Made to measure advice for London

[JRSmithson]

HI,
First post...be kind.
I am looking for a Made to Measure/Custom tailored 2 piece suit in London. I am 6ft 1ins with 42 ins chest and 36 ins waist....32 ins inside leg.
Budget is £1000-1500.
I had a wander down Savile Row yesterday and tried a number of suits on.
Kilgour and Richard James were IMO rubbish.
I tried a Huntsman off the rack ........blue chalkstripe.......they were very friendly and helpful and suggested I tried the ready to wear first.
It fitted really well in their opinion...and mine too....just needed 1/2 inch on the sleeve and waist......it was £1500.
I like the Huntsman coat the best of any I have seen.I dont really like "soft tailoring". The problem was...I wanted flat front trousers and slanted pockets...the ready to wear doesnt have this.
Planning to look off the row in a couple of weeks....specifically Jonathon Quearney and Russell Browne.

So...what should I do.....go with the Huntsman RTW (I am tempted)....or go MTM and ask them to copy the Huntsman suit with the slant pockets and flat front.
Is this likely to be successful???
Thanks in advance.
Jason

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Don't judge any Savile Row establishment's bespoke operation (or semi-bespoke/MTM/whatever, at your price-range) on the strength of their RTW...

 

[George]

Originally Posted by JRSmithson

HI, First post...be kind. I am looking for a Made to Measure/Custom tailored 2 piece suit in London. I am 6ft 1ins with 42 ins chest and 36 ins waist....32 ins inside leg. Budget is £1000-1500. I had a wander down Savile Row yesterday and tried a number of suits on. Kilgour and Richard James were IMO rubbish. I tried a Huntsman off the rack ........blue chalkstripe.......they were very friendly and helpful and suggested I tried the ready to wear first. It fitted really well in their opinion...and mine too....just needed 1/2 inch on the sleeve and waist......it was £1500. I like the Huntsman coat the best of any I have seen.I dont really like "soft tailoring". The problem was...I wanted flat front trousers and slanted pockets...the ready to wear doesnt have this. Planning to look off the row in a couple of weeks....specifically Jonathon Quearney and Russell Browne. So...what should I do.....go with the Huntsman RTW (I am tempted)....or go MTM and ask them to copy the Huntsman suit with the slant pockets and flat front. Is this likely to be successful??? Thanks in advance. Jason
You could get bespoke, off the Row for that price, I wouldn't buy RTW from any Savile Row tailor as you're just paying for the label. Do you have the time for the fittings?

 

[robinsongreen68]

just out of interest, i thought kilgour had got out of the rtw business? why did you think their stuff was rubbish? i used to like them for what they were. but we may be different shapes.

personally i would go MTM/bespoke off the row. if you want those features, the lack of them will probably end up bothering you. also consider mr eddie, graham browne, both of whom do bespoke in your price range i think.

also as a MTM you could consider the cad and the dandy. they have a young guy there who is currently doing an apprenticeship under jon deboise and i think edward sexton. if youre into structured tailoring it might be worth giving him a try.

 

[Not Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by JRSmithson

HI,

Planning to look off the row in a couple of weeks....specifically Jonathon Quearney and Russell Browne.


Do you mean Graham Browne? Head cutter there is called Russell. I've been measured up for a bespoke tweed suit there and should be having my first fitting pretty shortly. It's my first time going bespoke but I'm pretty confident in them and they were recommended to me. Price-wise it's slightly under £1k. Quearney will be a bit pricier I think.

What about Connock & Lockie? All the info I've seen about them is fairly old, but AAAC's guide says their style is "Huntsman-like" and I think they might be in-budget.

 

[Macallan]

Originally Posted by JRSmithson

1. Budget is £1000-1500.

2. I tried a Huntsman off the rack
It fitted really well in their opinion...and mine too....just needed 1/2 inch on the sleeve and waist......it was £1500.

3. I like the Huntsman coat the best of any I have seen.I dont really like "soft tailoring". The problem was...I wanted flat front trousers and slanted pockets...the ready to wear doesnt have this.

2. Trying RTW before going the the MTM route can help the customer and the staff understand what fits. Although it is not always a true result; for example, taking 1/2 inch of the sleeve make not look as good as it seems on the RTW sleeve.

3. One of ther advantages of MTM is that you can get features that you may not find on RTW garments.

1. With the budget in mind, you could use options like Cad & Dandy (offer MTM and 'bespoke'), George Bespoke Tailor (low-end bespoke) or Soho-based tailors
I have only used C&D from the options mentions, they do have a structured jacket and you have can choose options like flat front trousers and slanted jacket pockets. For under £1k you can get a suit in a good cloth.

Bown bespoke - example for George Bespoke Tailor (although this is for a coat)
http://www.bownsbespoke.com/george.htm

My alteration tailor on Berwick Street, recommends Chris Kerr for Soho-based bespoke
http://chriskerr.com/#


Huntsman MTM is the similar to bespoke prices, £1950 according to the Huntsman website.

 

[Pseudosyco]

+1 on Graham Browne

I have not received a finished suit yet, but have had the first fitting and can confirm it is full bespoke and costs much less than your budget (2 piece stars at about £850).

 

[Macallan]

Originally Posted by Not Ed Harris

What about Connock & Lockie? All the info I've seen about them is fairly old, but AAAC's guide says their style is "Huntsman-like" and I think they might be in-budget.

They do a have Huntsman style and within budget

 

[GBer]

If you like the Huntsman style - check into Richard Anderson (ex-Huntsman). Although his bespoke would be out of your range.

Here are some links about him:

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...light=Huntsman

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=157464

 

[Ich_Dien]

Originally Posted by Not Ed Harris

What about Connock & Lockie? All the info I've seen about them is fairly old, but AAAC's guide says their style is "Huntsman-like" and I think they might be in-budget.

Originally Posted by Macallan

They do a have Huntsman style and within budget

Didn't they make the suits for JFK? Hardly Huntsman...Although, when I checked in there it seemed as if there wasn't a particular 'House Cut', and that the garment could be tailored to your needs.

I'd say Sims & MacDonald across the street were more 'Huntsman'.

 

[SimonC]

I've heard very good things about Connock & Lockie, so would recommend you investigate them further on the strength of feedback alone.

Graham Browne offer a very wide range of styles (almost like a Hong Kong tailor in that respect) and seem to really enjoy the ideas clients present. Their prices are good, but with that comes a fair level of machine work. Russell is (IIRC) an ex-military tailor so can cut a strong silhouette.

Chris Kerr seems to offer a similar approach to GB (namely if you can concieve it he'll make it) and is known for making quite a strong silhouette as standard. I've examined some of his work and it seems well made for the money.

 

[JRSmithson]

After a lot of research I have narrowed down to Chris Kerr Bespoke Vs Jonathon Quearney MTM....spoke to both on the phone...encouraging.
Likely I will go wwith the former.
Thoughts???

 

[yfyf]

Graham Browne or Jonathan Quearney, both good guys producing very nice stuff. If you like the Huntsman style, I think you may like Graham Browne a little more.