3 piece MTM Suit for my wedding day. Zegna or Tom Ford

[David Reeves]



This is a topic that has come up numerous times on the forum, but generally speaking, new suit buyers aren't happy with the outcome. I doubt you truly know what you want/can effecitvely articulate it to a tailor. Simply going to a tailor and saying "make a suit like Tom Ford" probably won't have great results.

I have just started getting into made to measure, and even using rtw suits that I like as a model, haven't resulted as nicely as I would like. Some of that is my fault, some of it the tailor's.

If you like Zegna, get a Zegna suit for $2-3k, and be done with it.

Also, you haven't elaborated. Is this a very formal wedding? What time of day?

I completely disagree with this. You don't need to be a clothing expert to buy bespoke just like you don't need to be a watch expert to buy a Rolex or a great amateur mechanic to buy a Ferrari. I think your problem is either your tailor isn't very good or you are trying to make him do things that he doesn't usually do. I wouldn't do it and I wouldn't make a suit like Tom ford, but if I was inclined I could talk to my buddy who used to be the director of TF Bespoke, I'd take a look at some of the suits, get my friend to look at the pattern I made, source the same trims and cloths if I could. I wouldn't do it not through lack of ability or resources but because I want people to buy my suits, not TF copies. So for me I would just say I'm not making it if I couldn't, or if I didn't feel comfortable making the garment. Your tailor probably needs to learn how to do this.

Going back to my original point, if you go to a good maker you really can't lose, unless you make it happen. I don't like being typecast but if you look at the suits I make then well, that's sort of what your suit is going to look like, it's not going to be some hipster suit, it's not going to look like it's from Anderson and Shepherd or Rubinacci. The key is to find a good maker and one that you like the look of their work. Do you like it? Would you wear clothes like that? Well ok, maybe you should order yourself one then. And that's pretty much it. A tailor isn't like a machine that you can program and if you do that well enough and comprehensively then you get a good result.....well in a way maybe they are, but that's a full time job, it's called being a fashion designer, which is very different from a client.

 

[md2010]



Agreed.

Then again, most marriages end in divorce, so it might be irrelevant.

lol. true....

 

[size 38R]

if you buy a tom ford, it's probably still a zegna

. so for the money involved, If David reeves makes a fine suit- go with him. small shop tailor's are always a safe bet if the tailor is good. long story short: pay a good tailor to make you something special. much better than anything off the rack. and it won't cost the earth.

 

[smoothmoose]

I agree with both Brokencycle and David Reeves. From personal experience, my first couple MTM commissions were not that good as you are indeed still developing your personal tastes and style.

I believe the challenge is having the tailor provide the right amount of input while still maintaining their house cut and not just replicating something (all tailors hate to replicate). But the tailor also needs to watch out and not give the customer too much leeway to shoot themselves in the foot. Further to compound the issues, your first commission you are likely to pull your lady friend in for support and though they have a good sense of style in general, they probably direct you to something too trendy or just out of place for a classic look.

As a tailor what do you do, if your client and/or their lady friend insists on contrasting white buttonholes on a black tuxedo, or skinny peak lapels even though they have wide frame? You'll try to talk them down from the cliff, but then they reason, we mind as well buy OTR if we don't make these "unique" customizations....

 

[jeff13007]

...

I completely disagree with this. You don't need to be a clothing expert to buy bespoke just like you don't need to be a watch expert to buy a Rolex or a great amateur mechanic to buy a Ferrari.


I think the proper comparison would be going to another watch maker and asking them to make a rolex or going to another car maker and asking them to make a ferrari. I mean "technically" Audi did it with the R8 (lambo gallardo) but that would be like Zegna doing it with tom ford in that they already have the parts and expertise so they "can" do it. But i completely agree with your other points in that its very important to find one that you like the look of then go with that. And to the OP are you even sure TF works on you? There was one guy a while back who posted a couple of pics of himself in TF and it didnt work at all on his frame.

 

[jeff13007]



if you buy a tom ford, it's probably still a zegna . so for the money involved, If David reeves makes a fine suit- go with him.  small shop tailor's are always a safe bet if the tailor is good.  long story short:  pay a good tailor to make you something special. much better than anything off the rack.  and it won't cost the earth.

You realize that TF is made to Zegna couture standards which costs roughly the same as TF in the first place right? And if we go by your rationale then why bother buying Ralph Lauren Black label or Purple Label when its all just Polo (Blue Label) anyway????

 

[Only 110]

I am hoping to make something clear. I liked TF and zegna, but when I say I am considering bespoke or MTM from a good tailor. I didn't mean I want the tailor to completely replicate what Daniel Craig was wearing in Skyfall or what Mark Gatiss was wearing in Sherlock Holmes. I was simply hoping to tell the tailor what kind of suits I like, give him some ideas about my taste and the quality I am expecting. Then I definitely hope a good tailor would recommend something to me that would look good with high quality and also has his characteristics in it. If I were a good tailor, I would be insulted if someone been very pushy to get me replicate some other people's work.

 

[brokencycle]



I completely disagree with this. You don't need to be a clothing expert to buy bespoke just like you don't need to be a watch expert to buy a Rolex or a great amateur mechanic to buy a Ferrari. I think your problem is either your tailor isn't very good or you are trying to make him do things that he doesn't usually do. I wouldn't do it and I wouldn't make a suit like Tom ford, but if I was inclined I could talk to my buddy who used to be the director of TF Bespoke, I'd take a look at some of the suits, get my friend to look at the pattern I made, source the same trims and cloths if I could. I wouldn't do it not through lack of ability or resources but because I want people to buy my suits, not TF copies. So for me I would just say I'm not making it if I couldn't, or if I didn't feel comfortable making the garment. Your tailor probably needs to learn how to do this.

Going back to my original point, if you go to a good maker you really can't lose, unless you make it happen. I don't like being typecast but if you look at the suits I make then well, that's sort of what your suit is going to look like, it's not going to be some hipster suit, it's not going to look like it's from Anderson and Shepherd or Rubinacci. The key is to find a good maker and one that you like the look of their work. Do you like it? Would you wear clothes like that? Well ok, maybe you should order yourself one then. And that's pretty much it. A tailor isn't like a machine that you can program and if you do that well enough and comprehensively then you get a good result.....well in a way maybe they are, but that's a full time job, it's called being a fashion designer, which is very different from a client.

I'm not saying you need to be an expert, but he seems like an amateur buying his first suit and I think going to a tailor and saying make me a suit that looks like Tom Ford at a fraction of the price will lead to suboptimal results.

 

[Ennius]

For 5K you should be able to get a very nice suit.

If you can, IMO find a good local tailor and get either a MTM or bespoke. Just make sure you like the general styles the tailor does.

If you are in NYC often, David Reeves would make you a very very nice suit for under $5K. Check out his site and see if you like his styles.

Good luck.

 

[smoothmoose]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I am hoping to make something clear. I liked TF and zegna, but when I say I am considering bespoke or MTM from a good tailor. I didn't mean I want the tailor to completely replicate what Daniel Craig was wearing in Skyfall or what Mark Gatiss was wearing in Sherlock Holmes. I was simply hoping to tell the tailor what kind of suits I like, give him some ideas about my taste and the quality I am expecting. Then I definitely hope a good tailor would recommend something to me that would look good with high quality and also has his characteristics in it. If I were a good tailor, I would be insulted if someone been very pushy to get me replicate some other people's work.

Why don't make a visit to the guys at Trend Custom Tailors. Again no personal experience other than a couple of email conversations, but they just posted up a pretty good looking midnight blue tuxedo on their facebook page. Bewarned though, based on some previous posts here, if you have some crazy custom style ideas I believe the tailor there will let you shoot yourself in the foot. But from their facebook page and blog their house style looks pretty good.

 

[KenRose]

PM sent

I am hoping to make something clear. I liked TF and zegna, but when I say I am considering bespoke or MTM from a good tailor. I didn't mean I want the tailor to completely replicate what Daniel Craig was wearing in Skyfall or what Mark Gatiss was wearing in Sherlock Holmes. I was simply hoping to tell the tailor what kind of suits I like, give him some ideas about my taste and the quality I am expecting. Then I definitely hope a good tailor would recommend something to me that would look good with high quality and also has his characteristics in it. If I were a good tailor, I would be insulted if someone been very pushy to get me replicate some other people's work.

 

[David Reeves]



I am hoping to make something clear. I liked TF and zegna, but when I say I am considering bespoke or MTM from a good tailor. I didn't mean I want the tailor to completely replicate what Daniel Craig was wearing in Skyfall or what Mark Gatiss was wearing in Sherlock Holmes. I was simply hoping to tell the tailor what kind of suits I like, give him some ideas about my taste and the quality I am expecting. Then I definitely hope a good tailor would recommend something to me that would look good with high quality and also has his characteristics in it. If I were a good tailor, I would be insulted if someone been very pushy to get me replicate some other people's work.

I think we get that, conversations on here can go off on a bit of a tangent. The key I think is to buy quality and just trust your senses. If you like a certain look try to find a maker that has experience of doing similar things if you can't go to the source. Incidentally Mycroft's suits are from Gieves and Hawkes.

 

[Only 110]



I think we get that, conversations on here can go off on a bit of a tangent. The key I think is to buy quality and just trust your senses. If you like a certain look try to find a maker that has experience of doing similar things if you can't go to the source. Incidentally Mycroft's suits are from Gieves and Hawkes.

O nice. I actually have a Gieves and Hawkes OTR suit that I bought a few years back. The shoulder is a bit wide for me though, but it is a good suit and I still wear it sometimes.