DC: Where to get a MTM Suit?

Originally Posted by thisfits

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I'm not from DC, but OTC is, and he recommends VM Clothiers.

This is his review of their work for him.

For shirts, sure. For a suit, no.

DF

There's always Georges De Paris, suitmaker to the Prezs

Originally Posted by idfnl

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There's always Georges De Paris, suitmaker to the Prezs

I wonder how much he charges...

Originally Posted by JG000

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I wonder how much he charges...

probably $4k

These guys are located just outside of DC and do extraordinary work for very reasonable prices. They incorporate image consulting and clothing design into their products. They have different tiers for the quality including bench grades 4, 5 and 6 (the highest ppossible). Piece goods are mostly italian. The tailor there has about 40 years of experience in the industry. They even serve scotch and beer if your thirsty

Ive seen them on yelp and google with five star reviews.

http://www.sofiobarone.com

Located in the Tysons area. Hope this helps!

Bethesda Custom Tailor on Wisconsin does Samuelsohn MTM and one two other makers. Also in Bethesda is London Tailor who does Bespoke for under $2000, although I've only used him for alterations. Some of the alterations have been pretty major. Recutting the shoulders to bring them in and changing the pitch of the arms, as well as bringing in the sides of a jacket.

I imagine he'd be a good bespoke tailor, although the language barrier might be a tough stretch. He's not very conversant in English. His wife is a little better, but also not great.

Good luck.

Anyone know how the entry-level stuff from English American / Elio is?

I emailed them and he said they start at $600 for their lowest end fabric, and then move up from there.

$600 is about the most I want to pay for a suit.

Basically, which do you think is a better option:

1. Pay the $600 and get it all done there
2. Buy a brand name suit at a discount (say, a Hickey Freeman at Filene's for $400 or a Brooks Brothers 1818 on sale), then have it tailored

Originally Posted by ls1dreams

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Anyone know how the entry-level stuff from English American / Elio is?

I emailed them and he said they start at $600 for their lowest end fabric, and then move up from there.

$600 is about the most I want to pay for a suit.

Basically, which do you think is a better option:

1. Pay the $600 and get it all done there
2. Buy a brand name suit at a discount (say, a Hickey Freeman at Filene's for $400 or a Brooks Brothers 1818 on sale), then have it tailored

Pay the $600.00 at E/A and you will get a far better made garment than Hickey-Freeman, plus you will have an expert fitter take the measurements.

Anybody know what fabric books they offer?

EDIT: I found them on the Tom James website. Lots of H&S and more.

I drove to Westminster today and met with Elio. He was kind enough to open for me on a Sunday. He seems like an experienced MTM fitter. The factory is big and clean. They sell mainly Holland & Sherry cloth. I ordered two suits: blue and gray with pick stitching and working buttons. The suits cost $855 each. I also ordered a shirt for $99. They are made by Individualized Shirt Company. It is nice to buy from an American manufacturer. Elio had me try on jackets and trousers so I could get an idea of what the finished suit will look like. I have had bespoke from London and Washington, Oxxford MTM and bespoke (if you can call it that) from tailors who visit from HK. The fabrics I selected are beautiful. I will have to wait to see how these suits fit me. They will be ready at the end of July, which Elio said is longer than normal because the factory is closing for vacation. I will be happy to post again after I go again to be fitted.

Originally Posted by healinginfluence

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I drove to Westminster today and met with Elio. He was kind enough to open for me on a Sunday. He seems like an experienced MTM fitter. The factory is big and clean. They sell mainly Holland & Sherry cloth. I ordered two suits: blue and gray with pick stitching and working buttons. The suits cost $855 each. I also ordered a shirt for $99. They are made by Individualized Shirt Company. It is nice to buy from an American manufacturer. Elio had me try on jackets and trousers so I could get an idea of what the finished suit will look like. I have had bespoke from London and Washington, Oxxford MTM and bespoke (if you can call it that) from tailors who visit from HK. The fabrics I selected are beautiful. I will have to wait to see how these suits fit me. They will be ready at the end of July, which Elio said is longer than normal because the factory is closing for vacation. I will be happy to post again after I go again to be fitted.

Good move. You have purchased the best made suit in America except for Oxxford (which is owned by the same corporate company, IAG).

Originally Posted by healinginfluence

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I drove to Westminster today and met with Elio. He was kind enough to open for me on a Sunday. He seems like an experienced MTM fitter. The factory is big and clean. They sell mainly Holland & Sherry cloth. I ordered two suits: blue and gray with pick stitching and working buttons. The suits cost $855 each. I also ordered a shirt for $99. They are made by Individualized Shirt Company. It is nice to buy from an American manufacturer. Elio had me try on jackets and trousers so I could get an idea of what the finished suit will look like. I have had bespoke from London and Washington, Oxxford MTM and bespoke (if you can call it that) from tailors who visit from HK. The fabrics I selected are beautiful. I will have to wait to see how these suits fit me. They will be ready at the end of July, which Elio said is longer than normal because the factory is closing for vacation. I will be happy to post again after I go again to be fitted.

Was this the base price or did you pay extra for better cloth, pick stitching, working buttonholes, etc?

Someone mentioned base pricing starts at $600. So I assume healinginfluence chose higher end fabric (e.g. S140) or he was charged extra for pick stitching and functional sleeve buttons. I assumed their base started at $700, but I could be wrong. They also accept CMT if you have your own fabric, but their pricing on H&S fabric is pretty good especially if they have end-of-bolt fabric that they have in stock on sale.

@healinginfluence - I didn't know they offered fittings since they are MTM and not bespoke.

I have been using Elio for about 2.5 years and have 5 suits and a blazer from him. I have been consistently pleased. A few things to keep in mind:

1) Elio's MTM program is very flexible. He accounts for about 30 measurements and all the standard posture corrections when fitting you. This is a lot more than can be said of some other programs that bill themselves as MTM and are really more like MTO. Elio can also do things like alter armhole size and offer you a selection of shoulders.

2) While quality is high, styling may be a bit bland for some tastes. This can be mitigated by telling Elio that you want a suppressed waist and other details of your liking, but you must be very specific. Elio is used to working with men that want quality and fit, not highly specific detailing. Just make sure you are very clear about what details you want and assume nothing.

3) You must ask for Bemberg. He won't charge extra, but Bemberg is not the default. The default is a blend that includes poly. These blend linings migrate so if you must accept one for whatever reason, make sure you choose a color similar to the coat so that migrating fibers won't be too visible.

4) If you are ordering a blazer you must specify shanked buttons. The default blazer buttons are brass or nickel, but they are conventional buttons. I found this odd if nothing else.

5) Pricing: You can get something for $600 that is likely to be durable if nothing else. I've always found that you can very well for about $750. $1000 will get you some of the most gorgeous fabrics I've seen, but many of them are also fine Supers. Just be careful selecting and you should easily find both beauty, hand, and durability in the large selection of Super 100s-120s they have. Many fabrics are dead stock from what I can tell, but that's not an issue for me. They have most of the main H&S books there.

Hope this helps a bit.

xx