rtw vs bespoke @ the same price

[darkbat]

What are your opinions on the relative value of a bespoke vs rtw at the same price?

For example for the same price of a Brioni suit you can get a Savile Row bespoke.

Or for the price of a RLBL you can get a Chan / Yao suit in HK.

Taking into account that you will do minor alterations on the RTW suits to make them fit perfect; how, then, would the suits compare? What would be the advantages and disadvantages on each end?

 

[Michael Ay329]

Some shorter & slimmer men fit well into some manufacturers RTW lines, thus a few alterations can provide them with a good fit.

Perhaps a comfortable fit is a more appropriate term than perfect fit (especially on RTW)

Brioni has some fine handwork tailored into their RTW stuff, but you are paying a high premium for the name...and fine hand work does not mean good fit for a number of folks.

If you want instant gratification and prefer labels over good fit, then get a RTW suit from Brioni or RL

The Chan suit, with a fitting (at extra cost), will likely produce a better fitting garment than either of the above

 

[andreyb2]

With RTW, you have much more limited choice, but greater confidence.

What you prefer?

Andrey

 

[SimonC]

I've satisfied myself with RTW and alterations to this point; I can try something on and know that it'll look good, and more importantly I can buy items at deep discount to retail if I wait for the sales / carefully select on eBay / B&S etc.

However, I'm now exploring the bespoke route. I can choose something that's exactly what I want, with the risk it looks bad because I made poor choices or the tailor isn't up to scratch.

I think it's fair to say the first bespoke effort is best written off - if it looks great that's fantastic, but that would be a minority situation. If you're comparing a single transaction this supports a RTW approach, but if averaged over a decent number of bespoke orders the 'lost' first order cost is only a small margin.

I think those buying top-end RTW (Kiton etc) at full retail are likely those with either a limited interest in clothing ('I got the most expensive suit they sold') or those with a limited amount of time and minimal risk appetite ('it looks good, I don't have the time for great').

 

[Master-Classter]

consider that some people either aren't educated enough, or couldn't be bothered to go through the bespoke process. They're happy to find an OTR that fits reasonably well, plus add in some tailoring on the house and it's good enough. Maybe they want the fancy designer label too.

 

[Don Carlos]

I can almost guarantee you that 99% of Kiton and Brioni at full retail are sold to men who have no idea what they're doing; they just happen to have a lot of money and want to buy the priciest stuff in the department store.

That's not meant to belittle the quality of Kiton or Brioni; it's just a statement of probable fact about the ultra-high-end RTW market.

 

[dragon8]

RTW/OTR suits offer a cut and style that IMO can not really and truly be duplicated by anyone else. Also, the fabrics that certain brands have may be difficult to obtain elsewhere. Bespoke will give you a fit like nothing OTR.

 

[emptym]

After trying one Chan suit, I don't think I'll ever buy another RTW coat -- not at any price. I'm a pretty easy fit, but things like a neck that sticks and armholes that allow movement are more satisfying to me now than any RTW I've tried on. In terms of pants though, I'm still pretty happy w/ cheap rtw.

 

[darkbat]

But from my understanding both high-end OTR suits and bespoke suits are SF-approved.

You see just as many people posting about their new RLPLs as people who brag about their Chans and Yaos.

So there's no definitive answer for this? Is it just down to personal preference?

 

[acecow]

My best-fitting OTR suits have minor imperfections (although only visible to me) even after extensive and expensive tailoring. I think bespoke would probably eliminate those. I'm not wealthy enough to easily afford a 2K+ suit, so I'll have to wait and see. However, even MTM shirts made me reconsider my whole shopping experience. I doubt I will ever buy RTW shirts again.

 

[HPress]

My impression (I'm not really an expert) is that with the exception of literally several tailors and stores, you are better off going with OTR and MTM and Bespoke. Considering that most people don't live near good tailors and don't wear enough suits to get the hang of the bespoke process, I hardly recommend it to anyone.

With OTR, what you see is what you get though you pay the price of trying on dozens of suits.

Even on this forum, we see people who've spent $$$$ on bespoke or MTM suits that look bad.

 

[KingOfTheForum]

The quality and fit would be the deciding factor for me. The labels "RTW" and "bespoke" wouldn't mean a damn thing if the suit was poor quality.

 

[chasingred]

Read this thread

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=79839

I get the sense that most people who go bespoke never go back.

 

[WhateverYouLike]

If your weight will still be changing in the near future, RTW tends to have more resale value so that's something to consider.