MTM suit - who to choose in London?

[JB2410]

New here. Am guessing this has been asked endlessly, so once more, sorry....Getting married (again) in middle of the year. Finally willing and able to pay for a high end tailor made suit to get married in. Based in London West End, minute's walk from Savile Row, so choice isn't an issue. Any recommendations pls (or advice who not to go to) as to my layman's eyes. the tailors all look pretty similar but obviously they're not. And assume my body shape is irrelevant (tall, v broad) to the house style, given this is made to measure.

 

[Loathing]

You have to look around the forum more, read what people have written, and look at some pictures. It's the only way you'll end up with the right suit for you.

Having said that, if you answer these questions I might be able to point you in the right direction:

What's your budget?
Do you really mean MTM, or do you mean bespoke?
Do you want a regular suit made, or do you want morning dress?

 

[GBR]



New here. Am guessing this has been asked endlessly, so once more, sorry....Getting married (again) in middle of the year. Finally willing and able to pay for a high end tailor made suit to get married in. Based in London West End, minute's walk from Savile Row, so choice isn't an issue. Any recommendations pls (or advice who not to go to) as to my layman's eyes. the tailors all look pretty similar but obviously they're not. And assume my body shape is irrelevant (tall, v broad) to the house style, given this is made to measure.

You really MUST use the search function (and other sources) to answer this - the effort will yield far more that might appear in a single thread. And yes this is the nth repetition of what has been covered many, many times so there is a rich harvest if you are willing to help yourself.

One assumes that as you mention Saville Row that you are comfortable with a price range of c£2,500 (Hitchcock) to £4,000 odd (say Sedwell) and that you do mean bespoke. Each house has its own style and you will learn about that if you use the search function.

You could also consider Gordon Yao of Hong Kong, one of the best tailors in the former colony. He is visiting the country on April 8/9th.

 

[JB2410]

Clearly I need to look harder than I did but gave up after sifting through previous threads for half an hour going solely on subject line. I do mean bespoke and yep, Savile Row price for this twice in a lifetime event is not an issue. And a regular (not morning) suit Thx for responding (and I'll keep searching)

 

[GBR]

You have much to learn bespoke and MTM are very different and so determine what you want and do not mix the terms. Once you have done that visit one or two houses. They are generally polite enough to give you a few minutes - it may turn into a commission so worth a punt.

One or two places on the Row do offer entry level (increases their market) whereby the suit is measured there but made in China although most do bespoke in the traditional way.

Styles differ markedly - soft tailoring (Hitchcock and A & S) through to military style.

 

[Macallan]

What type of style do you like & your max budget? This will help narrow it down to 3/4 options, visit the tailors & choose the one you prefer

 

[JonathanCWalker]

Had a look around Huntsman a few months back really like the cut they do maybe have a look in each and choose what style you like best as all are very different.

JW

 

[JB2410]

V helpful thanks. Looks like there's no substitute for getting off my backside and visiting them to make an informed decison. A whole new world...

 

[comrade]

I recommend that you PM Will, whnay, and F. Corbera (Vox)-
Three yanks that know their way around the Row and possibly
MTM.

 

[Geezer]

The good news is that almost any SR tailor will make you a really first class suit. Basically avoid everyone bar Davies and Son on the West side of the street (the only proper tailor left there), and focus on the East. Also go see Anderson and Sheppard and Meyer and Mortimer nearby. And - though they get mixed reviews - Kent, Haste and Lachter. Personally, I would avoid Gieves and Hawkes, and (currently) Kilgour. The former trade off reputation; the latter have been through two major restructurings in a few years and may need to have their operation settle down a bit. But happy to be told I'm wrong on either count.

Your big stylistic choice is between the "softer" cuts of A&S, Hitchcock and Steed (search A&S expatriates here), and the harder cuts of others. The soft stuff gets a lot of love here. The "harder" styles are exemplified at their most extreme by Huntsman and Richard Anderson. Most others are toward the harder end, though less stylised.

Almost equally important is whether you get on with the human beings involved. Only meeting them can decide that. A tailor you do not get on with is a painful experience.

Keep reading the Forum. Consider joining and lurking over at The London Lounge for a cross-bearing.

If all else fails, and you are happy to drop four grand, you can do worse than todddling along to see the Cundeys at Henry Poole. They are the oldest place on the Row, a quintessential SR experience, and not half bad at what they do.

Final suggestion: for a wedding, go classic, timeless, and even subdued on style. You want to look at those pictures in 20-30 years time and not wince at what you were wearing.

 

[TheWraith]

Cad and the Dandy, if you're on a budget. If you're not, then the sky's the limit.

 

[Dempsy444]

I've had a chance to visit the different tailors on an off the Row during a couple of business trips to London. It's a fun process meeting the cutters, or in most cases the sales person, and asking questions. You learn a little bit with each meeting. After a while, you start to see that they all have a pretty similar pitch and talking points, and the suits are very similar for the most part across the different Houses, unless you are talking extremes like structured vs. drape. Within an extreme, the differences are fairly subtle but noticeable. You also start to see that some of the houses have tremendous heritage, history and charisma - like Huntsman and A&S- and it can be very easy to get drawn in on that alone. At this point, one is wise to take a deep breadth, not make an impulsive decision, and keep doing their research.

There are so many good tailors in London it is hard to choose. If I were doing the process again, the key things I would focus on are the general style I like - structured or drape, the ability to work with the head cutter (like Richard Anderson at Richard Anderson, or Patrick Murphy at Huntsman), and selecting the tailor I thought was most committed to me. A lot of people walk off the Street to get a suit on the Row. You can't always assume they are 100% committed to your suit when they have many more to make, especially when they are from customers who buy many.

For me, I think this means I would go with one of the disciples over A&S if I were to do drape and maybe with Richard Anderson, Dege or a smaller off the Row tailor if I were to do structured.
In addition to the disciples, I would probably look at Rubinacci given their evident quality.

Having said all this, I have only had one suit made on the Row so haven't had a chance to test my approach that much.


good luck.

 

[GBR]

I would suggest that you visit

Stephen Hitchcock one of the younger cutters

http://www.thesavilerowtailor.co.uk/


His Father is the Senior Cutter (MD) at A and S and he was apprenticed there or else. Prices are at the lower end of the scale.

Andrew Ramroop at Maurice Sedwell.

This firm is at the more expensive end of the scale but singularly attentive to all clients

 

[JB2410]

Really instructive. Have visited Hitchcock (nice guy) and on the way to see Richard Anderson. Important for me to see two different styles before making the choice (as as been pointed out...). Not sure when I learnt so much about a subject in such a short space of time. Fascinated by it to the extent that this will clearly become a highly enjoyable but very expensive habit.

Thanks all

Jon