Bespoke suits London - where to go next?

[Loudly]

Thanks, all. Resurrecting this post (again) to say that I finally went to Benson & Clegg. It's a split-the-difference. Made a last-minute decision to save the money on Meyer & Mortimer, but went a little above the price of Connock & Lockie and Sims & MacDonald.

Very pleased with the results. Not as close-fitting a suit as some, but a relatively structured suit -- which is what I was looking for. Very personalised, with great customer service, and I think we can work toward something really spot-on in the future with what I have and future orders.

 

[Macallan]

Originally Posted by Loudly

I finally went to Benson & Clegg. It's a split-the-difference. Made a last-minute decision to save the money on Meyer & Mortimer.
Aren't B&C and M&M a similar price? B&C: £1950 + vat = £2292 M&M: £2124 + vat = £2495

 

[Frog in Suit]

I went through the same B & C/M & M decision process almost three years ago. The prices, I seem to remember, were then the same. I chose M & M because I liked the place and the people; also, they only do tailoring, whereas B & C 's business is also cufflinks, ties, shirts, etc.

I am going back to M & M next week to order a suit I do not need...

I am looking forward to the visit.

Frog in Suit

 

[Winot]

Originally Posted by Frog in Suit

I went through the same B & C/M & M decision process almost three years ago. The prices, I seem to remember, were then the same. I chose M & M because I liked the place and the people; also, they only do tailoring, whereas B & C 's business is also cufflinks, ties, shirts, etc.

I am going back to M & M next week to order a suit I do not need...

I am looking forward to the visit.

Frog in Suit

I am also a happy M&M customer thanks to your recommendation

Aside from the quality of the work, for me service is the key and Paul Munday is a delight to deal with.

 

[fox81]

M&M appears to be a lot more expensive than Graham Browne though.

I have two suits from there now and the last one was only 600gbp, due to it being some clearance fabric they had (a wool/mohair dormeiul)

 

[Loudly]

Originally Posted by Macallan

Aren't B&C and M&M a similar price?

B&C: £1950 + vat = £2292
M&M: £2124 + vat = £2495


It worked out to about £300 less than M&M.

 

[Frog in Suit]

Originally Posted by Winot

I am also a happy M&M customer thanks to your recommendation

Aside from the quality of the work, for me service is the key and Paul Munday is a delight to deal with.

Glad to have helped. If I cannot contribute to the technical knowledge of this forum, at least I can share my limited experience.

I notice I am now a "senior member"

. Is it because I just passed the 100th post level?

Frog in Suit

 

[culverwood]

Originally Posted by Frog in Suit

I went through the same B & C/M & M decision process almost three years ago. The prices, I seem to remember, were then the same. I chose M & M because I liked the place and the people; also, they only do tailoring, whereas B & C 's business is also cufflinks, ties, shirts, etc.


Frog in Suit

Funnily enough I came to the opposite conclusion for the same reason. I chose B & C because their cuff-link, tie, button side provide a good cash flow to the business when bespoke business is quiet so I thought it a safer business model.

They are both small personal businesses and that brings the benefit of closer contact with the maker but also possibly a larger risk of the person who you are working with and the business no longer being around as I found with my previous tailor.

 

[Frog in Suit]

Originally Posted by culverwood

Funnily enough I came to the opposite conclusion for the same reason. I chose B & C because their cuff-link, tie, button side provide a good cash flow to the business when bespoke business is quiet so I thought it a safer business model.

They are both small personal businesses and that brings the benefit of closer contact with the maker but also possibly a larger risk of the person who you are working with and the business no longer being around as I found with my previous tailor.

M & M has two cutters/directors, as far as I know (Brian Lewis and Paul Munday), with about a dozen permanent staff. I think, historically and for quite some time now, the succession has been from senior cutter to junior cutter, the latter being recruted by the former and buying the retiring MD's shares. They are both "practical", trained, men and owners, which I felt would provide stability and continuity, since they are financially invested in the business. I completely understand your own reasoning, however. The temptation to buy yet another pair of cufflinks must be hard to resist, though

.

Frog in Suit

 

[Winot]

Originally Posted by fox81

M&M appears to be a lot more expensive than Graham Browne though.

I have two suits from there now and the last one was only 600gbp, due to it being some clearance fabric they had (a wool/mohair dormeiul)

Yes; as I have said elsewhere I think Graham Browne offers the best price/quality ratio. Meyer & Mortimer's work is undeniably better, particularly with very lightweight fabric; whether you think it's worth paying the premium is up to you.

 

[Winot]



Originally Posted by fox81

Im heading down to Graham Browne for my baste fitting later today.

How much is a M&M suit worth anyway?

Price from earlier this year: 3 piece suit was £2339 less discount of 7.5% plus VAT of 15% = £2,488.12 (I believe the discount is given for the first suit ordered). That's what it cost; what it's worth is rather more subjective.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Graham Browne.

An update on Meyer & Mortimer: their prices have gone up by quite a bit. My last suit (a two piece DB) was £2600 plus VAT at 20% = £3120 and I am having a 3 piece (SB peak lapel, 1B, DB vest) made with my own cloth for which the total price will be about the same. Probably brings them up to a similar level to comparable Row tailors i.e. before they were under-priced compared to the market.

 

[Frog in Suit]

I noticed the price change as well.

In my experience, SR prices go up all the time. I am not sure if this is only because the piecework rate paid the tailors goes up. In the case of M & M, I suspect business is good and they feel the market can bear the increase. Mr. Munday certainly seems to be travelling a lot: I went by the shop on Monday and he was at home, having just come back from an unplanned two-week visit to the Far East which forced him to postpone a trip to Paris.

As for the quality of their work with light fabrics, mentioned in a previous post, I am certain that their extensive experience with making for customers in Asia has a lot to do with it. I prefer heavy cloths (13 oz. and up) myself.

Frog in Suit

 

[RSS]

Given the cloth design & colorway of the seat cushon in your avatar, Huntsman comes to mind. When I switched to Richard I really began to miss their house checks.

 

[Holdfast]

In my experience, SR prices go up all the time. I am not sure if this is only because the piecework rate paid the tailors goes up.

I recently ordered a new suit (not from any of the tailors mentioned in this thread). As you say, SR prices go up all the time, but the increase seemed particularly striking this time round. Partly the surprise was because I'd been ordering jackets recently, so this was the first suit for a few years. But leaving that aside, I was told that the reason for the rise was largely down to the piecework rate going up because fewer people were available in London (with the necessary skill/experience) and partly because cloth prices had risen recently. I'm sure the recent run of higher inflation has impacte on prices too. Of course, I don't know whether any of the above is true, but it sounds plausible. Naturally, I'm sure the rises include an element of mark-up too. But at the end of the day, you're right: SR prices go up all the time, so you may as well order what you want when you feel you can afford it, rather than worry about the fact that prices rise.

 

[Frog in Suit]



... and partly because cloth prices had risen recently. I'm sure the recent run of higher inflation has impacte on prices too. </p>

I read somewhere, from a respectable source (FT, Le Monde...?) that wool prices have gone up a lot (50 % ?) in the past year or so, in part because much of it is being bought by China to clothe its increasingly well-off population. I am too lazy to look up the reference.
A very recent visit to London's West End also gave me the impression that SR and Jermyn Street are doing well. The GBP/USD and GBP/€ rates probabaly have a lot to do with that.

Frog in Suit