Alternatives to Paul Stuart suits (ny)

[xct89x]

I posted here about 1 1/2 years ago asking for suit advice, as I have been through every bargain to just above bargain OTR and MTM company you can think of and quality was garbage, as you can imagine. I got a lot of good advice, and ultimately went with Paul Stuart. I got some good sales over the last year, and have purchased two suits that were in the $1k price range. I also purchased a bespoke suit from Alan David custom for about $1.5k. I am very happy with these suits. I now need a new suit again, but the PS suits in my size (48r, have gained a good amount of weight in the last few years) are all $2.5k. For what its worth, I’ve been to brooks brothers a number of times over the years and have never liked their suits, whether it was Golden Fleece or otherwise.

TLDR: any good Paul Stuart alternatives in the$1-1.2k range?

thank you!

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I posted here about 1 1/2 years ago asking for suit advice, as I have been through every bargain to just above bargain OTR and MTM company you can think of and quality was garbage, as you can imagine. I got a lot of good advice, and ultimately went with Paul Stuart. I got some good sales over the last year, and have purchased two suits that were in the $1k price range. I also purchased a bespoke suit from Alan David custom for about $1.5k. I am very happy with these suits. I now need a new suit again, but the PS suits in my size (48r, have gained a good amount of weight in the last few years) are all $2.5k. For what its worth, I’ve been to brooks brothers a number of times over the years and have never liked their suits, whether it was Golden Fleece or otherwise.

TLDR: any good Paul Stuart alternatives in the$1-1.2k range?

thank you!

Saks uses Samuelsohn as their house brand. I’m pretty sure you can find something around your price range.

LS Clothing is also in NYC and around that price range for custom, though I’ve never used them. I would think that the fabric selection might be limited in that range, but worth a look. They seem to be well regarded here.

 

[TexasToast]

I got my first MTM suit at KASHIYAMA and I was pretty happy with it so much I'm thinking of having another done there.

 

[dieworkwear]

Are you asking for OTR suits? There aren't many options for high quality, off the rack suits for about $1,000. The best option around that price point is Spier & Mackay, which is much lower than $1,000. The styling is not similar to Paul Staurt.

If you're asking about Paul Stuart Custom, Mark Rykken used to run that operation (he may still be). Mark used to also run Alan Flusser Custom. I've heard the patterns and styling at PS Custom are similar to what Mark did at Flusser. If you're looking for something similar to PS Custom, you may want to check out Alan Flusser, which is now being run by Jonathan. The prices will be higher than $1,000f for a suit, but I don't know exactly how much.

 

[papado]

I think Paul Stuart CustomLab suits can be had for around the 1k mark depending on fabric level. They're not the same make as the samuelsohn's you probably previously purchased but I'm sure they still share the PS aesthetic you desire.

Plenty of deals can be had on eBay from trusted sellers for new or old stock brands like zegna, isaia, etc for the 1-1.5k mark if you know your size.

 

[xct89x]

Thanks for all the responses!

edit; i wrote the eBay question without seeing that response above, still wondering how to tell if they’re real or not. Thank you for the recommendation.

I’m not interested in any MTM, I just don’t trust that process.

I have two quick followup questions if you guys don’t mind:

are the zegna/Brioni/Canali $1.5k suits being sold on eBay through resellers legit?

also, if I’m spending 1.5k, is a bespoke suit at that price going to be higher quality than an Italian OTR (assuming they’re real)? Obviously the fit will be better but I’m wondering more about construction quality etc, I’ve usually been successful getting OTR suits altered to fit great.

thanks!

 

[xct89x]

Saks uses Samuelsohn as their house brand. I’m pretty sure you can find something around your price range.

LS Clothing is also in NYC and around that price range for custom, though I’ve never used them. I would think that the fabric selection might be limited in that range, but worth a look. They seem to be well regarded here.

Do you know anything about Alan david custom suits? Is LS held in higher regard? I really like my Alan David suit.

 

[xct89x]

Are you asking for OTR suits? There aren't many options for high quality, off the rack suits for about $1,000. The best option around that price point is Spier & Mackay, which is much lower than $1,000. The styling is not similar to Paul Staurt.

If you're asking about Paul Stuart Custom, Mark Rykken used to run that operation (he may still be). Mark used to also run Alan Flusser Custom. I've heard the patterns and styling at PS Custom are similar to what Mark did at Flusser. If you're looking for something similar to PS Custom, you may want to check out Alan Flusser, which is now being run by Jonathan. The prices will be higher than $1,000f for a suit, but I don't know exactly how much.

with regard to PS custom and AF, are these mtm or custom made suits? My experience with mtm has been very negative, wondering what the quality is like.

 

[Ben W]

if I’m spending 1.5k, is a bespoke suit at that price

I would have to question what the meaning of 'bespoke' here is. At $1.5k I have to imagine what you're actually getting is MTM advertised as bespoke, with very little handwork.

My experience with mtm has been very negative, wondering what the quality is like.

There is a really broad range of price and quality in MTM.

 

[dieworkwear]

also, if I’m spending 1.5k, is a bespoke suit at that price going to be higher quality than an Italian OTR (assuming they’re real)? Obviously the fit will be better but I’m wondering more about construction quality etc, I’ve usually been successful getting OTR suits altered to fit great.

thanks!

Quality bespoke tailoring generally starts around 4k for a suit and 3k for a sport coat. There are some rare exceptions, such as I Sarti Italiani, a Sicilian tailoring operation that's visiting San Francisco and New York City next month. I've tried them and like their work. My cotton two-piece suit from them cost just north of 2k. But generally speaking, you should be wary of any bespoke suit under 4k.

At 1.5k, you would be better off in RTW. Try The Armoury's Model 3 and No Man Walks Alone's Sartoria Carrara line.

with regard to PS custom and AF, are these mtm or custom made suits? My experience with mtm has been very negative, wondering what the quality is like.

If you see prices around 2k for a custom suit, it's generally MTM. For people based in the United States, it's not possible to deliver a quality bespoke suit for under $4k (again, with rare exceptions such as I Sarti).

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I’m not interested in any MTM, I just don’t trust that process.

The process is only as good as the firm or organization behind it. I’ve done about 5 Paul Stuart made to measure suits and have been very happy with both the process and the outcome.

 

[xct89x]

Thanks for all of the responses. A lot of you are saying that the 1,5k “bespoke” suit I got was likely mtm based on the price. I got the suit from Alan David which advertised that they are entirely bespoke and made it seem as though I was dealing with the tailor himself the whole time. All bs?

 

[xct89x]

Quality bespoke tailoring generally starts around 4k for a suit and 3k for a sport coat. There are some rare exceptions, such as I Sarti Italiani, a Sicilian tailoring operation that's visiting San Francisco and New York City next month. I've tried them and like their work. My cotton two-piece suit from them cost just north of 2k. But generally speaking, you should be wary of any bespoke suit under 4k.

At 1.5k, you would be better off in RTW. Try The Armoury's Model 3 and No Man Walks Alone's Sartoria Carrara line.



If you see prices around 2k for a custom suit, it's generally MTM. For people based in the United States, it's not possible to deliver a quality bespoke suit for under $4k (again, with rare exceptions such as I Sarti).

Actually too fat to into any armoury suits lol. Went to their very cool Manhattan showroom pre pandemic

 

[dieworkwear]

Thanks for all of the responses. A lot of you are saying that the 1,5k “bespoke” suit I got was likely mtm based on the price. I got the suit from Alan David which advertised that they are entirely bespoke and made it seem as though I was dealing with the tailor himself the whole time. All bs?

I just looked at their site. I don't know how they're able to deliver a bespoke suit for $1,500.

Quality fabrics typically cost about $60/ meter and you need 4 meters to make a suit. The cost can quickly go up depending on the cloth you choose. Trims will add another $100 to $200 to the cost for the tailor. This makes raw materials alone about $350 to $450.

It takes about 40 hours to make a handmade suit. When you account for fittings, retail space, and other people in the operation, I don't know how you can deliver a bespoke suit in the United States for $1,500.

Some of the more affordable operations get around this by having their clothes cut on-premise and then sewn overseas (sometimes the entire thing is done overseas, Hong Kong being particularly popular).

If the person who fitted you just happened to have a measuring tape around their neck, they may have been a fitter, not a cutter. If they cut on-premise and sew locally, it will be very difficult to deliver a quality suit for $1,500.

Ultimately, the only thing that matters is that you have a good suit, not how many fittings it went through. You can judge the quality of a suit by how it looks on you. If you want to post fit pics here for feedback, people can give you their opinions on your suit. Otherwise, it sounds like you're in or around NYC since you visited The Armoury. Many bespoke tailors visit that city. I Sarti Italiani and Divij Bespoke are good options if you're on a tighter budget.

 

[xct89x]

I just looked at their site. I don't know how they're able to deliver a bespoke suit for $1,500.

Quality fabrics typically cost about $60/ meter and you need 4 meters to make a suit. The cost can quickly go up depending on the cloth you choose. Trims will add another $100 to $200 to the cost for the tailor. This makes raw materials alone about $350 to $450.

It takes about 40 hours to make a handmade suit. When you account for fittings, retail space, and other people in the operation, I don't know how you can deliver a bespoke suit in the United States for $1,500.

Some of the more affordable operations get around this by having their clothes cut on-premise and then sewn overseas (sometimes the entire thing is done overseas, Hong Kong being particularly popular).

If the person who fitted you just happened to have a measuring tape around their neck, they may have been a fitter, not a cutter. If they cut on-premise and sew locally, it will be very difficult to deliver a quality suit for $1,500.

Ultimately, the only thing that matters is that you have a good suit, not how many fittings it went through. You can judge the quality of a suit by how it looks on you. If you want to post fit pics here for feedback, people can give you their opinions on your suit. Otherwise, it sounds like you're in or around NYC since you visited The Armoury. Many bespoke tailors visit that city. I Sarti Italiani and Divij Bespoke are good options if you're on a tighter budget.

Thank you for the answers! I’m going to defer to the people here over AD since you guys don’t have an interest in convincing me the way they do, but they do have a page on their website distinguishing mtm and bespoke and saying they fall very much into the second category.

I love the suit and fit but I’m concerned about the quality/longevity of it if they are deceptive in their advertising/business practices.

At this point I think I’m stuck with buying a 1.5k-2k OTR suit as my next purchase, the question is whether it will be PS, the no man walks alone recommendation, or an Italian suit from an eBay reseller. Unfortunately I can’t time exactly when I will buy it so I don’t know if it will coincide with a traveling bespoke tailor.

thanks again!