I bought 3 Tom Fords and I feel terrible about it.

[gegarrenton]

The problem is the guy is obviously new to the field, so it's not how much he spent, going bespoke on the first serious suit, is in my opinion always a mistake. My taste changed over the years, what I knew about tailoring changed over the years as well. I am glad I haven't gone bespoke on the first try, because I wouldn't wear it anymore. It's not like I would have asked for a dramatic cut suit on the first try, it's lapel width, amount of padding, hacking pocket size that kind things.

A 6K suit that fit well is a good suit regardless RTW or bespoke. You can get it decently right on the first try on a RTW (if it looked awful you would put it back on the rack). 6K bespoke on first suit is a gamble, even with the best house. They might have done it "correctly" by all standard, but it is quite likely it's not something you want as you don't even know what aesthetics you like at that point. Would I suggest OP keep buying Tom Ford until the end of the world? No, he should try different RTW from time to time, and see what he really likes going forward. It takes time to know yourself well enough to see what needs to be changed. He only know something looks "off" at the moment, and doesn't really know what is "right" for himself. I don't think he is ready for bespoke garment.

Certainly a valid outlook, but I would postulate that the top bespoke houses are going to make proper stylistic choices to give a very good looking if not aggressive suit on the get go. If the customers tastes change over time, then it doesn't really matter whether it's OTR or bespoke, so that's a non starter really, and a bespoke item is already constructed to your frame and most likely can stand a better range of alteration in any given direction. The first bespoke suit will usually be pretty good, and then only get better and more in tune with your tastes. Poole had me nailed on my second commission. It's all gravy now, which is where the OP would be for the money he has spent so far. I also think the lesson of patience and process is critical not just for someone who is looking at tailoring as a hobby, but humans in general. The whole instant gratification consumerism we display as a society is abhorrent.

At the end of the day, I like TF. It's as well made as anything and a single piece here and there is fantastic. But the value proposition of just grabbing three OTR at 6k a pop is silly. By the third bespoke commission, you will be totally dialed in with your tailor if you pick a good one.

 

[Quadcammer]



Thanks . ( I also have the midnight blue 3 piece)

I was with Gucci before and now I have moved on to Tom Fords.

The Gucci RTW fit me like a glove with virtually no tailoring .

The Fords fit very well.....but not quite like the Gucci.

Below is a pic of my TF and a Gucci for a photo spread i did for GQ in another country.

If you notice the TF arm is quite baggy and will need some work....however my hand is in my pocket while with the the Gucci my hands are spread out

**** note I only just learned that with a TF you need a TF shirt. I just bought a bunch


Tom Ford black three piece

Gucci black 2 piece

woof dude, don't ever wear that blue shirt and tie ever again.

 

[suited]

WTF is up with that skin, it looks like a dead body is wearing that suit.

 

[intense2b]

I'm a vampire

 

[Blackhood]

Do you know, I think we have heard all the opinions and viewpoints that can reasonably be gathered. We are now going seriously off-topic. Baring in mind the fact that theses threads stay around on google for many years, maybe it is time to lock it?

Ending the discussion now leaves an entertaining and informative thread. Heading down the "you look like a corpse" path isn't really what we are here for.

 

[gegarrenton]

Ending the discussion now leaves an entertaining and informative thread. Heading down the "you look like a corpse" path isn't really what we are here for.

I think you are probably right, but was there ever any doubt where this would end up?

 

[clee1982]



Certainly a valid outlook, but I would postulate that the top bespoke houses are going to make proper stylistic choices to give a very good looking if not aggressive suit on the get go. If the customers tastes change over time, then it doesn't really matter whether it's OTR or bespoke, so that's a non starter really, and a bespoke item is already constructed to your frame and most likely can stand a better range of alteration in any given direction. The first bespoke suit will usually be pretty good, and then only get better and more in tune with your tastes. Poole had me nailed on my second commission. It's all gravy now, which is where the OP would be for the money he has spent so far. I also think the lesson of patience and process is critical not just for someone who is looking at tailoring as a hobby, but humans in general. The whole instant gratification consumerism we display as a society is abhorrent.

At the end of the day, I like TF. It's as well made as anything and a single piece here and there is fantastic. But the value proposition of just grabbing three OTR at 6k a pop is silly. By the third bespoke commission, you will be totally dialed in with your tailor if you pick a good one.

That I agree, by the way when I say changing taste I mean maturing in taste. You only grow out of something until you had enough of it

 

[clee1982]



Do you know, I think we have heard all the opinions and viewpoints that can reasonably be gathered. We are now going seriously off-topic. Baring in mind the fact that theses threads stay around on google for many years, maybe it is time to lock it?

Ending the discussion now leaves an entertaining and informative thread. Heading down the "you look like a corpse" path isn't really what we are here for.

+1

 

[VinnyMac]

Do you know, I think we have heard all the opinions and viewpoints that can reasonably be gathered. We are now going seriously off-topic. Baring in mind the fact that theses threads stay around on google for many years, maybe it is time to lock it?

Ending the discussion now leaves an entertaining and informative thread. Heading down the "you look like a corpse" path isn't really what we are here for.

-1

If we did that, all of the fan-favorite threads would be locked. At one point or another, they've all degenerated into senseless arguments and criticisms.

I'm not sure about you, but I'm not here to post gems for the sake of some Google-straggler, who may come across the thread in 3 years. I'd rather leave the threads up for the people who are actually using them now (productively or unproductively).

 

[emptym]



Thank you. Yes, the back (which includes the back of the sleeves) are usually the weakest point in RTW. In the case of the POW jacket posted above, I did have to do some work on the back itself, but the sleeves were even better than the ones I cut myself.
Thank you.
1) Yes, I had to do some work on the back of it. Not technically difficult but it requires the judgement of a good fitter and not all alterations tailors have that experience. Ok, maybe few of them do. I manages to get the back just as clean as my own stuff.

2) The armholes and sleeves were stellar. It was one of the reasons I bought it- to study what they did.

3) It's a little longer than I usually wear, but that may help it to look leaner; in the photos of my own stuff, I tend to look stockier than I do in that jacket. I don't normally like 3 roll 2 but this one was nice. I used to cut myself a much more imposing shoulder but liked this one on me so I started to tame things down a bit. Stepping out of my comfort zone every once in a while can help discover new things.

It may be worth noting that the sportcoat is Zegna Couture, made in the same facility as the Tom Ford suits.

Neat. Thank you too.

A student of mine is getting married, and I suggested a suit from one of the lines you design.

Hope your hand's well.

Btw, I have to apologize. Somehow, I accidentally edited my reply into your post. But I've restored it to as you had it.

 

[jefferyd]

For another alternative, try Suit Supply. I checked them out today and they have the closest thing to TF around and their prices are good.

 

[wwh270547237]

Agree. There was a bespoke tailoring website a couple of years ago (which one escapes me at the moment) which cut-up a Tom Ford suit to examine the construction. The verdict - the best RTW suit the man had ever seen and the equal in many ways of a bespoke.

I understand, however, that the legendary Edward Sexton in London has a house style that's not too far from Tom Ford's (in fact, he's been cited occasionally as claiming - without much rancor - that Ford ripped off style). So if I liked Tom Ford and had the time and cash for it, I'd give Sexton a shot.

hallo what make you think that tomford ripped off edward sextons style？is fords style really build on sextons style？ I've seen in many forums that a lot of people said‘’ Ford's style is based on the Sexton style‘’how is the detailed situation,I'm really curious about him.

 

[David Reeves]



Yeah I'm pretty fit actually .

The thing is it was not MTM !! Literally off the rack and then tailored a bit by bergdorf....

But I have a very classic body type except that I'm very wide on the neck and shoulder and slim from the waste down. Sort of an upside down trialngle shape...lol.

Before the fords I bought gucci off the rack and I just loved the tight cut. But then came Tom Ford and I really went nuts for it.

I'm told that since the suit fit me pretty well to begin with that a little tweaking would not be all that hard.

I called a bespoke tailor and he told me there were literally a thousands materials to choose from....oh boy that's a lot of work. I wouldn't even know where to begin or what to choose. I would just probably pick the most expensive material and pray that it turns out ok...lol.

Yeah if you did that with me you'd get a 55,000 super 220 vicuna and silk which may come as something as a shock. Bespoke tailors or bespoke tailoring is not all the same, just like there are good makers/designers and bad. A high end tailor will not need to be micromanaged by a client. They will have accounts with Loro Piana, Scabal, dormeuil, zegan etc so they will have access to the same cloths that TF does, TF may even have exclusive cloths but so could a bespoke maker (I am working on a house tweed and a mohair now).

A good tailor or front of house man will make choosing from 1000s of cloths easy and even perhaps a delight, its not like all those books get thrown at you and the chap says" have at it" and he comes back at the end of the day. If you do not like selecting style, cloths and linings even these decisions can be deferred with success. Sometimes when this happens I think clients get a better result because the pressure is on me then to get it all right for them not just the fit, a client will on average spend half an hour selecting a cloth but I am looking at them sometimes for years so I have an advantage there.

TF's style to my eye is very savile row but made to fit a younger or more in shape client so it looks of course amazing. If you are in good shape to begin with and you went to Kilgour, Gieves or Kilgour you would look amazing.

Did you make a bad move? I'm going to say yes and no honestly, with TF you are paying for the retail space, the marketing and the big brand.....and this is not a bad thing really, its what got you there. The tailoring of those suits is excellent and so is the cloth, the style is very nice as well but you have not bought a unique one of a kind garment like you would with bespoke. This could be something that you do not value and you may not have the time, patience or inclination to go through the bespoke process and I totally understand that, if you are one of those people you just bought some really nice suits.

 

[David Reeves]

oh.....this is a necro thread, well its an interesting one.