Ariel Tello - First Bespoke Suit - Redux (Update: Finished Suit Photos)

[Mata_Leao]

Gentlemen,

While looking for a tailor to commission some suits with several months ago, I read about Ariel Tello on this forum and at Ask Andy. Those threads provide most of the information about Mr. Tello, so I won't bother rehashing them too much. The two members that tried him were very pleased with the suits and blazer that he made them.

I went to Tello's and found it a very pleasant change of pace from the other menswear stores I have frequented. Mr. Tello's knowledge of men's clothing is encyclopedic - whether or not I agreed with all of his preferences, I found him superbly well informed (he was able to identify my Allen Edmonds and Levi's 501s by sight). I picked out a house fabric for my suit that was discounted. I believe there was a base price of approximately $800 for a suit with it, and I paid $100 extra for working buttonholes, bringing me in under a grand with room to spare.

Most of the fabrics, such as the one that my dad picked out, run around $1100-$1500 for a suit. He also bought some custom shirts. Tello has a book of fabric swatches- you pick out a minimum of three, he takes your measurements, and the shirts are made in Hong Kong and arrive in a few weeks. I believe the shirts started around $125-$150. Tello is very precise and, if you desire, will discuss every choice concerning the shirts with you, from cuff selection to tie space. He offers some some beautiful fabrics and my dad's shirts came out superbly.

Tello also does alterations. My dad had a Hickey Freeman suit that was unwearable and Tello absolutely transformed it. He also shortened the sleeves on a blazer. In both instances, the final products should come out very well, but multiple visits were required to achieve that outcome. That was not a problem for me because I was already coming for the fittings.

My suit should be ready for its final fitting / pick-up next weekend. I went in for the third fitting a few days ago; this is my first custom suit, so I don't purport to be an expert, but I was very pleased with how it was coming along. My dad snapped some quick shots on my BlackBerry- I will take better photos when it is complete.

Tello's shop is in San Bernardino, about an hour drive east of downtown LA if you encounter no traffic. You can find his contact info here. It is a fairly blue collar area, so it is rather incongruous to drive there for a bespoke suit. Mr. Tello told me that 15 years ago, there was a lot of old money in the area and that he had a stable of prominent local businessmen whose suits he made. The socioeconomics of the region have shifted and his existing clientele base has aged - he is contemplating a move west (which might put him in range of more interested members on this board).

For the more sartorially adventurous among you, Tello is very fond of making jacketsthat are clearly not RTW. Each time I have come in, he has showed me his latest creation (the last was a one-button blazer with peak lapels). I have not tasked him with anything creative, but I'm sure he would jump at the opportunity if any of you were interested.

 

[brittain]

nice write up, looking forward to seeing the final pics

 

[Mata_Leao]

I picked up the suit a few days ago and wore it to an event the other night. I think it came out very well- I got multiple unsolicited compliments. You gentlemen are, of course, a much tougher audience. Here are a few photos of me fooling around in the suit before I left.

 

[Baron]

It looks like it fits you well, though the cut is a little bit anonymous. It would be helpful is you posted some very basic pictures, front, back and side, in a relaxed pose with your arms hanging naturally.

 

[lee_44106]

Not too shabby.

Based on your photos (none of which are "natural postures" I might add), there are no major noticeble problems.


I second the request for better pictures of front, back, side (with you in NATURAL posture)

 

[blackbowtie]

Originally Posted by Baron

It looks like it fits you well, though the cut is a little bit anonymous. It would be helpful is you posted some very basic pictures, front, back and side, in a robot pose with your arms hanging naturally.

FTFY.

But I think it looks great in the photos! Well done.

 

[rgoldstein]

From here looks like a killer fit! Congratulations, my friend!

 

[Twotone]

Nice suit! Is it truly bespoke with three fittings?

Twotone

 

[clarinetplayer]

A nice fit. I, too, would like to see a picture of the back. Sometimes, that is the hardest part to make look "right"--shoulder blades, the drape, etc.... While I am sure that your suit has a nice clean look from that view, it would be good to show it as an example of fine tailoring. Congratulations to your tailor.

 

[comrade]

Looks very good on you.
Is this a house style?
For me, the cut is a bit generic.
Is Tello comfortable doing other styles,
eg. Semi Ivy, Neapolitan, etc.

 

[texas_jack]

Looks very conservative and nice. Need cuffs though

 

[Trompe le Monde]

shoulder lines look so clean

 

[Mata_Leao]

I don't consider myself the arbiter of what is or is not "true bespoke" - I did not intend to venture into that mine field. I'm not an expert in tailoring jargon, so bear with me as I describe the process: Upon my first visit to Tello's shop, he took various measurements and put one of his OTR jackets on me and pinned it to get a sense of the fit I was looking for. Based on that, he made a pattern for me and at the next fitting I tried on a jacket, with no sleeves, that was made on that pattern out of leftover fabric. Tello drew on that jacket in chalk - e.g., noting extra material on the back. My next visit, I tried on my pants and my jacket (i.e., made out of my fabric) but with placeholder sleeves sewn on. Tello made adjustments (e.g., sleeve length and pants length). The visit after that, I came in for the "final fitting" to try on my suit and take it home. However, I had an issue with sleeve pitch- I thought the right shoulder wasn't draping right- so I left the suit with Tello and he adjusted that for me. I came in the next morning, tried it on, and took it home. Tello told me that for future suits, because he has my pattern down, the final product could be finished with only two fittings. As for the cut of the suit, I suppose it is something very near the "house style". It is a business suit, so I'm not troubled if it is relatively conservative. The only directions I gave Tello were that I wanted a single-breasted suit with side vents, no cuffs, and high armholes that was relatively slim through the waist, but not extreme. I don't think that was much of a departure from the norm for him. I have not talked to him about the house style, but to my inexpert eyes, Tello seems to use a Roman shoulder and is focused on having the front of the jacket hang cleanly. I believe that was also the assessment of one of the customers who posted on the prior threads here and at AskAndy. If Tello had his preference, I know that he would have cut my jacket in a looser, more conservative style so that the fabric would have been 100% "clean" around the buttoning point. As I mentioned earlier, my dad also had Tello make him a suit, which was based on the more conservative cut that I described above (the sleeve length is fine- I think he just needed to adjust his shirt): I can't really speak to Tello's ability to cut various other styles. I am going to have more suits made, some of which will not be strictly for business. Any suggestions besides the obvious (e.g. fabric choice, lapel width, etc.) about how I should achieve a less vanilla look? I wore the suit today and snapped a few photos that may be more satisfactory to the posters who wanted "natural" shots of the front/side/back. Sorry for the quality - I was just snapping them on a webcam. Trying to pose "naturally" is also very awkward for me. You can probably tell that from the fact I didn't even manage to stand up straight for the head-on photo. Oops. I did my best. Hope these are helpful.

 

[Imperator]

Originally Posted by Mata_Leao

I don't consider myself the arbiter of what is or is not "true bespoke" - I did not intend to venture into that mine field. I'm not an expert in tailoring jargon, so bear with me as I describe the process: Upon my first visit to Tello's shop, he took various measurements and put one of his OTR jackets on me and pinned it to get a sense of the fit I was looking for. Based on that, he made a pattern for me and at the next fitting I tried on a jacket, with no sleeves, that was made on that pattern out of leftover fabric. Tello drew on that jacket in chalk - e.g., noting extra material on the back.


Not bad. Quite conservative, but in a nice way, especially for the price you paid.

 

[Mata_Leao]

Originally Posted by texas_jack

Looks very conservative and nice. Need cuffs though
I should have added that I also told him to make it without cuffs or pleats. I like flat-front pants - I was under the impression that cuffs should therefore be avoided.