Tailor's in Calgary?

[bdg]

Hello all!
I'm not quite sure if this is the correct place to post this thread, however I was unable to find any information on any good tailors around the Calgary area. I'm a fairly small individual (5'6" and 110 lbs) so it's nearly impossible to find anything in this city that fits off the rack. So if any of you had any tailor recommendations it would be great!

 

[jesask]

I had a jacket made at Umberto's downtown and it's alright. The canvas seems kind of stiff and heavy though so I would ask about that if you were going to have a jacket made.

 

[bdg]

Sounds good, thanks! Just out of curiousity about how much does a jacket usually run you there / how long does it take?

 

[robasaurus]

Your other option would be using an MTM program at one of the menswear stores downtown. They all use a variety of different manufacturors, so I am sure you would be able to find something to your liking. Off the top of my head, Harry Rosen uses Samuelsohn, Coppley, Zegna, and Armani. Holt Renfrew uses Coppley, Armani, and Isaia. Henry Singer uses Coppley, Armani, and Pal Zileri. I am not sure who O'Connors uses, but if I had to guess they probably have access to Coppley and Pal Zileri, and maybe one or two others.

There is also a tailor in Gulf Canada Square downtown called Antonio's. As far as I know, they do MTM suits as well. I cannot speak to the quality of their MTM garments, as I have never seen one or enquired about it.

I would guess at your height and weight your would be a 34 short? There are occasionally garments out there that would fit you. Henry Singer sometimes gets a selection of garments in that size, and can special order from multiple vendors as well. I know Harry Rosen occasionally has basic solid colour suits in that size as well, but I have never seen anything else from them and I am unaware of their ability to special order. Holt Renfrew does not stock size 34, and as far as I know, they cannot special order that size in.

I do not think there are any bespoke tailors in this city. In fact, I would be shocked if there were.

I live in Calgary and work at one of the aforementioned menswear stores. If you have any further questions, I would be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.

 

[aavlee]

Do you know if Harry Rosen stocks 34 jackets?

 

[robasaurus]

Originally Posted by aavlee

Do you know if Harry Rosen stocks 34 jackets?

As far as I know, they only stock basic suits in size 34. My neighbour works at Harry Rosen, and my understanding from what he's told me is that on the rare occasions the company stocks something in a 34, it will only be in Vancouver or maybe Toronto, and you would have to have them order it in for you. However, due to the scarcity of that size, if they don't order it immediately after it is received at whichever store is stocking it, it will sell and you're out of luck. I could be wrong about any of this, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not.

 

[bdg]

Thanks for the wealth of information robasaurus

Suits aside, would you happen to know if Antonio's does alterations well on say a peacoat? As well are there other tailors you might recommend for doing such a task well? (I recieved one as a gift and the shoulders are off about an inch per side, so I would be needing to take that in, would need to alter a large chunk (say 10 inches ) of the chest as well as the waist area, as well as shortening the sleaves about an inch or so as well)One might recommend buying a different one that requires less altering, however sadly this is probably one of the best fitting coats I've come across yet (damn small frame, heh).

 

[robasaurus]

Don't even bother having that coat altered. I can't recommend a tailor off the top of my head who can/will do that type of work (only from lack of personal experience with many tailors in this city), but for what you'll end up paying just to have those alterations done, you could buy a coat that fits. On top of that, there is no guarantee that any tailor you bring the coat to will even do it properly. My experience has been that many tailors are quick to promise alterations and do not deliver anything resembling a proper finished product.

If you are looking for a trim-fitting pea coat, try Urban. I know they had one at the beginning of the season from J. Lindeberg that would definitely fit you (I'm about the same size, and I tried the coat on - fit like a glove). For the price, the fabric wasn't great, so I didn't pull the trigger. But you could also try Crown Surplus in Inglewood. They carry a great selection of military coats, and sometimes in sizes that will work for you. I am sure you could find a peacoat there in your size. The last idea I have for you is Club Monaco. Any of their outerwear in XS should fit you, or at least be close enough that it would actually be worth altering. The only problem you might have there is that a lot of their jackets come with surgeons cuffs, so you would have to shorten the sleeves at the shoulder, which can only be done to a maximum of one or two inches generally.

I can definitely sympathize as far as finding outerwear that fits nicely. It's terrible if you're small.

 

[unjung]

Just because there aren't a lot of threads about Calgary, I'm going to jump in on this one: have either of you looked at Gio's (looks to be comparable to O'Connors) or Toppers (a tiny little tailor who makes MTM shirts and suits)? Both are along 8th ave between 5th and 6th. Toppers' shirt prices are right around the $100 mark for two-ply cottons so I thought I might try that out sometime. Suits are around $500. I haven't actually been into Gio's but I understand they make pretty good shirts.

On another note, robasaurus, do you know any tailor in town who will alter a tie's width?

 

[robasaurus]

I went into Gio's out of curiousity a few weeks ago and it was awful. It was similar to James & Dickson or Thomas Jeffrey - you might find one good piece in there, but everything else is ho-hum, old-manish, or ugly. I would not shop at Gio's, personally. I don't know anything about Toppers, but I can tell you I've never paid $100 for an MTM shirt and been satisfied. If you try it, let me know how it works out.

I can't make specific recommendations as to who WILL alter a tie's width, but most tailors CAN do it. I would just call a few tailors and ask about it.

 

[unjung]

Edit: answered my own question.

 

[unjung]

Just wanted to resuscitate this thread again - has anyone used a tailor for alterations in Calgary lately? I am still needing the sides taken in on two overcoats and a tux I am planning to buy from the Wizard of Aahs, and don't know who to trust. I spoke to a little place in Gulf Canada (not Antonio's) and the woman I spoke to seemed to have a pretty good sense of how to do an overcoat, but I'm still terrified.

I've also read fairly positive anonymous review of Anna's, corner of 24th street and 90 avenue S.W. Anyone used them?

 

[grimslade]

Is "tailors" not a perfectly acceptable plural form?

 

[unjung]

The apostrophe is so often misunderstood.

 

[robasaurus]

Originally Posted by unjung

Just wanted to resuscitate this thread again - has anyone used a tailor for alterations in Calgary lately? I am still needing the sides taken in on two overcoats and a tux I am planning to buy from the Wizard of Aahs, and don't know who to trust. I spoke to a little place in Gulf Canada (not Antonio's) and the woman I spoke to seemed to have a pretty good sense of how to do an overcoat, but I'm still terrified.

I've also read fairly positive anonymous review of Anna's, corner of 24th street and 90 avenue S.W. Anyone used them?

I just recently found out about another place that I could recommend to you. It's called The Tailor Shop. The tailor there is Giovanni Nicoletti, whose brother, Antonio, is the master tailor at my store. Tony and several of our clients speak very highly of Giovanni's work. I've dug up the contact info for you:

1906 37th St SW
403-246-2735