teachmenononsense
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- Aug 15, 2018
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Does anyone have any experience with made-to-measure or bespoke tailors in or around Manchester? I will hopefully be looking to acquire a few different suits/jackets over the next few years. Budget is going to vary a lot. For some it might be £400, for some (i.e. probably when I get married) I might be looking closer to £2000. Obviously your money gets you very different things at those price points, but I believe that there is usually good value to be had at any level of expenditure, as long as you adjust your expectations accordingly. There seem to be a number of established bespoke suitmakers with two or three-piece offerings in the £900-1400 region.
I have only ever previously owned ready-to-wear suits, so this would be a step into the unknown for me. My professional and family demands mean that travelling outside of the local area is pretty difficult for me, and I am keen to support regional tailoring, as long as I can get results that satisfy me.
Looking online, there are not too many reviews of tailors in the North West, and without knowing precisely what the reviewers' demands and expectations were, it's hard to know how to interpret those that do exist.
Looking at tailors' own websites is little use, as many are hopelessly vague in terms of the actual detail of their process.
Some of the businesses I am interested in:
Any personal recommendations from forum users are very much appreciated.
I have only ever previously owned ready-to-wear suits, so this would be a step into the unknown for me. My professional and family demands mean that travelling outside of the local area is pretty difficult for me, and I am keen to support regional tailoring, as long as I can get results that satisfy me.
Looking online, there are not too many reviews of tailors in the North West, and without knowing precisely what the reviewers' demands and expectations were, it's hard to know how to interpret those that do exist.
Looking at tailors' own websites is little use, as many are hopelessly vague in terms of the actual detail of their process.
Some of the businesses I am interested in:
- Myles Anthony (Sale): Seems to have started as a womenswear bespoke offering that now offers menswear? Offers two levels of made-to-measure (based on their ready-to-wear patterns), plus bespoke with individual pattern and a minimum of two fittings. Everything is cut and made on their own premises.
- Frank Rostron (City Centre): Well-established tailor, again offering bespoke with a minimum of two fittings. Their suits all seem to be made in Italy. They seem to make up and keep on file an individual pattern for the customer, but are inconsistent in the use of the terms "bespoke" and "made-to-measure" on their website.
- James Personal Tailor (City Centre): Again, very well-established. Bespoke only, with minimum of two fittings. Individual pattern, with all suits made on site.
- Phillip Alexander (Wilmslow): This seems to be a bespoke Savile Row firm, but they offer a made-to-measure service out of their Wilmslow premises? Reading between the lines, I'm not sure their Savile Row suits are made on the premises on the Row, but it's hard to day. They are quite transparent about the difference between made-to-measure and bespoke on their website, which is encouraging. Have been in business in some form for 140 years.
- Charles Campbell (Preston): Offer made-to-measure or fully bespoke, with minimum two fittings. Not clear where the suits are actually made.
- Doherty, Evans & Stott (City Centre): Made-to-measure. Suits made by Caruso in Italy. There then seems to be one fitting with the completed suit once it's back in the UK, with the potential for any further alterations to be made locally, by unspecified tailors.
- Crichton (Chester): Full bespoke. Basted fitting, plus minimum one more after that. All manufacture done on the premises.
- Paul Afrim (City Centre): Basted fitting, plus minimum one more after that. All manufacture done on the premises.
Any personal recommendations from forum users are very much appreciated.