Tailor old suits vs Buy new suits

[Mo Hannibal]

As a neophyte to high-end menswear (with somewhat limited means, to boot) this is a question I've wrestled with.

Ex., I bought a Brioni off of ebay for $400. Fuzzy pictures--I figured that at least I would end up with a very nice odd jacket (150's "tweed&quot. Spent another $400 at the tailors (shoulders, sleeves, slight shortening of jacket, a little work on pants length [cuffed], etc.). Result is nice, but not perfect (distance from top of jacket pocket to bottom of jacket is just slightly too small, but OK, for example).

I recently had a Samuelsohn rep do me up for a MTM for a third again of the total cost of the Brioni. I don't have it yet, but the model (Gable) OTR was very close and I suspect the finished product will be very nice, indeed.

Bottom line is that the extra effort and time on the Brioni I put in probably offsets the difference in price paid--though I did end up with a not-quite perfect Brioni as opposed to a much-closer-to-perfect Sammy.

My suspicion is that I'll probably end up being happier with the MTM, than the reclamation project. That's not to say that I won't try it again, though, but I will definitely "pick my spots" very carefully to do so...

 

[k4lnamja]

Originally Posted by acecow

I am still to find a suit OTR to fit me precisely how I want it. Even when I buy new, I still tailor most of my clothes.

e zegna milano. enough said

 

[ShoesYouCanUse]

If the suits are of good quality and are timeless then tailoring them may be most cost effective. Otherwise, it would be to your advantage to purchase a couple of quality suits that will last for a while and overtime you can change out the accessories which will give you a new look with the same suit.

 

[dragon8]

Originally Posted by KingOfTheForum

I ran across a thread previous in which a poster suggested using a pool of money to tailor old clothes rather than buying a new wardrobe. That's an interesting idea, and I think that it's good advice. However, my question is how far does it go; when does the cost outweigh the benefit? Let's say that the "old" suits are your simple lower line Jos A Bank/Men's Wearhouse/house brand quality suits (not much wear on them), and the tailoring will be in the $100-$150 price range. Would you opt for tailoring a few of these suits or buying 1 or 2 higher quality ones? Why?

I think if the suits are yours and you like the suits for whatever reason and the tailoring required is/are minor then keep them. If major tailoring is needed then buy new ones.

 

[jcmeyer]

As soon as I realized how ill-fitting a lot of my older clothes were, I took a few jackets to the tailor to be shortened in the sleeves and length-- haven't messed with the shoulders of anything because I feel like the cost would outweigh the enjoyment of getting something new.

But that said, once those pieces were tailored it was like having a completely new piece that I truly enjoy wearing. Maybe set a limit of $75 per piece or some percentage of the total cost and see what you can do with that at the tailor vs. what you could buy new with that same money.

 

[skeet]

I have a couple suits that are on the lower quality spectrum, Jos A, that I need to be tailored. I purchased them a year ago and since have slimmed down quite a bite. I am wondering how much tailoring is possible...?
Can I taper the pants, make them more slim fit, ... decrease the waist size, shorten the jacket length...?