Bespoke similar to RLPL

[tim_horton]

Something of an odd question. My go-to OTR suit is Ralph Lauren Purple Label. It fits me great in a 42S with minimal tailoring needs, and it can be found at steep discount at times. However, their fabric choices are a bit limited, especially in terms of weight. Even with their made to measure program, there is a real scarcity of heavier worsted fabrics to choose from. And I feel like treating myself, I had a good year last year.

If I were interested in getting a bespoke suit made by a tailor, which of the more notable traveling tailors has a comparable house style? It’s my understanding that RLPL is influenced heavily by British tailoring so I would guess it would be one of them. I know it will not be the same as RLPL and I’m not looking for a carbon copy (otherwise why bother), but something that retains some of the features I like about RLPL: clean chest, strong shoulders, clean sleevehead. I’m guessing the answer is NOT Anderson & Sheppard, or any of the Italian tailors, no spalla camicia, etc.

I have looked at online pictures but I guess I have a bad eye for judging these things digitally. From description, Huntsman seems similar, sort of an uber-RLPL. Or maybe Dege & Skinner? Poole? Cifonelli?

I’m based in New York City, for what it’s worth. Which means there are a decent number of options in terms of traveling tailors, British or otherwise. Also Huntsman and Leonard Logsdail (who I understand has a cut similar to Poole) are based here. I’m not wild about hacking pockets but I’m assuming it’s not a deal breaker for Huntsman.

 

[dieworkwear]

try edward sexton's "offshore bespoke" offering. they bring fitting jackets to their nyc trunk shows, which you can use to see how you like the general silhouette.

 

[tim_horton]

try edward sexton's "offshore bespoke" offering. they bring fitting jackets to their nyc trunk shows, which you can use to see how you like the general silhouette.

Thanks, that is an interesting idea. From what I've seen of Sexton (online) he is even more structured than Huntsman.

 

[dieworkwear]

Thanks, that is an interesting idea. From what I've seen of Sexton (online) he is even more structured than Huntsman.

he is, generally, but what you see online is almost all in his bespoke range.

sexton has two offerings. the first is traditional bespoke, which is made like you'd expect and done inside his london workshop. this service is very expensive.

the second is what they call their offshore bespoke, which costs half the price. the difference: whereas the in-house bespoke is done with three fittings, offshore bespoke has just one fitting.

offshore bespoke garments are also custom cut, but done off block patterns. the cutting happens at sexton's workshop, but the making is done in china (still handmade, but done in china).

i would say it's similar to mtm, but it's not really. many bespoke tailoring houses are coming up with similar business models in order to offer customers more attractive and affordable offerings. but if you've had mtm, the process will be familiar. whereas with bespoke, you go in, meet the tailor, and get measured up, these sort of "halfway bespoke processes" involve an initial fitting garment. you go in, meet the tailor, and then try on a fitting garment. and then you get measured up.

the fitting garment is basically like your first fitting (similar to what happens with good mtm). and the fitting represents the block pattern. your measurements are then adjusted off the block.

in theory, the fitting garment can be anything, but given the price and target market, this is aimed at people who are probably not looking to go "full sexton," if you will. they want a more toned down, slightly modern look. sexton was the cutter at tommy nutter, and while his style now is slightly different, it's still bold.

so the offshore bespoke "house style" is very toned down. it's basically a structured, modern garment with relatively normal shoulders (ie not as padded and extended like sexton in-house bespoke). but it's still very padded like rlpl.

the thing about the offshore bespoke is that you can at least go in, try on the fitting garment, and see how you like it. if you like it, you can pull out the credit card and get it customized.

huntsman has a great history, but i've heard some stories that the new operation isn't that good. dege and skinner could also work for you. both huntsman and dege are very, very expensive. another option is chittleborough & morgan.

best of luck!

 

[classicalthunde]

@dieworkwear do you know of any other half-step bespoke options in and around the NYC area that are based on fitting garments? I've heard positive reviews of Steed MTM (but they said they do not use fitting garments). I'm also curious about Cad and Dandy's 'full bespoke' option which is around the ~$2K range, but have not seen any personal experiences/reviews either here or on other similarly minded forums...

 

[dieworkwear]

@dieworkwear do you know of any other half-step bespoke options in and around the NYC area that are based on fitting garments? I've heard positive reviews of Steed MTM (but they said they do not use fitting garments). I'm also curious about Cad and Dandy's 'full bespoke' option which is around the ~$2K range, but have not seen any personal experiences/reviews either here or on other similarly minded forums...

These half-step programs are weird. They're basically merging very traditional methods with some kind of cost-cutting measure, so different programs will work in different ways. The Steed program is basically your standard MTM done at a factory that Edwin felt closely resembles his house style. The upside is that you're measured by a professional cutter and, if necessary, the garment can be altered in-house by a professional bespoke tailor.

Some Neapolitan tailoring shops, like Sartoria Dalcuore, have experimented with different kinds of "half bespoke" processes. Here, the process is a lot closer to Sexton. A customer comes in, tries on fitting garments, and makes small changes at the margins. The tailor adjusts a block pattern by hand (not done on a CAD program). The garment is also made with the fabric and details you choose at the meeting. Garment is then sent with buttonholes finished to the fitter/ customer. There's a single fitting and the garment is then adjusted.

Depending on the company, sometimes the make is done in-house (like Dalcoure). Sometimes it's done somewhere else (like Steed and Sexton).

I don't have a full list of these half-bespoke programs, but if you like a certain company, it's worth inquiring. More and more companies are introducing some kind of semi-bespoke process cause it brings in new customers and allows the company to better scale up.

Just note there are limitations. Since you're paying less money, there are fewer fittings, so you may have to put up with some fit issues (not like true bespoke always comes out perfectly anyway). And since the tailor has to protect himself or herself, you won't be able to deviate too far from the block pattern. Depending on how they make the coat, they theoretically could deviate a lot, but they're probably not going to because the bigger the change, the more need for multiple fittings (and possibly the more hassle it creates for both parties involved). On the upside, I can't say enough about how helpful it is to have a fitting garment. This isn't possible in full bespoke for obvious reasons and it's too bad. Having a fitting garment allows a customer to get a better idea of how a silhouette will look, esp since it can be hard to judge these things on half-basted garments.

 

[classicalthunde]

These half-step programs are weird. They're basically merging very traditional methods with some kind of cost-cutting measure, so different programs will work in different ways. The Steed program is basically your standard MTM done at a factory that Edwin felt closely resembles his house style. The upside is that you're measured by a professional cutter and, if necessary, the garment can be altered in-house by a professional bespoke tailor.

Some Neapolitan tailoring shops, like Sartoria Dalcuore, have experimented with different kinds of "half bespoke" processes. Here, the process is a lot closer to Sexton. A customer comes in, tries on fitting garments, and makes small changes at the margins. The tailor adjusts a block pattern by hand (not done on a CAD program). The garment is also made with the fabric and details you choose at the meeting. Garment is then sent with buttonholes finished to the fitter/ customer. There's a single fitting and the garment is then adjusted.

Depending on the company, sometimes the make is done in-house (like Dalcoure). Sometimes it's done somewhere else (like Steed and Sexton).

I don't have a full list of these half-bespoke programs, but if you like a certain company, it's worth inquiring. More and more companies are introducing some kind of semi-bespoke process cause it brings in new customers and allows the company to better scale up.

Just note there are limitations. Since you're paying less money, there are fewer fittings, so you may have to put up with some fit issues (not like true bespoke always comes out perfectly anyway). And since the tailor has to protect himself or herself, you won't be able to deviate too far from the block pattern. Depending on how they make the coat, they theoretically could deviate a lot, but they're probably not going to because the bigger the change, the more need for multiple fittings (and possibly the more hassle it creates for both parties involved). On the upside, I can't say enough about how helpful it is to have a fitting garment. This isn't possible in full bespoke for obvious reasons and it's too bad. Having a fitting garment allows a customer to get a better idea of how a silhouette will look, esp since it can be hard to judge these things on half-basted garments.

@dieworkwear thanks! I did come across Huntsman's 'bespoke 100' option which seemed similar, but I'll take this over the bespoke thread and stop hijacking a RLPL discussion!

 

[tim_horton]

Oops, didn't realize there was a bespoke thread.

And Huntsman 100 sounds interesting, a local option really would be ideal.
@dieworkwear your point about having a fitted garment to try on makes a lot of sense to get an idea of what to expect.

 

[jonathanS]

Oops, didn't realize there was a bespoke thread.

And Huntsman 100 sounds interesting, a local option really would be ideal.
@dieworkwear your point about having a fitted garment to try on makes a lot of sense to get an idea of what to expect.

Ralph had a suit measured and cut at A&S before creating the RLPL. RLPL Drake cut is essentially the drape cut. I'll let you figure out what happened. Sexton/Chittleborough are more akin to a Tom Ford (again, the relationship is reversed).

If you want a huntsman look, do Richard Anderson.

 

[dieworkwear]

A cool half-bespoke process would be one where the client gets in on the making process. Tailor just ships you all the materials in a box, like Ikea, and you assemble at home. Price is 50% of full bespoke.

 

[potter AB]

(...) If I were interested in getting a bespoke suit made by a tailor, which of the more notable traveling tailors has a comparable house style? It’s my understanding that RLPL is influenced heavily by British tailoring so I would guess it would be one of them. I know it will not be the same as RLPL and I’m not looking for a carbon copy (otherwise why bother), but something that retains some of the features I like about RLPL: clean chest, strong shoulders, clean sleevehead.

You might give Davide Taub from Gieves & Hawkes a try. Very British. He'll be in NY in 4 weeks.