Kilgour bespoke

[Shikar]

Originally Posted by R.O. Thornhill

One other aside - if you care greatly about exquisite finishing this is not the option for you. For one of my fittings I turned up in a Super 150s 3pc Saint Andrews suit - and my former cutter commented that they would struggle to match its level of sewing and finishing even on a SR bespoke suit. Needless to say, though, my Kilgour stuff fits infinitely better

Thornhill

Good to know that as a poor man my St. Andrews is not too shabby. Thanks.

Regards.

 

[Benjamin Chee HH]

The quality of my suits made in Shanghai far exceeds my Poole clothes, in terms of fit, cut, speed, customer service, even premises of tailor. Considering that these are one-tenth the price of Savile Row, and that about 80% of the price to start with (500 pounds or so - or CNY 5000) is attributed to the imported cloth, ie a frightfully reasonable price for supreme craftsmanship.

It is an acknowledged fact that many tailors and outworkers on the Row no longer sew to the standards that existed even 30 years ago, whereas my chaps in Shanghai, having been taught by the Savile Row of old, still maintain these standards. My cutter is in the process of making me a morning suit - and it was quite the experience to look at 50 year old pattern books for such dresswear, in Chinese.

Personally, I find it utterly racist and ignorant to label automatically anything made in China as inferior. For this reason, I have all my suits that are made in China, tagged as such, in hand-embroidered Chinese characters of course!

Of course, my tailor is an old friend of my family, and does not work commercially. He has also been making the traditional changshan since the Republican era (1911-1949), which is another outlet for my sartorial flights of fancy!

 

[Concordia]

I've posted elsewhere on the Kilgour Shangai connection. It was a lot better value before the recent price hike. Now Suit #1 is basically the same cost as a London suit from one of the less expensive tailors, and follow-up suits are still not really cheap.

There are a few details that betray the non-Englishness of the cheaper option. Belt loops have the visible, HK-style stitching. There is no standard boutonniere, and when you ask for one it isn't as nice as the SR variety. Also, I couldn't swear that the innards of the suit are uniformly as nice as what you get for full price on the Row.

Nevertheless. It's a well made suit, and Kilgour has good cutters. I have no real complaints about what they've done for me, although the highly-structured style makes more sense with lightweight and/or soft fabrics. A worsted flannel suit I have from them fits very well but somehow feels wrong for the purpose. Probably the best blend of cut, make, and cloth I have from them is a lightweight silk sport jacket that looks quite elegant and is not too prominently padded out.

Be aware that they have effectively gone to a CMT pricing scheme. Prices quoted do not include cloth (or VAT, or duty). So the first order from Shanghai goes like

The prices below cover the majority of garments we make using the ‘Entry Level’ service. These prices quoted in British Pounds are for handmade bespoke clothing and exclude the cost of fabric and VAT.

Item\tPrice*
Two Piece Suit\tFrom £1,550
Three Piece Suit\tFrom £2,050
Jackets and Blazers\tFrom £1,050
Trousers\tFrom £500
Dinner Jacket and Trousers\tFrom £1,800
Overcoats\tFrom £1,550

You save about 250 GBP by omitting the baste fitting on the follow-up.

Bottom line: not cheap, but if you like their house style, it's an option worth thinking about.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by ~ B ~

.He has also been making the traditional changshan since the Republican era (1911-1949), which is another outlet for my sartorial flights of fancy!

That's rather cool.


- B

 

[newtrane]

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/f...4/madoff200904

"Madoff had his suits tailor-made at Kilgour, on Savile Row, in London."

 

[R.O. Thornhill]

That price increase has to have been very recent - when I placed my last order (just before Christmas) I was charged £1,500 (incl. VAT and cloth; there is no duty on suits - yet) for a second suit (It was £1,300 or so before VAT).

Have a vague feeling that Kilgour may be struggling. Their second - more casual - shop next door, has to be a major drain on cash given how few people ever visit; and the pre-Christmas anniversary RTW sale smacked of cash-flow desperation. I hope to be wrong - as I am a very satisfied customer

P.S. my suits always came with a perfeclty nice bouttoniere, and I quite like the strucured look even with 11/12oz suits. That is a question of individual taste, though

 

[TheFoo]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

That's rather cool.

+1 I want to hear more about this Chinese mystery tailor.

 

[Sleats]

Heard last week that Kilgour 'released' a good number of its design team and wants to get back to more traditional tailoring....or so I was told

 

[Despos]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

Ah, you refer to the 100% no-sewn suit of myth. They say no-sewing takes the absolute concentration of a level nine master tailor wielding golden shears and possessing perfect sartorial knowledge. I hear Despos's wrap coat is 18% no-sewn--any more no-stitches and even a level nine master tailor would have lost his mind. Chris went to the edge.



Admirably honest of them.

I'm pitching a tailoring reality show to the networks. Trying to get 13 episodes of watching tailors not sewing. It is called '"Extreme Tailoring".

I wish you guys had more of the "one suit for the price of two" mentality. All the New York / Chicago tailors would be busier and could grow their staff.

 

[alebrady]

Be aware that they have effectively gone to a CMT pricing scheme. Prices quoted do not include cloth (or VAT, or duty). So the first order from Shanghai goes like




You save about 250 GBP by omitting the baste fitting on the follow-up.

Bottom line: not cheap, but if you like their house style, it's an option worth thinking about.[/quote]

i am curious - does anyone have a ballpark figure for the additional fabric charge to those listed above? say something like a standard lesser (11 oz) cloth or H&S target (10/11)?

thanks