Suits (under £500) in London? MTM?

[sloaney]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to buy two suits and hopefully keep it within £500 each. I live in London.

I am looking for something slightly contemporary with an athletic-looking cut (high lapels, strong shoulders, supressed waist). Thinking of getting this single breasted, notch lapel, two side vents, in light grey and dark blue.... do you think these are good choices or should I go for dark grey or black instead of light grey?

Anyway, what can I realistically get for this amount of money? If I were to buy something off the peg and then bring it to a good tailor, where do you suggest I buy it from and where do you suggest I bring it to?

I don't suppose this will bring me within the MTM sphere?

Thanks

 

[yfyf]

You might want to have a look at Benjamin Oliver on King Street. They do that sort of thing for your price point and I think MTM is 650 Pounds. They can do pretty good alterations on what you buy from them too.

 

[yfyf]

O, and Kashkets near Savile Row, I think it was just off Albermarle, will do bespoke for 700. I've seen their stuff. A little old-school but pretty good and pretty cheap for London.

 

[The_Foxx]

I just have to wonder when I see a thread like this.....is there some penalty or tax/ tariff for Brits to order from American websites?

I can only think that for 500 pounds sterling, you have nearly a thousand dollars' worth of buying power. For example, there are several brand new Oxxford Clothes suits on ebay right now for $700-$800 USD (about 425 pounds sterling??),

...or for only slightly more there is Sierra Trading Post with Isaia suits (using the Styleforum 15% off code ASTYLE8)-- coming to about 525 pounds sterling. I would think you'd be pretty happy with an Isaia suit, which retails here in the states for about $2600 USD!!

 

[yfyf]

Much as I love buying things online, I don't think I could bring myself to buy an Isaia without trying it on first.

In any case, international shipping and international billing addresses are often not acceptable to most US based online retailers.

Also, tax should be at least 17.5% + whatever other duties may be incurred + a processing fee on whatever the shipper declares it as.

My girlfriend recently mailed a Drake's scarf for Christmas to me in London and I got hit with a 15 Pound processing fee and another 10 for tax. It sucked.

 

[Raz]

Originally Posted by yfyf

Much as I love buying things online, I don't think I could bring myself to buy an Isaia without trying it on first.

In any case, international shipping and international billing addresses are often not acceptable to most US based online retailers.

Also, tax should be at least 17.5% + whatever other duties may be incurred + a processing fee on whatever the shipper declares it as.

My girlfriend recently mailed a Drake's scarf for Christmas to me in London and I got hit with a 15 Pound processing fee and another 10 for tax. It sucked.

It happened to me as well my cousin mailed some gifts for me (that was so nice of him) but on the end I did have to pay £50 in processing fee and tax.

 

[GBR]

Will George work at this price point?

Other than tha then I wold suggest MTM at say Austin Read.

 

[pabloj]

Originally Posted by yfyf

... I got hit with a 15 Pound processing fee and another 10 for tax. It sucked.
Didn't she use USPS? Find a good alterations tailor and go online for Isaia

 

[clintonf]

Originally Posted by pabloj

Didn't she use USPS? Find a good alterations tailor and go online for Isaia
Hi, it's doesn't matter what courier you use, you are (and probably will be) liable for customs duty, Value Added Tax (VAT) AND any courier processing fee (charged allegedly for paying the customs fees on your behalf). I cannot prove this, but if you are "known" to your courier, then it's likely you will incur these charges, if the declared value is over a certain threshold (in my limited experience, around $100 including shipping costs). To my mind, if you're buying new from an online retailer, I would recommend asking for a member here to become a proxy for your sale. That is, ship the item to the Proxy's address and then have them ship to you. This is more expensive (as you have to pay for shipping twice), but you have more control over what your Proxy declares on the customs form. However, should the parcel go "missing" or any other loss issues, you will probably only receive the value you've declared on the customs form. Just my 2 pence worth. Clint

 

[pabloj]

Yes, you are liable for all that, but in my experience USPS has the lower processing fees and it's less likely to get charged by customs

 

[yfyf]

Really? I thought the processing fees were being charged by Royal Mail once it reaches UK side? In any case, my girlfriend sent it from Tokyo so she would be using Japan Mail via EMS to Royal Mail to my door. (bit odd sending someone in UK a Drake's scarf bought in Japan but it was a great scarf!)

 

[clintonf]

Originally Posted by pabloj

Yes, you are liable for all that, but in my experience USPS has the lower processing fees and it's less likely to get charged by customs

Hi pabloj, I cannot argue with your experience (nor would I wish to). In my experience, I have ALWAYS been charged when USPS has been used and the declared value is over $100. I'm glad that you have managed to get away with it, as it's a BIG surprise when you finally receive your letter informing you that your goods will not be released until you pay them the money that they calculated.

I've probably taken delivery of over 50 parcels via USPS. I wished that I could get away with it, but I can't.

I also believe that UK HM Revenue and Customs are making a more consolidated effort to "collect" the duty on imported items.

I believe that I'm paying enough taxes in the UK, so it really urks me to know that I have pay again simply to have an item enter the UK. This is the law, so I haven't a leg to stand on. It just pees me off a little.

pabloj, I hope that you can keep under the "net" (so to speak) and I hope that no HM Reveune and Customs officers are reading this

Trying to stay focused on the OP, would somewhere like Yoox be more acceptable for you (assuming you're not going to go MTM)? As they have a UK presence.

You could consider visiting some of the outlet parks (I'm thinking Bicester) also.

Just a thought (or 2).

Clint

 

[Milo]

If the sales are still on, I'd check out RTW suits from the shops on Bond Street and Savile Row. You should be able to find some for around £500 or less. There are enough different styles that you should be able to find something without having to get it altered.

 

[The_Foxx]

sounds like ordering from the USA might be too much trouble, but if you visited a shop in london that sells Isaia (for example) so you knew your size, it might be worth your while-- better, if you have a friend in the USA who will receive it and ship it along to you, marking it 'used clothing' to avoid any tax but get a tracking number from DHL so it won't be lost.