Custom made suits over off the rack?

[intlnews]

There is a tailor here that makes custom made suits. They have like two stores in the Greater Boston area. They are running a special for two made to order suites starting at 900.00. Would this be a better way to go in order to get an exact fit over than getting a Brioni or Armani suit which has to be tailored anyway? Since tailoring adds like 100 - 150 a suit, this custom tailor thing might be a good idea. No?

 

[JLibourel]

Could you please elaborate? Any tailoring operation that offers two "custom tailored" suits for $900 has got to be an off-shore operation, and I can't imagine at that price the suits are much good.

 

[TimelesStyle]

I took that to mean that it was $900/suit if you ordered two. At that price it all depends on the materials, the construction and the detailing.

When all is said and done, I usually pay about $900/suit but it's an OTR suit from a mid-tier maker (RLBL, Zegna and the like) retailing for $1,500-2,500, on deep discount, with some tailoring and the addition of working buttonholes (if applicable).

So would I pay $900 for a fully canvassed suit made from comparable materials, tailored right from the start with similar detailing? Sure. Would I pay that for something equivalent to a Hugo Boss suit that just happens to be a perfect fit? Not even maybe.

 

[intlnews]

It starts at that price for 2 and then goes up or down depending on the fabric. You pick the materials, they measure you and it is made to order. Retail shop and everything. Just tired of spending 500.00 for a suit, then another 150.00 + for tailoring, and it is still not 100% right. I thought tailored made to fit would be a good solution. Is it hand made Armani? No. But, it should be better than Hugo Boss, Joseph Abboud, or Calvin Klein.

 

[TimelesStyle]

Originally Posted by intlnews

It starts at that price for 2 and then goes up or down depending on the fabric. You pick the materials, they measure you and it is made to order. Retail shop and everything. Just tired of spending 500.00 for a suit, then another 150.00 + for tailoring, and it is still not 100% right. I thought tailored made to fit would be a good solution. Is it hand made Armani? No. But, it should be better than Hugo Boss, Joseph Abboud, or Calvin Klein.

What suit did you try for $500?

 

[intlnews]

Brooks Brothers, Joseph Abboud, BOSS

 

[TimelesStyle]

Originally Posted by intlnews

Brooks Brothers, Joseph Abboud, BOSS

I only really advocate going custom under two scenarios:

1. You are an odd build and fitting you OTR is a virtual impossibility.

2. You are buying such high end stuff that it would be a shame not to have it made to your specifications instead of someone else's.

If this is a slow week at work, I suggest the following: go to many stores, try on dozens of different fits and see what works for you. Then see what is the most reasonable price you can find said cut during the rest of the sale season. You may well end up with a much better suit than you were planning to commission ($450 MTM aren't going to be great quality, especially if the company needs to support a Boston storefront with the money).

Out of curiosity, what's your build, perhaps we can recommend some places to start?

 

[intlnews]

I have a muscular upper body, so I am comfy around 40r. Waste is about 30/32. I checked out Nordstroms, Saks, NM, they are crazy expensive. Brooks Brothers in the mall did not have great pricing either. Open for options.

 

[TimelesStyle]

Originally Posted by intlnews

I have a muscular upper body, so I am comfy around 40r. Waste is about 30/32. I checked out Nordstroms, Saks, NM, they are crazy expensive. Brooks Brothers in the mall did not have great pricing either. Open for options.

You can try the Brooks Brothers Milano cut suits. I would guess the Boston location would sell some. Ralph Lauren might be a good bet, either the Black Label suits or the Blue Label (Polo line) Bradford suits. I think the BB suits were showing online for about $700, not sure if there are coupons floating around. The RL suits are a bit harder to find sub-$700 if you're looking for staple colors. However, if you're interested in something a little more fun (peak lapel, stripes, houndstooth, etc.) you may find something to your liking.

Also, check out Bloomingdale's out in Chestnut Hill and see if they're clearing out any Z-Zegna suits. At the $1,100 MSRP they're a ripoff, but once they hit a few markdowns they'll be in the $400 range and would probably fit you very well. Only buy those if they are using nice material, otherwise no better than the HUGO red label line. The Bloomie's in NYC had a really nice brown plaid double breasted ZZ suit that I almost bought.

Once you've found a style that works for you, start checking out discounters like Filene's Basement (not what it once was in terms of selection, but probably worth a shot) and online stores like Bluefly and Yoox. And of course hit all the sales in the Back Bay.

 

[dragon8]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the OP said two made to order suits by a custom tailor. I take MTO to mean pretty much a OTR size with some minor changes-3 button, 2 button, do you want pleats and how many, etc...

$900 per suit sounds about right.

 

[intlnews]

Originally Posted by dragon8

Correct me if I'm wrong but the OP said two made to order suits by a custom tailor. I take MTO to mean pretty much a OTR size with some minor changes-3 button, 2 button, do you want pleats and how many, etc...

$900 per suit sounds about right.

2 suits starting at 900.00.

 

[thewaxmania]

I'm wondering now, what shop this might be? I'm a daytime Bostonian and wouldn't mind some specific details about the shop that's offering this.

 

[taxgenius]

Why would you order two if you are not even sure they can do a good job on one?

 

[NORE]

Originally Posted by intlnews

There is a tailor here that makes custom made suits. They have like two stores in the Greater Boston area. They are running a special for two made to order suites starting at 900.00. Would this be a better way to go in order to get an exact fit over than getting a Brioni or Armani suit which has to be tailored anyway? Since tailoring adds like 100 - 150 a suit, this custom tailor thing might be a good idea. No?

Are you French?

 

[TimelesStyle]

The other thing I should ask, if you're comfortable answering, is whether $500 is really all you can afford per suit, or if you just think that $500 is what a good suit "should" cost?

If the latter, and your price point is closer to $1k or thereabouts, perhaps BB's MTM events would be right for you. I believe they have events sometimes where MTM is the same price as RTW, or some special like that.