Bespoke suit while on vacation?

[jtalexander3]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the world of bespoke & MTM suits and I have a few questions that I've been searching for answers to online with no luck. Please forgive any ignorance or stupid questions on my part!

I'm planning a trip to London in December and I'm curious about the idea of having a suit made for me by one of the famous Savile Row tailors. However, I will only be in London for 7 days, and I'm not sure if it would even be possible to have a suit made correctly in time.

I've read up a bit on the process, and it seems like there need to be at least two fittings in order for the suit to come out right, which are usually a couple of weeks apart (impossible in my case). Is it unheard of for a bespoke suit to be made with only one fitting? Would the danger of off measurements be too high? Would I be better off trying to go with a made-to-measure suit, and if I did, would that even be possible to do in a week? I have no problem with the suit being mailed to me after my return home, I just want to make sure that the process is able to be completed properly with the time I have there.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!
-J

 

[dauster]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the world of bespoke & MTM suits and I have a few questions that I've been searching for answers to online with no luck. Please forgive any ignorance or stupid questions on my part!

I'm planning a trip to London in December and I'm curious about the idea of having a suit made for me by one of the famous Savile Row tailors. However, I will only be in London for 7 days, and I'm not sure if it would even be possible to have a suit made correctly in time.

I've read up a bit on the process, and it seems like there need to be at least two fittings in order for the suit to come out right, which are usually a couple of weeks apart (impossible in my case). Is it unheard of for a bespoke suit to be made with only one fitting? Would the danger of off measurements be too high? Would I be better off trying to go with a made-to-measure suit, and if I did, would that even be possible to do in a week? I have no problem with the suit being mailed to me after my return home, I just want to make sure that the process is able to be completed properly with the time I have there.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!
-J

Sounds like a tight timeframe for me but best to reach out to the tailors you like and discuss with them directly. Maybe pick a tailor that also comes to wherever you live as part of trunk shows.

 

[dieworkwear]

you could try steed. i believe they can meet you in london, although they're based in carlisle. they skip to the forward fitting. in the end, you may need to get some small adjustments done at home -- like adjusting the sleeve length or nipping the waist -- but at least you'd have the forward fitting completed.

i use them for bespoke clothes and really like their work. they also have a more affordable mtm option.

Steed Home | Steed Bespoke Tailors

Savile Row Tailoring Bespoke Tailors For Savile Row Gentlemen Book An Appointment Soft, understated elegance The Steed Difference At Steed, you deal directly with Edwin and Matthew, Savile Row Bespoke Cutters rather than a sales representative or middle man. They believe when...

steed.co.uk

 

[jasonstringer6]

Full bespoke usually requires 3-4 fittings, I wouldn't recommend trying to skip these and go straight to the finished product as the fittings are part of the process and increased cost of bespoke, I don't think any tailor in London would do a proper bespoke suit in under 10 weeks. MTM might be a safer bet, as it requires less fittings and is cheaper so if something isn't right when you receive the suit back home its less of a risk.

If you want to go MTM I have attached three options below that vary in price and I have used before:

- Casual Fitters - I have two suits from them, which have been solid and well fitting. They do a full canvas suit for £600ish from memory. They have a pretty bare shop that doesn't have the usual frills of a tailor. From memory the suit only needed minor adjustments when it came in, so could work without a second fitting.
- Timothy Everest - £1400ish from memory I haven't used them in two years but a bit more of a casual vibe, really enjoyed the style and process with them.
- Anglo Italiano - If you were after a more complete experience try Anglo Italiano which do MTM, really nice style and quality, I used them for my wedding suit but closer to the £2000 mark and again only minor adjustments on the second fitting. Definitely a step up from the other two.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions about MTM or Bespoke in London, would be happy to help

 

[nmprisons]

I'll second the Steed option. It's not the case that "full bespoke usually requires 3-4 fittings." It is the case that some bespoke tailors prefer (or need) that number. There are plenty of very reputable bespoke tailors that will make a great fitting garment with one or two fittings. Often these are also the tailors who travel frequently to meet clients.

 

[edwardchrisdyson]

I'll second the Steed option. It's not the case that "full bespoke usually requires 3-4 fittings." It is the case that some bespoke tailors prefer (or need) that number. There are plenty of very reputable bespoke tailors that will make a great fitting garment with one or two fittings. Often these are also the tailors who travel frequently to meet clients.

 

[nmprisons]

I don't want to get in a pissing match over this, but I use Steed. It works like this at least for clients abroad:

Meet and be measured.

First fitting. This amounts to a forward fitting.

They send you your garment.

Second fitting. Deal with any unforeseen adjustment.

They send you back your garment.

I guess this could be characterized as two fittings and a meeting. But it's not more than that.

 

[edwardchrisdyson]

I don't want to get in a pissing match over this, but I use Steed. It works like this at least for clients abroad:

Meet and be measured.

First fitting. This amounts to a forward fitting.

They send you your garment.

Second fitting. Deal with any unforeseen adjustment.

They send you back your garment.

I guess this could be characterized as two fittings and a meeting. But it's not more than that.

what you are characterising here is at least 3 fittings, with the first being "meet and measure", so simply changing the name of the first fitting isn't particularly helpful for the purpose of this thread as jtalexander3 is only here for 7 days and could only perform the "meet and measure" with steed

 

[dieworkwear]

It's not that unusual for customers to have their final fitting done by a local tailor.

Don't think the term fitting includes the initial meeting, but that all seems like it's semantics. The way I've seen it used, it refers to when you're fitted in the garment. Usually, that's basted, forward, and then final. A&S tailors skip to the forward anyway. So assuming you can meet them on the first day, and they can arrange your forward fitting before you leave, you could have the garment delivered to you and then have adjustments done at home. Adjustments are typically small, assuming you're working with a substantial cloth (which will be easier to tailor) and you're a typical build.

I've had friends who have done this with both British and Italian tailors. Bruce Boyer had this done with A. Caraceni in Milan. I thought the suit came out really well.

 

[Sam Hober]

7 days is not enough time for your first time with a new tailor.

Now if you have a relationship with a tailor, and your weight hasn't changed, and the fabric to be used is similar to your last suit; and your tailor is not busy - you might be OK with about a week...

 

[edwardchrisdyson]

7 days is not enough time for your first time with a new tailor.

Now if you have a relationship with a tailor, and your weight hasn't changed, and the fabric to be used is similar to your last suit; and your tailor is not busy - you might be OK with about a week...

Agree with sam,

But if you want to get a suit tailored I would go MTM and steer clear of bespoke until you have the time to do it properly,

Interesting looking tie company SAM!

 

[Sam Hober]

Edwardchrisdyson,

Yes, you are correct less stress with MTM and maybe a good stepping stone?

I think bespoke projects should when possible be fun or avoided.

Thank you for your kind words.

We do a lot of wedding orders so I am used to hvaing to plan tie orders very well and for a wedding it is OK because it can be a very crazy time planning for a wedding so we try very hard to make it work smoothly - suits have more moving parts (arms) and are simply bigger so take longer...

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I’ve purchased fully bespoke suits from Hong Kong tailors with only one fitting. It can be done, and the end result is infinitely better than any off the rack suit. All of my single-fitting suits look great, although some do fit slightly differently than others, and I’m sure that if I’d had more than one fitting, they’d all fit identically. It’s possible to quibble about a few centimeters here or there, I suppose, but to be honest there is nothing I would really change, the suits all look great.

That said, it would be a shame to limit yourself to just one fitting if you are going to one of the Seville Row tailors. The suggestion to pick a shop that regularly travels to your country is a great solution. You can have the initial fitting in London, and subsequent fittings closer to your home. If you are going to pay those prices, why settle for less than anything but absolute perfection? Also, it would just be fun to have a Seville Row suit which is built over several fittings.

i know that Henry Poole & Co. travels regularly, and most of the other bigger bespoke tailors do, too. You can probably find their traveling schedules on their websites, I’d look for the ones who regularly visit your country.

good luck with your suit, and let us know what you decide. And post pictures once it arrives!