Suit dilemma: cheaper bespoke/MTM or more expensive OTP and alterations?

[ashfanman]

Hi all. Long time lurker, first time poster, etc.

I'm looking to get a new suit for my wedding. While I would love to get a full bespoke suit from a Saville Row tailor, I simply can't afford to spend that kind of money, so was hoping for some advice for how to get the best bang for my buck. I'd ideally like not to spend more than £1,000 in total for a two-piece suit and a nice shirt.

I'm currently in two minds as to whether to go for a bespoke/MTM suit from a lower priced tailor in London, or to get a more expensive OTP suit (perhaps even from Saville Row) and then pay to have it altered elsewhere. (I'm 6'5 and slim, so it's unfortunately next-to-impossible to find OTP suits that fit me nicely without any alteration at all.) What do people think?

I'd be particularly keen to hear of any personal experiences of lower priced bespoke/MTM tailors in London - either good or bad. (I think I'd rather steer clear of the internet/mailorder tailors where you take all the measurements yourself and then get your suit in the post.) I've read some (mostly) good things about Cad & The Dandy, while others that I've seen mentioned are Jack Bunneys, Graham Browne and Birkett Bespoke (a smaller tailor in Richmond, near to where I live). Has anyone used any of those, or are there others I should be looking at?

If I was going to go down the OTP/alteration route, which brands do people think make the highest quality suits for my price range? I currently wear a slim fit suit by Hackett and have always liked Paul Smith (though I'm sure PS is overpriced for what you get), but I'm not concerned about having a 'designer' name - I'm far more interested in the quality of construction and cloth.

Finally, I'd also be interested in recommendations for decent but cheap London tailors for alterations. I had an overcoat altered by Thimble in Kensington and was very pleased with the result, but that was about 8 years ago.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BigBadBernard]

I would avoid CATD like the plague. I had a semi-bespoke from there a couple of years ago and it is terrible. I went in several times for post-construction fitting and they never got it right, and they were clearly just keen to get me out of the door. 6 months later, after very infrequent wear (once or twice a month, tops) one of the sleeves was coming unstitched. A shame, as I had hoped they would be a good choice for everyday commuting suits.

I have had a couple of suits from GB. Hit and miss would be my view. The pricing is keen, and the first suit worked out well and I wear it still. Second one was a bit off in the gorge height and a couple if the details I asked for (ticket pocket) didn't get done! My view is that because if their pricing they have a very large clientele and workload, so quality control is not what it could be.

I have recently had an MTM done at a local menswear shop in the SE outside London who uses Wensum to make up their suits and it was very good value at c.£600 with a Dugdale worsted. I understand Ede & Ravenscroft use the same manufacturer (but are a little bit pricier). Fit on my Wensum was pretty good for MTM and they have a good selection of cloths.

Avoid SuitSupply MTM. Haven't used it myself, but I know a few people who have and their suits don't look that great.

I have a couple of jackets from Choppin & Lodge in the City, but not had a suit done there. They are similar to GB (and used to share premises) but slightly pricier (say, 10% or so more). I really like both of the jackets I had made there and I think you could get a suit done for £900 or so. They will do shirts as well, but I haven't tried one as I have mostly used Proper Cloth after getting a bespoke from Budd for them to copy.

Don't know the other places you mentioned, but would definitely check out E&R and C&L. My tailor for nice suits is Tom Brown, but you won't get out of there much under £2.5k, so probably not within budget. Anyway, those are my thoughts, for what they're worth...

 

[ashfanman]

Very helpful indeed - thanks!

I will certainly check out E&R and C&L, but it sounds like even MTM might be a bit hit-and-miss at my budget? Do you think it might be a better idea to buy a suit off-the-peg for, say, £750 and then have it altered?