's flexible. If you get a maroon tweed, for example, you're pretty limited in what you can pair with it. You might get one or two great looks out of it, but pretty soon you'll find that limiting. But a grey or navy suit provides far more possibilities for what you can pair with it, and you can still be creative in terms of pattern, colour, lining, and style.

If you've got a budget of $3000, I'd recommend spending about $2000 on the suit and the remainder of it on some accessories (shirts, ties, pocket squares, shoes, belts, tie-clips, etc.) that give you a few great looks.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Depending how much you wear a suit, does fused vs canvased matter to most people?
I know it's frowned upon by the fashion crowd, but I love the cut and fit of Boss suits. I couldn't care less if they're canvased, because I don't wear them everyday and when I do they look good.

They do look fine. It's just more of a quality thing. A good canvassed jacket will last you 10+ years if you take care of it, the glue in a fused jacket tends to wear and tear.

The one thing that bugs me about Boss is the money you pay for what is essentially a average piece of clothing. The cuts do look very good on some people though.

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

They are Hong Kong suits and the cut was up to me. I could have it made any way I wanted and I had a full choice of materials. Then again, I am an asian person and none of the suits I can buy off the rack in Canada will fit me either. They are all too big and loose. I am in the same situation as you in the opposite direction maybe.

I'll be in Hong kong later this year. Care to recommend a shop that can do custom suits in under two weeks? TIA

[bomber317]

Digging up an old thread.

Looking at getting a nicer suit that will last me a long time.

My body fits most off the rack suits with a few minor alterations.

No specific price range, but I would have to be able to justify it.

From reading this thread

Getting it made would be about 2-3k. And in my case, I don't think I would need it made if I can just get a few alterations done.
Hugo Boss is fused.
Brooks brothers is just half canvassed.

What should I look for in terms of quality? If you stuck me in a room with 5 unbranded suits, what things should I be looking for? And at what price point can those qualities be obtained for?

I would like to get best value for the price.

[DownhillGoat]

CP is always so informative. I learned the defenitions of both 'sartorial' and 'bespoke' today.

[blankall]

I've had suits made, three different ways:

1) Suit in Thailand, at a "higher end" shop there. This was my first experience buying a non-Tip Top tailer suit. Now that I know the difference between a good suit and a bad one, I'd say these were bad. But for sub-$200 they were great.

2) http://www.maxwellsclothiers.com/

A step up from the Thai suits. They come to Canada and measure you in a hotel room. The measurements are sent back to Asia, and a suit is mailed to you. The suits were around $400-$500 to start and shirts were $50 each.

The suit was reasonably nice. The cut, however, wasn't very modern/fitted.

3) http://www.himarkmartintailors.com/

These guys were pretty good. Same deal, they will meet you in a hotel room and do the measurements. With these guys, you get a personal consultation with a sales rep. Maxwell's is much more chaotic, with many customers in a room and several reps taking orders/measurements. With Maxwell, you'd better know what you need/want ahead of time.

With Himark, you might have to spend an additional $100 max to have the suit tweaked at a tailor afterwards. This depends on how fitted you want the suit, the more fitted you go, the less room there is for error and the more likely you are to need tailoring.

I paid around $900 for a suit and 6 shirts at HiMark. However, of the three places I've been, this was by far the best. The suit cut and materials rivaled what my friends had purchased for 3-4x the price from higher end suit stores. If you want the high end thick wool (which isn't a bad decision in Calgary) you can pay extra and have that. I get compliments on this suit all the time, and it's holding up in perfect condition after over a year of wear, probably every 1 of 2 days.


In short, I highly recommend Himark Tailors.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by bomber317

What should I look for in terms of quality? If you stuck me in a room with 5 unbranded suits, what things should I be looking for? And at what price point can those qualities be obtained for?

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.