Has anybody bought a Savile Row custom suit?

JohnHunt12 · Jun 16, 2016

I'm considering having a Savile Row suit made and wondered if anybody has used any of the tailors in the area?

Lucan · Jun 16, 2016

You'll find a wealth of experience here I'm sure (sadly not me!), but you need to give more background, e.g.:
- budget
- purpose of suit (wedding, work, etc.)
- personal style (classic / formal / bit more up to date / flashy, etc.)
- what makes you think you want a Savile Row suit
- have you had Made to Measure or Bespoke before

And things like age and build might be useful.

Mark Seitelman · Jun 16, 2016

I have used Davies & Son, and I can recommend them.

I think that your starting consideration is your budget.

Andy57 · Jun 16, 2016

A number of folks on the forum, including me, use and would recommend Steed Bespoke Tailors.

JohnHunt12 · Jun 17, 2016

Hi,

Thanks for replying.

I am 6ft 2in with a medium, slim build.

My budget is around 5k, however I have not yet discussed prices with any tailor.

JohnHunt12 · Jun 17, 2016

I have been looking at Steven Hitchcock as I like the classic style. I know some of the tailors get things imported from China, which is something I would like to avoid if possible.

Astaroth · Jun 17, 2016

You didnt answer if this will be your first bespoke suit or not?

Unless you have money to burn I wouldnt have my first bespoke suit made on Savil Row. Knowing what you like, what looks good on you, how to articulate these things etc all take a little practice and so personally I'd rather be doing that with the tailors that are c£1,000 a suit than c£5,000

Andy57 · Jun 17, 2016

JohnHunt12 said:
I am 6ft 2in with a medium, slim build.

So what?

JohnHunt12 said:
I know some of the tailors get things imported from China, which is something I would like to avoid if possible.

This makes no sense. What "things" are you talking about?

JohnHunt12 · Jun 18, 2016

Andy57 said:
So what?

This makes no sense. What "things" are you talking about?

The member called 'Lucan' asked what build i was - hence i replied.

I would like a suit that is British made, i believe some suits are made in China and then sold on Savile Row.

JohnHunt12 · Jun 18, 2016

Astaroth said:
You didnt answer if this will be your first bespoke suit or not?

Unless you have money to burn I wouldnt have my first bespoke suit made on Savil Row. Knowing what you like, what looks good on you, how to articulate these things etc all take a little practice and so personally I'd rather be doing that with the tailors that are c£1,000 a suit than c£5,000

Yes it would be my first bespoke handmade suit. Luckily, money is not that much of an issue - i have previously bought 'high street' suits so have an idea of what i'm looking for. Thanks though.

GBR · Jun 18, 2016

The most important thing you must do is decide what style of suit you want. Each House has its own way of cutting a suit and that should govern you primary choice. For example Davies is also a military tailor and the coats of its lounge suits tend to be 'tunic' oriented whereas Anderson and Shepherd favour something called 'soft tailoring' i.e. more drape. Stephen Hitchcock offers the same, hardly surprising as he is the son of the last MD of Andersons and served his apprenticeship with the company. Steed and English Cut are very similar as Thomas Mahon and Edwin De Boise also served their apprenticeships at Andersons. Professor Andrew Ramroop at Maurice Sedwell is an excellent tailor and a gentleman tends to be more flamboyant.

And so on.

If really have no clue on any of these you will need to go and spend half a day meeting each and discussing your requirements until you ascertain which better meets your perceived needs. If that is a bother, put all their names in a hat and pick one.

Andy57 · Jun 18, 2016

JohnHunt12 said:
The member called 'Lucan' asked what build i was - hence i replied.

I would like a suit that is British made, i believe some suits are made in China and then sold on Savile Row.

I know of no Savile Row tailoring house that does their bespoke tailoring in China. MTM or RTW, possibly (I wouldn't know). Not Huntsman, not Anderson & Sheppard, not Poole, not G&H, not Stephen Hitchcock, not Steed. Heck, at Chittleborough & Morgan you can go into the back room and see all the tailors busily hand-making your suit. It's fascinating.

As GBR said, you need to decide what kind of suit you want, then go talk to the houses whose style is closet to what you want. Basically, the two ends of the spectrum are the soft tailored drape style of Anderson & Sheppard and the highly structured power suit style epitomized by Chittleborough & Morgan.

Griffindork · Jun 18, 2016

JohnHunt12 - unfortunately, this board is relatively thin on savile row knowledge and the noise to signal ratio is high. You will get a lot of people stating incorrect information as truisms and a bunch of people who use steed, but not much info on the traditional savile row houses. I've used kilgour (not in the past 7 or 8 years however) and huntsman and can speak as to those places. GBR is partially correct - a choice of a savile row house (or any bespoke tailor for that matter) is primarily a stylistic choice. Assume away a perfect fit. Any of the traditional savile row houses will make you happy or give you your money back. That's the deal. And it doesn't take half a day to figure out each house's style. Just got their website. Or spend an hour walking the row. It's not rocket science. Focus on soft vs structured tailoring; do you like natural shoulders? Pagoda shoulders? A close fit? A roomy feel? It's not that hard and there isn't any big secret.

Find a house whose jackets -as displayed in the window, pictures or on individuals - make you say "that's what I want to look like" and then walk in and tell them.

bry2000 · Jun 18, 2016

Andy57 said:
I know of no Savile Row tailoring house that does their bespoke tailoring in China. MTM or RTW, possibly (I wouldn't know). Not Huntsman, not Anderson & Sheppard, not Poole, not G&H, not Stephen Hitchcock, not Steed. Heck, at Chittleborough & Morgan you can go into the back room and see all the tailors busily hand-making your suit. It's fascinating.

As GBR said, you need to decide what kind of suit you want, then go talk to the houses whose style is closet to what you want. Basically, the two ends of the spectrum are the soft tailored drape style of Anderson & Sheppard and the highly structured power suit style epitomized by Chittleborough & Morgan.

Kilgour used to offer an "entry level" bespoke option, where the cloth was apparently cut in England, but the suit was assembled and finished by their partner in Shanghai. This program was discontinued in the late 2000s, I believe.

GBR · Jun 18, 2016

agjiffy said:
JohnHunt12 - unfortunately, this board is relatively thin on savile row knowledge and the noise to signal ratio is high. You will get a lot of people stating incorrect information as truisms and a bunch of people who use steed, but not much info on the traditional savile row houses. I've used kilgour (not in the past 7 or 8 years however) and huntsman and can speak as to those places. GBR is partially correct - a choice of a savile row house (or any bespoke tailor for that matter) is primarily a stylistic choice. Assume away a perfect fit. Any of the traditional savile row houses will make you happy or give you your money back. That's the deal. And it doesn't take half a day to figure out each house's style. Just got their website. Or spend an hour walking the row. It's not rocket science. Focus on soft vs structured tailoring; do you like natural shoulders? Pagoda shoulders? A close fit? A roomy feel? It's not that hard and there isn't any big secret.

Find a house whose jackets -as displayed in the window, pictures or on individuals - make you say "that's what I want to look like" and then walk in and tell them.

Half a day was for several houses.

It is completely wrong to judge by reference to a website. A good suit as opposed to an 'OK suit is a curious blend of workmanship and the rapport between cutter and client. They must both be correct to ensure that the garment will be a joy to wear over many years.

Has anybody bought a Savile Row custom suit?

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