For those in Florida...

[Jovan]

http://www.sadlerscustomtailors.com Has anyone tried these guys? Their prices seem fair and reasonable, and they seem to be the closest bespoke tailor to me. Thanks, Jovan

 

[Jovan]

Hmm, guess not.

 

[King Francis]

I haven't tried them, but I've contacted them. One of their locations is only 10-15 minutes from my apartment. I spoke with an English gent over there who was a bit surprised that a guy on this side of the pond knew the term "bespoke" -- but once we got the preliminaries out of the way, we were able to talk openly about the details of their services. According to the man I spoke with, they do offer the full bespoke process, though I seem to remember he said that sometimes they don't "need" to do three separate fittings to achieve a proper fit. A possible red flag, though perhaps he was speaking of their lower-end fused offerings.

I'm considering them for some shirts at some point in the future. The first-order minimum is three shirts; you can then order as many or as few as you like from there on out. I don't know yet when I'll be able to take the plunge, but I've got a cell number for when I'm ready.

Unfortunately, they don't carry Holland & Sherry fabric, according to an H&S representative. Not a fatal loss, but something to keep in mind if you're planning to bespeak a suit.

EDIT: As of now, I have the sense that Sadler's is the real deal. I would guess their web site uses hyped words like "master tailors" and shouts about Super numbers just to appeal to American consumers.

 

[Jovan]

Thanks for contacting them. I haven't yet gotten a reply by email. Where do you live? Winter Park? Orlando? Honestly I could care less about the big name fabrics, as long as the ones they carry are good. For shirts, I've got Baron Boutique and Jantzen (if I don't mind waiting for the latter) for that, so I'm not overly concerned about the three-shirt minumum. As far as the fittings go, I've learned from Thomas Mahon's blog that oftentimes he only needs to do two fittings, but sometimes three in other cases. Here's the article: http://www.englishcut.com/archives/000022.html

 

[FLMountainMan]

I know a lobbyist in Tallahassee that was wearing a light gray suit by them. Looked well-fitted, fabric nothing exceptional, but that may have been the customer's fault.

 

[King Francis]

Originally Posted by Jovan

Thanks for contacting them. I haven't yet gotten a reply by email. Where do you live? Winter Park? Orlando?

Honestly I could care less about the big name fabrics, as long as the ones they carry are good.

For shirts, I've got Baron Boutique and Jantzen (if I don't mind waiting for the latter) for that, so I'm not overly concerned about the three-shirt minumum.

As far as the fittings go, I've learned from Thomas Mahon's blog that oftentimes he only needs to do two fittings, but sometimes three in other cases. Here's the article: http://www.englishcut.com/archives/000022.html

I live in east Orlando, so I'm closest to the location in Waterford Lakes, although the Winter Park shop isn't too far away either.

Funny you say that regarding the shirts; it's kind of the opposite for me. For now I'm satisfied with Baron Boutique (and soon, hopefully, Thick As Thieves) for suits -- nor do I have the money for a true bespoke suit -- but I'd really like to have some more high-quality shirts. Just to warn you, I know it says the suit prices start at $595, but I was informed that for a decent canvassed workhouse suit in a good basic worsted it would start at something like $1200. From there, the prices go up to infinity. You may have already anticipated this, but since you remarked in your original post that Sadler's prices seem fair and reasonable, and since you haven't heard back from them yet, I figured the $595 quoted on their web site is all you had to go on. So there's that.

(A comparable price scale obtains with the shirts. Their bespoke shirts start at only $95 apiece, if I remember right, but that's for a poly/cotton blend. For a nice Sea Island cotton, you'd be looking at a ballpark $175-225 apiece, and it can surely go much higher depending on the fabric and details you request. I know you don't care about their shirts, but this might help you get an idea of the price structure of their suits as well.)