Opinion needed on MTM in Toronto

I scheduled an appointment with Michael last week and ordered an MTM suit + MTM shirt.

Day 1 - Feb 14:
First Impressions (Note: these are my personal opinions ):
Very Clean Store/Shop with an attention to detail and the service was outstanding. They do have a website, although minimal, at: http://www.sprezzatura.ca/

Suit Fabrics and Customization:
1. They had several books covering everything I could look for in terms of suiting fabrics (for now). At least more than I could definitely handle in my first visit there - Michael had also suggested what to buy and what not to buy for a Navy Suit. He was more focused on providing what I needed most instead of trying to upsell me on fabrics I wouldn't necessarily need or wouldn't fit the occasion I needed the suit for the most (office/client meetings). Their books start from $800 - I ordered from the $1000 book.
2. They had suggested several different styles and customizations (functional/surgeon's cuffs, lining chioce, interior pockets choice, exterior pockets choice, vents, etc) that would go well with the suit (more than I had expected and definitely more than a Harry Rosen MTM Coppley) - I went with his recommendations as he seemed to be very up to date on the latest trends and fashions.

Suit/Shirt Measurements:
1. They performed the standard measurements and took a few camera pictures, as expected.
2. I tried on several jackets to see what fit best in terms of shoulders/chest, length, waist, etc, as expected.
3. Fitted on a pair of pants and they did additional measurements on those, as expected.
4. This was the initial fitting and I do know that you come back and do two more fittings.

Looking Forward to:
1. Seeing how the suit fits based on their measurements - Was advised it will take approximately 3-4 weeks to be constructed and delivered.
2. Determine the quality of construction (they are full canvassed, btw)

Day 18 - Mar 3:
I emailed Michael to follow up on my suit timing and ask for a placeholder meeting for my second fitting. Hecame back and told me that he will contact me the following Tuesday (Week 3) to schedule a meeting.

Day 25 - Mar 11:
I didn't hear Michael on Tuesday, so I followed up with an email. He replied and we scheduled the second fitting for Friday (Day 28) and the third fitting for Sunday (Day 30).

Day 28 - Mar 13:
Completed the second fitting and was impressed with the amount of detail that went into the second fitting. Michael also informed me that my MTM shirt won't be ready until next week.

I tried on the pants first in which my crotch, waist, and inseam was re-examined. I was measured by both Michael and the tailor himself (Yama/Yamo (sp?)) which was definitely great. They easily took 10-15 minutes discussing and examining/marking areas for refinement. Being measured by the tailor personally increased my confidence level quite significantly because I knew he was able to see how the garment looked and able to perform measurements himself prior to the tailoring.

Next up, the jacket. My initial thoughts was that the fit was great and aggressive (which is what I wanted). They spent another 10-15 minutes easily discussing and remeasuring the jacket from top to bottom. I appreciated the amount of detail that went into the remeasurements as they thoroughly examined my jacket. Even the slighest hint of any area that needed adjustment (no matter how small i.e. <1cm) was recommended.

Overall - Still as impressed as the first fitting. Looking forward to the final fitting on Sunday (Day 30).

Day 30 - Mar 15:
My brother and I both had an appointment scheduled for this day. We arrived and Michael informed me that my suit was not yet ready as the tailor was still working on it and it would be ready by the end of the week. I was a little disappointed as I would have expected an email/phone call letting me know what to expect if out of the ordinary. Michael let me know that he will contact me later in the week to follow up on my third fitting.

My brother ended up purchasing a 3pc suit from them and did his first fitting. In the meantime, I spoke with Davi in regards to other options and services that Fifth on King provided and was very surprised to find out they had quite a number of custom services available such as:

• Custom Suits (2pc/3pc) - Starting at $800 (2pc) & Starting at $150 (vest)
  
• Custom Dress Shirts - Starting at $125
  
• Custom Chinos/Trousers - Starting at $200
  
• Custom Sports Jackets - Starting at $600
  
• Custom overcoats - Starting at $800 (I think) but the Cashmere book ($1000) was definitely the go to fabric.
  
• Custom Ties - Forget what the starting price was (Small Selection)
  
• Custom Pocket Squares - Forget what the starting price was (Small Selection)
  

Overall, despite the slight communication miss, Davi did extend a sign of good gesture towards me and I am still have high hopes that Fifth will deliver as expected (and hopefully more).

Day 33 - Mar 18:
Had several email communication back/forth with Michael and he had stated that the suit was not going to be ready until after Monday (Day 38) since the tailor had a family/personal emergency to attend to - Michael did apologize for this unforeseen event. In the meantime, Michael and I have been trying to line up a time for mid-next week. Looking to pick up the suit either on Thursday (Day 41) or Friday (Day 42). I will also be undergoing my shirt fitting. As a side, but related, note, I will be doing a vest fitting during this same appointment as well. Stay tuned.

Day 37 - Mar 22:
Managed to schedule an appt. for Day 41 (Thursday).

Day 41 - Mar 26:
Third suit fitting: Tried on the pants and, right off the bat, Michael mentioned they looked long. He asked how I preferred my length and I asked for a slight break. So, he ended up marking them with chalk(?) so that he could shorten them. I had also inquired if they could add a change pocket to the side right pocket and Michael responded "No problem, we can do this". I then tried on the jacket and I initially thought "what a fit!". The jacket fit very well, was clean, and required no additional tailoring.
Considering that the pants needed to be shortened, Michael offered to drop off the suit on Friday at my work - A great service they offer since most other places, you would have to come back and pick it up.

Second shirt fitting: I tried on the shirt next, and found it a little baggy for my taste and Michael/Davi agreed. They then proceeded to pin the chest, sides and arms for additional alterations. They suggested that the shirt will be completed in the next 2 days.

I was impressed with the level of details that was put into the shirt considering that I gave Michael the carte blanche on the shirt after picking the fabric. He ended up monogramming my name in the left chest area with a matching thread colour to the shirt (as I requested any monogramming be subtle), they was a blue oxford contrast fabric for the neck and cuffs, and, of course, the buttons were MOP.

I ended up scheduling an appointment for Saturday (Day 43) to pick up the suit and shirt. Michael/Davi were accommodating and slotted me into their busy schedule.

Day 43 - Mar 28:
Fourth suit fitting:
Tried on the pants and jacket and was very pleased and the fit, IMO, was outstanding. But, I will let you be the judge of that...
http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=110779

Third/Final shirt fitting:
Tried on the shirt and it was much more fitted than prior. As I tried on the shirt with the jacket, Michael noticed that the left sleeve (where I wear my watch) looked "short". As he had his tailor there (perhaps just for my fitting which I appreciated as Yama had personal commitments that day as well), they had agreed to ease out the buttons on the left cuff to allow for my automatic (read: thick) watch. Yama did this immediately.

Considering that I am a huge fan of Tailor Store and started to venture into Jantzen, I still think Fifth will have some tough competition to beat those two shirt makers out. Nonetheless, like with the suit, I will let SFers be the judge of the overall fit of the custom shirt.
(Placeholder for Link)

Overall:
Suit Jacket : Excellent fit overall and love the surgeon's cuffs! My next suit will definitely be customized much more.
Suit Pants: OK fit overall - there is flaring in the pockets (due to my larger thighs) and the fabric does not drape as well in my thigh area on the back of the trousers. Recommendation: If you have more of an athletic/bigger build, I would suggest pleats and/or relaxing the thigh measurements if/when you visit Fifth.
UPDATE: I visited Fifth on King and had them take a look at the pants. After a couple more fittings, they were able to reduce the flaring in the pockets and were able to have the back of the trousers drape much better and cleaner. They even delivered the trousers to my doorstep when all was said and done. All in all, outstanding customer service.

Pros:

• Great choice for those looking to get a CTM/MTM suit. For the more experienced shoppers, Fifth will make anything you tell them to, however you want it (not often seen in 'classic' tailors).
  
• Michael is able to recommend various styles and flavours of suits based on your need and use for that suit.
  
• Offers an excellent selection of books containing fabrics (VBC, Loro Piana, Scabal, etc) in a variety of styles for one to choose from.
  
• Competitive price point with other CTM/MTM shops for suits.
  
• Pricing of MTM shirts seems to be the cheapest locally.
  
• Pricing is generally much cheaper than Harry Rosen's or Holt Renfrew's MTM program.
  
• Fifth is capable of customizing basically any part of your garment, they are also willing to source items for you if you ask.
  
• Located in downtown Toronto (for those who work/live downtown)
  
• One stop shop as they provide suits, shirts, ties, and cuff links for purchase.
  
• Open 6 days a week, can also make personal appointments for them to visit you at a convenient location (i.e. your home)
  
• Excellent in-store customer service
  

Cons:

• Pricing of shirts is more expensive that shops such as Jantzen, Tailor Store, etc for similar type fabrics. Although, their prices include all costs such as MOP buttons, contrast fabric, monogramming, etc.
  
• Suit and shirt took 6+ weeks to make. Other shops who do the work and have the fabric on-hand locally comment on how they can deliver in a shorter timeframe (this may NOT be true though).
  
• Located in downtown Toronto (for those who don't work/live downtown) : Parking $ can be a pain.
  

General (neither positive nor negative, depending on how one looks at it):

• Work is outsourced to/assembled in Hong Kong. Fabric comes from the respective mills (i.e. Italy for suitings, Montreal for liner, etc).
  
• Price is similar to that of other local MTM shops who perform all the work locally (i.e. Spiro's, Trend, etc).
  

If you feel that this review was useful and do end up going to Fifth on King, let them know you saw Oscar's review on SF - They have a deal that if you refer folks to them, you get a free basic MTM shirt - Shoot me a PM after your visit so I can follow up with them

I dropped by (no appointment needed) Spiro's on Mar 20 to see what this tailor was all about and was impressed with their shop as well.

Some points to note:

• Roula (Spiro's wife), who is very friendly, greets and walks you through the various services offered.
  
• Prices are very competitive as well. Suits start at $875 (sale price) or 2 for $1600.
• They have many, many fabrics in stock and ready to see and touch/feel. This is very different from other places which offer only books of fabrics. They stock all types of fabrics - Higher end fabrics are available as well (both in house fabrics and from books). Delivery time is 3-5 weeks.
  
• Roula was also very proud to show off that stitching was done by hand and showed me an example of a finished jacket where she identified hand stitchin on the lapels, shoulders, etc.
  
• All their work is done locally by Spiro himself, from measurements to fittings. Another gentleman does the cutting work and you can clearly see him cutting fabric while perusing through the shop. Roula also mentioned that a variety of MTM tailors outsource their work to Spiro himself.
  
• If one does decide to proceed with a purchase, Roula recommended to schedule an appt to ensure Spiro was on site. You will go through an initial measurement stage, and then followed by two fittings. The first fitting is a fitting where you fit a partly finished jacket (i.e. right arm sleeve is missing and left arm sleeve is present) for refinements. Roula did show me a sample jacket for the first fitting.
  
• They offer typical services such as 2pc/3pc suits, overcoats, sports jackets ($700+), trousers ($300+). They do not offer MTM shirts at this point in time.
  

Called Trend on Friday, Mar 20 and they did recommend me to schedule an appointment earlier during any upcoming week so that they can have staff dedicate to my first experience there to:

• Walkthrough the full process and provide me with a tour of their facilities.
  
• Discuss what I was looking for and how they could help meet those needs.
  
• Prices were quoted as follows: Suits start at $950 (Average tends to be $1100-1300) w/ 3-5 weeks to deliver; Shirts start at $275, multiples of 3+ at $235+ each.