New guy with tailoring questions (chicago)

[Powertrip]

Hi! This is my first post, so I figured I would jump in head first, ask a bunch of questions, etc..

I've got my flame suit on so feel free to blast away ;-)

First off, I currently own one suit. It's a Jos. A. Bank suit that I purchased after a good friend advised me and a "well dressed" administrator echoed sentiments that J. Bank was good to go. I'm not UN-pleased with the suit but I now understand after reading here and other forums that Bank is really... middle of the low end to upper low end at best and I'm wanting to step up.

So here's where my questions come in.

I live about 2.5 hours south of Chicago. Same distance to Indy and about 3-4 hours from St. Louis. I'm smack dab in the middle of nowhere when it comes to tailoring. *every* *single* alterations/tailoring outfit in my city has horrible reviews. My grandmother is a seamstress but she is terribly busy and aside from small alterations, works on a time table that I understand but can't really work with (paying customers coming first). So I'm looking for good Tailors in the Chicago area primarily. The two I've heard of are Despos, which at least for now is above my price range. I cannot afford $3,000 for a suit, even knowing that it is worth every penny. I'm *hoping* that there will be good quality tailors that can do bespoke for around $1,500 or less. I've seen mention of Nicholas Joseph but after searching on this forum, I haven't seen any positive feedback about his work. Anyone I've overlooked? Without spending a lot of time driving them browsing/talking with the tailors (something that I think each person I met with deserves a good amount of time conversing for me to get an accurate assessment) I don't have many options so I'm deferring to SF.

It may not be a popular style these days, not sure... But I really like the neo rat pack look that the character Neal Caffrey on White Collar portrays. Slim fit, high quality, and carried with comfort and confidence. That's the look I'm going for.

Other two questions are, what is the rule on at what point on a tie does a tie bar get clipped? I assume that the tie gets clipped to the shirt opening but wanted to verify.

If anyone has seen White Collar, can anyone tell me what kind of shirt collar he favors? I didn't know if it had a specific term. I'm not good at visualizing based on descriptions I read in the FAQ threads, so please forgive me.

Thanks in advance, and I'm glad to be a part of this community!

 

[Powertrip]

* drops pin*

Did I break a rule or somethin?

Follow up question: can a guy find a fully canvases OTR or MTM suit for $1,000 or less if he's patient and watches for sales? If so, which brands/ lines am I looking for? I've gone through PAGES of threads but nowhere have I seen this answered. Just lists of what is considered low end and junk.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Powertrip]

Not even a "use the search button, noob!" response?

I'm researching all I can, and I don't want to be spoonfed... But I'm really looking for someone in the Chicago area who can do work below Despos' pricepoint that isn't going to look like a dry-cleaner's back room budget job for tailoring. Thanks for reading (and hopefully replying

).

 

[phxlawstudent]

http://www.ctda.com/find_a_tailor.htm#illinois

 

[Powertrip]

Thanks, Phoenix Law Student. I have already found that link. Part of my initial inquiry was regarding the Nicholas Joseph because his prices seem quite reasonable, but I've found no reviews of his work really so have nothing to go on. And I can't afford Despos.

But I've heard allusions to all these great tailors in the Illinois area but those four on the ctda website are all that I've found.

Thank you for your response

 

[phxlawstudent]

Well, theres this thread here. http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=85706

 

[Powertrip]

Aaaand, now I feel like a royale FNG seeing as that seems to have taken you next to no time at all.

Thank you Phoenix, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[TheFoo]

I would not be surprised if the whole of well-tailored Chicago used Chris Despos. It is not a nicely dressed city, and most high-end shopping is department store-centered.

Not a helpful response, I know. But the point is that I'm not sure there is much to find there, particularly given your budget and particular aesthetic preferences. And that's the truth everywhere. Good bespoke tailoring is rare in America--you are downright lucky to find a guy like Chris in Chicago or one of the few well-known NYC tailors who will make you a suit for $5-6k. It's just not the right landscape for low prices.

Note: Paul Chang does more alterations work than bespoke. His shirts are actually made-to-measure.

 

[phxlawstudent]

Hear, hear! I am insanely jealous of you guys in Chicago and Dallas. I've got nothing here. Well, there's one guy, but no one has reported back on the experience yet. Plus, I'm not entirely sure if its MTM or true bespoke.

As for the search terms, Chicago + bespoke yielded the results you sought.

 

[Powertrip]

Do my options open up for MTM in the area? I'm seeing places like Thick as Thieves online and the prices seem... too good to be true... I was expecting for quality over OTR fused suits that $1,200-1,500 would be a reasonable price point.

I don't have to wear a suit to work. I'm a police officer and I've got that uniform to wear five days a week. I wanted to expand my wardrobe for simple personal enjoyment and appreciation but while I am willing to spend more for quality... I only have what I see on TV to go off of regarding the differences between the FBI agent in suits vs higher quality garb. So with my limited knowledge I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around a $3,000 piece of personal enjoyment when I've got other hobbies and obligations.

I guess, if I can find evidence of the value, I'm willing to save up another few months, but I was hoping that I'd be able to get the process started sooner with a consultation and an order within the next few weeks.

I really do appreciate your comments!

 

[phxlawstudent]

Just throwing this out there, but what's the difference between spending $3k on a suit v. $3k on an AR, optics, & accessories, not to mention extra mags and bullets.

Kidding! Sort of.

Some police officers show up to court really spiffy. I like it when they dress well. I think it helps convince the jury and shows respect for the court.

You could just go to a department store or MTM venue and get something like Hickey Freeman MTM, HSM GT MTM, or Samuelson mtm. Nothing wrong with MTM if its done well IMO. TAT is fused mtm IIRC.

 

[TheFoo]

Whether something is MTM or bespoke does not correlate with the quality of make. You can easily have a custom suit that is made worse than a RTW one that costs less. Thick as Thieves suits are more about offering a particular kind of style than top-of-the-line workmanship. That's how they can charge less.

Well, nobody can tell you how much is reasonable to spend. All I can say is that a suit is not necessarily made better simply by being 'bespoke'--neither in terms of fit nor quality. Most worthwhile bespoke is going to be pricey. In fact, $3,000 is arguably still below the mark. Despos, for example, charges much more than that.

Ask yourself what you're trying to accomplish. If you want a very well made suit for the least money, and you are a fairly regular body shape, your best bet may be an on-sale suit from a good RTW maker.

Originally Posted by Powertrip

Do my options open up for MTM in the area? I'm seeing places like Thick as Thieves online and the prices seem... too good to be true... I was expecting for quality over OTR fused suits that $1,200-1,500 would be a reasonable price point.

I don't have to wear a suit to work. I'm a police officer and I've got that uniform to wear five days a week. I wanted to expand my wardrobe for simple personal enjoyment and appreciation but while I am willing to spend more for quality... I only have what I see on TV to go off of regarding the differences between the FBI agent in suits vs higher quality garb. So with my limited knowledge I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around a $3,000 piece of personal enjoyment when I've got other hobbies and obligations.

I guess, if I can find evidence of the value, I'm willing to save up another few months, but I was hoping that I'd be able to get the process started sooner with a consultation and an order within the next few weeks.

I really do appreciate your comments!

 

[Powertrip]

I'm just now 27 years old and I've only been a police officer for four and a half years. But the difference between me is, when it comes to the workplace I'll invest my money in training versus gear. If it functions, I'll take an $800 AR any day of the week over $3000 guns. I've shot both and I'm not at the level of proficiency where I can take advantage of the difference. And I'm a firearms instructor so I *can* shoot.

When it comes to work I am PURELY functional versus form or flash. I need my stuff to work and I need to not look like a slob doing it. Others can get away with dumpy uniforms but it can't be me. (appearances mean so much in our world, and ANY advantage that being well dressed gets me as far as locking up bad guys is one I'll take.)

But, I'm finally old enough in my personal life that I want to start appreciating the finer things. I've graduated from flashy logo T-shirts and scruffy beards because I live in a university town and being well prepped on a friday night catches the eyes of the ladies over the frat boy look does for others in the bars/clubs.

But I *want* to grow out of the jeans+button up shirt wardrobe. I bought a suit recently for a funeral with an eye that I'd be wearing it socially as well. Medium grey, 100% wool Jos. A Bank deal. When I bought it, after talking to the salesman I thought I was getting what I wanted and what looked good on me. After reading this forum and lurking on the FedoraLounge, I've come to see the shortcomings of J.A.B. and I'm trying to avoid making another $500 mistake.

It'd be even worse if I end up making a $1,500 mistake and should've gone with Despos to begin with, but it is so hard for me to check all these places out to see what I really want because locally I've got JAB and Macy's, I work night shift tuesday through saturday nights (days off sunday/monday) so it's not easy to plan a trip to Chicago. I'm trying to make sure I get a broad info base from the forums before I commit to the trips up.

Again, thank you all for being so helpful. And for reading through my verbose writing

 

[TheFoo]

Well, welcome to the forum. I made a similar choice to you, and I'm about your age.

Here's the truth: you can't learn what makes a $5k bespoke suit worth $5k by visiting the tailor (no offense, Chris). People who use such expensive tailors are either people for whom the money is not a meaningful amount, or who are very knowledgeable of the product and have commited to paying the price. It doesn't sound like you're in a rush, so why don't you take the time to learn a little bit more about what you're getting yourself into. Invariably, your preferences and goals will refine themselves in the process, and it will be clearer to you what you should do.

Another piece of starter advice: to get the best results from a tailor, you need a continuing relationship (subsequent orders will be better than previous ones). Your chances of satisfaction with a one-off order are considerably lower. It's a very expensive game to play.

 

[S. Able]

Montopoli is another option. They don't seem to get a ton of love around here for whatever reason. They sell both custom (made in-house) and made-to-measure (by Adrian Jules I think). They are likely outside of your budget, but may be worth contacting.